Varisia
The seat of civilizations forgotten by most modern empires, Varisia’s history is etched upon the stones of its innumerable ruins. Few know what mysterious people once ruled these lands, their towering monuments and incredible architectural feats the sole records of an age of power and wonder. Yet, ask the native Varisians of the past and the monoliths that litter their land and only the cold dread in their eyes will answer.

Nearly 300 years ago, Cheliax founded the colony of Korvosa in the supposedly cursed wilderness between its northern provinces and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. A century of bloody war with the native barbarians, the Shoanti, followed, culminating in southeastern Varisia falling to Chelish rule. Soon after, colonists and adventure seekers of all persuasions came to populate the newly tamed land. Yet, the deeper foreigners trod inland, the greater the mysteries they discovered: endless walls of carved earth, titanic monoliths, and writings no sage recognized. While many viewed
these idols and obelisks as evidence of the land’s cursed reputation these oddities did little to halt Cheliax’s imperialistic march.

A century ago, the death of Cheliax’s god Aroden fractured not just the country’s domestic holdings but indefinitely severed its links to numerous colonies, including those in Varisia. Korvosa, the oldest and largest of Varisia’s cities, made overtures of fealty to Cheliax’s diabolical new Magistrix—overtures which went ignored. Abandoned, discord erupted in the city between traditionalists to the dead Chelish theocracy and revolutionaries eager to embrace Cheliax’s new rule. Realizing that infighting would doom all they had accomplished, many of the traditionalists left Korvosa, migrating west and ultimately founding the city of Magnimar. Today, both
Korvosa and Magnimar fancy themselves the center of culture in Varisia. Both cities have birthed or claimed numerous vassal townships in the surrounding lands. Other races have also come as well, integrating with the human populace or claiming their own territories. The natives of the land also remember a time when Varisia was theirs alone and swear the land will once again be theirs.

And, alien and now largely ignored, the monuments of an ancient era look on… biding their time.
This message was last updated by the GM at 14:55, Tue 01 May 2018.

Varisian Lands
A rocky land that slopes from the high Kodar Mountains in the north to the drenched fens of the south, Varisia is a realm sculpted from stone. Yet between the mountain ranges that carve the region, wildly disparate and vibrant lands flourish.

The most dramatic natural wonder of Varisia is the Storval Rise, a continuous line
of cliffs that runs hundreds of miles and in some places rises as high as 3,000 feet.
Adding to this wonder, nearly the entire face of these cliffs bears eroded sculptures,
ruined cliff-castles, and grimly carved passages into depths below.

Above the rise stretches the Storval Plateau, a barren, hilly land of sparse vegetation and deadly giants. This is the primary home of the Shoanti. A nomadic people, the barbarians range from the Stony Mountains in the west to the Cinderlands—a badland of ragged tors—in the east.

Below the Storval Rise, rolling hills, dense forests, and rocky plains make up Varisia’s more hospitable reaches. Many of these lands are marked by ancient monoliths, eroded statues, and cairns of unnatural size. To the northwest, hills covered in high grass and windy flatlands form valleys between mountains and the sea. In the south, fertile lands pocked by rocky limestone pavements and mist-shrouded moors border the massive rot of the Mushfens.

Numerous dense deciduous forests also huddle against Varisia’s numerous mountain ranges. While spiders and other vermin infest the Churlwood, the ghosts of werewolves are said to haunt the Ashwood. Few dare brave the Lurkwood, for its dark trees grow and shed their leaves in an order not set by the seasons. Deadly and deathly things have also long been rumored to haunt the northern Sanos Forest, but the gnome population of the wilderness’s southern arm has done much to dismiss such tales. Finally, the Mierani Forest was once and is now again a home to elves. While they have done much in the 200 years since their reappearance to treat with the peoples of Varisia’s southern lands, the elves permit few outsiders entrance to their woodland home.
This message was last updated by the GM at 14:55, Tue 01 May 2018.

Varisian Civilization
The largest city in Varisia, Korvosa dominates the lands from the Ashwood to Bloodsworn Vale. Today, King Eodred Arabasti II and Queen Ileosa Arabasti rule Korvosa, their reign epitomized by the exploitation of the city-state’s vassal townships for the benefit and
luxury of Korvosa’s elite. Korvosa claims to be the most cultured and civilized city in the region, yet visitors might also grant the city-state the titles of most decadent, exploitative, and socially stratified.

To the west, the city of Magnimar vies with Korvosa for dominance of land and trade in and around Varisia. Spread along the shores and cliffs of the Varisian Gulf, Magnimar’s best-known landmark is the Irespan—the ruin of a gargantuan and ancient bridge around and under which the city sprawls. A council of elected elders presides over Magnimar
along with the Lord-Mayor, a title held for life. Currently, the overbearing Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras controls the city, his bombastic and largely self-serving voice drowning out those of a fractured council of squabbling merchants, commoners, and bored nobles.
This message was last updated by the GM at 14:55, Tue 01 May 2018.

Varisian Places of Interest
Varisia holds dozen of locales ripe for exploration and adventure. Listed here are but a few.

• Bloodsworn Vale: A fey-haunted pass to southern lands.
• Brinewall: A mysteriously ruined sea-fortress.
• Celwynvian: The doomed capitol of the Mierani elves, abandoned by its people.
• The Sunken Queen: A great, timeless pyramid rising from the Mushfen’s murk.
• Hook Mountain: A peak of dark repute and ancestral home to several tribes of murderous ogres.
• Kaer Maga: A city built within ancient ruins, renowned for its anarchic population of squatters and outlaws.
• The Mobhad Leigh: A vast and deep pit, which the Shoanti say has no bottom.
• Riddleport: A depraved pirate city whose ancient harbor bears a massive, rune-carved arch.
• The Lady’s Light: An ancient, towering lighthouse rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of witches.
• The Storval Stairs: Titanic steps cut into the face of the Storval Rise.
• Urglin: An ancient ruin overrun by brutal savages, orcs, halfbreeds, and worse.
• Viperwall: The Citadel of Snakes. Its walls of carved serpents endlessly leak a venomous gas.

Sandpoint Background Information

Sandpoint has faced many hardships but also great prosperity in its 42-year history. A
small town on the Varisian Bay, fishermen, farmers, and other simple folk make the community one of the rare truly peaceful havens in Varisia. Yet, while the townsfolk
have known dark times in the past, a new shadow has begun to loom over the unsuspecting
town.

Stats
Government: Autocracy (Mayor)
Population: 1,240 (1,116 humans, 37 halflings, 25 elves, 24 dwarves, 13 gnomes, 13 half-elves, 12 half-orcs)
Qualities: Prosperous, Rumermongering citizens
Base Value: 1,300gp; Purchase Limit: 7,500gp
Spellcasting: 4th
Minor Items: 3d4  Medium Items: 1d6


The Town
A simple, relatively peaceful town with all the color and common oddities one expects from a tightly-knit community, Sandpoint sits at a point on the Lost Coast halfway
between Magnimar and Windsong Abbey. Wood buildings and cluttered docks line the town’s natural harbor, while farms and the manors of wealthy citizens dot the surrounding countryside. During the day, fishing, farming, lumbering, glassmaking, and shipbuilding occupy most of the townsfolk, who commonly retire to their homes by way of Sandpoint’s many taverns. A playhouse and would-be museum make unusual attractions in such a small community, but Sandpoint’s true landmark is the Old Light, a lighthouse of ancient origins that lies in ruins.

A relatively peaceful town, devoid of many of the dangers of a true frontier town and intrigues of a sprawling city, Sandpoint has nonetheless had its share of troubles. The fading scars of a recent terror still linger, a time most folk refer to as the Late Unpleasantness. Just over five years ago, a madman stalked the streets of Sandpoint, killing dozens. Known as Chopper, the killer’s month-long terror ended bloodily when an eccentric local artisan was revealed as the murderer and killed during his attempted capture. Adding to the pain, less than a month later the local chapel burned to the ground in a conflagration that nearly consumed the town’s northern half and left the local priest dead.

Emerging from the shadow of these events, though, Sandpoint has healed and rebuilt, with many townsfolk viewing the coming dedication of a new church as a
symbolic end to the healing and return to normality.

The Law
Kendra Deverin has served as Sandpoint’s mayor for the past eight years. Lawmaker, judge, and general peacemaker, Deverin has proven to be both an adept diplomat and stern hand when need be—skills likely honed during her youth in Magnimar and adventuring in the region. With a personal—some say sisterly—style of governing, Kendra holds the abiding respect of most of Sandpoint’s people, charming them with her fiery
temper and tenacity for justice (as demonstrated during the Late Unpleasantness). A council of several of the town’s most respected and affluent landowners aids Deverin’s work. While several council members have their own agendas and visions for the town, the mayor’s no-nonsense attitude assures that council decisions ever work toward the common good.

Meting out the town’s good justice, sheriff and council member Belor Hemlock keeps watch over Sandpoint’s people. Held as something of a local hero, Hemlock is lauded with being the man who brought the serial killer, Chopper, to justice. Although rarely faced with misconduct more severe than vandalism and public drunkenness, the sheriff is both a keen wit and a skilled swordsman, and openly proves both when the rare crime requires it. While the town’s chief enforcer, Hemlock knows the difference between the word of the law and its intent, and often gives those under his protection the benefit of the doubt.

Their sheriff’s work aside, Sandpoint’s people realize they must often fend for and defend themselves, especially on the outlying farms. In the rarest and most extreme cases— and even then thoroughly discouraged—mob justice is sometimes all that satisfies the outraged people.


The Land
A rolling, lightly forested land of limestone escarpments, rugged tors, and verdant moors surrounds Sandpoint. Most who populate the area live off the land and sea. Numerous farms spread over the surrounding countryside, while the homes of fisherfolk dot the coastal cliffs. Viable farming land is a coveted commodity around Sandpoint, as rocky hills and expanses of limestone pavements—uneven areas of flat rock—break the lush landscape.

Wolves, snakes, and oversized weasels primarily stalk the deer and hares common to the area, along with the occasional stray farm animal, making attacks on humanoids rare. When the fogs common to Sandpoint’s stretch of shore rise, though, every dark shape in the mist becomes a monster, giving rise to numerous local legends of hungry wild men, winged terrors, nd reeking things from the sea.

The People
A welcoming, largely unprejudiced community of colorful locals call Sandpoint home.
Listed here are a few of the town’s most noteworthy residents.

• Kendra Deverin: Town mayor.
• Cyrdak Drokkus: Grandiloquent actor, gadabout, and proprietor of the Sandpoint Theater.
• Belor Hemlock: The gruff but protective town sheriff.
• Ameiko Kaijitsu: Ex-adventurer and proprietor of the Rusty Dragon inn, rebellious daughter to nobleman Lonjiku Kaijitsu.
• Lonjiku Kaijitsu: Stoic noble, owner of the town Glassworks.
• Jargie Quinn: One-legged owner of the Hagfish tavern.
• Titus Scarnetti: Tradition-minded noble who controls Sandpoint’s bustling lumber trade.
• Ethram Valdemar: Oldest of the town nobles.
• Ven Vinder: Owner of Sandpoint’s best-stocked general store.
• Abstalar Zantus: Sandpoint’s mild-mannered local priest.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Tue 01 May 2018.

Legend

1. Sandpoint Cathedral
   Easily the largest building in Sandpoint, this impressive cathedral is also the town’s newest structure. Built over the foundations of the previous chapel, Sandpoint Cathedral is not dedicated to the worship of a single deity. Rather, it gathers under its eaves the six most commonly worshiped deities in the region, providing chapels for all of these deities in a communal forum. In a way, Sandpoint Cathedral is six different churches under one impressive roof. The core of both the original chapel and the new cathedral is an open-air courtyard surrounding a set of seven standing stones themselves surrounding a circular stone altar with seven standing stones said to represent the seven towers of Desna’s otherworldly palace.
   
   When the chapel burnt to the ground five years ago, Mayor Deverin set into motion a bold initiative. Not only would the chapel be rebuilt, but it would be done on a grand scale. A cathedral would be built in place of the chapel, and it would be made of stone and glass. To the south, facing Sandpoint’s heart, are the shrines of civilization: Erastil and Abadar. To the west, off ering a view of the Old Light and the sea beyond, are the shrines of Shelyn and Gozreh. And to the east, off ering a view of the Sandpoint Boneyard and the rising sun, are the shrines of Sarenrae and Desna.
   The previous chapel hosted less than a dozen acolytes, led by a well-loved cleric named Ezakien Tobyn, who sadly perished in the fire that claimed the church. The new high-priest of Sandpoint is his most accomplished student, a pleasant man named Abstalar Zantus. Himself a worshiper of Desna, Abstalar is very open about matters of faith and has slipped into the role of adviser for worshipers of other gods of Sandpoint with ease.
   
   
   
   
2. Sandpoint Boneyard
   Set in the shadow of the Sandpoint Cathedral and accessible via a gate to the north or from several doors leading into the cathedral itself, this expansive cemetery overlooks the Turandarok River. Stone vaults owned by affluent members of the town stand near the cemetery’s edges or at its center, while dozens of humble plots, each marked with a simple gravestone, sit amid trees and shrubberies. The boneyard is well-maintained, kept by a man named Naffer Vosk, a deformed man Father Tobyn took on. Naffer worships  Sarenrae, and despite a twisted spine that has given him a sinister lurching gait, he’s one of the town’s most devout citizens. He keeps the boneyard meticulously clean and is also responsible for ringing the church bells every day at dawn, noon, and dusk.
   
   
   
   
3. The White Deer
   A pair of wooden life-sized deer, carved with painstaking care from white birch, stand astride the entrance to this sizable tavern and inn. The White Deer commands an impressive view of the Varisian Gulf to the north. The building is new, recently rebuilt after the previous inn at this location burnt to the ground five years ago in the same fire that destroyed the Sandpoint Chapel. The new building is a grand affair, three stories tall with a stone first floor and wooden upper floors with a dozen large rooms that can accommodate two to three guests each.
   
   A somber and quiet Shoanti man named Garridan Viskalai owns the White Deer and runs the place with the aid of his family and a few local girls. Eager to encourage visitors to stay at his inn, Garridan keeps the prices of his rooms and board low, matching those of the Rusty Dragon (area 37) despite the fact that his accommodations are much cleaner and more spacious. Still, his gruff attitude tends to make his establishment less popular than the Dragon. Garridan is the brother of Sandpoint’s sheriff, Belor Hemlock, although the two of them are in a long-running feud stemming from what Garridan sees as his brother’s complete abandonment of Shoanti tradition.
   
   
   
   
4. The Way North
   As with several other buildings in the vicinity, this one-story structure was recently rebuilt after the Sandpoint Fire. Originally a stable, the building has been converted by its owner, an aged but spry gnome named Veznutt Parooh, into a cramped and cluttered library to house his tremendous collection of maps and sea charts. Maps of local regions, from the immediate vicinity up to the whole of Varisia and the Storval Plateau, can be purchased from him for prices ranging from 5 gp to 100 gp, depending on the size and level of detail. When not here crafting copies of old maps, Veznutt can usually be found arguing over history with his best friend Ilsoari at Turandarok Academy (area 27).
   
   
   
   
5. Maver's Jewelry
   This squat stone building escaped the fire that ravaged northern Sandpoint, much to the relief of its owner, a wild-haired jeweler named Maver Kesk. Maver retains a half dozen
   local toughs as guards, but he has a habit of leaving doors and vaults open—a trait his wife Pennae Kesk often berates him for publicly.
   
   
   
   
6. Junker’s Edge
   Garbage gathered by Gorvi’s boys (see area 7) is routinely dumped over the edge of this cliff to gather on the beach below. Several of the town’s Gozreh worshipers (in particular Hannah Velerin; see area 45) rankle at this practice, but until an equally cost-effective and convenient option is presented, the town council is reticent to change its ways. In any event, the sea generally makes short work of the junk, ensuring it never piles up too high.
   
   
   
   
7. Gorvi’s Shack
   This dilapidated shack is home to one of Sandpoint’s few half-orcs, a fat, heavily tattooed lummox named Gorvi (. Despite the ramshackle look of his home, Gorvi’s made quite a pretty penny for himself serving as Sandpoint’s dungsweeper, enough that he employs about two dozen vagrants and curs who would otherwise be causing trouble along the boardwalk, paying them regularly in copper to haul one of his distinctive red wheelbarrows through the streets to collect refuse and garbage.
   
   Sandpoint pays him handsomely for his services, a job that no one else really wants but everyone wants to see done. Lately, Gorvi’s been making a menace of himself more than usual, spending evenings down on the boardwalk, harassing ladies, and raising hackles
   at the Hagfish (area 33).
   
   
   
   
   
8. The Sage
   The sole occupant of this ancient building is a cantankerous old man named Brodert Quink, a balding expert on Varisian history and engineering. Brodert claims to have spent two decades of his youth studying with dwarven engineers at Janderhoff and three decades as a cataloger at the Great Library of Magnimar, and is continually baffled and enraged that his learning and obvious intelligence haven’t afforded him more prestige. Brodert has been studying ancient Thassilonian ruins for the past several years and has recently become obsessed with the Old Light. No one believes his theories that the tower was once a war machine capable of spewing fire to a range of more than a mile.
   
   
   
   
9. Locksmith
   A flamboyant dwarf named Volioker Briskalberd has owned and operated Sandpoint’s locksmith business since the town’s founding. Something of an institution, most of the town’s locks were built by Volioker. He’s long been an enemy of the Sczarni (see area 43), who have used both diplomacy and intimidation in their attempts to recruit him to their side. He’s a tremendous fan of the arts, and never misses a new show at the playhouse.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Sandpoint Garrison
    This stone fortress serves double duty as Sandpoint’s militia barracks and its jail. The jail itself is located in an underground wing, while the above-ground portion houses the town’s guard. Sandpoint’s town guard consists of a dozen full-time watchmen; about twice this many servants and other experts (smiths, cooks, bookkeepers, couriers, and the like) dwell here as well. Guards patrol the city alone; there’s generally not much trouble beyond the odd drunk for them to handle, so usually only three or four are on duty at any one time.
    
    Sandpoint also maintains a militia of 62 able-bodied men and women who are expected to attend training and exercise here at least once a week. This militia can be brought to
    service in 1d3 hours. The garrison is currently under the watchful eye of Sheriff Belor Hemlock, a native Shoanti who inherited the post of sheriff when the previous holder,  Casp Avertin, was murdered by Chopper. Belor saw the town through that last terrible
    night and is generally held to be the man who stopped Chopper’s rampage. In the emergency election that followed a week later, the people of Sandpoint officialized
    his role, and Belor became the first Shoanti sheriff of Sandpoint. Honored and eager to live up to Casp’s legacy, Belor changed his last name to its Chelish translation.
    
    The jail below the garrison is generally empty save for a few drunks or Sczarni doing time for some minor crime. Murderers and other hardened criminals generally stay for only a few days before an escort from Magnimar arrives to bring them to the high court for trial in the big city. The garrison’s jailor is a heavily scarred brute named Vachedi, a Shoanti tribesman who hopes someday to earn enough money to buy back his two sons from Kaer Magan slavers.
    
    
    
    
11. Sandpoint Town Hall
    The majority of the ground floor of this two-story building consists of a meeting hall large enough to seat most of Sandpoint’s adults, although town meetings have rarely been even half so well attended. The upper floor contains offices and storerooms, while a vault in the basement below has been functioning as the town bank for decades. Plans to build a proper bank have been stalled for various reasons since the town was founded. Sandpoint’s mayor,Kendra Deverin, can often be found in this building, tending to the town’s needs.
    
    
    
    
12. Savah’s Armory
    The northeast corner of this building bears a few scars from the Sandpoint Fire, but fortunately for its owner, Savah Bevaniky, the building escaped significant damage. Savah’s shop sells all manner of weapons and armor, including several masterwork items and exotic weapons like a spiked chain, a dozen masterwork shuriken, and a +1 repeating
    crossbow with a darkwood and ivory stock that bears the name “Vansaya.” She’s not sure what the name means—she bought the weapon from an adventurer on the way to Riddleport a year ago, and the combination of its high price and complexity has ensured its semi-permanent stay in her shop.
    
    
    
    
13. Risa’s Place
    Risa Magravi operated this tavern for the first 30 years of Sandpoint’s history, and even now that she’s gone mostly blind in her old age and has left the day-to-day affairs of the job to her three children Besk, Lanalee, and Vodger, the mysterious Varisian sorcereress remains a fixture of the tavern. Known as much for Risa’s tales of ancient legends and myths as for its spiced potatoes and cider, this tavern is a favorite of the locals if only because it's out-of-the-way location ensures strangers rarely come by.
    
    
    
    
14. Rovanky Tannery
    Situated at the edge of town, Larz Rovanky runs Sandpoint’s tannery with ruthless efficiency. He expects perfection from his workers and his products, and as a result often works long hours on his own during the stretches when he’s temporarily fired the help. His leather and fur goods are of high quality, enough so that locals generally don’t mind the extra wait for custom orders while Larz fusses with getting things perfect.
    
    
    
    
15. Red Dog Smithy
    Named for its owner’s affection for large red mastiffs, two to three of which can always be seen lounging about nearby, Red Dog Smithy is owned by a bald and powerfully muscled man named Das Korvut. Das’s temper is, perhaps, his true claim to fame—he has little patience for customers, and even less for everyone else. Sandpoint suffers his foul-mouthed attitude and frequent drunken midnight rants because he really does know his job. And as long as he’s busy hammering metal, he stays relatively calm and confined to his smithy.
    
    
    
    
    
16. 16. The Pillbug’s Pantry
    Nestled at the base of a cliff and tucked between several old tenements, nothing but a painting of a pillbug perched on a mushroom indicates this building’s anything more than yet another home. The proprietor of this establishment is a short, rotund man named Aliver “Pillbug” Podiker, an accomplished herbalist and gardener. Pillbug primarily sells medicines and potions, often using ingredients grown in his very garden.
    
    
    
    
    
17. Bottled Solutions
    This cluttered shop is filled with shelves upon shelves of bottles, bags, and other alchemical containers, some covered with dust and others so new that the pungent stink of their brewing still fills the air. Nisk Tander fancies himself a more gifted alchemist than he really is. He will often talk at length about his accomplishments and education as an alchemist and he does have an impressive set of supplies.
    
    
    
    
    
18. Cracktooth’s Tavern
    A particular favorite of patrons of the Sandpoint Theater, Cracktooth’s Tavern is always full after the latest show at the nearby playhouse lets out. A large stage gives actors, singers, and anyone else the opportunity to show their stuff . Every night a crowd of would-be entertainers packs the taproom in the hopes of being discovered. Owner Jesk “Cracktooth” Berinni might look like a thug, but he’s actually quite well-read and possesses a scathing wit—nights when he takes the stage to deliver his observations on the political situations in Magnimar are quite popular.
    
    
    
    
19. House of Blue Stones
    This long stone building is primarily a single large chamber, the floor decorated with polished blue stones set within winding pathways of reed mats. This structure was built 10 years after Sandpoint was founded by a wandering monk named Enderaki Sorn. Today, the monastery is tended by Enderaki’s daughter, Sabyl, her father having passed away seven years ago. A worshiper of Irori, the god of self-perfection and knowledge, Sabyl maintains a large collection of old books and scrolls in the basement chambers below. She opens both the meditation floor and her library to fellow worshipers, but others must convince her of their good intentions with before she’ll let them in.
    
    
    
    
    
20. Sandpoint Glassworks
    One of the oldest industries in Sandpoint, the Glassworks has been owned by the Kaijitsu family from the town’s inception. The glassworking trade has been in the family for generations, and many of their techniques—perfected in distant Minkai—result in dazzling and impressive works that fetch top price among the nobles of Magnimar, Korvosa, and beyond.
    
    
    
    
21. Sandpoint Savories
    The smells issuing from this bakery fight against the salty tang of the sea every morning except on Sunday. Owned and operated by the Avertin family for the past two decades, Alma Avertin still hasn’t quite recovered from the brutal death of her son Casp five years ago under Chopper’s blade. Her twin daughters Arika and Aneka all but run the business these days.
    
    
    
    
22. The Curious Goblin
    The sign out in front of this shop shows a wide-eyed goblin reading a book nearly as tall as him. Inside, this bookshop is a testament to one man’s obsession with the printed word. Chask Haladan has maintained his love affair with books for nearly 70 years and shows no sign of giving it up any time soon. His store is surprisingly complete, and while almost all of his wares are far too pricy for any of the locals to shop here with any frequency, a nest egg gathered in his adventurous youth combined with a frugal lifestyle makes the success of his business secondary to his own satisfaction. Several locals, including Brodert Quink (area 8), Sabyl Sorn (area 19), and Ilsorai Gandethus (area 27) can often be found here, either chatting with Chask or sitting in one of several large chairs, reading.
    
    
    
    
23. Sandpoint Theater
    Brand-new cathedrals and ancient ruins aren’t the only incongruities Sandpoint boasts. This massive playhouse, financed entirely by its larger-than-life owner, Cyrdak Drokkus, features one of the most impressive theaters on this side of Varisia,it certainly competes with the playhouses of Magnimar, a fact that Cyrdak takes great pride in, since he was forced to flee that city for mysterious reasons he’s eager to hint at but reticent to expound upon. The Sandpoint Theater often showcases local talent, but it’s the three weekend shows that locals generally look forward to. Cyrdak uses his contacts in Magnimar to great extent, ensuring that the most exciting new productions in the big city are available here as well. Cyrdak enjoys flirting with all of Sandpoint’s young women.
    
    
    
    
    
24. Carpenter’s Guild
    The vast majority of the buildings in Sandpoint were erected by members of the town’s large and eternally-busy Carpenter’s Guild. Currently overseen by Guildmaster Aesrick Battlehorn, a dwarf who left his homeland with a near heretical fondness for working with wood rather than stone, the Sandpoint Carpenter’s Guild has recently been accepting a growing number of projects in the outlying farmlands as well as work about town. The guild has been in a minor feud with the Sandpoint Shipyard (area 46) for years, one that most often flares up over which guild has claim to the best lumber from the mill.
    
    
25. Sandpoint Lumber Mill
    This long building was one of the first to be built when Sandpoint was founded. Owned by the industrious Scarnetti family, daily operation of the mill has recently been left more and more to a penny-pinching businessman named Banny Harker and his partner Ibor Thorn. Neighbors have been complaining that the two have been running their insidiously noisy logsplitter into the wee hours of the night as they rush to keep up with demand in the face of an increased availability of lumber from Magnimar, but Harker’s influence with the Scarnettis has so far kept any mandates against operating the logsplitter from coming to pass.
    
    
    
    
26. General Store
    Owned and operated by Ven Vinder and his family, Sandpoint’s oldest and best-stocked general store has a little bit of everything—farm equipment, weapons, tack, tools, furniture, food, and even homemade pies by Ven’s wife Solsta. Ven even keeps a shocking supply of alcohol in his basement, although a customer has to ask to see the “wine cellar” before Ven’ll admit to his special stock. Ven has a particular fondness for harsh bitter grog and rotgut imported from places as far as the orc city of Urglin. His true pride is his daughters, Katrine and Shayliss, whom he dotes upon.
    
    
    
    
    
27. Turandarok Academy
    As families thronged to Sandpoint, the town founders quickly came to realize that they needed somewhere to handle the education of children, a place to house unfortunate orphans, and somewhere to busy older children to keep them from becoming delinquents. The answer was the Turandarok Academy. Part school, part orphanage, retired adventurer Ilsoari Gandethus volunteered to be the academy’s headmaster if he could have the basement of the two-story building to himself. The town agreed, and today, the rooms below the Academy are almost a museum of the strange things and trophies Ilsoari has collected over his years. He keeps these chambers locked, but the children who attend classes on the ground floor and the orphans who live on the upper floor have countless stories about what’s down there, ranging from a goblin farm to a nest of phantom spiders to the Sandpoint Devil itself. Although the contents are much less sinister (Ilsoari is all too happy to show off his collection of exotic weapons, strange maps, and monster trophies to anyone who asks nicely), the old wizard does nothing to dissuade the children’s tales.
    
    
    
    
28. Madame Mvashti’s House
    Although from outside this appears to be an ancient, decrepit manor house with several rooms, only one person lives in this old building—ancient and mysterious Niska Mvashti. Old even when Sandpoint was founded some 40 years ago, Madame Mvashti (as she prefers to be called) is a Varisian historian and seer, part of a long tradition of oracles in her family. As with many seers, the current age’s unexpected departures from established prophecies have left her with a lifelong sense of brooding worry. She performs most of her readings with cards or carved bones but seems only very rarely to enjoy casting her predictions. Madame Mvashti had long complained that the yearly travels of her extended family hurt her bones, and when Sandpoint was founded, as part of the accord with the Sandpoint Mercantile League, the local Varisians demanded a large manor house be built for their respected elder. Once she passed away, the house was to revert to the town’s property, but Madame Mvashti has proven exceptionally tenacious and long-lived. She survives primarily on support and volunteer help from local Varisians, although she spits and curses at those she knows belong to the Sczarni. Druids from the hinterlands make weekly visits to her home, often helping her along on the long walks she still enjoys in the nearby countryside.
    
    
    
    
29. Grocer’s Hall
    This building’s facade is open to the air where it faces the market. During the day, bins and trays and tables here are heaped with produce brought in that morning from the outlying farms. Near the back of the store are tools, seeds, feed, tack, and other supplies useful for farming. The other half of this building is filled with living quarters, meeting halls, file rooms, and storage. Olmur Danvakus took up the post of guildmaster here after the previous guildmaster was murdered by Chopper.
    
    
    
    
30. Vernah’s Fine Clothing
    Rynshinn Povalli has owned and operated this clothing shop for the last five years. The only daughter of a kindly woman named Vernah, Rynshinn never knew her father, Iremiel, only that he was killed by goblins less than a week after she was born. At the time, Vernah’s tempestuous aff air with the mysterious elven bard was the talk of the town. Every year on the anniversary of Rynshinn’s birth, a small package of elven coins, medicine, and toys mysteriously appeared somewhere in the upper floors of this building. Vernah always claimed the gifts were placed by Iremiel’s ghost, but locals generally believe the gifts were granted by one of his living relatives. Rynshinn, for her part, holds out against hope that her father somehow survived and that it’s not his ghost but him who leaves these mysterious birthday presents. Since her mother’s death five years ago during Chopper’s murder spree, Rynshinn has used much of the money from those gifts to expand her mother’s tailoring business, and even founded a guild that brings together dozens of quilters, crafters, sewers, and tailors so they can sell their wares here. She’s looking into opening a shop in Magnimar as well, but has yet to find a partner there whom she trusts. A number of Sandpoint’s young men idly court Rynshinn, who many hold to be the town’s most beautiful citizen, but to date, the lonely woman has politely eschewed all possible suitors for reasons she has not shared.
    
    
    
    
31. Wheen’s Wagons
    A lanky man named Bilivar Wheen owns this workshop. Bilivar is a down-on-his-luck wheelwright who’s lately been spending more time at various taverns (especially the Hagfish—area 33) than here working—ever since his daughter Tanethia drowned in the Mill Pond last year, his wife Vorah has grown more and more shrill and paranoid that her remaining two children’s days are numbered as well. Bilivar’s been heard to mutter about packing up and skipping town to some of his drinking buddies at the Hagfish, but no one thinks he’ll really follow through on this plan.
    
    
    
    
32. Scarnetti Mill
    As with the Sandpoint Lumber Mill, this building is owned by the Scarnettis. All of the flower and grain produced here is supplied by local farmers. Mysterious fires have claimed the Soggy River Mill, the Biston Pond Mill, and most recently the Cougar Creek Mill, leaving this mill the only functioning grain mill in the region. Accusations of Scarnetti-sponsered arson have been flying high, but the manager of this mill, constantly worried and sneezing Courrin Whesterwill, has gracefully lowered the prices for its use to record lows until the outlying mills can be rebuilt, a gracious move that has alleviated, to some extent, extensive public outcry.
    
    
    
    
33. The Hagfish
    One of Sandpoint’s most popular taverns, especially among fishermen and gamblers, the Hagfish is also Sandpoint’s best bet for a good old-fashioned seafood meal. Owned by a gregarious one-legged man named Jargie Quinn, the Hagfish gets its name from the large glass aquarium that sits behind the bar, the home of a repellent hagfish that Jargie affectionately calls Norah (despite the fact that he’s had “Norah” replaced dozens of times—hagfish don’t live all that long in Quinn’s aquarium). Hanging from a nail next to Norah’s tank is a leather pouch bulging with coins: prize money for anyone who can drink down a single tankard of “water” scooped from Norah’s tank. It’s a single silver coin to try, but the trick is that, since she’s a hagfish, the water in Norah’s tank is thick and horrifi cally slimy and foul-tasting. Few can stomach the stuff, but those who do get to keep however many coins have accumulated in the pouch, and then get to carve their names in the ceiling beam above the bar. To date, there are only 28 names carved there, and the Hagfish has been in business for nearly 10 years.
    
    There’s certainly more to this tavern than Norah. Jargie’s game tables are always well-attended, with games ranging from cards to checkers to dice to darts. Tall tales are a favorite pastime here, with one popular game called “yarning” involving seeing how long a local can string along an impromptu fable without contradicting himself. The most popular subject of these tales is traditionally Old Murdermaw, the legendary giant red snapper who might or might not dwell in the depths of the Varisian Gulf. Jargie himself is quite an accomplished yarner, with the everchanging story of how he lost his leg being his favorite starting point for his tales.
    
    
    
34. Valdemar Fishmarket
    Like the Grocer’s Guild across the market, the facade of this long building is open to the air. Here, locals can shop among the day’s catch, picking out cod, salmon, tuna, shellfish, and even the odd octopus for the evening’s meal. Turch Sterglus a retired fisherman with a lazy eye and a wild white beard, runs the fishmarket in a lovably crotchety manner, constantly complaining about the weather or the day’s catch or the antics of local youth, but always packaging his customers’ purchases with a smile and a wink. The fishmarket itself is owned by the Valdemar family, but most locals act as if the building and business were Turch’s, often tipping the lovable old man a few extra coins. Turch’s five sons, each smarter than the next, have made a career working for their father as fish cleaners, haulers, and even cooks.
    
    
    
    
35. Sandpoint Market
    On most days, Sandpoint’s marketplace is empty save for the odd group of children who enjoy using the wide-open area to play whistleball or other games. Twice a week, the market fills with vendors. At the start of each week, the farmer’s market radically increases the daily selection of goods available at the Grocer’s Hall, while all day at the end of the week merchants from Magnimar, Galduria, Nybor, Wartle, and beyond take part in the Town Market. Goods purchased at the Town Market adhere to Sandpoint’s 800 gp limit, but prices are generally 75% of the regular asking price.
    
    
    
    
36. Sandpoint Meat Market
    Local butcher Chod Bevuk runs the Sandpoint Meat Market. Half of this building doubles as a slaughterhouse, with the meat itself put on display for sale in the front half of the market. Most of the meat processed here is from livestock or animals caught by hunters. Chod still claims to this day that he encountered Chopper several days before he was ultimately caught and that the two of them fought, leaving Chod with one less finger, but most locals believe that the wound was self-inflicted in an attempt to get attention. Chod’s penchant for lies and exaggeration in all matters not relating to his business don’t help lend credence to his version of how he lost the little finger of his left hand.
    
    
    
    
37. The Rusty Dragon
    This large structure is Sandpoint’s oldest inn, notable for the impressive (and quite rusty) iron dragon that looms on the building’s roof, doubling as a lightning rod and decoration. Owned and operated for the past six years by the lovely and popular Ameiko Kaijitsu, the Rusty Dragon is not only one of the town’s most popular eateries (made so, in large part, by the spicy and exotic food served here), but also a great place to meet visitors from out of town, since most newcomers to Sandpoint come upon this inn first, the north Lost Coast Road being less traveled. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Ameiko’s exotic beauty is more than matched by her skill at music, and few are the evenings that pass without at least two or three songs by the talented woman. Some bad blood exists between Ameiko and Cyrdak, and one never seems to miss a chance to badmouth the other, but no one in town really understands the reason behind their rivalry. Of greater concern to Ameiko is the long-running feud with her family—leaving town to become an adventurer scandalized her family enough, but when she returned, rich and successful (and with a seemingly endless supply of eccentric hairstyles), with a desire to purchase and renovate Sandpoint’s oldest tavern, her family officially took to shunning her. Ameiko claims not to care, but becomes evasive when anyone asks her why she returned to Sandpoint when she was obviously doing well as an adventurer. Some believe she has a secret lover in town, while others theorize that something happened on her last adventure that took the bravery out of her. In any event, the Rusty Dragon is probably the most adventurer-friendly establishment in town, with its ubiquitous “Help Wanted” board near the bar and Ameiko’s “discount rooms for anyone who tells an exciting adventure story” policy.
    
    
    
    
38. Goblin Squash Stables
    The sign above this door perpetuates one of the greatest fears of the lowly goblin—being trampled underfoot by a horse. Tended by a retired hunter named Daviren Hosk, Daviren’s hatred of goblins is nearly legendary in Sandpoint. In a somewhat grisly display, over the entrance to the stable’s covered barn is his collection of goblin ears: preserved and nailed to three different rafters, each bearing the goblin’s name burned into the leathery flesh—mostly because Daviren knows that writing down a goblin’s name is one of the worst things you can do to desecrate his memory. The bitter ranger’s pride and joy is a large glass bottle filled with brine in which he’s preserved the body of Chief Whartus of the now extinct (due in large part to Daviren) Bonegrinder Tribe.
    
    
    
    
39. Two Knight Brewery
    While Sandpoint’s taverns serve a wide variety of spirits, they all proudly serve the mead, ale, and rum brewed here at the Two Knight Brewery. Established almost 40 years ago by two brothers (both worshipers of Abadar and cousins of Mayor Deverin) only a few years after Sandpoint was founded, their expertise at brewing has only increased over the years. Tragically, Wade Deverin was one of the first of Chopper’s victims, a murder that has shaken his brother Gaven’s faith. Locals whisper that since Wade’s death, the brew from here simply hasn’t tasted as good, but they would never say something to this effect to Gaven’s face.
    
    
    
40. Sandpoint Mercantile League
    This large building serves many purposes. One can book passage on a ship bound for other ports, arrange for caravans or carriages for overland travel, or send messages to folk in town or as far away as Korvosa or even Riddleport. Inquiries into land ownership, building construction, and founding new businesses, both in Sandpoint proper and in the surrounding hinterlands, must begin their processes of official foundation here. Although ownership of the league remains split evenly between Sandpoint’s four noble families, few of them take part anymore in the actual day-to-day business, leaving such matters in the capable hands of Sir Jasper Korvaski. In his younger years, Jasper was a paladin of Abadar, and although he’s long since given up the more dangerous lifestyle of a crusader, he remains loyal and devout.
    
    
    
    
41. Sandpoint Boutique
    This large boutique and shop sells all manner of clothing, weapons, toys, artwork, books, and tools imported from throughout the world, although most of the wares here are Varisian in nature. The place is owned by Hayliss Korvaski, who is, like her brother Jasper, a devout worshiper of Abadar. Yet unlike her brother, her temper isn’t braced by a desire to keep everyone happy. Hayliss isn’t afraid of making enemies and wears her disdain for the Scarnettis on her sleeve. She’s even gone as far as sometimes upcharging her goods for members of the Scarnetti family, in spite of Mayor Deverin’s repeated requests to keep the peace.
    
    
    
    
42. Fatman’s Feedbag
    If the Hagfish is Sandpoint’s most popular tavern, Fatman’s Feedbag is its most notorious. Bar fights are common, and Sheriff Hemlock typically has to come down here two or three times a week to sort them out when they grow particularly violent or loud. The majority of the clientele here are Varisian scoundrels or less-reputable sailors. The tavern is run by Gressel Tenniwar, an enormous man who seems to have a permanent shifty appearance like he just broke someone's kneecaps over a debt around the corner. Rurmor has it that the tavern is a meeting point for the Sczarni, cruel and self-serving men and women who take care to maintain respectable jobs as laborers, fishermen, and hunters, but who draw their true income taking part in various illegal Sczarni scams and stunts.
    
    
    
    
    
    
43. The Pixie’s Kitten
    Many of Sandpoint’s crasser locals have a much more colorful name for this establishment, but Kaye Tesarani runs the town brothel with class and distinguished grace. She pays her girls and boys quite well, and the three Shoanti bouncers she employs are more than enough to handle troublemakers. Although prostitution isn’t illegal in Sandpoint, the Scarnettis have long lobbied for it being outlawed, viewing the Kitten as a place where vice and criminal activity can take root. Certainly, Jubrayl has tried for the last five years to get in on the brothel business, but Kaye’s not-so-secret friendship (and romance) with the town’s sheriff make this a delicate, long-term goal for the Sczarni at best.
    
    
    
    
44. The Feathered Serpent
    This cramped and cluttered shop smells of a strange mixture of incense, spice, and dust. Its sole proprietor, Vorvashali Voon, an exotic-looking character with bright blue eyes, long red hair, and almost bronze-colored skin, is gregarious and excited about every customer. Not everything in his shop is for sale, rendering it part museum in its eclectic collection of strange relics, statues, and monument fragments. Vorvashali’s stock changes constantly, as his dozens of contacts from Magnimar come in weekly to buy and trade stock. Adventurers seeking magic items and other tools of the trade can find what they’re looking for here more often than not.
    
    
    
    
45. Hannah’s
    While Abstalar Zantus (area 1) does his best to take care of Sandpoint’s truly sick and needy, he can’t help everyone. For minor aches, pains, and illnesses, most of Sandpoint’s citizens depend on Hannah Velerin. Hannah spends most of her mornings out in the surrounding wilds, gathering herbs or simply enjoying Gozreh’s bounty. In the afternoons, she returns to her shop and home here to prepare medicines and receive patients. Hannah’s ironically the one to go to when either one wants to end a pregnancy or needs a midwife to aid in a birth; Hannah encourages all of the women she sees to carry to term, and advises the use of pinberry extract to young women as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place, but in cases where there’s no other option, her other services are discrete and confidential.
    
    
    
    
46. Sandpoint Shipyard
    The southern facade of this long building is open to Sandpoint Harbor, allowing its small army of shipwrights, ropemakers, and sailmakers to work their trade in one of four drydocks right on the shore. The shipyard is owned by the Valdemars, with Belven Valdemar, old Ethram’s eldest son, overseeing the constant work here. Belven is a handsome and quite available bachelor, but his dedication to his craft and family have so far left him little time to entertain the dozens of young women who’ve been trying to catch his eye for the past several years.
    
    
    
    
47. Valdemar Manor
    This manor house commands a breathtaking view of the town of Sandpoint and the harbor below, as befits the family most connected to the town’s shipbuilding and fishing industries. The family itself remains under the patriarchal rule of old Ethram Valdemar, the only one of the original members of the Sandpoint Mercantile League still alive. Ethram’s years are numbered, though, for the old man has a lung infection that keeps coming back, no matter how often the family pays to have it cured.
    
    
    
    
48. Scarnetti Manor
    Perhaps Sandpoint’s most notorious noble family, many of Sandpoint’s elderly Varisian locals still haven’t forgotten or forgiven Alamon Scarnetti’s assault on their people more than 40 years ago, even with Alamon 20 years in the ground at the Sandpoint Cemetery. The Scarnetti family, now headed by Alamon’s only surviving son Titus, controls Sandpoint’s mills and the lumber industry. The control of the lumber the Valdemars need for their enterprises is not lost on the Scarnettis, and they use this fact as often as possible to leverage Valdemar support. The Scarnettis are easily Sandpoint’s most traditional family, who cling to old Chelish values that are, in many cases, outdated today.
    
    
    
    
49. Kaijitsu Manor
    This manor is the smallest of the four noble houses overlooking Sandpoint, yet the Kaijitsus are perhaps the richest family in town. What this manor lacks in stature and size it more than makes up for in the exotic and impressive furnishings within. Lonjiku Kaijitsu has carried on his father’s proud work as glassmaker, and the Sandpoint Glassworks is perhaps the town’s most prosperous business, with its products regularly shipped as far as Korvosa. Lonjiku’s accomplishments are all the more impressive when one takes into account that he and his family are newcomers to Varisia, the survivors of an exiled family from Minkai sent over the crown of the world a half century ago for unknown crimes. Lonjiku was born in Magnimar and has never visited his motherland, but he carries memories of its wonders in the form of stories told to him by his now deceased parents. Yet for all of his success at business, Lonjiku has found the role of father to be one he’s particularly ill-suited for. His eldest son Tsuto, in addition to being proof of his wife’s affair with an unknown elf, left the region several years ago after an argument that resulted in Lonjiku striking his son with his cane. His eldest daughter Ameiko shamed him not only by becoming an adventurer, but by opening and running a tavern and flophouse—“hardly women’s work,” he’s fond of telling anyone who’ll listen. Of course, those who know Lonjiku know his short temper is his real problem.
    
    
    
    
50. Deverin Manor
    Living within the largest manor, the Deverins have traditionally held the role of “leader” in Sandpoint. Old Amos Deverin served as the town’s mayor for its first 23 years, and his son Fenchus served for the next 11. Both Deverins perished to unfortunate accidents (Amos to a runaway horse on Festival street and Fenchus to a snakebite while on a boar hunt), leaving Amos’s youngest daughter as the heir to the family fortune and a likely candidate for mayor. Kendra Deverin didn’t initially want the job, but after she was nominated for the role by her close friend Casp Avertin, she won the election by a landslide, something her primary opponent in the election, Titus Scarnetti, has never quite come to terms with. For some time there was talk of her and Casp becoming wife and husband, but Casp’s death at Chopper’s hands cut that short. Kendra’s recovered now from the shock, but has put aside all interest in romance for politics. She shares this manor with her brother’s rather large family, and although her sister-in-law Vana constantly complains about needing even more space and luxuries, Kendra has done a saintly job so far in keeping her temper under control.

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:03, Mon 28 May 2018.