North Wall District

This long, narrow district adjoins the Market neighborhood. It is a crowded, largely residential district, with high crime, few businesses, many taverns, and relatively cheap prices, making it an excellent location for beginning PCs.
This district suffered more damage during the Huun siege than any other within the city walls save for the Outer Quarter. The siege engines constructed by the Huun pounded the walls and the Mountain Gate, and their missiles, as well as the magical bolts called down by the invaders, that were aimed for the piedmont of the Hill’s Upper Ring fell short as often as not. Those that didn’t carry to their targets on the Hill invariably landed within the bounds of this district and wrought their destruction here. Unlike the Hill, which has largely erased the marks of those desperate days, the scars of war still remain in North Wall District. The outer surface of the wall and the gate are still scarred and scorched by the attacks of the Huun, and most city blocks here still have an abandoned house or building that was reduced to crushed rubble or a fire-blackened ruin and has yet to be repaired and reoccupied. Despite this disparity between the homes of the city’s elite versus its common folk, this district has nevertheless returned to near normalcy in the ensuing 2 years since the siege was lifted.

Infrastructure

Manisool’s Tower

The wizard Manisool lives in this 50ft square, 70ft tall tower. The structure has no apparent entrances, and only four windows immediately below its crenellated roof. Its contents are unknown but the neighborhood residents, who know Manisool as a good but eccentric individual, leave him be and let him come and go as he pleases.

The Dancing Goblins

The painted sign above the door shows three prancing goblins playing flutes and drums. But the strong beam from which it hangs also has three large, rusted staples on it — popular legend holds that three goblin bandits were once hung from the beam, dancing and twisting in their death throes.
Inside are three bars, each with a separate character and clientele. The first is stone-flagged and bare but cheery, always crowded by workers and commoners, eating fresh bread and drinking brown ale. The second bar is somewhat darker and less welcoming, patronized by merchants and their foremen, serving sausages and wine. The third bar is upstairs in a cozy, wood-paneled room with overstuffed chairs and fading rugs where older men play cards, or young couples come for privacy in dark, out-of-the-way booths.
Proprietor Samos Kenthi (male human), a Freegate transplant, manages a large staff and is considered a relatively pleasant boss. His cooks offer kobold stew (not really made of kobolds, though the recipe remains secret) for 1cp a cup or 3cp per bowl, bread for 1cp per loaf, braised lamb kebobs for 3cp each, pickled sausage for 2cp each, Goblyn Brew (a potent, spicy ale) for 1sp per tankard or Orc’s Blood Wine (so-called for its color rather than its contents) for 1gp per glass or 5gp per bottle.

The Flensers’ Rest

This tavern is usually avoided by the general public, as its clientele consists primarily of tannery workers, butchers, and flensers. The place usually smells as bad as its patrons, and the stone floor is usually filthy with blood and other unpleasant substances, though it is washed down by the potboys once per day. Despite the stench, the beer is a mere 3cp per mug and is surprisingly drinkable. Also available is something called Brain Tan Whiskey for 1sp a shot, or the ubiquitous Brin Zwiescher’s Ale for 4cp per mug. The tavernkeeper is Ruvuldo (male human), a former tannery worker who saved his money for years and was finally able to open this establishment.

Chango’s Bar

This intimate establishment is a warm, smoke filled joint with an open, low-beamed roof. Several chambers have been knocked together to make the main room, so it has many corners and unexpected steps between the groups of tables. One corner is always occupied by a group of scarred old gnomes, who play a dangerous game called “bip,” that involves tossing painted eight-pointed caltrops. Barkeep Chango (male gnome) serves Bad Monkey Beer (3cp per mug), Moccavallo’s Leaf (1gp per pipeful) and of course Brin Zwiescher’s Ale, at 4cp per mug.

Justin Greenwood’s Fletchery

Formerly a vacant lot where a previous structure burned down during the siege, this stout three-story iron tower literally popped up overnight shortly after the siege was lifted. A high-quality fletcher’s shop, the tower bears a sign that portrays an armored hand clutching a fistful of arrows. The interior is crowded with barrels and boxes full of spears, arrows, and bolts of all kinds. The shop remains open during daylight hours but always closes as soon as dusk starts to fall.
Justin Greenwood (male human) is a tired-looking man of indeterminate age clad in a worn chain shirt and a green cloak. He spends his days crafting arrows and dealing with customers. He sells normal items for standard prices, though a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check to improve his attitude persuades him that he’s feeling especially generous and to lower his prices by 10–20% (1d10+10).

Enzeger’s Estate

One of North Wall District’s leading citizens, Malo Enzeger (male human) inherited a substantial amount of money from his father, a successful merchant, and chose to spend much of it in this run-down neighborhood, contributing to charities, rebuilding old tenements, and aiding the poor. His estate is a walled compound with well-manicured grounds that would not be out of place on the Hill, but Malo himself chooses to live in the neighborhood that he has adopted as his own.

Mountain Gate

This gate affords access to the northern Lyre Valley including the Citadel of Griffons and Citadel of Ravens. The Valley Road that extends northward along the western bank of the river is the city’s primary route to northern lands. This gate was also one of the centermost points of attack on the city by the Huun and withstood multiple physical and magical barrages. Despite this abuse, this gate crafted long ago by the dwarves of Silverhelm stood strong and continues to guard the city despite its plethora of scars and marks of hastily repaired damage. The High Burgess has prioritized it for replacement but would like the Silverhelm Clan to be the architects once again but has been unfortunately unable to entice them out of their recent self-isolation.
The Mountain Gate remains one of the most fortified gates in the city, having double the guards, and double the armaments of the other city gates. The gatehouse towers are lined with arrow slits and guarded with a ballista on the western tower and a light catapult on the eastern tower. The 50ft tall stone towers each house 15 Gatesmen with an officer in the western tower. The 12 Free Defenders on duty at the gate during the day take the names and destinations of anyone entering or leaving the city. They are fond of telling adventurers leaving for the Stoneheart Mountain Trail that “it was nice knowing you.”
Due to past and present threats from the north, these gates remain closed with only the small sally port in them opened for travelers leaving and entering the city, and then only during daylight hours. The gates and sally port alike may only be opened after dark by order of Commander Imril, High Sheriff Brighteye, or High Burgess Cylyria herself. Sir Mannus Overholt serves as the captain of these Gatesmen and is the keeper of the Mountain Gate. He resides atop the eastern gatetower and answers directly to Captain Hodd. A blooded combat veteran of the siege, he is largely trusted with the safety of the northern portion of the city on this side of the river.

Thilo’s Insight Geist

This small, dark shop is tucked between two taller buildings on an otherwise nondescript street of the district. The building on the right is a burned-out ruin, abandoned since the war, and the building on the left is a warehouse of plaster statuary of fanciful and odd figures and creatures that was intended to create a children’s carnival but whose owner was killed during the siege and has lain forgotten ever since. Between them, however, is the true curiosity of the street, Thilo’s Insight Geist. Thilo the Sighted (male human) is — ironically — the blind proprietor of this shop of rare books and curiosities. He is also an oracle of some notoriety who claims insight into the mysteries of the universe and the souls of men and women through contact with his guiding spirit. His readings and predictions have proven to be of uncanny accuracy, so there are few, if any, who refuse to take heed of his proffered wisdom.
Those who wish to make use of Thilo’s divinatory talents must offer him a book of at least 10gp value that he does not already possess in his shop (only a 20% chance of any given book that is not an original work to not be present already). If he deems the gift to be of sufficient interest to him he will make use of his automatic writing ability to provide them with the benefits of a divination spell. He can provide this service only once per day.
The shop itself is filled with sagging wooden shelves that are filled to overflowing with moldering tomes and tattered scrolls of subjects esoteric and occult, not a few of which are monstrous manuals and fiendish folios of eldritch significance. Preservative magic covers every bookshelf to prevent fire or infestations of bookworms or other vermin.

Character

The district is crowded and dirty, but is patrolled regularly to keep down more overt street crimes. Buildings are old, jammed close together, and often in disrepair. Those seeking anonymity can stay here with few worries, so long as they keep a close watch on their valuables.

Businesses

Taverns, inns, and tenements are common here, but there are few other shops or businesses. Most of the buildings are residences of various types.

District Modifiers

+0

Prices

Standard unless otherwise noted.

Gold Piece Limit

Unless otherwise noted the Wall District has a 400gp limit on goods and services.

Building Type

Older, narrow buildings, usually of wood or stone are most common here. There are numerous narrow alleys between buildings; roofs are made of thatch or tile, the streets are cobbled, but often in disrepair.

Guard Details

Patrols of 2d4 Wall Watchers roam any given area every 1d2 hours, while constables or sheriffs usually patrol once per day in groups of 1d4+1. This district has no private guards, nor can its residents afford them.

Location under

Westden