Marefolk Village
| Marefolk Village | |
|---|---|
| Author |
Gardeford The Observer |
| Region | Frost Marches |
| Level range | 1+ |
| Accessible from | Harvest Valley |
| Neutral Hub | Yes |
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Points of Interest
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The Marefolk Village is home to the Marefolk that reside in the Harvest Valley. It is located to the south-eastern part of the valley, past the river. The leader of the village was Chieftain Asani, however, she was abducted by the corrupted centaurs, so the title of chieftain was placed onto her daughter, Atani. While the village is primarily composed of yurts and tents, there are remnants of old Belharan stone structures that the Marefolk have repurposed for their own needs.
Residents
- Atani - current marefolk chieftain, along with her guards Edessari and Wredi
- Kavi - minotaur alchemist with her marefolk daughter Tarah
- Naiyana - ex-chieftain and mother of Atani (rescued after the events of Harboring a Fugitive)
- Zuzaan - marefolk magesmith
Points of Interest
Alchemist's/Herbalist's Tower
The rising bastion of a Belharan scoutpost towers above the rest of the local dwellings. Up close, the building looks far from the decrepit ruin you'd expect from architecture that saw the godswar first hand. The stone is still smooth, with nary a pockmark to denote its ancient status. Even the bountiful fabrics and cloth draperies that cover the windows and arrow slits don't seem to be covering any blemishes, simply placed to make the building look more at home in the field of tent-like yurts.
You get the feeling that this and the handful of tents that seem directly attached to it are meant to form a single structure, A weathered sign hangs from a post above the heavy oak door, inscribed with words and symbols in numerous local languages, including an inscription in the common tongue labeled 'alchemist'. [if orc:You recognize some of the symbols to mean the same in orcish, or at least a slightly butchered variation of the word.|if elf:You recognize some of the symbols as elvish runes for various plants and potions.]
An old tower of still-smooth stone, located directly east of the village's entrance, and home to its resident alchemist, Kavi and her marefolk daughter Tarah. Although Kavi's merchant services are barred until the Champion decides to try her transformative barley tea, they may partake in her milk, should they ask.
Statue of a Lupine Ranger
This section of the village opens out onto a slightly raised, grassy hillock from which most of the settlement is visible. A large firepit has been dug into the crest, [during day:still alive with the embers of last night's fire|during night:a low, steady fire burning in the ring of stones]. Several carved totems stand in a ring, each one anywhere from fifteen to twenty feet tall and depicting the visages of various prairie animals in stylised fashion.
The totems surround an old stone statue, probably left over from whoever built the nearby watchtower. It depicts a lupine ranger, clad in dark leathers and bearing a longbow strapped over one shoulder. The marefolk seem to have made some progress in "converting" that statue from a wolf-man to a marefolk, carving on its face and tail. It's hardly convincing... yet. They haven't yet touched the dark blue gemstone set in a ring on the statue's hand[if has Waystone Charm:, which glows faintly as you approach].
Split logs lie on their sides, their surfaces smoothed to serve as seats. [during day:This, presumably, is where most of the village gathers at night when they're not otherwise occupied|during night:Several marefolk lounge about on the simple benches, passing skins of fermented milk drink and fresh fruit amongst themselves as they gossip].
Located directly south of the village's entrance, an old stone statue of a Lupine Ranger stands surrounded by several carved totems. The statue is also a Waystone that can be used to travel to the Ways Between or to swap out members of the Champion's party.
Atani's Tent
Atani’s tent is mostly dominated by a bed of comfortable furs, and the scent of a breedable mare is heavy in the air despite the chieftain’s otherwise-innocent expression. Pillows to rest against are settled at the back, and a series of wooden luggage-chests no doubt contain her worldly possessions. Only one hangs actually open, and you can see that it’s full of books in various languages. At least the first few are in the common tongue, judging by what you can make out of them. It’s not a massive living space, but it’s tall enough to accommodate the chieftain’s prodigious height. It’s comfortably warm, and the gentle breeze outside doesn’t do a thing to flap the tent’s walls.
Located at the southern path of the village's entrance, sits the tent of the village's chieftain, Atani. Upon entering her tent for the first time, they will be greeted by a tired Atani, who asks for the Champion's help in bringing back her mother, who was stolen away by horribly corrupted centaurs. Should the Champion decline her request, Atani will burst into tears which causes one of her guards to kick them out of the village. This will not lock the Champion out of the village nor from talking to Atani, however, they must accept her request if they wish to talk with her further.
Blacksmith's Tent
Smoke billows from above the large tent closest to this section of path, and you can hear the odd clang of metal or hiss of hot steam from through the heavy flap. The housing yurts give this larger tent a generous birth, assumedly to avoid the smoke. There's no sign near this buildings door, but [has met Zuzaan:you know that this is the tent where Zuzaan works her magic on the various tools and weapons she smiths.|else:it's not too difficult to hazard a guess that this is the blacksmiths tent.]
Home to the magesmith Zuzaan, who acts as both a blacksmith and an enchanter. When she's not working the forge, she spends most of her time helping out at the nursery since she contributes a lot to their workload, as her work is best described as:
As for how it works, hmmm. The best way to describe it would be hammering the overflowing passion of the world into the weapon. The more passionate the wielder, the better the enchantment responds to them," she looks you up and down with a hungry grin.
—Zuzaan