NPCs of Greenston

image by flaviobolla, source

Greenston is a large town in Rockhome, in between Lake Stahl and the southwest region of Rockhome. It has a substantial writeup in Gaz6: Dwarves of Rockhome which I will not repeat here. Suffice to say that this bustling trade town of 6000 has a wide range of characters established and passing through. It is particularly important as a hub where traders from various dwarf strongholds can sell their strongholds' produce and buy supplies they cannot create themselves. Unusually, the majority are human, not dwarves, and there are a few halflings and gnomes as well. This has led to a wider range of characters than in most purely dwarven settlements. 

Groups and Factions:

Greenston has a number of informal groups. Calling them factions might be rather grandiose as they are not as well organised or united as in some major cities but these groups have members who recognise they have similar problems, viewpoints and lifestyles. 

The Farmers: Mostly human and halfling but with a few dwarves, nearly all of the Wyrast Clan. Although not held in high esteem, the farmers are still very important, mainly for the food they supply but also selling the food further afield is an important part of the economy.

• Yestelle Branfeed (female halfling3, lawful,  Str 11, Int 12, Wis 13, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 14) is an unofficial spokesperson for the small halfling population in and around Greenston. She is one of the more significant wheat and barley growers in the area, living on her farm about 10 miles out of town. She looks with wry amusement at the bickering of dwarf clan politics and is determined to keep herself out of that mess. 
• Magni Hornblower (male dwarf warrior2, neutral, Str 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 9) is a major beef producer for the town and has a ranch on the lakeside to the west. He is of the mind that farmers of all races should get together and form a guild for both better respect and negotiating power. He is a dedicated member of the Wyrwarf clan and supports them accordingly. 
• Bertron Bullock (male human NM, chaotic, Str 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 11, Con 12, Cha 13) is a cattle farmer and dairy farmer. He is also a surly, angry man who has a grudge against anyone who does better than him (which is most of his peers). He is not above cattle rustling and acquiring more cattle from dubious sources, and he tells himself that's what everyone else does. 
• Valnu Cabbagehoer (female dwarf warrior1, lawful, Str 10, Int 11, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 13) is a vegetable farmer who regularly brings her produce to Greenston and chats with the merchants and other customers. She agrees with Magni that a farmers' Guild is a good idea but would like to veto those farmers who behave badly (she has her suspicions about Bertron).

The Merchants. About half the merchants here are human, the other half dwarf. Most of the trade is within Rockhome - the mountains make trading with other nations difficult, except for Soderfjord and Ylaruam, both of which are connected to Rockhome by mountain passes. The merchants have a good knowledge of the different strongholds in the vicinity as well as what they produce and buy. 

• Meribidus Silverbrow (human male, Dar Merch3, lawful, Str 7, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 9, Con 7, Cha 13) is physically frail and weak but his mind is very sharp. He does most of his business within Rockhome and trades between all the major towns and cities of the realm. He keeps his home next to his main warehouse on the shoreline near to Greenston docks. He is well-respected among other traders of Rockhome, human and dwarf alike. He is a member of the Selenica Cooperative and may encourage other merchants he approves of to visit Selenica to join. 
• Ragni Woodenbarrow (male dwarf warrior4, neutral, Str 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 12) primarily trades in weapons and armour, particularly exporting them via Ylaruam to the south. He has heard rumours of a tunnel that leads straight from Rockhome through the mountains to either Darokin or Alfheim and believes it should be opened for trade.  
• Maedari Al'nathi (human female, ftr2, neutral, Str 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 10, Cha 13) is a Ylari widow who has taken over her deceased husband's business. She trades in all sorts of goods and produce but her main route is between Greenston and Parsa in Ylaruam via Dengar and Karrak Castle. The route seems to become more dangerous with each season and she is always looking for adventurers as temporary caravan guards.
• Kurnor Brownraven (dwarf warrior3, lawful, Str 12, Int 12, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13) is a gem and silver merchant who primarily trades with the realms to the north, particularly Soderfjord and Vestland via Everkarr Pass. He is considering expanding his trade routes to Norwold but has heard it is even more dangerous than the Known World of southeast Brun. Brave and experienced adventurers might offer the security he needs to make the trip. 

The Thieves: Nearly all are human but with a few dwarves and halflings. Dwarves just don't have the aptitude for sneakiness and deception that humans do, though some of the nastier dwarves do become hired thugs and enforcers among the thieves. This makes Greenston with its large human population the hub of thievery in Rockhome. There is a single proper thieves' guild, the Shadowlurkers, though there are a few rival gangs as well. A lot of visiting dwarves are either naive and easily fall victim or else have heard about the thieves of Greenston and assume that any human is a potential thief to be distrusted and preferably avoided.

• Derrevor the Renegade (male dwarf warrior5, chaotic, Str 16, Int 9, Wis 9, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 9) is a tough and unpleasant bully who has found a niche as an enforcer and strongman for the Shadowlurkers. He enjoys the money and also the opportunity to pin terrified people to the wall and watch them squirm. He is wanted for assault and robbery in Dengar but he has avoided the law so far in Greenston. 
• Guildmaster Barnock Razorknife (male human thief7, chaotic, Str 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 13, Con 13, Cha 15) is the leader of the Shadowlurkers and is Derrevor's boss. Although he is a capable thief in his own right, his real talent is in organising the Shadowlurkers and keeping subordinates in line. Barnock also keeps an eye on local politics and law-enforcers as well as any street gangs that could become a problem for the guild. 
• Nestara (female human thief6, neutral, Str 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Dex 16, Con 11, Cha 15) is an attractive young lady who is apparently a wandering minstrel. She visits taverns around towns and cities of Rockhome and she is currently staying in Greenston. She is actually a talented pickpocket and burglar who does not want to be tied down to any guild or other loyalties. She has so far avoided the attention of the Shadowlurkers. 
• Grelb the Dirty (male human thief4, chaotic, Str 13, Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Cha 10) is a beggar and vagrant who is the de-facto leader of a band of 6 street thugs and robbers. They live in the most squalid and poorest part of Greenston (the docks) and go for small, easy targets such as lone merchants. Grelb is particularly wary of the Shadowlurkers who consider Grelb and his gang to be unwanted competition. Grelb got his nickname from his unpleasant demeanour around attractive women. 

The Adventurers: These include dwarf adventurers as well as human adventurers, including mages who keep a low profile as they don't want to be accused of being Glantrians. A few of the halflings and gnomes have joined as well. Elven adventurers are barely tolerated in Rockhome and even in a mostly human settlement like Greenston, elves are few and far between. 

• Tarrioth the Seeker (male dwarf cleric4, lawful, Str 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con13, Cha 13) is a dwarf on a quest of penance. After committing a crime and nearly losing the favour of his deity Kagyar, Tarrioth now seeks atonement by seeking out and reclaiming dwarven sites and items lost to humanoid tribes of Rockhome's borderlands, especially anything sacred to Kagyar. Anyone else is welcome to join in and help him. 
• Madron Coppercoin (female dwarf warrior6, neutral, Str 16, Int 10, Wis 9, Dex 10, Con 15, Cha 10) is a treasure hunter and monster slayer who joins adventuring parties to acquire more loot. She is particularly experienced at dealing with orcs, goblins and kobolds. She has had scary experiences with Glantrian mages who captured her and would have experimented on her had she not escaped her bonds - she is now very wary of magic users, and hates Glantrian ones. 
• Tiombath Bravebadger (male, gnome warrior4, lawful, Str 14, Int 11, Wis 9, Dex 14, Con 11, Cha 10) is quite unusual - a gnome who goes adventuring. His main motive is curiosity - most of his people are happy to stay in their warrens and strongholds but he wants to explore the Known World and tell his fellow gnomes about it. 
• Eirlon the Unsought (male, human magic user17, neutral, Str 8, Int 17, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13) is a powerful mage who has been lying low in Greenston. He will not say who he is avoiding but he is very cautious around Thyatians and occasionally asks about any Thyatian mages in the area. Despite dwarven distrust of mages, he still offers services including accompanying adventurers on quests - often he will hide just how magically powerful he actually is and only cast low-level spells.  

The Town Council: The people that run the town are of course loyal to the realm, and often find themselves trying to balance between the town's predominantly human population and the dwarven kingdom it is situated in. 

• Sylvania Corthonus (female, human fighter8, lawful, Str 14, Int 12, Wis 15, Dex 11, Con 10, Cha 15) is the mayor of Greenston. A former adventurer who has explored much of the Known World, she has been elected as mayor of Greenston mainly because of her steady nature and careful diplomacy. She speaks fluent dwarvish and maintains good relations with Dengar. 
• Grugni Ironmantle (female, dwarf warrior9, lawful, Str 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Dex 12, Con 16, Cha 13) is the captain of the town guard. She is a steadfast keeper of the peace, and is also loyal to the Syrklist Clan of whom her family is a proud part. Her main focus is on the encroaching goblinoid threat and will always listen to reports about chaotic humanoids, especially from the Broken Lands or Darokin's Orc Lands. This does mean she can occassionally ignore or at least forget about crime within the town walls. 
• Brabdor Boartusk (male dwarf warrior3, neutral, Str 13, Int 14, Wis 14, Dex 9, Con 13, Cha 11) is the town's chief investigator, keeping an eye on what goes on in taverns and the back streets. He often picks up on crime and espionage that Grugni Ironmantle may overlook. He is not always friendly and can sometimes be quite gruff and suspicious of strangers wandering into town. He is aware of the Shadowlurkers and believes their leader is a human thief, but has not identified anyone yet. He is also wary of chaos cultists infiltrating the town.  
• Kalth of Specularum (male human cleric8, lawful, Str 8, Int 12, Wis 17, Dex 10, Con 9, Cha 15) is the accepted spiritual leader of Greenston and is an unofficial member of the town council. Despite hailing from Darokin he is not interested in trade or merchants. He has quite an ecumenical approach to the philosophy of Law, and feels that whether dwarf or human, worshipping abstract forces or specific immortals, the followers of Law should be able to set aside their differences and face the threat of Chaos together. He is regularly consulted by other members of the Town Council on matters of Law and Chaos.   

image by August Von Siegen,, source