Tallowmere

Tallowmere is a medium-sized river port city built on winding streets and layered growth, where crooked alleys lead from the Highcourt to ramshackle docks and decaying warehouses, and where merchant ledgers and thieves' codes hold equal sway.

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City

Tallowmere

Where ledgers balance as easily as lives are bought and sold.

TypeCity

PopulationAround 9,500 souls with merchants, artisans, dockworkers, and many transient sailors.

WealthMixed wealth with wealthy merchant houses and large urban poor quarters.

GovernmentOligarchic city council dominated by merchant houses and guild elders.

ReadinessGarrisoned but stretched thin; watch patrols are regular while night shifts rely on militia calls.

“Salt, smoke, and candlelight mingle with the whisper of deals and footsteps on wet cobbles.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionNorthern riverine coast with farmland spilling south of the walls.

ClimateTemperate maritime with cool, damp winters and mild, foggy summers.

TerrainWide slow river curving through the southern city with low rises and marshy edges.

Travel Links

Main road west to coastal market townsRiver trade routes downstream to the southern seaMountain pass north to inland mills and quarries

Culture

Pragmatic commerce, quiet compromises, and a tolerance of necessary sins.

Races

HumanHalf-elfDwarfRiverfolk

Religions

Church of Saint AlricOld River RitesHouse of Coin (secular merchant cult)

Arts & Entertainment

Street poets trade ballads for coin while puppet shows and tavern minstrels dramatize maritime legends.

History

Tallowmere began as a river hamlet and swelled into a layered port where wealth and rot sit side by side, with merchant ledgers and street codes shaping its growth, repeated clashes over dock control leaving half-ruined walls and an entrenched thieves culture.

Founding AgeFounding of GreybendThe river settlement grew from a fishermen's hamlet into a fortified trade hub.

Guild EraFormation of the Merchant GuildLedger Docks were formalized into a Merchant Guild port to corral trade.

Riot of AshesDockside RiotA bitter dockside riot left parts of the old walls ruined and birthed the modern Thieves Guild.

Government

LeaderMagister Aurelle Voss, First of the Ledger Council

Oligarchic city council dominated by merchant houses and guild elders.

Key Laws

All foreign cargo must be logged at Ledger Docks and taxed.Night trade on Black Docks is restricted without a licensed broker.Unauthorized use of the old walls for fortification is forbidden.

Problems

Merchant taxes drop as contraband slips through Black Docks.

Smuggling networks undermine tax income and empower criminal elements.

Faithful worry as the Saint's Blessing flickers.

The chapel's relics dimming threatens public confidence and attracts zealots.

Accusations fly after a doctored shipment ledger surfaces.

A ledger forgery scandal risks bankrupting a mid-tier house and implicates council clerks.

Economy

Industries

River trade and shippingWarehousing and record-keepingShip repair and ropeworks

Scarcity

Fresh grain is scarce in lean months and good stone is costly for repairs.

Wealth LevelMixed wealth with wealthy merchant houses and large urban poor quarters.

Exports

Salted fishRiver timberMerchant ledgers and legal services

Imports

SpicesWineIron goods

Defenses

ReadinessGarrisoned but stretched thin; watch patrols are regular while night shifts rely on militia calls.

Fortifications

Partial stone walls around Highcourt and Greybend with collapsed sections.A single fortified stone bridge guarded by gatehouses.Saint's Hill fortified chapel overlooking the main road.

Tallowmere Watch(Around 120 regular watchmen and 200 militia when raised.)

A modest city guard supplemented by Merchant Guild levies and hastily trained militia.

Law & Order

crime Level: High in dockside quarters and moderate in the Highcourt.
enforcement: Formal watch enforces laws by day while bribery and guild influence bend justice at night.
typical Punishment: Public flogging, fines, and forced labor for common crimes, with exile or secret executions for deeper betrayals.

Magister Aurelle Voss

NPC

Head Magistrate of the Merchant Guild

A precise, austere accountant known for fairness and hidden ambitions.

Jorin 'Blackhook' Mar

NPC

Thieves Guildmaster

Scarred and charming, he moves between taverns and warehouses with a silver tongue.

Kessia Larn

NPC

Senior Record Clerk

A sharp-eyed clerk rumored to forge signatures for coin.

Eamon Thale

NPC

Former Cleric and Caretaker

A broken former cleric who watches over the city's outcast children.

Captain Maelis Roun

NPC

Head of the Watch

A rigid veteran who believes order must be kept at any cost.

Brine & Quill

Shop

Scribe and Seafaring Supply

Wares for seafarers and merchants with private ledger services.

Anchor & Iron

Shop

Blacksmith and Ropeworks

A cramped smithy and ropewalk servicing ships and town needs.

Rue & Salt

Shop

Herbalist

A tidy herbalist tucked near Highcourt selling remedies and small charms.

The Bridled Eel

Tavern

Thieves, spies, sailors, and low-ranking guild hands.

A large two-story tavern near the bridge known for private rooms and whispered deals.

Highcourt Harbinger

Tavern

Merchants, clerks, and well-to-do travelers.

A quieter Highcourt tavern favored by accountants and lesser nobles for ledgers and tea.

Merchant Guild

Faction

Economic

A powerful guild controlling legitimate trade, docks, and city coffers.

Thieves Guild

Faction

Criminal

A network of smugglers, fence houses, and covert warehouses operating from the Black Docks.

Order of Saint Alric

Faction

Religious

Devout caretakers of the chapel seeking to uphold old rites and city blessings.

Market Square

Point of Interest

The Market Square hums with bargaining, crier announcements, and pickpockets.

Stonebridge

Point of Interest

A long stone bridge with guarded gatehouses and carved river gods at each end.

Hollow Dock

Point of Interest

A rotten pier and crumbling warehouses where ladders lead to tunnels under the quay.

The Gables Row

Point of Interest

A narrow lane of slate-roofed houses filled with workshops and taverns.

Old Curtain Walls

Point of Interest

A series of half-ruined walls marking the city's medieval footprint.

Calendar of Events

15 Harvesttide

Ledger Fair

Merchant Guild holds the Ledger Fair to settle accounts and unveil new imports.

A missing ledger suggests a planted debt and a public accusation likely to erupt.

3 Frostwake

Saint Alric's Blessing

Saint Alric's Blessing sends caravans a blessing before winter travel.

A chapel relic fails to glow, hinting that the chapel's ward is broken.

Secrets

A merchant house colludes with smugglers to undercut rivals via forged manifests.

RegionalA ledger entry marked with a strange sigil repeats across several shipments.

An abandoned vault under Hollow Dock contains relics from the city's founding.

LocalChildren whisper of a sealed hatch beneath rotted planks that only opens at low tide.

A council member traded city protections for private militia backing long ago.

CitywideA hidden note in the chapel mentions a pact signed by a living councilor.

Rumors

A sealed vault beneath Hollow Dock holds a merchant's fortune.

Several council clerks keep secret ledgers of bribes.

The old church in Barrowlane houses a spirit that guards stolen things.

Plot Hooks

The Lost Ledger

A missing merchant ledger could ruin a house unless recovered before public trial.

InvestigationMagister Aurelle VossPayment from the Merchant Guild and letters of credit.

Vault Beneath the Hollow

Street children claim tunnels beneath Hollow Dock lead to an ancient sealed vault.

ExplorationEamon ThaleHidden relics and favor from the Order of Saint Alric.

Forged in Ink

A forged shipment implicates a council clerk and draws the Thieves Guild's ire.

IntrigueKessia LarnBribes, stolen goods, or official pardons.

Fog and Fathoms

Smugglers prepare a large clandestine transfer on a foggy night at Black Docks.

HeistJorin 'Blackhook' MarSplit contraband or a cut of smuggling proceeds.

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