Scarlet Wood

Perched among enormous blackwood trunks and linked by wooden bridges, Scarlet Wood crowns the valley above Crimson Rock with red-painted walkways and a central elevator shaft that lifts wagons and people to the kobold mines below, forming a tense, mutually dependent vertical town of timber merchants, thieves, and miners.

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Town

Scarlet Wood

Red banners above an ancient mine, where kobold tunnels hum under a canopy of blackwood.

TypeTown

Population≈1,200 (humans, tieflings, kobolds, a smattering of elves and halflings)

WealthModestly wealthy; boom-and-bust depending on blackwood yields

GovernmentAutocratic merchant-stronghold with informal kobold council influence

ReadinessModerately alert with rapid-call levies and private enforcers.

“Heady with sawdust, river mist, and the faint tang of brimstone; bustling, opportunistic, and watchful.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionVerduran Forest, near the Sellen river basin

ClimateTemperate with heavy spring rains and damp, foggy autumns

TerrainCanopied river valley with steep terraces and ancient blackwood groves

Travel Links

River trade route south to the Sellen and coastal marketsForest paths to nearby elven hamlets and logging campsHidden trail networks down to the kobold city of Crimson Rock

Culture

Pragmatic ambition tempered by debt and secrecy, where favors are currency and loyalty is earned in profit or blood.

Races

HumansTieflingsKoboldsElvesHalflings

Religions

Calistria (main temple)Local ancestor and mine-spirits cultsSmall shrines to river and forest deities

Arts & Entertainment

Street performers and shadow-plays tell mining tales while tavern gambling, ribald songs to Calistria, and woodcarving competitions keep evenings lively.

History

Scarlet Wood rose when Allizsah the Red, a charismatic tiefling outlaw, seized control of the local kobold tribe and united surface loggers with subterranean miners, building trade on the rare blackwood; tension simmers between old kobold ways, human merchants, and those loyal to Allizsah's shadowy rule.

Generation agoAllizsah's CoupAllizsah defeated Ragaleth the Assassin and negotiated dominion over the kobold tribe, founding Scarlet Wood.

Recent yearsElevator ConstructionA massive counterweight elevator was installed between town and Crimson Rock, revolutionizing trade and causing jurisdictional disputes.

Last seasonBlackwood Claim StrikeA collapse in a prominent blackwood grove revealed a vein of mineral ore in the mine, increasing mining output and rivalry.

Government

LeaderAllizsah the Red, Tiefling, self-styled Matriarch and trade arbiter

Autocratic merchant-stronghold with informal kobold council influence

Key Laws

All timber and blackwood exports must pass inspection and tax at the elevator house.No surface party may enter Crimson Rock without an approved escort.Public dissent that disrupts trade may be fined or met with conscription.

Problems

Kobold resentment simmering over leadership

Ragaleth's loyalists quietly agitate beneath the town seeking to reclaim authority in Crimson Rock.

Smuggling ring skimming blackwood taxes

A network of merchants and dockhands siphons prized blackwood to illicit buyers, undermining revenue.

Structural instability around older elevator cables

Frost and fungal rot threaten the elevator mechanism, risking trade interruption and catastrophe.

Economy

Industries

Logging and blackwood harvestingSubterranean mining in Crimson RockRiver trade and transport services

Scarcity

Fresh grain and iron are intermittently scarce due to reliance on river transport.

Wealth LevelModestly wealthy; boom-and-bust depending on blackwood yields

Exports

Blackwood planks and carved goodsRare mined ores and gemstonesTimber products and charcoal

Imports

Metal goods and toolsLuxury cloths and spicesSalt and preserved food

Defenses

ReadinessModerately alert with rapid-call levies and private enforcers.

Fortifications

Redwood Palisade with watch platforms around the town perimeterElevator House fortified with reinforced beams and embrasuresRiverbarge boom and chained log barriers on the river approaches

Scarlet Wardens(≈120 mixed enforcers and kobold auxiliaries)

A mixed force of human militia, tiefling enforcers, and trained kobold skirmishers focused on protecting trade and suppressing raids.

Law & Order

crime Level: High petty crime with organized smuggling and occasional violent clashes.
enforcement: Pragmatic and often outsourced to private enforcers or kobold trackers.
typical Punishment: Fines, public shaming, forced labor in mines, or exile to the river folk depending on offense severity.

Allizsah the Red

NPC

Town Matriarch and trade arbiter

Red-haired tiefling with a patterned scar and a silver hook ring used to bang the trade bell.

Ragaleth

NPC

Former Assassin-Leader of Crimson Rock

Small, angular kobold often referenced in whispered threats and crude graffiti.

Merek Fenn

NPC

Timber merchant and shipper

Ledger always tucked under his arm and a stained red scarf tied to his wrist.

Bron the Crane

NPC

Master engineer and elevator overseer

Broad-shouldered, grease-streaked, and forever carrying a set of brass keys.

Priestess Yalini

NPC

High Priestess of Calistria

Silver-voiced cleric with elaborate veils and a sly smile.

Fenn & Co. Timber Exchange

Shop

General merchant / timber broker

A crowded storefront where brokers haggle over plank quality and shipping slots under Merek Fenn's eye.

Brass & Bone

Shop

Curio and oddities

A cramped shop of stacked shelves where miners sell strange finds and collectors haggle for relics.

The Red Pallet

Tavern

Loggers, bargemen, merchants, and Scarlet Wardens on rotation.

A large riverside tavern favored by loggers, sailors, and the town’s enforcers.

The Whispering Rope

Tavern

Thieves, spies, rival merchants, and fortune-seekers.

A shaded upstairs tavern where thieves, adventurers, and conspiracy-minded folk trade secrets.

Wardens of the Shaft

Faction

Security / guild

A semi-official guild charged with keeping trade moving and strikes suppressed, loyal to Allizsah.

Ragaleth's Shadow Cell

Faction

Underground resistance

A covert network of kobold loyalists and saboteurs striking at elevator infrastructure and merchant caravans.

Red Palm Smugglers

Faction

Criminal consortium

Loose-knit smugglers using river coves and forged manifests to feed foreign buyers and undercut official trade.

Crimson Rock Stair

Point of Interest

A winding, carved stairway descending from the elevator house to a guarded shaft mouth into the kobold city.

The Blackwood Grove

Point of Interest

A sanctified grove of near-sacred blackwood trees where loggers cautiously harvest under strict rites.

River Chain Boom

Point of Interest

A heavy chained barrier across the river used to trap or inspect incoming barges and prevent covert approaches.

Old Duel Ring

Point of Interest

A bloodstained clearing beneath a giant trunk where Allizsah is said to have fought Ragaleth and where duels are still held.

Calendar of Events

Mid-Autumn Festival

Night of Lures

A temple-led night of bargains, oaths, and performative seduction that seals trade pacts and romantic vows.

A known Ragaleth symbol is rumored to be woven into the veil used during the ritual this year.

Every market dawn (weekly)

Elevator Bell Market

Merchants rush the elevator when the morning bell rings, selling fresh goods and auctioning reclaimed blackwood billets.

Occasionally a mysterious crate arrives that none of the merchants claim.

Secrets

Allizsah's pact with a forest spirit for elevator designs binds her to future service.

RegionalLook for faint sigils etched beneath elevator beams that glow in moonlight.

A hidden gallery in Crimson Rock stores a kobold relic that legitimizes Ragaleth's claim.

LocalMiners hum an old chant that changes when near an undisclosed cavern.

Tisri maintains a black ledger listing secret buyers across the Sellen who pay premium for illicit blackwood.

RegionalAsk around at Brass & Bone for whom the 'red palms' serve and follow the tagged crates.

Plot Hooks

The Frayed Cable

Bron wants discreet help to find sabotage causing the elevator cables to fray before a catastrophic failure halts trade.

Investigation / Skill challengeBron the Crane200 gp, access to engineering tools, and a favor from Allizsah.

Ragaleth's Return

Rumors say Ragaleth is gathering kobold loyalists to strike during the Night of Lures and restore Crimson Rock's independence.

Combat / PoliticalPriestess YaliniTitle in the Wardens of the Shaft, kobold-crafted weapons, and 300 gp.

Smuggler's Ledger

A merchant hires the party to steal Tisri's black ledger to blackmail smugglers and secure trade routes.

Heist / SocialMerek FennShare of recovered blackwood profits and safe passage on Fenn barges.

The Buried Relic

A miner's chant hints at a hidden kobold relic that could swing tribal loyalty; recover it before rival factions do.

Exploration / MysteryA nervous miner named JekkKobold-forged trinkets, the relic's favor, and future mine access.

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