As promised here is a bit of background info on Sandpoint. More will be revealed as the characters investigate...
Those who head north from Magnimar along the rocky coastline quickly find themselves in a peculiar country. Fog drapes the rolling landscape, floating spectrally along damp and lonely moors. Small woodlands grace the region, their tangled depths redolent of
nettles and pepperwood and pine sap, while further inland, river valleys lined by majestic redwoods wind between ragged tors and limestone escarpments. This vastness and the sense of isolation have earned the region its local name. This is the Lost Coast.
Yet there are pockets of civilization along the Lost Coast. Traditional
Varisian campsites can be found in nearly every gulch and
hollow along the cliff -lined reaches, and lonely houses sit upon
bluff s now and then—domiciles for eccentrics or the rich seeking
a bit of peace far from the bustle of Magnimar’s streets. Roadside
inns grace the Lost Coast road every 24 miles or so, placed by
virtue of the distance most travelers can walk given a day’s travel.
Low stone shrines to Desna, goddess of wanderers and patron of
the Varisians, give further opportunities for shelter should one of
the all-too-common rainstorms catch the traveler unaware. Given
time, any of these seeds of civilization could bloom into a fullgrown
town, or even a city. It’s happened once already, along the
shores of a natural harbor nestled among the cliff s some 50 miles
northeast of Magnimar. What was once a larger-than-normal Varisian
campsite in the shadow of an ancient ruined tower has become
the Lost Coast’s largest town: Sandpoint.
As one approaches the town of Sandpoint, the footprint of civilization
upon the Lost Coast grows more clear. Farmlands in the
outlying moors and river valleys grow more numerous, and the
blue-green waters of the Varisian Gulf bear more and more fishing
vessels upon its surface. Passage over creeks and rivers is more
often accomplished by wooden bridge than ford, and the Lost
Coast Road itself grows wider and better-kept. Sight of Sandpoint
from either approach (south or east) is kept hidden by the large
upthrust limestone pavements known as the Devil’s Platter or the
arc of rocky outcroppings known as Whistler’s Tors, but as the fi nal
bend in the road is rounded, Sandpoint’s smoking chimneys and
bustling streets greet the traveler with open arms and the promise
of warm beds, a welcome sight indeed for those who have spent the
last few days alone on the Lost Coast Road.
From the south, entrance to Sandpoint is governed by a wooden
bridge, while from the north a low stone wall gives the town a bit
of protection. Here, the Lost Coast Road passes through a stone
gatehouse that is generally watched by one or two guards—the
southern bridge is typically unattended. Aside from the occasional
goblin, the citizens of Sandpoint have traditionally had little worries
about invasion or banditry—the region simply isn’t populated
enough to make theft a lucrative business. Hanging from a bent nail
at both the gatehouse and the southern bridge is a sign and a mirror—
painted on each sign is the message: “Welcome to Sandpoint!
Please stop to see yourself as we see you!”
SANDPOINT AT A GLANCE
Most of the buildings in Sandpoint are made of wood, with
stone foundations and wood shingle roofs. The majority are single-
story structures, with a few noted exceptions.
Only a few hundred feet north of town rises an upthrust spur of
rocky land topped with a few trees—this is known now as Chopper’s
Isle, once the home to Sandpoint’s most notorious criminal.
A remote outcropping accessible only by flight or by a skilled
climber, locals now believe the isle to be haunted by Chopper’s
ghost. Children often dare each other to go out to the isle’s base
at low tide and touch the barren cliff face that surrounds it, but no
one’s visited the top in years.
The sight that strikes all visitors to Sandpoint at first is the ruins
of the Old Light. The original height of this tower is unknown,
but those who have studied the ancient architecture of the crumbling
remains estimate it might have stood more than 700 feet tall.
Today, less than a quarter of that remains. The Old Light rises from
sea level and is built into the face of a 120-foot-tall cliff , the tower
extending another 50 feet above that level to culminate in ragged
ruins. The remaining shell is yet another reminder that neither the
Chelaxians nor the Varisians are the first settlers of this land, yet
apart from a few badly weathered carvings signifying that the peak
of this tower once held a brilliant light, no insight to the tower’s
true purpose remains.
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.
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.
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 fi re that destroyed the Sandpoint Chapel. The new
building is a grand aff air, 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.
4. Sandpoint Garrison
This stone fortress serves double duty as Sandpoint’s militia barracks
and its jail.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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, features one of the most impressive theaters on this side
of Varisia—it certainly competes with the playhouses of Magnimar.
8. 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.
9. 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.
Can everyone sign in to confirm that they are ready to begin.
The adventure thread will be entitled " AJs Dads Varisian Campaign"
