Three-Towns
The Frozen Wastes is located in the northern part of Allansia is characterized by towering white peaks and a snowy landscape.
Most inhabitants live in the Three-Towns. People who are drawn to these towns are either fleeing a dark past, recklessly seeking fortune they couldn't find elsewhere, or simply preferring the solitude compared to the southern cities. The indigenous townsfolk are here because they were either born here, grew up here, or expect to die here. The Three-Towns' economy revolves around fishing, logging, mining, hunting, trapping, and occasional trading.
The people are accustomed to the harsh climate, and hospitality is rare. They are often unrecognizable, bundled up in thick layers of wool and fur. The men are burly and bearded, and the women are equally hairy.
A local delicacy is the famous Allansian Salmon, which can only be caught in the frigid lakes surrounding the Waste. These fish are much larger than other wild-caught salmon, with scales that glisten almost like a shimmer. Some fishermen attribute this pristine quality to the clear glacier waters.
For transportation across the Wastes, people use tamed creatures like Axe Beaks or Hounds to pull sleds designed for snowy terrain.
Each of the Three-Towns is governed by an Elder, an elected speaker who represents the interests of the townsfolk.
Crannoc and Connor Dineval are the Elders of this town. Crannoc, the older brother by mere minutes, has always been the more calculating and strategic of the two. Crannoc governs by shrewd political maneuvers and ruthless eliminations of rivals to maintain a tight grip on the town’s economic resources, diverting funds into his secret ventures. These ventures include an underground network of spies and enforcers, all loyal to him alone. Connor’s methods are more straightforward than his brother’s: he craves power and respect, and he’s willing to crush anyone who stands in his way. He maintains control over the town’s security forces and uses them to enforce his brute will. Both brothers have formed a complex and uneasy alliance, and are acutely aware of the other's ambition and know that a betrayal could come at any moment. Dineval Sr. was the previous Elder, but he has vanished mysteriously. Deepwood Grotto
The Elder, Nimsy, is a cheerful old female halfling who enjoys baking cookies shaped like various oddities. The townsfolk even claim she once served them cookies shaped like severed hands. She is always smiling and maintains a happy demeanor, even in her worst moods. Easthold
The Elder of this town is also its oldest living resident, named Bulgruff. The old dwarf had gone missing twice in the past month, residents have had to organize search parties to find him, who had no memory of how he wandered onto the frozen lake by himself. Bulgruff is ancient even by dwarf standards, and locals fear he might not survive another winter.
Typhoon, a middle aged innkeeper, runs the only inn in Easthold. Supplies are short, and fire is barely kept going. The ales are watered, and several holes in the inn's roof lets in biting wind that cuts like spears. Typhoon's only son has been missing since an expedition to find Bulgruff, and the innkeeper might have lost all his heart running his business when he lost his son. Before his heartbreak, Typhoon's inn was populated as he whips up a serious spiced salmon chowder. The locals have resigned to their fate that they will never taste the amazing stew ever again. Good Mead (Inn, Deepwood Grotto)
Contrary to its name, the inn Good Mead doesn't serve honey ale nor any fine vintage, it relies heavily on any shipments brought in from the south. The locals simply settle their meals there since the food is decent. The innkeeper, Boston Cook, was originally a thief from The Arkleton Brotherhood of Rogues and Thieves back in Arkleton, sentenced to The Mines. Boston Cook made his slippery escape to Three-Towns instead and set up an honest living, as honesty goes around these parts. He decorates the inn to the likeness of the one found back in his hometown. Boston Cook pays handsomely for any good mead. Northern Lights (Inn, Frostholme)
The most frequented establishment in the north is the Northern Lights. The taproom at the evening hours is the best spot in town for all the rumors, profitable ventures, and information. The inn's proprietor, a retired mercenary named Sacondis (male human veteran), knows full well of an adventurer's life. He often cuts a break for customers who are tough on their time, and does down payment if necessary. The inn is also ran by Nuts, a small one-handed tiefling cleaner, whose brash nature makes up for his height. Nuts likes to tell the tale whereby a drowned seer has died in the lake, and is curious to perform a seance to channel her spirit back, in hopes of requesting she provide insight to end the miserable winter. Stuffed and mounted on a plaque above the fiery hearth of the common room is a huge Allansian Salmon, twice the size of any of its species. This fish was named Old Bitey, after it took a chunk out of Nuts when he was still into the fishing business. Old Bitey hangs proudly and battle scarred. Woolies (Sled Rental, multiple locations)
Wellington Daniels (male, human veteran) owns the fur-trappers and traders. He also tames hounds and other animals that can be rented for snowy terrain travels. His brother, Jack, operates the other franchise store. Black Chains (Blacksmith/General Store, Frostholme)
An ominous name for the blacksmith in the centre of the town. Elza and Onna are both dwarves, who were rejected from Fangthane many years ago (proud as they are, do not speak of this), run this combination shop and smithy. The name of the shop shares striking similarity with the odd metal that The Mines uses to chain prisoners who are sentenced there. When questioned, Elza and Onna dismisses it as coincidence. A variety of weapons and adventuring supplies are sold here, none of them are of the decent quality. Shrine of Glantanka, the Sun Goddess (Temple, Frostholme)
The worshipping of the Sun Goddess is rare in Titan, and seeing a modest outhouse stable being converted to a gathering place for worshippers of the Goddess is surprising. A retired human priest Bryn (male, neutral good priest) tends to this shrine, and the worship started only recently, as the people aspires to see the sun regain its rightful cycle over the sky. Bryn is short and wears a fuzzy trappings made by himself from a brown bear; although it is warm, it makes him look like a teddy bear. Dragon Hall (Meadhall, Deepwood Grotto)
The town hall is a two-storey tudor-styled building where residents come to renew licenses, pay fines, and settle claims. An old flag flutters atop the steeply pitched roof. Inside, the wooden floors are adorned with framed oil paintings depicting the town's rich history. Low-burning lanterns hang from iron brackets, dimly illuminating the wooden interiors. A large, obsidian-like ship's figurehead modeled after a dragon, stands proudly in the drawing room. Many townsfolk recognize this figurehead as having once belonged to a sunken ship, Dragoncatcher, that explored the northern seas beyond the Frozen Wastes.
Riley, a druid from College of Mages across the ocean, is studying to be a Storm Mage. The last specimen required for her research is a live elemental spirit, a Chwingas (pronounced cheh-WING-ahz). Cold Hearted Killer
Rina, a retired bounty hunter with one leg, hires the party to apprehend her suspect and dispose of the murderer that's been travelling among the trading caravan. Breaking the Pack
The Chief Hunter requires your party to prove themselves, whilst solving a problem In the onset of winter, the worgs grow ever ferocious. The killing of their pack leader will send them into disorganised frenzy. Ever Rest
A brave party of mountain trekkers (Ever Rest) might have met their end on the Icefinger Mountains. A boy's father, had accompanied them as their guide, and has not yet returned. Gigantic Folly
A shipment of mead from the south has been stolen by a giant. The inns and taverns of Three-Towns will go thirsty by the next month if it is not returned. Off To Join The Army
Typhoon's only son had been missing, and implores someone to find his whereabouts. Minor Issue
A gang of kobolds have taken over the town's gemstone mines. Anyone who clears out the mine can be well compensated. A Burden To Bear
Dwarves have lost a shipment of ingots and will pay good money to have them retrieved. Gone Fishing
Fishers are being terrorised by a monster that lives beneath the lake. With the waters mostly frozen and catch is bad, having a monster surely spells doom for the fishing industry. Drowned Secrets
Nuts the innhelper is performing a seance to attract the spirit of a dead lady. He is looking for brave adventurers to help assist in case anything goes wrong. Fish Soup
A ship docker engages the help of the party to retrieve his prized boat, which in his folly, had rented to drunk fishers. Behind Bars
A conspiracy theory will lead the group to The Mines, to interrogate a prisoner. A Whale of a Time
A whale-oil merchant is looking for help to board the ship strapped on the back of a magical whale. Allies on Thin Ice
With supplies running low, the Elders are exploring possibility of forming trade connections with the orc tribes of the frozen lands. The trickiest part when negotiations go south, heads then to fly. This is where the party comes in.
Three-Towns
Frostholme
Bright lanterns hanging over narrow streets twist in the wind, adding splashes of color to the town's otherwise dull surroundings. The friendliness of this old settlement has waned over the years. During its heyday, the King's Highway brought thousands of traders each month from Cauldron to the Dwarven Capital of Fangthane. Frostholme, located at the mountain's foot, naturally thrived from the dwarves' booming business. However, after the War, the King's Highway fell into disuse, overrun by bandits and outlaws over the years. Coupled with the enduring winter, this led to a significant decline in visitors to the once bustling town. Now, strangers are met with suspicious glances and hurried steps instead of warm smiles and hospitality. The wooden walls of the town still stand about 30 feet high and are reinforced with dwarven steel, though they are now in disrepair. The townspeople turned to mining, hoping to achieve the wealth the dwarves once had. They dug into the hills for gemstones, but their efforts are often thwarted by strange creatures from the Underdark that occasionally emerge in the mines. Whenever such creatures are found, the mine is sealed off until a band of sellswords can be hired to clear it out.Deepwood Grotto
A quiet town of loggers, Deepwood Grotto scrapes out a living on the edge of the world. The oldest buildings and docks are adorned with carvings of dragons, echoing tales of the flying lizards that once roamed the skies. Visitors are often awestruck by the impressive architecture, but the cold wind sweeping down from the north quickly leaves them breathless and shivering. Built in the path of a relentless gale, Deepwood Grotto endures the biting wind especially during these everlasting winters. About half of the town's able-bodied residents work in the woods, gathering timber, while the other half spend their days in the mill, crafting timber into boats and buildings. The founders of this town were once members of a disbanded thieves guild that plundered the eastern coast and peninsula. In honor of these founding fathers, Deepwood Grotto's laws permit pickpocketing within the town's limits. Ever since, Deepwood Grotto has seen its share of criminals and miscreants arriving from the south. Despite so, the harsh realities of survival force the townsfolk to live and work together, setting aside the past.Easthold
The smallest and most isolated of the towns, its residents are not welcoming to visitors. Inbreeding has led to physical deformities in the small population, such as misshapen ears and slightly pointed teeth. The town consists of a cluster of homes perched on the edge of the lake, where ice buckles against the piers, making the docks unsafe. The folk here are mainly fisherman, due to the abundance of Allansian Salmon in the lake beside the town. However, with most of the lake frozen from the Snow-Witch's curse, most of the people spent their days idling about in their homes. Visitors to Easthold often find the place eerie, with dark humanoid shapes appearing out of the snow, staying silent, and then disappearing quickly amid the howling winds.Politics and Factions
Each of the Three-Towns is governed by an Elder, who is elected to represent the interests of the townsfolk. It is illegal to challenge an Elder's authority, which has led to the Elders accumulating significant power and establishing rigid practices over time. One such practice is the offering of a humanoid sacrifice to the Snow-Witch every full moon, in the hope that the sorceress will spare the Wastes from the eternal winter. FrostholmeCrannoc and Connor Dineval are the Elders of this town. Crannoc, the older brother by mere minutes, has always been the more calculating and strategic of the two. Crannoc governs by shrewd political maneuvers and ruthless eliminations of rivals to maintain a tight grip on the town’s economic resources, diverting funds into his secret ventures. These ventures include an underground network of spies and enforcers, all loyal to him alone. Connor’s methods are more straightforward than his brother’s: he craves power and respect, and he’s willing to crush anyone who stands in his way. He maintains control over the town’s security forces and uses them to enforce his brute will. Both brothers have formed a complex and uneasy alliance, and are acutely aware of the other's ambition and know that a betrayal could come at any moment. Dineval Sr. was the previous Elder, but he has vanished mysteriously. Deepwood Grotto
The Elder, Nimsy, is a cheerful old female halfling who enjoys baking cookies shaped like various oddities. The townsfolk even claim she once served them cookies shaped like severed hands. She is always smiling and maintains a happy demeanor, even in her worst moods. Easthold
The Elder of this town is also its oldest living resident, named Bulgruff. The old dwarf had gone missing twice in the past month, residents have had to organize search parties to find him, who had no memory of how he wandered onto the frozen lake by himself. Bulgruff is ancient even by dwarf standards, and locals fear he might not survive another winter.
Places of Interest
The typologies of the Three-Towns are roughly the same; one might find a Meadhall (residence of the Elder), a town centre, an inn or tavern, general suppliers. What varies are the townsfolk that are unique to particular towns. Blue Shuckle (Inn, Easthold)Typhoon, a middle aged innkeeper, runs the only inn in Easthold. Supplies are short, and fire is barely kept going. The ales are watered, and several holes in the inn's roof lets in biting wind that cuts like spears. Typhoon's only son has been missing since an expedition to find Bulgruff, and the innkeeper might have lost all his heart running his business when he lost his son. Before his heartbreak, Typhoon's inn was populated as he whips up a serious spiced salmon chowder. The locals have resigned to their fate that they will never taste the amazing stew ever again. Good Mead (Inn, Deepwood Grotto)
Contrary to its name, the inn Good Mead doesn't serve honey ale nor any fine vintage, it relies heavily on any shipments brought in from the south. The locals simply settle their meals there since the food is decent. The innkeeper, Boston Cook, was originally a thief from The Arkleton Brotherhood of Rogues and Thieves back in Arkleton, sentenced to The Mines. Boston Cook made his slippery escape to Three-Towns instead and set up an honest living, as honesty goes around these parts. He decorates the inn to the likeness of the one found back in his hometown. Boston Cook pays handsomely for any good mead. Northern Lights (Inn, Frostholme)
The most frequented establishment in the north is the Northern Lights. The taproom at the evening hours is the best spot in town for all the rumors, profitable ventures, and information. The inn's proprietor, a retired mercenary named Sacondis (male human veteran), knows full well of an adventurer's life. He often cuts a break for customers who are tough on their time, and does down payment if necessary. The inn is also ran by Nuts, a small one-handed tiefling cleaner, whose brash nature makes up for his height. Nuts likes to tell the tale whereby a drowned seer has died in the lake, and is curious to perform a seance to channel her spirit back, in hopes of requesting she provide insight to end the miserable winter. Stuffed and mounted on a plaque above the fiery hearth of the common room is a huge Allansian Salmon, twice the size of any of its species. This fish was named Old Bitey, after it took a chunk out of Nuts when he was still into the fishing business. Old Bitey hangs proudly and battle scarred. Woolies (Sled Rental, multiple locations)
Wellington Daniels (male, human veteran) owns the fur-trappers and traders. He also tames hounds and other animals that can be rented for snowy terrain travels. His brother, Jack, operates the other franchise store. Black Chains (Blacksmith/General Store, Frostholme)
An ominous name for the blacksmith in the centre of the town. Elza and Onna are both dwarves, who were rejected from Fangthane many years ago (proud as they are, do not speak of this), run this combination shop and smithy. The name of the shop shares striking similarity with the odd metal that The Mines uses to chain prisoners who are sentenced there. When questioned, Elza and Onna dismisses it as coincidence. A variety of weapons and adventuring supplies are sold here, none of them are of the decent quality. Shrine of Glantanka, the Sun Goddess (Temple, Frostholme)
The worshipping of the Sun Goddess is rare in Titan, and seeing a modest outhouse stable being converted to a gathering place for worshippers of the Goddess is surprising. A retired human priest Bryn (male, neutral good priest) tends to this shrine, and the worship started only recently, as the people aspires to see the sun regain its rightful cycle over the sky. Bryn is short and wears a fuzzy trappings made by himself from a brown bear; although it is warm, it makes him look like a teddy bear. Dragon Hall (Meadhall, Deepwood Grotto)
The town hall is a two-storey tudor-styled building where residents come to renew licenses, pay fines, and settle claims. An old flag flutters atop the steeply pitched roof. Inside, the wooden floors are adorned with framed oil paintings depicting the town's rich history. Low-burning lanterns hang from iron brackets, dimly illuminating the wooden interiors. A large, obsidian-like ship's figurehead modeled after a dragon, stands proudly in the drawing room. Many townsfolk recognize this figurehead as having once belonged to a sunken ship, Dragoncatcher, that explored the northern seas beyond the Frozen Wastes.
Quests
Do You Wanna Catch A SnowmanRiley, a druid from College of Mages across the ocean, is studying to be a Storm Mage. The last specimen required for her research is a live elemental spirit, a Chwingas (pronounced cheh-WING-ahz). Cold Hearted Killer
Rina, a retired bounty hunter with one leg, hires the party to apprehend her suspect and dispose of the murderer that's been travelling among the trading caravan. Breaking the Pack
The Chief Hunter requires your party to prove themselves, whilst solving a problem In the onset of winter, the worgs grow ever ferocious. The killing of their pack leader will send them into disorganised frenzy. Ever Rest
A brave party of mountain trekkers (Ever Rest) might have met their end on the Icefinger Mountains. A boy's father, had accompanied them as their guide, and has not yet returned. Gigantic Folly
A shipment of mead from the south has been stolen by a giant. The inns and taverns of Three-Towns will go thirsty by the next month if it is not returned. Off To Join The Army
Typhoon's only son had been missing, and implores someone to find his whereabouts. Minor Issue
A gang of kobolds have taken over the town's gemstone mines. Anyone who clears out the mine can be well compensated. A Burden To Bear
Dwarves have lost a shipment of ingots and will pay good money to have them retrieved. Gone Fishing
Fishers are being terrorised by a monster that lives beneath the lake. With the waters mostly frozen and catch is bad, having a monster surely spells doom for the fishing industry. Drowned Secrets
Nuts the innhelper is performing a seance to attract the spirit of a dead lady. He is looking for brave adventurers to help assist in case anything goes wrong. Fish Soup
A ship docker engages the help of the party to retrieve his prized boat, which in his folly, had rented to drunk fishers. Behind Bars
A conspiracy theory will lead the group to The Mines, to interrogate a prisoner. A Whale of a Time
A whale-oil merchant is looking for help to board the ship strapped on the back of a magical whale. Allies on Thin Ice
With supplies running low, the Elders are exploring possibility of forming trade connections with the orc tribes of the frozen lands. The trickiest part when negotiations go south, heads then to fly. This is where the party comes in.
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