Olfden
Although Olfden is more than twice the size of Falcon’s Hollow, it offers less than half the excitement. The people of Olfden are not stupid, and they can see the end of logging revenue in the future—not in their lifetimes, perhaps, but likely in the lives of their children or grandchildren. As a result, Olfden continues to look for new reasons to draw people to the area and for a whole new purpose in existing. With a relatively recent upsurge of interest in Raseri Kanton, Droskar’s Crag, and Darkmoon Vale in general, Olfden has positioned itself as a base of operations for exploratory groups and adventurers.
Where Falcon’s Hollow provides plenty of opportunities for adventure, Olfden provides adventurers with plenty of goods and services they need. Dozens of small shops, inns, and other businesses cater to the needs of the courageous.
Situated not quite halfway between Falcon’s Hollow and Oregent and perched on a low cliff along the Elberwick Rise, Olfden acts as the major civilizing element in the wide dale. With the help of the Diamond Regiment (whose headquarters, Adamas, stands only a few miles away) and the elusive Fangwatch (which only interacts with the town through the Diamond Regiment), Olfden works constantly to suppress the area’s werewolves and to ensure the safe passage of darkwood-laden convoys.
Olfden provides a relatively safe place to live for its inhabitants, as well as enough diversions—both classy and decidedly not—to make the town a bearable place to live. The following short overview presents the town’s most interesting features and citizens and should not at all be considered all-inclusive.
O1. Five Falcon Fountain: Set in front of the impressive town hall, this large fountain depicts (as its name implies) five falcons, their wings spread wide in flight. Water pours gently from the bronze falcons’ mouths, coating three of the sculptured birds’ wings with a sheen of water. As a landmark, the fountain makes a popular place to meet, and many business deals and lovers’ romances occur within earshot of the gentle sound of the cascading water. As the water that comes out of the fountain always bears a slightly sweet and tart taste, and merchants occasionally bottle it to export to other towns.
O2. Hall of Sarenrae: The largest temple in Darkmoon Vale stands in Olfden and belongs to Sarenrae. Although rather plain-looking on the outside, the temple boasts beautiful decorations within. High Priest Lissel, an aging beauty who never revealed her surname, has led the temple for nearly 20 years. Three lesser priests attend Lissel and the temple, and take turns preaching and tending to assembled worshipers.
O3. Maestro’s Magic: Although it specializes in the magic inherent in music (and thus appeals greatly to visiting bards), Maestro’s carries a wide selection of magic (items and scrolls detailing spells) dependant on music, speech, and sound. The Maestro himself is Gladven Syl, a retired conductor of the National Orchestra of Andoran in Almas. In addition to his extensive collection of musical magic, Maestro Syl also sells mundane musical instruments and even offers training for 3 silver a lesson.
O4. Silver Bulette: This large inn houses an expansive tavern on its ground floor. Possibly because of its size, and certainly despite its popularity, the Silver Bulette is, above all else, cheap. From its prices to its watereddown dwarven whiskey to its threadbare linens, the establishment provides only the most basic goods and services to its clients. Thanks to its inexpensiveness, the Bulette attracts many of the town’s thugs, cutpurses, and hooligans. Those looking for a break from boredom can join (or initiate) one of the frequent bar brawls that occur here without any real fear of arrest or persecution. As a large inn, the Silver Bulette almost always has at least a few open rooms, each of which can comfortably house two people.
O5. Tepid Transports: Owned by Marteva d’Salle, a sultryvoiced widow who inherited the shop from her husband following the Night of Silver Blood, this largest shop in town serves the needs of both adventurers and loggers. Tepid Transports supplies every kind of transportation need, from the simplest tack to elaborate carriages with rudimentary vibration-reducing suspension systems, from the smallest rowboat to wildly expensive magic-fueled conveyances. Although the shop has no horses or other mounts under its roof, it nonetheless does keep numerous suitable animals in a nearby paddock.
O6. Thrumming Birch: Olfden’s most famous restaurant, owned by flamboyant Master Chef Tobias Thrum, serves (among many other bizarre dishes) a wide variety of dishes with the main ingredient of boiled grick. Since his discovery of the grick’s pleasing taste, Master Thrum has further extended his restaurant’s menu, serving a variety of meats and body parts from a wide range of creatures. Every month, Master Thrum posts an ingredient wish list outside the Birch, which identifies the kinds of creatures (sometimes listed with specific body parts) he wishes to purchase. Those who would serve Master Thrum must ensure the freshness of their kill (usually via magic, but sometimes by drying or salting it) or else the picky chef boisterously rejects the offerings.
Wataxshyl: Neither menace nor folk hero, Wataxshyl ostensibly lives in a deep lair within the Wolfrun Hills. In truth, though, the lighthearted copper dragon spends most of his time in Olfden, frequenting the Silver Bulette and happily injecting dwarven gold into the town’s economy. Some say that Wataxshyl alone keeps the town alive, and that without him Olfden would go bankrupt and disappear. Others, including the mayor, deny this rumor, although they admit that Wataxshyl is good for the town’s treasury (even though he occasionally causes extensive property damage when drunk).
Despite being a metallic dragon, Wataxshyl refers to Daralathyxl as his king. When pressed about this, Wataxshyl admits that the older, more powerful red frightens and cows him. Wataxshyl hates to be alone and does his best to surround himself with people, especially when drunk. Since Daralathyxl’s last visit, almost 9 years ago, Wataxshyl has become slightly more introspective and just a little less frivolous. He has even gone so far as to ask members of the Diamond Regiment to spar with him. His intentions during these uncommon moods remain unknown, but he always seems very eager and determined.
As far as dragons go, Wataxshyl is still in his youth. His first appearance in the area is a well-documented arrival during a werewolf siege of Olfden, in 4657. When the young dragon arrived and aided in the defense of the town, the mayor and other civic leaders thanked him and invited him to visit as often as he liked (an offer he obviously took to heart). Since Wataxshyl’s arrival in Olfden, Daralathyxl has only appeared four times, and each time, Wataxshyl contributed treasure to the effort of appeasing the king.
Olfden
Large Town conventional (mayor); AL NG
GP Limit 3,000 gp; Assets 6,638,000 gp
Demographics
Population 3,319
Type isolated (89% human, 5% dwarf, 2% half-orc, 1% elf, 1% gnome, 2% other races)
Authority Figures
Mayor Gilmore Amring, mayor of Olfden; Irik VonSet, chief advisor; First Citizen Luna Aldred, local heroine; Karlae Siegfrost, councillor and advisor.