Who Rules: Queen Carrotha Silvermane (NG, Elf Female, F14) took over ruler-ship after her husband abdicated the throne due to an illness. She has been on the throne for only four years but she has shown great wisdom and compassion in her reign.

Who Really Rules: The former King, Thoran Elmcrest (CN, Elf Male, W15) thinks he is the true force behind the throne. His "abdication" was a sham to keep quiet a scandal that was about to come to light, a scandal which would have removed him completely from power. A deal was struck and he named his wife his successor. Despite his genius-like intelligence he doesn't realize that his wife controls him nearly completely.

Population: 21,400 (50% elf, 30% dwarf, 15% human, 3% halfling, 1% treant, 1% other).

Major Products: Lumber, furniture, chests, cattle, cheese, silver, coal, quarried stone, masonry, and Verglace Chanteuse, an apple ice wine that is made in secret and heavily guarded glades high in the mountains.

Armed Forces: 1,700 (1,000 light infantry/archers, 450 heavy infantry, 250 engineers/artillerists). The lumberjack guild can produce a militia of 2,000 light infantry/scouts in a matter of hours.

Notable Mages: Satin (CG, Bronze Dragon Female, W16) was once cursed to take the form of an elf, and over the years she learned to enjoy it. Once the curse was lifted, she moved to Thresh and has run a magic school for the past 75 years. She still returns to her natural form at least once a week just so she can go flying among the clouds, a pleasure she will never give up.

Jalvertto Aidni (LN, Human Male, W13) is an expert horticulturist and spends more time collecting and raising rare flowers than he does practicing magic. However, he still goes on adventures a couple times a year and he is very active in the defense of his city when the need arises.

Notable Churches: Mielikki, Tymora, Waukeen, Gond, Lliira, and Lathander.

Notable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds: Hiftall Blackblade (LE, Dwarf Male, T17) is a lumberjack. Every member of the guild has to apprentice and learn the lumberjack trade. It makes for a great cover story, and it works. No one has ever suspected any of the members of Hiftall's work crew of being members of The Circle of Oak. The town itself doesn't bring in much money for the guild but the abundance of merchant caravans ensure a tidy profit for the guild.

Equipment Shops: Full, with wilderness supplies being below average cost.

Adventurers' Quarters: Adventurers are welcome throughout the city of Thresh.

Important Characters: Broadleaf (N, Treant, F10) is the head of the entire lumberjacking industry for Thresh and the surrounding communities. He is very liberal, for a treant, in his views on forestry. Not a single tree is cut down without his permission. He and his crew are constantly out in the woods marking trees and checking up on the lumberjacks.

Zivon Wyrmslayer (LG, Human Male, F15) isn't the brightest person in the world, but he is an incredible warrior. Only through dumb luck and the skill of his comrades did he survive as an adventurer. It is also only through his wife that his equipment store makes a profit. He has a soft spot for beginning adventurers and is generous in loaning starting money. He also sells a book that his wife wrote for him that is full of great ideas for beginning adventurers.

Valerik Silveraxe (CN, Dwarf Male, F5) is a weaponsmith specializing in high quality silver weapons.

Sotil the Leopard (LG, Elf Male, C13) is an expert hunter of the undead, with a specialization in vampires. He also has a large collection of books on undead personalities and people from all over come visit or write to him for advice on specific vampires, liches, etc.

Important Features in Town: Thresh is an interesting city. It covers an overly large area of land for a city its size. The city walls are hung with nets covered in moss which makes the city hard to see unless from up close. There is a cleared area around the city about 50' wide. To a casual observer, it would appear the woods leading up the city are natural. In reality, they have been carefully trimmed to provide large, natural killing lanes for archers. The city is built without any real plan. Streets just run wherever. The area encircled by the walls is home to a large stand of Great Birk trees, which can grow large enough to hold dwellings. There are two levels to the city.

The lower level is where the vast majority of the non-elves live (and all the dwarves), and the upper level is comprised of walkways going through the trees. There are numerous stairways, ladders, and lifts connecting the two levels. All of the inhabitants are extremely careful about fire, and all visitors must go through a 15 minute safety lecture which is given by the guards at any of the four gates.

In the very center of the city is a small lake which is crystal clear, and quite cold. It is fed by an underground river that starts somewhere deep beneath the surface. It also empties out by a river that flows back underground, going where people do not know. The lake is known for great fishing, especially for Silversleeks, a species that is unique to this lake.

Local Lore: There are constant rumors and tales of the two rivers connecting to the realms of the underdark and occasionally some bizarre denizen found in the lake helps to fuel these tales. Many adventuring groups, loaded up with water breathing devices have gone into the lake. To date, none of them have ever returned. Once, about 75 years ago, a lone aboleth rose up out of the lake and attacked a section of buildings along the shore. It was easily defeated, and because it didn't use any of its mental powers some people believe in was an illusion or a some polymorphed creature.

Goblins and gnolls are a constant problem in the surrounding areas, and the occasional raid is usually nothing more than a nuisance. About every 25 years or so, though, a major force of one of the two tries to eliminate the town completely. These can be quite deadly. A recent increase in gnoll raids on lumberjack camps over the last couple of years has lead to a heightened sense of expectation that another attack is due imminently. The Queen has been expressing an interest in hiring a group of adventurers to possibly eliminate the tribal heads of the largest gnoll bands in the area. No real offers have been made yet.