Wasteward

History

The town of Wasteward is young in comparison with most settlements of the Telkarion Empire, and yet ancient at the same time. It was established nearly a century ago, shortly after the founding of the Empire itself.

In the late years the Age of Warring Kingdoms, House Telkar found its northwestern borders threatened by aberrations originating in the Gena Wastes. Since the Gena Disaster, these monsters had been relatively free to roam the nearby borderlands, where no single local power could gather a sufficiently large force to hunt them down. In the peace following the wars, the Empire was able to dedicate an entire legion to this frontier, and hired the services of borderlander rangers and scouts to police the edge of the wastes.

A camp and supply depot was established at the ruins of a long-abandoned elven settlement, on the heights overlooking the Folyoba River. Upstream from these ruins, the river forks, each of its tributaries providing river transport to watchtowers overlooking the Gena Wastes. All that remained of the elven settlement were stumps of five ancient trees, hollowed-out and carved into what were once luxurious living quarters. These living quarters were repaired and a stone wall added around the exterior to form a fortified keep. The keep is occupied by a small garrison of the governor's personal troops, and provides living quarters for the governor and other important local officials of the Empire. At times, the keep will also house heroes who have been asked by the Empire to help police the Waste, seeking out and destroying powerful aberrations.

The keep quickly attracted a small town of servants, craftspeople, merchants to provide support for the keep and the legion guarding the nearby border. The settlement of Wasteward Town has grown on the banks of the river beneath the Keep, to a present population of approximately 2000, not including nearby farmsteads. There is one well-appointed, moderately-sized inn owned by the Sweetherb Halfling clan, two human-owned inns offering less elegant fare and lodging, a large marketplace, a generous number of craftsmen, and four small temples. Blacksmiths and other providers of military equipment do brisk trade with legionaries and passing adventurers, with enough profit that a small guildhall has been established by the local dwarven merchants.

The population of Wasteward Town is more varied than that of most other towns in the Empire. Only about 80% of the inhabitants are human, with a further 10% being Halflings, 5% dwarves, 5% elves and half-elves, and 5% goblinoid (largely to provide service for the Legion). A small number of gnomes and other uncommon races can also be found.

A Cohort of approximately 500 legionaries maintains a camp on the other side of the river. The legion currently assigned to guard this frontier is the XIIIth (Goblinoid) Legion, a well-respected Legion renowned for its recruitment of goblinoid legionaries from the far southern frontier. While some commanding officers are human, the majority of the troops are goblins and orcs, with smaller numbers of bugbears, hobgoblins, and ogres providing leadership.

While the Gena Wastes, with its aberrations born of wild elemental magics, is the main concern of the Empire, the Feywilds are also located only a few days' travel from the Keep. It is not uncommon to see adventurers provisioning at Wasteward in preparation for an excursion into the untamed fey lands. The Feywild near Wasteward was once an area inhabited by humans and their allies. During the Age of Warring Kingdoms, many of these settlements were abandoned and others disappeared without a trace. For the past century, the Empire has been pushing back the Feywilds and resettling the area, but there are still many leagues between the edge of the Empire and the ancient borders of human settlement.

At first view, the Feywilds are a vibrant, beautiful land. Towering forests stretch league after league, broken by meadows awash in flowers of every shade imaginable. Clear emerald and jade ponds dot the landscape. Skies of a perfect blue are broken only by flawless clouds – until they are broken by coal-dark thunderheads boiling with fierce winds and torrential rains. Only one who is trained in the magic arts will see that arcane power thrums through every tree and rock. In fact, nearly all that exists here is magical. The creatures that inhabit the Feywilds are charged with mystic energy. Some are blessed by it and some are warped. It is a land of both childhood dreams and childhood nightmares.

It is here that our adventurers begin their tale, as apprentices to mighty heroes who are currently residing in Wasteward Keep. This is a human town in a human Empire, and there will therefore be definite advantages to begin human. Fey and goblinoid races will find that they are often feared and distrusted, or even hated by the local human population. In fact, halflings are the only non-human race that are generally welcomed in all human settlements. There will also likely be advantages to being of character classes that cope well in wilderness settings, as this is a frontier town on the edge of dangerous, untamed forests. Within the nearby Gena Wastes, magic is often unpredictable, the result of wild elemental magics that permeate the very air. Arcane spellcasters may find this is sometimes a great advantage, and at other times a great hindrance.

Emperor's Square

The central (and only) square in Wasteward. The Emperor's square serves doubles as the location of the town market and the parade grounds for the militia. Most of the major buildings in Wasteward are located on or near the Square.

Temple of the Emperor

(Lawful Neutral)

This recently-built temple is located prominently on the Emperor's Square. Never officially sanctioned by the Emperor or House Telkar, the Cult of the Emperor has risen in prominence during the past half-century. While scorned by the priests of many of the temples to the ancient gods, who disavow the godhood of the Emperor, the cult is very popular with the human peasantry, warmages, weapon masters, and (it is rumoured) shadow walkers. Naturally, the priests of the temple are fanatical in their support for the actions of the Empire and equally fanatical in their hatred of all that oppose it. But if the Emperor is not divine, who grants the clerics of the Emperor their powers? Clerical domains include Law, War, Domination. Favoured weapon is the short sword.

Temple of Isten of Napsut

(Neutral Good)

Isten of Napsut, the Shining One, is the god of light, supporter of those in need, and adversary of all that is evil. He is associated with the domains of Good, Healing, Strength, and Sun. The longsword is his favoured weapon. Crusaders, rangers, and bards are common visitors to this moderately sized temple emblazoned with a giant gilt sun, located prominently on the Emperor's Square.

Temple of Temeszet

(Neutral)

This small temple is dedicated to Temeszet, the goddess of nature and the wilderness. She is popular with those who live in remote areas, or who travel or live near the Wastes or the Fey Wilds, including barbarians, rangers, scouts, and druids. She is associated with the domains of Animal, Earth, Plant, and Water. Her favoured weapon is the sling.

Temple of Megtor the Last

(Lawful Good)

Megtor the Last is the god of justice, honour, valour and protection of the innocent. The domains he is associated with are Good, Law, and Protection. His favoured weapon is the longsword, and he is worshipped by paladins, crusaders, knights, and marshals.

Temple of Vitesze

(Neutral)

This small temple, discretely located near the gates of the Keep, is dedicated to the goddess of magic and knowledge. She and her clerics tend to remain aloof from the world, promoting no agenda beyond the discovery of arcane knowledge. She is worshipped by wizards, sorcerors, warmages, and other users of arcane magic. She is associated with the domains of Knowledge, Magic, and Illusion, and her favoured weapon is the quarterstaff.

Shrine of Keresk

(Neutral)

This small shrine, located near the southern gate of the city, is dedicated to the god of trade, travel, and roads. Keresk is popular with merchants, bards, and wanderers of all sorts. His domains include Luck, Commerce, and Travel. The quarterstaff is his favoured weapon.

Town Market

Six days out of each week, the Wasteward Town Market can be found sprawling over a large portion of Emperor's Square. Wasteward is the largest town in this region of the borderlands. It is situated on an important crossroad, as well as the only bridge over the Keresk River for nearly 50 miles (and the last bridge before the Wastes). These factors make it a natural hub of trade, and the market reflects this. Local farmers display their wares next to merchants from distant corners of the Empire and beyond.

Merchants & Craftsmen

As the capital of the Marches, Wasteward has attracted many merchants and craftsmen to set up permanent residence. These include an apothecary, armourers, butchers, chandlers, charcoalers, cobblers, furriers, glassworkers, jewelers, litigants, locksmiths, masons, metalsmiths, millers/Bakers, ostlers, outfitters, physicians, potters, roofers, ropemakers, sages, salters, scribes, a shipwright, tailors, tanners, teamsters, timberwrights, tinkers, weaponcrafters, weavers, woodcrafters, and yeomen.

Constabulary

The Wasteward Constabulary is located just north of the Emperor's Square. The Constabulary is presided over by Captain Rendort, a tall, thin, red-faced man whose slight build belies reflexes and skills that have been honed by more than two decades in service to the Empire. More than twenty constables assist him in upholding the laws of the Empire.

Wasteward Taverns

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