Map of Zelkor's Ferry
A. Bristleback’s Inn
Bristleback’s Inn is the sort of place one would expect to find in a remote settlement. A cracked and peeling wooden sign creaks from its iron bracket by the door, showing a picture of a wild boar in badly-faded paint. It is an old building, small for an inn, and is not in the best of repair.
People
Odo Bristleback, the innkeeper, owns and operates the entire settlement of Zelkor’s Ferry, a business that has been in his family for generations. He hires the guards for the fort, and collects rent from the smith, the merchants, and the necromancer.
Amelia Odo’s wife
Ysbeland Tallie serving wench
Gumbel the Cook serving wench
Prices
Room and board costs 1 gp per night, with an extra silver piece charged for stabling a horse or mule.
B. The Stable
The stable is a part of the inn; anyone wishing to keep horses here can do so by talking to Odo Bristleback, the innkeeper.
From time to time Odo has a horse or a mule for sale, although these are far from thoroughbred quality. If his stock is bought out, it takes at least a week before any more animals are available.
C. Blacksmith
People
Big Morganis a blacksmith who rents this building from Odo and makes his living by repairing wagons, shoeing horses, and producing simple iron tools for the wayfarers who stop at the inn.
Deslena, Morgan’s wife makes the sturdy pottery dishes used in the area as well as bottles and jugs in various sizes that she sells at the Trading Post. Her kiln is built into the other side of the forge.
D. Barracks
This building is the residence for Zelkor's Ferry guards, whom he has hand-picked over several years by Odo. They are led by Captain Skorma, and consist of traveling mercenaries and adventurers who were willing to stay. They are a loyal and experienced group of veterans.
E. Rasmus Pye’s Trading Post
People
Rasmus Pye runs the trading post and he buys, sells, and barters anything that comes his way down the river, up the trail, or out of the dungeon. The only thing he doesn’t sell is horses, since his landlord owns the stables. Rasmus is a wizard of minor abilities, and his ability to cast sleep spells was a nasty surprise for the last group of kobolds that attempted to storm the walls.
Meregan, Pye's wife, assits him and also sews and does some light leatherwork. Common clothing items available at the trading post may have been made by her, and she will make custom items at 20% above the usual cost.
Verestin is their twelve-year-old son
Prices
Most normal supplies, even including armor, can be purchased here at normal prices.
F. The Necromancer
People
Ulman Dark is a necromancer with certain strange abilities derived from his studies in black magic, astrology, and necromancy. Having been exiled from a number of civilized communities, he has chosen to live in the remote settlement of Zelkor’s Ferry, where his studies are tolerated—within limits—since he has significant abilities as a healer, no matter how questionable the source of these abilities might be.
Ulman is able to remove the effects of poison, and even has a certain chance to bring the dead back to life if the stars are right and the expensive materials are available. He can brew weak healing draughts, and has a chance to cure diseases. These skills are based upon combinations of alchemy and dark knowledge. His ability to succeed at one of these tasks is not guaranteed, and he expects payment up front whether his attempt is successful or not.
Kanndra Dark, Ulman's wife is a successful bounty hunter and spends most of her time away from Zelkor's Ferry. She also picks up various exotic herbs and ingredients on her travels, which Ulman can then try in his potions and nostrums.
Prices
Removing Poison: A character that has been poisoned within the last 24 hours may be purged of the poison. The procedure involves replacing the patient’s blood, using a quantity of goat’s blood as well as drawing some blood from other humans to include in the transfusion. Ulman requires payment of 800 gp to make the attempt.
Curing Diseases: Ulman uses a combination of purging, leeching, and medicinal concoctions to cure diseases, charging 500 gp for the attempt.
Brewing Potions: Ulman can brew weak healing concoctions that restore a little health. The potion must not be taken more than once in a 24 hour period. He charges 250 gp for one of these draughts.
Raising the Dead: Ulman charges 3,000 gp to attempt this difficult task.
G. The Ferry
The Ferry itself is no more than a wooden dock jutting out over the
water, with a stone building where the ferryman lives.
People
Gutmark the Ferryman makes his living by fishing in the river (usually within sight of the dock). Travelers are so infrequent that ferrying passengers is only an occasional task.
Adebrin, Gutmark's wife, smokes the fish and makes other smoked meats and salted foods.
Prices
It costs 2 gp per person (and 1 gp per animal) to be ferried across the water on Gutmark’s boat.
H. Gemcutter
People
Kalgor is a retired wanderer, a dwarf who happens to prefer living on the surface rather than underground. This may be related to the fact that his vision is not as acute as it is for most dwarves; he uses spectacles even in daylight, and can see no further than 10 ft. in the dark. His income mainly comes from occasional work as a gemcutter; rough gemstones found in the area usually make their way to his worktable eventually before they are sold upriver.
Prices
Kalgor appraises a gem for payment of 10% of its value (Kalgor is regarded as honest and accurate with his appraisals.)
He buys gems for 90% of value (the appraisal still costs 10%) At any given time, Kalgor has a few gems available for sale.
Kalgor can be hired to re-cut a gem to increase its value. He charges 10% of the gem’s initial value to make the attempt, and tells his customers up front that they run the risk of the gem being ruined.