Calling Horns

A small outpost at the crossroads of Jundar's Pass and Evermoor Way, Calling Horns centers on a hilltop inn and a cairn of orc skulls, with rows of bark-shingled cottages below; Tamalin Zoar rules from the inn and keeps the road open in exchange for monthly tithes and the occasional adventurer's favor.

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Outpost

Calling Horns

At the crossroads of danger and coin, Tamalin's horn keeps the dark at bay.

TypeOutpost

PopulationRoughly eighty souls including settlers, deputies, and wayfarers.

WealthModest but secure thanks to tolls and Tamalin's patronage.

GovernmentPatron-led outpost with quasi-feudal protection tithes.

ReadinessConstant patrols during dusk and dawn with full muster on moonless nights.

“Wind-swept, watchful, and hospitable to strangers who pay their dues.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionCrossroads where Jundar's Pass meets Evermoor Way.

ClimateCool temperate with frequent mist and sudden storms.

TerrainRolling moorland giving into dense, shadowed woodland and scattered rocky ridges.

Travel Links

Jundar's Pass to the northEvermoor Way to the westA rarely used hunting trail to the east

Culture

Practical self-reliance tempered by grudging loyalty to whoever keeps monsters at bay.

Races

HumanDwarfHalf-elfHalfling

Religions

The Roadwarden's RiteOld Way SpiritsHousehold Hearthfaith

Arts & Entertainment

Story-telling circles at the inn and rough-hewn stave dances on moonlit nights.

History

Calling Horns began as a simple trailside inn beneath an old cairn and grew into a guarded outpost after Tamalin Zoar invested in the site, drew settlers with work and protection, and imposed a tithe for safety; the crossroads' bloody past and constant moorland threats keep the village insular but steady.

Long AgoThe Cairn BattleA brutal orc horde was crushed at the crossroads, leaving a cairn of skulls.

Five Years AgoTamalin's ArrivalTamalin Zoar purchased the inn and established a regular watch and tithe system.

Two Years AgoThe Beast SicknessA short-lived plague among pack animals forced the village to adopt new quarantine rules.

Government

LeaderTamalin Zoar, retired Tethyrian noble and proprietor of the Calling Horns Inn.

Patron-led outpost with quasi-feudal protection tithes.

Key Laws

All arms left at the inn stable after curfew for communal safety.No private toll may be set within the crossroads without Zoar's consent.Tithes to Tamalin are due on the first moonrise of each month.

Problems

Merchants want lower tolls while Tamalin insists on the status quo.

A caravan dispute over toll rates threatens trade volume.

Allegations of betrayal have splintered trust within the watch.

Whispers that a deputy sells route secrets to a rival guild.

Economy

Industries

Waystation servicesGuiding and scoutingSmall-scale logging

Scarcity

Fresh grain is scarce outside of merchant deliveries.

Wealth LevelModest but secure thanks to tolls and Tamalin's patronage.

Exports

Pack-horses and basic fursTrail guides and route knowledge

Imports

Salt and iron toolsFinished cloth and luxury wine

Defenses

ReadinessConstant patrols during dusk and dawn with full muster on moonless nights.

Fortifications

Timbered pallisade around the ridge path.Stone watchstand atop the inn's ridge.Beacon hearth for signaling patrols.

Zoar's Watch(Nine sworn deputies plus local levies when needed.)

A mixed band of veteran deputies trained for skirmish and monster-hunting.

Law & Order

crime Level: Low on theft, medium for smuggling and illicit toll dealings.
enforcement: Firm and personal enforcement by Tamalin and her nine deputies.
typical Punishment: Fines, public labor repairing the road, or temporary exile from the crossroads.

Tamalin Zoar

NPC

Innkeeper and Patron-Lord

Retired noble who converted her wealth into a watch and rules the outpost with wry amusement.

Orin Voss

NPC

Deputy and Guide

Smooth half-elf tracker who knows the Evermoors' edges and negotiates with trappers.

Roldan Hems

NPC

Stablemaster

Broad-shouldered stablemaster who cares for mounts and manages arrivals.

Ilyra Morn

NPC

Cellarmistress

Soft-voiced tiefling who tends rare vintages and keeps the inn's hidden exit secure.

Jorun Vale

NPC

Deputy

A hulking ex-mercenary who enforces Tamalin's rules without hesitation.

Trailwright's Sundries

Shop

General outfitter

A cramped shop by the inn selling travel goods and mending services.

Calling Horns Inn

Tavern

Travelers, deputies, trappers, and discreet merchants.

A fieldstone inn with a roaring hearth, roomy stables, and a cellar of rare vintages.

The Cairn Tap

Tavern

Hunters and late-shift deputies looking for a quick meal.

A lean taproom near the ford with a splintered bar and talkative patrons.

Zoar's Watch

Faction

Local militia

A loyal guard led by Tamalin that polices the crossroads and negotiates tolls.

Evermoor Trappers

Faction

Hunter collective

Hunters and trappers who map the edges of the Evermoors and sell pelts in exchange for supplies.

Roadwardens Guild

Faction

Merchant guild

A loose association of toll-collectors and caravan guards who resent Tamalin's monopoly.

Skull Cairn

Point of Interest

A low mossy cairn ringed with orc skulls that villagers avoid at night.

Inn Tunnel

Point of Interest

A hidden exit in the inn's hillside cellar that opens to a thicket trail.

Brokeford

Point of Interest

A muddy ford where caravans slow and exchange news before the Pass.

Horn Ridge

Point of Interest

The ridge path lined with signal horns used to warn of large beasts.

Calendar of Events

15th Day of Frostfall

Founders' Horn

Founders' Horn, a night of communal feasting and horn-blowing to honor the cairn.

A visiting warband is expected to attend uninvited, claiming kinship to the cairn's memory.

3rd Day of Greenrise

Watchers' Muster

Watchers' Muster, deputies train recruits and present yearly patrol routes.

Maps show a newly sprouted trail that leads into the Evermoors where none existed before.

Secrets

Tamalin holds correspondence proving a distant noble betrayed her family, giving her leverage she uses quietly.

RegionalThe cellar's oldest barrel bears a carved sigil matching a letter Tamalin guards.

A bound wraith sleeps beneath the cairn and wakes if the skulls are disturbed.

LocalSpiders avoid a certain flagstone in the cairn at dusk.

An old smuggler's route connects Calling Horns to a distant coastal port controlled by a secretive cabal.

WorldA faded map hidden under a stable beam shows an alternate pass through the Evermoors.

Rumors

Tamalin hides a letter that could ruin a noble house.

The skulls in the cairn sometimes change positions by morning.

A secret trail through the Evermoors yields strange, candlelit ruins.

Plot Hooks

The Cairn's New Whisper

A rune-carved stone appears on the cairn and draws a specter at dusk.

InvestigationTamalin Zoar200 gp and a favor from Tamalin.

Tracks to Nowhere

A merchant caravan vanishes between the pass and Calling Horns with only strange tracks left behind.

RescueRoldan HemsReplacement horses and a share of recovered goods.

Tunnel of Quiet Hands

Someone offers coin for the secret tunnel's use to smuggle a relic through the Evermoors.

Moral DilemmaIlyra MornA rare vintage and a map fragment.

Betrayal on the Map

A deputy is accused of selling patrol routes to the Roadwardens Guild and a meeting may turn violent.

ConfrontationOrin VossOfficial pardon and a deputy's gratitude.

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