As a small town, Quickstone doesn’t have chapters of the major guilds and organizations that are found in the major cities; there are no halls for the Arcane Order of Aureon or the Circle of Song. It does have a number of special interest groups—which might range from as few as three members to a few dozen—who meet in the Crown, the Rose Theater, the Schoolhouse, or other places to discuss the things that they love. The Special Interest Groups table provides a few examples, but it’s not an exhaustive list; if your character has a particular interest, you could start a new group.
While these small groups have little impact on the town, Quickstone is home to a few significant communities that do shape daily life. These communities have dozens or even hundreds of members, and tensions between these groups could cause trouble for Quickstone. As an adventurer in Quickstone, consider if you’re part of one of these communities. If so, you might be called upon to assist other members of your community—though they might be able to help you when you’re in need.
| d6 | Group |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Soldiers’ Choir. A support group for veterans of all nations, where former enemies can come together and share their experiences. The Grizzlies largely ignore it, so it’s mostly Mourners and other non-Brelish. |
| 2 | The Dancer’s Circle. Largely Mourners, this group practices traditional Cyran dance and art. Some suspect it of having ties to the supposed criminal society known as the Tago. |
| 3 | The Rockhounds. This is a society of people who love the many wonders of the Graywall Mountains. They hike the hills, explore caves, and study quickstone, byeshk, and other unique features of the Graywalls. |
| 4 | The Wizard’s Circle. These gatherings provide a chance to discuss Arcana and personal projects. Sahra Syrralan d’Sivis, Jury d’Cannith, and Ink Narathun are the most capable members, but there are a number of attendees who are keen to learn the basic principles of arcane theory. |
| 5 | Goblin for Beginners. Noon Tuuva works with Ink Narathun to teach the Goblin language to those interested in learning it. |
| 6 | The Sand Fruit Society. The original goal of this group was to find ways to make the sand fruit—one of the few crops that grows well in the region—more palatable. Under the guidance of the priest Vesper, the group expanded to the general promotion of tourism in Quickstone. |
Location: Oldtown
Overview: Miners, original settlers of Quickstone
Key NPCs: Cord Risten (male elf barkeep), Gareth Stone (male dwarf quarry foreman, town councilor)
The Chanters consider themselves to be the oldest community in Quickstone, and indeed, a few of them are survivors of Graystone, the previous iteration of the town that was destroyed by the forces of Droaam. “Chanter” is derived from “stone chanter,” the magewrights who work with quickstone; this community is made up almost entirely of miners, and includes most of the stone chanters in Quickstone. They are largely honest, driven folk who believe that physical labor is good for the spirit. They are loosely aligned with the Coins, with whom they established Quickstone, but they have no great love for the dragonmarked houses and the merchants of Main Street. They believe that Quickstone was fine without the magistrate or the sheriff; Graystone survived without either (if you point out that Graystone did fine until it was wiped out by raiders, you will be answered with stony silence). Chanters are stoic and appreciate tradition and a good work ethic. While most are loosely Vassals, they often seem to have an almost mystical reverence for stone and the mountains.
The Chanters are mostly human, but have a significant number of dwarves, a few half-orcs, and a handful of elves and Khoravar among their number. Most live in the oldest part of Oldtown, around the path leading up to the quarry. Gareth Stone, a dwarf halfway through his second century, is a respected quarry foreman who represents the Chanters on the town council. Gareth is stern and unforgiving, and never uses two words when one will do. Cord Risten is another notable Chanter; one of the original Quickstone settlers, Risten now runs Stone Soup, a tavern that serves as the social hub for the Chanters.
Chanters mostly work in the quarry or build houses. As such, proficiency with Mason’s Tools is a critical talent if you’re making a Chanter character, though you could get away with Stonecunning or Athletics. The Chanters are a logical community choice if you’re playing a Warlock with the Stone Sovereign Patron, or a Circle of the Land Druid with ties to the mountains.
Location: Oldtown
Overview: Tradesfolk and smugglers, original settlers of Quickstone
Key NPCs: Brogan Hul (male human innkeeper), Vesper (female half-elf priest, town councilor)
The Three Faces of Coin is a Sovereign mystery cult that exists in the shadows of the Five Nations. Members believe they are blessed by the Sovereigns of commerce and that the Sovereigns will guide them to profit; they also believe in the opportunity to work around the laws that restrict trade. Ten years ago, the smuggler Brogan Hul approached the priest Vesper and convinced her to rally her congregation to take a chance on an opportunity on the Western Frontier. Along with the Chanters, these people were the founders of Quickstone and built what’s now known as Oldtown. In the east they concealed their faith, but here—in a town where they make up nearly half the population and run many of the important businesses—they’re willing to be identified as the Coins.
The majority of the Coins are honest merchants, artisans, and farmers—people who create products, or who make their living by buying and selling. The others are largely smugglers, with a blend of grifters and other scoundrels... A group known in town as the Pennyroyals. All of these people stand together as neighbors, believing that it is their work together that will bring prosperity to Quickstone. With that said, they came to the frontier so the honest merchants wouldn’t have to compete with the dragonmarked houses and the smugglers wouldn’t be under the eyes of the law... And now ir’Blis has appointed his magistrate and sheriff, and Dragonmarked businesses are setting up on Main Street. The Pennyroyals have had to limit their activities while they come to terms with the presence of the sheriff, and the other Coins are doing their best; the Crown may not be as clean as the Gold Dragon Inn, but for now it’s still profitable. But the Coins are uneasy; the town is changing, and many fear that the opportunities that brought them to the frontier are slipping away.
While humans make up the majority of the Coins, they are diverse and include a significant number of Khoravar, gnomes, and goblins (including the Tuuva Clan). Vesper maintains the Church and serves all Vassals, but she is specifically the spiritual leader of the Coins and the people are devoted to her. Brogan Hul set aside smuggling to run the Crown inn, but he is a respected leader of the community and coordinates the actions of the Pennyroyals. While he’s not blatant about these dealings, he also doesn’t go out of his way to hide them; any resident with an ear to the ground knows that Brogan is the person to talk to if you need something that’s not entirely covered by the law.
The Coins aren’t some sort of sinister conspiracy. But they are a community united by faith and shared history, and they laid the foundations of Quickstone. They’re proud, they look out for their neighbors, and they want the opportunity to earn the prosperity they came here for. Any character could be a Coin, but the Coins came to the frontier in pursuit of prosperity:
How did you expect to succeed? Those blessed by Onatar are artisans, those blessed by Kol Korran are traders, and those blessed by Kol Turrant make deals in the shadows; which are you? Are you a smuggler or a scoundrel, with ties to the Pennyroyals? Do your tool proficiencies reflect a trade you planned to focus on before you caught the adventuring bug? Do you have a family among the Coins relying on you to bring in gold?
Location: The Tents, The Square
Overview: Brelish veterans
Key NPCs: Jessa Grain (female human soldier, town councilor), Jovi Olan (male human veteran organizer), Hessia Goldleaf (female gnome quartermaster), Smith (male warforged blacksmith)
The Grizzlies are Brelish veterans who served under Count ir’Blis during the Last War. In recognition of exceptional service, he granted fifty veterans and their families small tracts of land in the vicinity of Quickstone. Some have already taken up residence on their land, while a few others have settled in the Square. However, most remain in the Tents while they wait for their final housing to be completed.
When the veterans arrived in Quickstone, former lieutenant Jovi Olan set up a camp in the Tents. This camp is governed by strict military discipline; while they are no longer soldiers, the veterans who follow Olan live as if they still were, wearing their armor and maintaining their camp as if on duty. When others took to calling them the Grizzlies—a play on the Brelish bear on their uniforms and their grizzled appearance—they adopted it with pride. While there is little call for their military services, they essentially function as a tiny town within the town. Their hunters bring in food that’s prepared by the camp. They’ve got their own artisans who maintain their equipment, a medic who tends the injured, and the quartermaster, Hessia Goldleaf, works to acquire other necessary supplies. Generally, the Grizzlies are supported by the Brelish veterans who live outside the Tents, but there are a few veterans who want nothing to do with Olan and the Grizzlies, saying it’s time to break their swords and to leave the war behind.
The Grizzlies are a functioning militia. They regularly declare their loyalty to Count ir’Blis and Breland, saying that they stand ready to protect Quickstone from any threats from Droaam “or elsewhere.” A few Grizzlies serve Sheriff Constable as deputies, and the rest are generally prepared to join a posse whenever there is trouble. However, the Grizzlies have also been known to carry out vigilante justice, specifically within the Tents and often relating to troubles caused by Mourners, kobolds, or Droaamite immigrants. The Grizzlies maintain that they are just helping to maintain order in a chaotic environment and that the people they target are criminals. But many of the Grizzlies who served on the western front don’t believe Droaamites can be trusted, and a significant number think that as Cyre fought Breland during the war, there’s no reason for the count to be treating the Mourners like friends today. If your character is a Grizzly, you’ll have to decide if you share these suspicions and prejudices, or if you seek to maintain the peace and keep your comrades from causing too much trouble.
The Grizzlies are all former Brelish soldiers, with the same mix of species found across Breland. Jovi Olan is the highest ranking former officer, and it’s largely his charisma that holds the Grizzlies together. Former sergeant Jessa Grain holds a seat on the town council and represents the interests of the Grizzlies, including advocating for stronger defenses and limiting handouts to the Mourners. Hessia Goldleaf is an expert at finding what the Grizzlies need and is always watching for a bargain or an opportunity. And the warforged Smith is in charge of the artisans. Smith yearns to prove that his talents at the forge are superior to those of Bel, the Cyran blacksmith who runs the Anvil; Bel has no interest in this rivalry and often forgets who Smith is.
If your character served under Count ir’Blis during the Last War, you could be a Grizzly. This doesn’t require that you have the Soldier background; you don’t need to have Military Rank to have fought in the war. If you are a Grizzly, discuss your military service with your DM. Do you have especially close ties to any of your fellow soldiers? Do you live in the camp, on your own land, or in the town?
Location: The Tents
Overview: Kobolds working for House Orien
Key NPCs: Sarvus’kor (female kobold priest), Skaivus (male kobold artificer), Vanon’dor (male kobold overseer)
The Khaar’paal are a group of about sixty kobolds camped on the southern edge of the Tents. They don’t work metal; their tents are made of leather, their tools of wood and stone. At a glance, most assume these kobolds are a primitive nomadic tribe; this assumption is wrong on every count. Khaar’paal means mageblood, and the Khaar’paal kobolds have an innate talent for arcane magic, not unlike that of a sorcerer. They may not use metal, but they have talented magewrights who make use of Mending, Prestidigitation, Magecraft, Continual Flame and similar magical techniques and tools, and work with exotic materials like quickstone and wyvern hide. Their wands may not be as well-tooled as those produced by House Cannith, but the Khaar’paal scouts are wandslingers and are as capable as any Brelish arcane dragoon.
The first common mistake is to assume the Khaar’paal are primitive; the second is to think they’re nomads. The Khaar’paal have a subterranean town in the Graywall Mountains that is considerably larger than Quickstone, and the kobolds think that Quickstone is something of an eyesore. The Khaar’paal in the Tents aren’t a tribe, and they didn’t bring their children or families; they’re a workforce, hired by House Orien to support the western expansion of the lightning rail. Between their skill at working with stone and their natural affinity for elemental energies, the Khaar’paal have a remarkable talent for the work required to prepare and place conductor stones. Orien has used Khaar’paal artisans as specialists on other rail lines, and given the proximity to their home, this time Orien hired a larger force of them. Some assume that the kobolds are cheap or expendable laborers; little could be further from the truth. The Khaar’paal are paid more than the typical stonelayer, and they’re worth every coin.
Like the Grizzlies, the Khaar’paal camp is largely self-sufficient; they came prepared with hunters and the artisans needed to care for their own. The priest, Sarvus’kor, is a servant of the Fury; while she can’t heal the sick with magic, she’s a capable herbalist who works with mundane medicine. Skaivus is a “spell-crafter,” who follows the Khaar’paal tradition of artifice; he’s capable of producing common magic items, and more if he acquires exotic components. Vanon’dor is the overseer, a specialist in working with the conductor stones and a deadly wandslinger who stands ready to protect his people. Together, Sarvus’kor and Vanon’dor lead the camp: Sarvus’kor is the spiritual guide (devoted to the Cazhaak Six), while Vanon’dor directs the workforce and maintains discipline.
While the Khaar’paal weren’t involved in the fighting on the western front, many of the townsfolk were initially uncomfortable with this force of Droaamites on their doorstep. Today, the Khaar’paal workers remain largely isolated, but the communities are slowly growing closer; kobold scouts display their acrobatic prowess at the Rose Theater, and Khaar’paal occasionally play traditional music (involving drums and the sar’duur, a unique form of nose flute) at the Crown. A few of the townspeople now join in the Aram’ja revels at the Khaar’paal camp. Nonetheless, there are still many—especially among the Grizzlies—who distrust the kobolds.
If your character is a kobold, you could be one of the Khaar’paal. If you’re proficient with Arcana or Mason’s Tools, you could have come to Quickstone to work on the lightning rail. Otherwise, you might be a scout, a hunter, or otherwise supporting the community as your skills suggest. If you’re a kobold but not one of the Khaar’paal, consider whether you know of the Khaar’paal or wish to join them... Or if you and your kin have a rivalry with the mageblood clan!
Location: The Tents, Oldtown
Overview: Cyran refugees
Key NPCs: Astan Morn (male human organizer, town councilor), Beleth “Bel” Thiel (female shifter smith), Elin Ton (male gnome priest), Jury d’Cannith (female human tinker), Yenna Lane (female half-elf healer)
In the wake of the Mourning, thousands of Cyrans were left without a homeland. King Boranel of Breland was sympathetic to their plight; he allowed a host of refugees to cross into Breland, and called together his nobles to see where the Cyrans could be placed. Count Thauvius ir’Blis offered to settle a few hundred Cyrans in the growing town of Quickstone. This may have been an entirely altruistic move, placing the refugees in a town that seemed to be on the rise; however, some wonder if ir’Blis wasn’t just as interested in placing more warm bodies between Droaam and his richer lands. In either case, early in 996 YK, over two hundred refugees arrived in Quickstone. The shantytown to the west of town was expanded to serve as a refugee camp, and today these Cyrans make up the majority of the population of the Tents. Initially, others called them “Mourners'' as a pejorative term, mocking their lost homeland. Over time, this term has come into common use even by those who bear the Cyrans no ill will.
The Mourners have always faced challenges, even within their own community. They’re all from Cyre, but they’re hardly a monolithic group. Some came from great cities, others were farmers, and some were soldiers who were serving on the Brelish front—something that doesn’t exactly make them popular with the Brelish citizens of Quickstone. Some of the Mourners were once powerful and wealthy; having lost everything in the Mourning, they must learn to fend for themselves, and they aren’t all good at it. Some of the most capable among them—such as the smith Bel Thiel and the Cannith tinker Jury—use their talents to help other Mourners, but there are others who are only looking out for themselves, even if personal success comes at the expense of their fellow Cyrans. Astan Morn—the headman of the Cyran village of Ashford—has become the de facto leader of the community, and established a stable camp within the tents jokingly called “the Vermishard” after the great palaces of Metrol. In the Vermishard, Morn works with those Cyrans most committed to helping their kin. They ration the supplies they receive from the Magistrate and spread out what they raise through their own efforts. Yenna Lane is a magewright healer who does what she can for her people; while she is capable of casting Lesser Restoration, she rarely has the components required for the ritual and can only provide mundane care. Elin Ton is a former acolyte of the Silver Flame who maintains a shrine in the Vermishard and is the closest thing the Mourners have to a priest. He cannot perform divine magic, but he does his best to maintain morale and offer guidance—though the majority of the Mourners are Vassals and prefer the council of Vesper in town, or simply keep their own counsel. Astan, Yenna, and Elin are the most prominent figures within the Vermishard, and Astana also currently holds a seat on the town council; the other well-known Mourners are Bel Thiel and Jury d’Cannith. When the town’s former smith was killed in a raid, Jury d’Cannith arranged for herself and Bel to take over, establishing the Anvil smithy. Both are talented and generous, and their good work has helped to improve general relations between the townsfolk and the Mourners.
While things are improving for the Mourners, they’ve never been good. The simple fact is that four years ago, Cyre and Breland were at war. Many of the Grizzlies question why any aid is being given to these former enemies of the nation, and there are often quarrels and brawls between Grizzlies and Mourners. Even beyond the Grizzlies, given the choice between giving an opportunity to a Mourner or to a Chanter, Coin, or Grizzly, most will choose the Brelish. Count ir’Blis has pledged to help the Mourners, and has provided basic supplies (tents, blankets, tools); the Magistrate provides regular deliveries of food and other supplies to the Vermishard camp. The count wishes to give land and housing to the Cyrans, and they have been granted a small stretch of farmland. But ir’Blis says that he is bound to honor his duties to his former veterans—the Grizzlies—first and foremost, and available housing and the best land has been going to them. Those who are capable among the Mourners contribute by hunting, working in the mines, and doing their best to practice their trades. Bel and Jury channel the bulk of the profits from the Anvil to the Vermishard, and this has allowed some families to move into tenements in Oldtown. But for now, life is hard for the Mourners—made harder by the ongoing tensions with the Grizzlies and other Brelish, but also by the divisions among the refugees themselves.
If you’re playing a Cyran character, work with your DM to decide if you’re part of the Mourners or if you came to town on your own. If you’re a Mourner, what are your ties to the community? Do you have family or friends? Do you support the Vermishard and work to help the community, or are you one of those who only looks out for yourself?
Location: Oldtown
Overview: Industrious goblins
Key NPCs: Deven Sarkaas (male goblin tailor), Jhol Tuuva (female goblin merchant), Meera Sarkaas (female goblin accountant), Noon Tuuva (male goblin baker), Zel Tuuva (male goblin merchant, town councilor)
Goblins are found in most of the major cities of the Five Nations, but they are often denied opportunities that come easily to humans and the other “fair” races. The goblins of the Tuuva family had achieved modest success in the Bazaar of Sharn, but matriarch Jhol Tuuva felt that they would never reach the heights of the towers or be given the opportunities they deserved Jhol is devoted to the Three Faces of Coin, and when the priest Vesper came to her with the proposal for Quickstone, Jhol committed the Tuuvas to the priest’s cause. She rallied a number of other enterprising goblins in Dura—a few magewrights, an excellent tailor, not to mention a few goblins interested in the possibilities for smuggling on the Western Frontier. All in all, there are around forty goblins in Quickstone. While there are a number of families (Sarkaas, Paalman, Kurtuu, and more), they all rally behind Jhol Tuuva, and people use “The Tuuva Clan” as a term to refer to all the goblins of Quickstone.
Within the Three Faces of Coin, Kol Korran blesses the merchant, Onatar blesses the artisan, and Kol Turrant blesses the ‘night merchant’—the one who acquires those goods that can’t be purchased in the light. Within the Tuuva Clan, Jhol Tuuva is the mother of the Mercantile, working with a web of suppliers across western Breland and building her connections in the east. Noon Tuuva is the finest baker in Quickstone, specializing in Sharn Fusion—a blend of goblin and human cuisine. And Zel Tuuva is the goblin who can get you the things you can’t buy at the Mercantile. He does his business in the common room of the Crown, and he also puts his charisma to work as one of the town councilors of Quickstone—usually allying with Vesper to support the interests of the Coins and the Pennyroyals.
While their families include a number of exceptional smugglers, the goblins of the Tuuva Clan are generally respected as upstanding citizens of Quickstone; among the Coins, smuggling is considered an honest way to make a living. They’re proud Brelish citizens and invested in the success of the town. Most are Vassals of the Sovereign Host, and many are devoted to the Three Faces of Coin—so there’s overlap between the Coins and the Tuuva Clan, but not all the goblins are Coins. Goblin-owned businesses include Tuuva Mercantile and Littlehand Haberdashers, along with a few independent magewrights; all are described later in this chapter. Right now, the Tuuva Clan’s greatest fear is that the dragonmarked houses will continue to expand their presence in Quickstone; the last thing they want to see is a Cannith department store on Main Street.
If you’re a goblin in Quickstone, talk with your DM and decide if you’re connected to one of the families of the Tuuva Clan. If you’re proficient with artisans’ tools, you might sell your goods through the Mercantile. The Tuuva goblins come from Sharn and have no connections to Darguun or the Dhakaani, but if you want to play a character with a foot in both worlds, you could be a Shaarat’khesh spy embedded in the family or a Ghaal’dar mercenary hired to protect the Tuuva businesses.
The communities described in this section are large forces that have a significant impact on the town. But what makes Quickstone important is that it’s a border town, and at any given time there are hundreds of people who are just passing through. Some are just there for a night, resting at the Crown or the Gold Dragon Inn before crossing into Droaam or taking the lightning rail to Ardev. Others may be in town for a few days or a week—farmers selling their crops and buying supplies before returning to their land, smugglers making deals or waiting for connections, settlers considering their next move. And then there are those who don’t know how long they’ll stay—people in the Tents whose plans have fallen through or who simply never had a plan, former soldiers, or even fugitives who are waiting for fortune to present them with an opportunity. And, of course, there’s always the chance of running across adventurers—treasure hunters hoping to plunder Dhakaani ruins or to find undiscovered wonders in the foothills.
In addition to these transients, there’s also the new blood—the people of Main Street. Oldtown was established by the Chanters and the Coins. The Square and the Tents arose when the Grizzlies and the Mourners came to town. This next wave of settlers are scions of dragonmarked houses and envoys hoping to do business with the great powers of Droaam. While everything is relative—these people might not be considered wealthy or powerful in Sharn—by the standards of Quickstone, they are both. Orien Station is an important outpost for the house, with a Lord Seneschal in residence to make deals with Droaam. House Kundarak is establishing a true enclave in Quickstone. The Gold Dragon Inn aims to provide these respectable people with a level of service they might not find in Oldtown. And with these three as anchors of polite society, other upstanding citizens of Ardev and other eastern cities are considering opportunities in Quickstone. In the months to come, someone could open up a candy shop on Main Street, or a salon specializing in cosmetic transmutation. It remains to be seen if such things could actually survive on the frontier, but there are always people who are hoping to be the next big thing.
If you have no particular connection to Quickstone, consider whether you live in the squalor of the Tents or whether you have a room at one of the inns (and if so, which one?). If you’re a Noble or a dragonmarked House Agent, you might own one of the new houses on Main Street. If you’re a drifter, what’s brought you here, and how long are you planning to stay? Are you hoping to lay down roots, or are you just passing through—and perhaps, about to be touched by the hand of fate?
The Drifters table gives a few examples of people you might meet in a tavern, the Tents, or waiting at Orien Station.
| d8 | Rumor |
|---|---|
| 1 | Huli’Aashta (female half-orc) is a Tharashk agent escorting three ogres to a job in Ardev. |
| 2 | Maze d’Orien (male human) is an elite Orien courier. They never talk about what they’re carrying, but you can be certain it’s important. |
| 3 | Dol Rani (female elf) is an Aundairian duelist and bravo whose primary motivation seems to be humiliating Brelish wandslingers. |
| 4 | Blue (male warforged) is a former quartermaster turned aspiring merchant. He has a “merchant hat” and he’s heading to Turakbar’s Fist with a case of horn polish. |
| 5 | Ja’kala (female harpy) is a classic bard, singing for her supper and carrying news between farms and villages on the frontier. She’s celebrated at the Crown when she sings. |
| 6 | Lucky Haskal (male halfling) is a settler from Wroat who’s always chasing a new get-rich-quick scheme. This one’s a sure thing, really! |
| 7 | Epitaph (female tiefling) is a Thrane missionary of the Silver Flame, bringing light to the Frontier. A Dolurrh-touched tiefling, she’s surrounded by ghosts—but she tries to lift people’s spirits. |
| 8 | The Gray Man (male human) never gives his name and says as little as possible. He’s dressed in gray—hence the name—and carries a polished rod and three wands. He’s definitely looking for someone, but he won’t say who. |