Ashfen Crossing

A frontier town of timbered houses and watchtowers where the Royal Border Squadron enforces order, miners and loggers chase profit, and rumors bleed out of the encroaching New Wild as bandit sigils and official banners share the same muddy streets.

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Town

Ashfen Crossing

Where law meets wilderness and the trees whisper bargains.

TypeTown

Populationaround 1,700 souls, plus transient soldiers and loggers

Wealthfrontier modest with sudden spikes from illegal hauls

Governmentmartial frontier administration under Crown oversight

Readinessconstantly vigilant with nightly patrols and a rapid-response detachment

“tense frontier bustle with a constant undertone of watchful eyes and green shadows”

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Connections

Geography

Regionborder between the kingdom and the untamed New Wild

Climatetemperate with long, humid summers and foggy, cold springs

Terrainclearing in an ancient, dense forest ringed by marsh and quicksilver streams

Travel Links

packed dirt road to the provincial capital three days eastriver barge route to lumber camps downstreamovergrown trail into the New Wild guarded by RBS checkpoints

Culture

pragmatic survivalism mixed with fearful reverence for the forest and grudging loyalty to the RBS

Races

humanshalf-elvesdwarves (few, mostly smiths)folk of mixed frontier ancestry

Religions

Old Oak Cult (local nature rites)Crown Church (state religion)Household Ancestor veneration

Arts & Entertainment

roughhewn storytelling, woodcarving of guardian motifs, rowdy tavern ballads, and occasional ritual dances to keep the New Wild’s attention from the town

History

Founded as a logging and river-trade outpost, Ashfen Crossing hardened into a militarized border town after the last druid's death birthed the New Wild to the west; tension rose as the Crown sent the RBS to secure the border while criminal syndicates and opportunists probed the curse-tainted forest for treasure and power.

Founding (70 years ago)Bridge and Mill EstablishedA timber bridge and grain mill founded the crossing and drew settlers and barges for trade.

Curse Emergence (18 years ago)Death of the Druid and the New WildA slaughtered evil druid’s last words warped the west woods into weird, hostile growths and altered wildlife.

Militarization (10 years ago)RBS Barracks BuiltThe Crown stationed the Royal Border Squadron in town, instituting strict patrols and cordons into the New Wild.

Organized Crime Rise (5 years ago)Tribiani Maffia ExpansionThe Tribiani syndicate embedded in trade and smuggling, turning saloons and docks into their asset network.

Government

LeaderCaptain Margaret Thatcher, commander of the Royal Border Squadron

martial frontier administration under Crown oversight

Key Laws

No unauthorized entry into the New Wild without an RBS permit.Curfew for non-essential civilians from dusk until dawn within town walls.All trade with forest-run goods must be declared at the watchhouse.

Problems

Heavy-handed enforcement breeding resentment

RBS patrols employ severe measures that alienate locals and push some toward the Tribiani Maffia.

A secret RBS search for a lost artifact

The RBS is obsessively searching the New Wild for a rumored druidic relic that Captain Thatcher believes can end the curse.

Underworld influence in municipal trade

The Tribiani Maffia openly bribes a few port officials to skim harvests and control smuggling corridors.

Economy

Industries

timber and sawmill operationsriver trade and bargingexpeditions and provisioning for forest ventures

Scarcity

stable fresh metals and quality cloth are scarce due to infrequent merchant caravans

Wealth Levelfrontier modest with sudden spikes from illegal hauls

Exports

lumbermilled graincurio trinkets gathered at the forest fringe

Imports

iron and toolsmith suppliessalt and preserved foodsluxuries from the provincial capital

Defenses

Readinessconstantly vigilant with nightly patrols and a rapid-response detachment

Fortifications

RBS timber-and-stone watchtower overlooking the riverpalisade and gate with a reinforced checkpoint on the road westartillery platform for signal and warning shots on the western ridge

Royal Border Squadron (Ashfen Company)(roughly 120 soldiers with mounted scouts and militia auxiliaries)

Disciplined and authoritarian border troops focused on containment, reconnaissance, and recovery operations into the New Wild.

Law & Order

crime Level: moderate to high, with organized smuggling and violent turf disputes
enforcement: militarized enforcement dominated by RBS patrols and watchhouse tribunals
typical Punishment: short military trials leading to fines, flogging, forced labor, or exile into the forest for repeat offenders

Margaret Thatcher

NPC

Captain of the Royal Border Squadron

A scarred veteran who rules the town with iron discipline and a quiet intensity that unnerves allies and enemies alike.

Don Paolo Tribiani

NPC

head of the Tribiani Maffia

A cultivated underboss who blends public generosity with violent enforcement behind closed doors.

Sergeant Elia Voss

NPC

RBS sergeant and lead scout into the New Wild

Seasoned scout whose maps are prized and whose men follow her into hazards others avoid.

Lysa Greenbark

NPC

keeper of the Old Oak shrine and apothecary

A quietly powerful figure who runs the shrine and sells remedies while murmuring forest prayers.

Merek Halford

NPC

port clerk and minor magistrate

A port functionary whose ledger conceals more bribes than taxes.

Harrow & Oar General

Shop

general goods and provisioning

Rammed shelves of frontier necessities known to cater to scouts, bargemen, and smugglers alike.

Ironbark Smithy

Shop

blacksmith and toolmaker

A soot-dark workshop where battered gear is made serviceable again and bespoke tools are forged for hazardous expeditions.

The Gnarled Knot

Tavern

riverhands, loggers, RBS off-duty soldiers, and shadowy emissaries from the Tribiani Maffia

a two-story tavern with low beams, a roaring hearth, and a back room for discrete meetings

Royal Border Squadron - Ashfen Company

Faction

military/state

A disciplined military force enforcing strict order and conducting dangerous forays into the New Wild.

Tribiani Maffia

Faction

criminal syndicate

A well-connected underworld network that blends legitimate trade with violent extortion and smuggling.

New Wild

Faction

mystical/natural

An expanding cursed woodland animated by residual druidic magics and strange intent that resists mapping.

The Drowned Cairn

Point of Interest

a half-submerged stone marker at the river bend said to be the last boundary stone of a forgotten grove.

Whisper Whet

Point of Interest

a small clearing where voices echo oddly and some claim to hear directives from the slain druid in the mist.

Smuggler’s Slip

Point of Interest

a hidden jetty beneath overhanging roots used by the Tribiani for late-night cargo runs.

The Old Watch Ridge

Point of Interest

a treeline ridge used as an early-warning post with carved notches tracking incursions and tides of mist.

Calendar of Events

Midsummer (first week)

Founding Crossing Day

a market festival with dances, timber-lifting contests, and a formal RBS inspection of boats.

this year, a rogue spriggan appears and steals the ceremonial banner, sowing unease.

Autumn equinox

Night of Mosslight

a local rite where shrine-keepers lay offerings at the forest edge to appease spirits.

the offerings sometimes bloom into uncanny seedlings that sprout overnight in town alleys.

Secrets

An RBS officer secretly traded with Don Paolo to protect his family

locala ledger of coded deliveries hidden behind a false board in a watchhouse cellar

The New Wild contains a living grove that remembers the slain druid’s last spell as a sentient echo

regionalold songs in the shrine match patterns of moss growth in the forest

A drowned shrine beneath the river holds a minor relic that disrupts RBS compasses

localcompasses near the Drowned Cairn spin wildly on foggy nights

Plot Hooks

The Lost Scout Line

RBS scouts vanished along a mapped faint trail into the New Wild and their last notes hint at a strange white bloom; recover them or retrieve their logs.

rescue/retrievalSergeant Elia VossRBS pay and a choice of salvaged gear or an official pardon for a minor crime

Bribe of the Broken Ledger

a ledger implying collusion between a watchhouse officer and the Tribiani surfaced and someone wants it destroyed or exposed.

investigation/moralHestia Marckcash from a grateful merchant and improved standing with local officials

Spriggan’s Banner

the ceremonial banner was stolen by a prankish spriggan who now bargains its return for a forest favor.

chase/stealthCaptain Margaret Thatcherpublic recognition and a small token of rare herbal remedies from Lysa

Smuggler’s Shadow

evidence of a major Tribiani smuggling run is buried under a barge wreck and multiple parties want what it holds.

combat/socialDon Paolo Tribianiaccess to rare forest goods or a cut of recovered smuggled profits

The Moss-Grimoire

a moss-stained grimoire taken from a dead druid reveals a ritual that could either calm or deepen the New Wild’s curse if completed.

arcane/mysteryLysa Greenbarkarcane knowledge, a charm against forest influence, or powerful herbal concoctions

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