Brinkellion

A den of sin and debauchery in the Upper Underdark, Brinkellion is a town founded and run by the criminal organisation the Scarlets, who saw a benefit and profit to having a permanent base within the confines of the Underdark. Their experiment has resulted in the creation of a settlement that is widely known for being a safe port of call for anyone, no matter the price on their heads, so long as they don’t cause trouble for the Scarlets, where any good or service, regardless of how licit or illicit it might be, can be acquired.

Demographics

Of all of the settlements either above or below ground on Kelbonnar’s Material Plane, Brinkellion is perhaps the hardest to get a coherent demographic read on. Undoubtedly there is widespread poverty, but it is a town where people’s fortunes can fluctuate as suddenly as a change in the weather, with people arriving stinkingly rich leaving penniless, and those arriving penniless acquiring more money there than they know what to do with.
All manner of folk, of every creed, species and ethnicity can be found in the town and as Brinkellion is renowned as a safe haven for reprobates, especially those that belong to the Scarlets, many of those passing through the town are wanted for all manner of crimes either on the surface world, or elsewhere in the Underdark.

Government

Brinkellion is governed by an Adept, one of the Council of Adepts that runs the Scarlets as a whole. This adept is appointed by the Council and with their appointment they are given control over the entirety of the town of Brinkellion, along with oversight of the Scarlets operations in the Underdark. As a result the position of the Adept of Brinkellion is highly sought after amongst members of the Scarlets.
Whilst theoretically the Adept of Brinkellion is supposed to see to the governance and management of the town, most holders of the office simply let matters take their course within the town as the fates see fit. Most Adepts will only intervene in the political, economic, judicial or defensive activities of the town if the settlement is in grave danger, or if the profits of its parent organisation, the Scarlets accrued in Brinkellion are threatened or drop off substantially.

Defences

Unusually for a town within the Underdark, Brinkellion has no defensive structures. Instead, it is open on all sides and very porous when it comes to the comings and goings of individuals, groups and more worryingly hungry creatures. This porosity is deliberate rather than accidental, as the Scarlets, when they founded the town wanted it to be easily accessible by anyone, especially so those who might not want to be detected, but who wished to carry out business in Brinkellion that might ultimately benefit the Scarlets themselves.
However, the town is not completely defenceless. The Scarlets pay the Bloody Wolves to provide a large mercenary presence in Brinkellion to act as a town watch, a job that many of the mercenary organisation are happy to put themselves forward for, as it means light duties in a town renowned as a pleasure seekers paradise. Indeed, a posting at Brinkellion is often used as a reward by the Bloody Wolves, almost in the same way that one might be given a retirement package by a conscientious employer.

Industry & Trade

Whilst some towns and cities are built to give access to resources and some to protect strategic positions, Brinkellion’s raison d’être is to provide whatever the hearts of its visitors wish, so long as it ultimately leads to money in the pockets of the Scarlets. Therefore the town is choked with inns, taverns, brothels, pleasure houses, gambling dens and shops and emporiums selling almost anything anyone could imagine, even items that are highly restricted or deemed to be illegal in parts of Kelbonnar. As a result, it has become known as an essentially lawless, pleasure town, where people can enjoy the delights of life, as long as they are prepared to watch their own backs in Brinkellion’s rather dangerous streets.

Infrastructure

Whilst the layout of Brinkellion’s internal streets is chaotic and unmanaged and its buildings are only provided with services, such as access to clean water, if the owners pay for them, or if they are close by to a service paid for and owned by a particularly altruistic individual, the town has a formalised and well thought out collection of connections to the outside world.
To begin with, the town is set at the mouth of a tunnel that leads up to the surface world, emerging out into the foothills of the Spiny Mountains in Norgantho Province. Additionally, the town is set at a junction of a major north east – south west running tunnel in the Upper Underdark that provides a direct line to the Eye of Orivious and the city of Frax on its eastern side. There are also numerous other tunnels that snake off in all manner of directions around the town, with some leading to other parts of the Upper Underdark by circuitous routes and some leading down to the Middle Underdark.

Architecture

Like the internal layout of the town, there is no coherent form to Brinkellion’s architecture. Almost every building is unique and has been built to the taste, scale and means of the one who constructed it, which rather adds to the town’s chaotic feel.

Alternative Name(s)

The Scarlet Town / The Black Bazaar / The Brothel

Type

Town

Population

Estimated to be c.1,500 permanent residents, but with up to 2,000 additional visitors or temporary residents.

Inhabitant Demonym

Brins

Location under

Upper Underdark

Owning Organization

The Scarlets