Past the northern edge of the Pentath Empire, beyond the claws of the Drachen Tyrants, a haven of sorts exists. A region where those who wish to breathe a little freer and the shadow of dragons are rarely seen. The Dominion of the Scaled has no say in how one can worship and the arcane arts can be freely studied without the Blood Scholars interference.
The northern wilderness is a land of criminals, outlaws, heretics, misfits and the desperate. A land that is untamed and hazardous. Only the determined, the smart, and the lucky make their living there.
Spring has come to the northern wilderness. Meltwaters flow around sky-reaching evergreens, cascade over rocky falls, and dive into forested hillsides. When the icy water emerges again, gold flecks and nuggets tumble within it. Every year at this time, rough and ready prospectors called Rushers push into the northern wilderness to pan for gold. A few have made their fortune in a single day. Largely though, the Suppliers are the real moneymakers.
The Suppliers arrive beforehand, setting up shop in the abandoned shanty town of Merzel’s Fall. They ride into town a week or so before the big rush. They basically open the town for business – clean out the Heart of the Rush Inn, get the shelves stocked, and so on. And then the wave of settlers and fortune-seekers hit the town. When the Rushers arrive, the town really comes alive. A lucky prospector can make enough cash in two months to set his family up for a couple of years. During the season, The Heart of the Rush is active at all hours of the day and night. Card games, drinking, accusations of claim jumping, hookers, The Heart has it all. You can count on at least one brawl breaking out a day, typically because somebody accuses somebody else of stealing a claim, or maybe a spouse.
That’s the key – everything is for sale. Everything. If you have the cash, somebody is selling what you want. They may not know it’s for sale yet, but that’s OK. Once you start flashing around your gold, scruples and morals get tossed into the melting river. It’s been said that Rushers have even sold their spouses – especially if their claim is dry.
Law doesn’t really exist. Disputes are generally settled with cash or fists. Whoever has the most cash or the strongest fists is right, and the other fool was wrong.
Merzel’s Fall is a crazy place. A person could make his fortune here. Of course, the alternative isn’t that a person won’t find his fortune; the alternative is that the land eats you alive, and spits out your cold corpse. Many succumb to intense cold, natural predators, and the undead that seemed to throng the region in the past. It’s been many years now since anyone’s seen a zombie around the town. Every now and then some undead abomination wanders too close. Sometimes a prospector or two gets killed. However, the natural hazards around here are far more dangerous. Steep cliffs, icy water, starving bears, those are the things prospectors need to be concerned with.
It holds only the minimum number of buildings to support the Rushers and the Suppliers every year. Most residents sleep in sturdy canvas tents, but six log cabins — supposedly built by Merzel himself — contain narrow bunks and a firepit. Each cabin houses up to ten and occupants claim bunks on a first-come first-serve basis.
A family of six runs the Heart, led by their patriarch, Reet Zeggin (male human). He runs the taproom while his wife, Erla, manages the inn, and their three sons — Jakk, Erlest, and Ryn — and their daughter, Reeta, help out where they’re needed. The wooden stables hold up to eight horses. Reet or one of his sons stands guard there every night.
Serinnel Day (female half-elf) operates the weigh station the Rushers use to assay their claims and strikes. Mersi Bigglefrow (male halfling) runs the Mule Pen. Goodtime Gyra (female half-orc) brings music, entertainments, and companionship in her wagons.
Preacher Toll (male human) tends the shrine. Toll’s rules for the shrine are simple. Worship of any faith is permitted at any time, and all must respect the space dedicated to other deities – even if it’s a god whose beliefs are anathema to your own.
Supplier leader Zelly Berrick (female gnome) who runs the overpriced, under stocked general store, fears that the harsh winter may have driven wolves, owlbears, or other beasts down from the mountains to search for food and shelter in the abandoned town of Merzel’s Fall. She has hired six adventurers of skill and reliable reputation to precede the Suppliers and their valuable wares on their annual pilgrimage to the site. Zelly expects all of you to stay a day ahead of the Suppliers, to insure that the path to Merzel’s Fall is safe, and to clear stray beasts from the town.
She is paying everyone 20 talons each for the first week and 10 talons each for every week afterwards. You can avail yourselves of the Suppliers’ services and goods at cost instead of taking coin. Choosing to stay on the entire eight weeks earns a bonus based on the Suppliers’ final ledger, usually 1 coin in 100.