Shepherd's End and surrounds (by Chris Wong)Shepherd’s End is a quiet port town in the region called Easvolin at the eastern edge of the Kingdom of Lux. The coastline is composed of cliffs of jagged gray stone that overlook the tumultuous sea beneath, though the harbor itself offers shelter from the rough currents with natural rock formations that offer a small fjord of calm waters.
The fields and pastures surrounding the town are verdant and cultivated, stretching for several miles before reaching the dense forests beyond, and often delineated by wooden fences and burrow houses that punctuate the varied and segmented hues of the farmlands.
The town itself is marked by a variety of waterwheels, windmills, and complex pulley systems, and it is not uncommon to see slow-moving and sometimes clumsy clockwork automatons carrying load near the docks, or small packages delivered by gear cable across town.
The docks are situated with a warehouse along with a handful of inns, taverns, and pubs to entertain and shelter the sailors, travelers, and merchants who pass through Shepherd’s End, and the town’s small market is often fragrant with spices and brilliant with dyed fabric and curious sundry.
Locations
The Hearth
The heart of the town is a communal place of cooking, singing, and storytelling called the Hearth, where food is prepared from the day’s stock, and the people of the town share hearty stews, fresh milk, hot ciders, buttered breads, and fanciful tales. Adjacent to the Hearth and spreading toward the harbor are the market stalls and shops open to travelers and locals alike.
Driftwood Inn
The oldest inn established in Shepherd’s End in the years when the town was becoming established as a trade port on the northeastern coast, the Driftwood Inn was originally built from the same lumber used to build the docks. The prominent feature of the inn is a large ribbon-like twist of driftwood which has been carved with the visages of celebrated figures and moments in the town’s history. The inn is owned and managed by an elderly water genasi named Tiden.
Wanderlust Tavern
Miranda Pine, the tavern’s owner, had quite a life before coming to the humble town of Shepherd’s End. Not only does the tavern serve delicious spiced chicken and pot pies, but the interior is decorated with the bounty of Miranda’s adventures — basilisk scales, cockatrice feathers, and even a small dragon’s tooth are among the collection of fascinating items displayed behind the bar, and Miranda’s daughter Peach often entertains with song and conversation.
Dry Iron Pub
A lingering relic from the days when the nearby cliffs were mined for their deposits of iron almost a century ago, before having been depleted, the pub is decorated with old pickaxes, lanterns, and equipment from the bygone days of an industry nearly forgotten. The pub’s owner, Nosgrid, departed for the north, but the warm natured firbolg Laorie is managing well. The pub is frequented by the Rough Guts, old dwarves living still in Shepherd’s End from the bygone days before the mines dried up.
Meraldine’s Mighty Anvil
There is little to contest that the gnome Meraldine is the most skilled smith in Shepherd’s End, and one with whom the Fabricator often consults in the production of metalworks. The smithy is long established in the town and an iconic part of the town’s history. The smith herself, though, has been distant and distracted since her daughter and apprentice, Sylvie, volunteered to travel north to aid the kingdom.
Clockwork Heart
It’s uncommon to find skilled artificers so far at the outskirts of the kingdom, but the elderly goblin couple Mulgwud Clockwright and Gwin have made a life for themselves in Shepherd’s End maintaining the windmills, gear cables, and automatons that contribute to life in the town, and their clockwork crafts are the finest in the town.
Post and Parcel
It’s not uncommon for shipments to pass through Shepherd’s End due to its proximity to road, rail, and harbor. Quick deliveries large and small are handled by the cheerful and dedicated staff of the exchange office located near the heart of the town, where Parcel Officer Simon, a friendly tortle, or Junior Parcel Officer (in training) Kibeth Proudhammer can answer any questions about your anticipated shipment.
Physicker and Apothecary
The elderly white dragonborn physician Teredian has had his hands full since his apprentice, Paul Lysel, was called away to serve the kingdom, but his young assistant Ava Porter is doing her best to train as quickly as she can. The humble office is crowded with herbs for creation of balms and salves and the many supplies needed to tend to wounded people and livestock.
Docks and Warehouse
The three sturdy docks extending into the harbor are often busy with the movement of supplies, particularly with the kingdom’s call for aid, sending shipments toward the warfront in the north. The docks, gangways, pier and warehouse are often busy with workers moving freight to and from the ships that come through Shepherd’s End.
Summerstone Lighthouse
The cliffs just south of Shepherd’s End stretch eastward toward the sea and serve as the perfect perch for a lighthouse to help guide ships to navigate the treacherous rocks beyond the calm waters of the harbor. The large house built at the base of the lighthouse is too large for its single occupant. Julie Summerstone, the elderly gnome who keeps the lighthouse, is a woman of a warm and quiet longing, as though waiting for one more ship that never comes to harbor.
Cadne Ranch
The minotaur shepherd Oria Cadne and her cornucopian family tend the sheep and alpacas often seen grazing in the hillside fields to the south of the town, with every member of the family involved in the complex and thriving efforts that provide wool, meat, and even fresh milk to the people of the town. It’s not uncommon to see children riding the calmest of the animals during festivals.
Old Mausoleum
Though no members of the Raine family remain in the town, the old mausoleum built into the northern cliffs serves as a quiet resting place for some of the town’s establishing family and is a faded and beautiful reminder of an era before the establishment of the kingdom.
Old Ruins
The old stones at the edge of the forest to the west of the town were unearthed by a tremor centuries ago and are now overgrown and worn by time, but still retain some of the beautiful details created by a forgotten people. Though there is only a suggestion of the structures that once stood in ages past, it’s not uncommon for groups of young people from the town to spend time at the beautiful site.
Temple of the Maiden Thrice
There are few cults of the gods from the time before the kingdom that remain, but the healing waters that flow from the temple of The Maiden Thrice have maintained the faith of a handful of dedicated worshippers when so many other gods have been forgotten. The small remote temple is a two-day journey from the town of Shepherd’s End, and the small trail that weaves through the forest and hillsides has grown ever since the kingdom began to provide healers and physicians to those in need.
NPCs
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Vathedrian, Verdict
Human with a towering and bulking build and gray hair and beard. He was gravely injured during the train accident south of Shepherd’s End and was given a clockwork prosthetic arm and leg with the help of Esmund and Ava. He has revealed that he has been given a mission to find and slay a necromancer and has asked for the aid of the party in exchange for his help in securing Shepherd’s End against outside threat.
Durge Pothammer
Dwarf with long gray hair and braided beard. He is the last surviving member of The Rough Guts, the last remnants of the dwarves to fight the Duergar beneath the mountains and resist the occupation of Easvolin and Shepherd’s End by the Kingdom of Lux centuries before.
He has taken residence at the Temple of the Maiden Thrice, seeking a peaceful life in old age.
Gilgain, Teacher
Halfling with a wild bloom of gray hair and hunched shoulders, often dressed in beige robes. He walks slowly and enjoys the simple things in life, particularly antiques. He works to inspire curiosity in the children he teaches, allowing them their mistakes and discoveries, while guiding them toward new learning.
Killed by the Blue Laurel Pudding while protecting Ava.
Hane, Sheriff
Satyr with graying hair and a full mustache, often wearing a tattered vest with a badge on the breast. One of his horns is broken and has been slow to regrow, and his hands shake when trying to do delicate tasks. He is known to be forgiving of small disruptions, seldom eager to involve a Verdict in the affairs of Shepherd’s End, so long as no one’s safety has truly been endangered. He’s had his hands full since his son and deputy, Matthias, left to serve the kingdom.
Discovered dead by auronachus outside of town.
Miranda Pine, Tavernkeeper)
Wood Elf with long dirty-blonde hair and bright brown eyes. The owner of the Wanderlust Tavern and mother of Peach, she has a wealth of wild stories about her travels before coming to the town. Though she is young when it comes to elves, the keepsakes of her adventures suggest she’s already seen much of the world. However, it has not gone unnoticed that Miranda did not travel north to serve the kingdom, which has blemished her reputation with the locals, despite her popularity with the travelers who come through town.
Killed by the Blue Laurel Pudding while protecting Ava.
Simon, Parcel Officer
Tortle with blue-green hues and a hard and ridged shell and a friendly face. He knows that any good delivery takes time and careful planning, and that it’s far more important that a package is delivered accurately, rather than hastily and relies more often on Junior Parcel Officer Kibeth with all the shipments and mail heading to the warfront.
Missing since the attack of the Blue Laurel Pudding.
Teredian, Physicker
White Dragonborn with mottled and graying scales who often wears burgundy robes, brass spectacles, and walks with a cane. Often busy with the care of both people and animals, he has begun to rely heavily on his young assistant Ava, since his apprentice, Harlow Lysel, left town to head north to serve the kingdom. He can most often be found at the Physicker and Apothecary.
Killed by the Blue Laurel Pudding while protecting Kibeth.
Wendelton, Mayor
Half-Elf with a round belly, mutton chops, and pleasant manner often dressed in a vest and fine clothing. He has served for a bit more than forty years, and works with other bureaucrats in the region to ensure the prosperity of the kingdom is shared with all.
Missing since the attack of the Blue Laurel Pudding. Pieces found in the ruins beneath the earth.
Grem, Farmer
Dwarf with a bald head and a full gray beard. One of a group of elderly dwarves living in Shepherd’s End called The Rough Guts, Grem is one of the oldest townsfolk, having been alive before the kingdom had spread to Easvolin. Though they worked the mines long ago, the dwarves have become the keepers of a large potato farm on the western edge of town.
Recently departed into the west to find a way to help the cursed children.
Found dead along train tracks.