Berleben

Near the green waters of the Ounterloch, the marsh town of Berleben is nestled deep in the Labenda Swamp. Berleben was settled early in the expansion of the Dwendalian Empire, and the town initially showed promise with a booming industry in the cultivation of unique swamp plants sought after by healers and mages alike. However, the watershed from the Silberquel Mountains runs into the Labenda Swamp, and the land slowly grew unstable, causing half of the town to begin sinking into the surrounding marsh. Those who remained in the town have had to adapt over the years, as much of the settlement now sits uncomfortably under inches of swamp water.
Other regions of the empire regard Berleben with distaste and ridicule, colored by exaggerated stories of rampant illness, a perpetual plague of buzzing insects, and the failing landscape it was built on. Berleben is sometimes call "the Sog Sticks," a moniker used by outsiders to ridicule the town and by its denizens with sarcastic pride.
The ragged swampfolk that call this place home have remained due to familial ties, impoverished necessity, or the promise of work harvesting what natural commodities the swamp offers. The dangers of the swamp and the isolated location have bred a tight-knit and nosy community. Neighbors frequently pry in each other’s business, aggressive curiosity taking hold whenever something new or out-of-the-ordinary occurs within the murky streets.

Demographics

63% humans, 17% halflings, 12% gnomes, 8% other races

Government

Atop the Stilts region of the settlement lies the Summit House, home to Starosta Carliyle Vesperwind. Vesperwind greatly despises his assignment and quietly resents his inability to protest his appointment. He spends most of his time locked within his abode or traveling to neighboring locales to avoid responsibility. The governance of the town is mostly left in the hands of the Mossmire Temple’s idolmaster, Julienne Droogba.

Defences

Though a bare-bones garrison of Crownsguard guards the town, sellswords protect travelers within the Labenda Swamp.

Crime

Without an active starosta or a well-staffed Crownsguard, crime in Berleben is fairly common and rarely punished. Most folk who live within the town carry their own means of self-defense and are slow to trust outsiders.

Industry & Trade

Supplies beyond basic goods and tools are uncommon. A handful of meager inns provide limited lodging.

Guilds and Factions

The idolmaster maintains the small shrines within the city. Local business is thriving, but few outsiders are willing to invest in this lopsided backwater.

Geography

Built over unsteady, stinking swampland, the somewhat miserable and half-sunken town is divided into thirds. The three districts correspond to different ages of construction in the empire and visually differ based on whatever construction materials the townsfolk had access to at the time.
The Puddles are the oldest and poorest region of Berleben, with numerous old stone and wood buildings that now sit in several inches of marsh water. The Midway Docks are the central region of Berleben, where the workers and fishmongers do business and where a majority of locals socialize. The Stilts are, for what little it’s worth, the newest and most affluent part of town, marked by sturdier houses atop heavy load-bearing stilts that raise the buildings a few feet above the swamp in hopes of outlasting the rest of the sinking settlement.

Type

Town

Population

3,230

Location under

Marrow Valley

Owning Organization

Dwendalian Empire