Shadycreek Run

Past the northern outposts of Wynandir, a scattered line of shantytowns and hovels chokes the pathway into the trees of the wildlands alongside a small creek. Originally comprised of a patchwork of makeshift, impoverished societies run by cruel slumlords, Shadycreek Run is now known as a hive of criminal activity and savage humanity given free reign. The degenerate dregs of civilization see this place as a chance to gain untold fame and power. Most debates end in a brawl, and most brawls end in bloodshed.
The harsh, unguarded environment breeds a tough people, and despite the ravaging beasts that pick off easy prey from the outskirts, proud groups of hunters and skinners have risen to become prominent traders. Some intelligent figures have begun to organize and civilize life in the Run, hoping to bring a modicum of order and respect to the collection of reprobates, while the veterans of the Run fight to keep things unpredictable, undermining these attempts with violence. The volatile society underscores the age-old adage, "they call it the Run for a reason."

Dangerous Vocations

Many who choose to live within Shadycreek Run do so to avoid the persecution (or prosecution) that awaits within the empire, while others have a taste for the brutal lifestyle afforded by a land of overt moral flexibility. Professions here range from artisans and craftsman to farmers, mercenaries, and entertainers. However, the most profitable entrepreneurs in the region are thieves, hunters, and scavengers who brave the deadly Savalirwood and the ruins of Molaesmyr. Powerful beasts yield hearty meat and furs, while recovered relics and lost magics fetch quite the price in distant markets. The struggle over these prizes often grows bloody, as the Tribes and the Greytrader Union battle to gain control of these trades, while also competing with the people of Uthodurn who wish to reclaim their heritage and lost belongings.

Adversarial Rulership

Currently, Shadycreek Run is divided between three competitive factions: the Greytrader Union, the Tribes, and the Grudge Gang.
The Greytrader Union is a faction of reformed outcasts and criminals who want to establish firm trade relationships with outside societies and help salvage Shadycreek Run by making it a safer, more functional community. The members of the union don’t abide imperial rule, and they enjoy the freedom of a lawless lifestyle, but they also wish to be free of the legacy of violence for which Shadycreek Run is known. Made up of trappers, hunters, builders, and craftsmen from all walks of life, the Greytrader Union wishes to institute self-appointed marshals to keep the peace. They aim to increase the safety of civilians, turn the Run into a respectable destination for trade, and eventually diminish the influence of the Tribes and the Grudge Gang.
The Tribes are a collective of rival criminal families who ran the Run for nearly a century before they lost much of their dominance to violent infighting and internal power struggles. Comprised of the Mardoon, Uttolot, Trebain, and Jagentoth families, the Tribes work to maintain control over most of the business that transpires in the city, and conspire against each other in secret. While each family center is usually composed of relatives by blood or marriage, their employees are also considered “within the family,” so long as they remain loyal. The Tribes fence stolen goods, provide vice and bawdy entertainment, and control the populace through confusion, intimidation, and fear.
The Grudge Gang is a hardened company of mercenaries who act as the muscle to enforce local interests within the Run. Founded by a band of deserters from the Dwendalian army, they’ve grown into a battalion of warriors loyal to coin and each other. Members of the gang will happily work for the Greytrader Union or any of the families of the Tribes, so long as their business isn’t bloody enough to harm innocents or put the safety of the Run at stake. Since the other factions rely on the Grudge Gang for protection from the terrors of the Savalirwood, its members consider themselves neutral instruments in the political chess game. Some members of the gang have assigned themselves to maintain order in a land without law, calling themselves Taskers and doing their best to keep the innocent from being crushed by the city’s predators. Their priorities revolve around lending their skills to whoever pays the best, maintaining livable streets, and keeping the dangers of the Savalirwood and the Dwendalian Empire out of the city.

Demographics

56% humans, 15% elves, 14% dwarves, 15% other races

Government

The city has no central government or laws, so much of it is held together by a vague sense of “live and let live,” broken by occasional bursts of “take what I want.” If violence spirals out of control, the Grudge Gang’s Taskers step in and beat everyone involved to a pulp. It’s not uncommon for careless folk to wind up dead in a snow-covered alley, stripped of their goods and left to be eaten by starving dogs. Denizens of the Run learn to watch their backs and warily wield blades.

Defences

The Tribes of Shadycreek Run each employ personal soldiers and bodyguards, while the Grudge Gang defends the city at large.

Industry & Trade

Most general goods are available, and rare imports and stolen commodities are sold and auctioned in secret. Many taverns, inns, and places of vice are open to the public.

Guilds and Factions

Most business is run by one of the Tribes or the Union, even if alliances are hidden. The city has scattered, humble temples.

Geography

What began as an extended string of shanties and shacks built along the southern treeline of the Savalirwood has turned into a three-mile-long, crooked main street called Clover Alley, lined with hovels, buildings, and mudholes. The neighborhoods on the southern side of the Alley, called the South Clover, are the most impoverished and least maintained areas of the city, known for extremely desperate folk and even more dangerous business. The northern side, called the North Clover, is partially built into the Savalirwood itself, and houses the wealthy and powerful denizens of the Run, including most of the families of the Tribes, who live in various mansions and small strongholds.
The western end of the Clover Alley, known as the Wickerskids, is home to the scavengers and farmers who do their best to coax the harsh lands of the cold north to produce food for the people of Shadycreek Run. The central square of Clover Alley is named Clover Plaza and marks the heart of commerce, conflict, and vice within the city. In the plaza, all factions mingle in broad daylight, disguising their hidden agendas with a bawdy and loud lifestyle of indulgence and excess. The eastern end of Clover Alley, called the Gruff Slum, houses a cluster of peasants and cutpurses who live among drug dens and pig pens.

Type

Large town

Population

14,770

Location under

Savalirwood

Owning Organization

Tribes of Shadycreek Run