Who Rules: King Hugo Blackmane (LN, Human Male, F2) is an impressive looking warrior, but beyond his looks there is nothing all that impressive. He is of above average intelligence but he lacks self confidence and is often indecisive.

Who Really Rules: Lord Wozen Graylake (NE, Human Male, W14) is the head of the King's Council, which is comprised of 7 advisors who are appointed by the king. The Graylake family has been advising the Blackmane family for well over 50 years. Wozen Graylake, along with 4 other advisors of his recommendation, wields all of the true power within the kingdom. Fortunately for Hugo they need a weak-willed king on the throne. The advisors are loyal to the city, but are also loyal to their own coffers

Population: 9,500 (70% human, 20% dwarf, 5% elf, 5% mixed).

Major Products: Glass, concrete mix, a solid white marble, iron, coal, silver, black bricks, pickled stirge eggs, beer (especially Boulder Ale, a bright amber beer that is very hoppy, has a frothy head, and has undertones of black lotus root), and wine.

Armed Forces: A standing army of 900 (400 heavy infantry, 300 crossbowmen/light infantry, and 200 artillerists/sappers). A militia of an additional 1,500 infantry can also be raised relatively quickly.

Notable Mages: Milia Maysid (LE, Human Female, W23) spends most of her time studying dragons and related species, of which she is an expert. She freely shares her information with those interested in studying dragons, but refuses to speak to people who would seek to use her knowledge to harm dragons. She has an uncanny ability to know when such people are lying to her. She also has a side business of creating various undead and accompanying control devices for locals who desire such protection.

Bryen of Wika (CN, Human Male, W20) is from unknown lands far to the south and has lived in Boulder Pass for 100 years, though he doesn't look a day over 26. He is known for his traveling spell books that are able to withstand the greatest rigors of adventuring. He is also known for his sponsorship and equipping of adventuring groups, for a return of their profits, of course.

Notable Churches: Tymora, Gond, Lliira, Solinar, Clanggedon Silverbeard, and numerous secret temples to various evil gods.

Notable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds: The Silver Glove is run by Christina Silverpurse (CE, ½-Elf Female, T18/W14), who, despite the guild's name, rules it with an iron fist. She expects loyalty from her members, and she gets it. Her ever-present escorts, a trio of hulking half-ogres in full plate, help insure loyalty. Of course, her own sadistic streak is the main reason no one has ever tried to take over the guild. Failure is too gruesome a prospect to contemplate. Non-guild thieves are tailed and executed if they practice in town.

Equipment Shops: Full equipment, with desert and mountaineering equipment being common. All prices are higher than normal.

Adventurers' Quarters: Adventurers are welcome throughout all of Boulder Pass, with The Rookery being their favorite haunt. The Rookery is a tall tower with rooms spread out over 15 levels and levitation shafts allowing easy access between floors.

Important Characters: Charleen Bruni (CN, Human Female, F18) is a retired adventurer and is now head of the local Adventurer's Guild. She is also the owner of The Hall of Heroes, which a local hiring hall and the only place where adventurers may be hired out or offer up their services. The fees for hiring are minor and there is no fee for offering services. The Adventurer's Guild and the Hall of Heroes are more concerned with fair and honest contracts. Charleen also runs a side business of sponsoring adventuring groups and completely outfitting them with equipment, often of a magical nature. Her payment is a mere 1% of their profits for a set period of time. This practice has made many adventuring groups very rich and has greatly increased Charleen's vast fortunes.

Gurlin Brownstone (LN, Dwarf Male, F7) is the creator of Boulder Ale and he also runs The Boulder, an inn that is built 100' beneath the streets of the city. The only part of the establishment above ground is a 20' square building that houses a manually operated elevator and a spiral staircase. The inn is a popular place for locals, especially local dwarves, and is known for its various ales and the fine quality of its food, especially the smoked stirge eggs and the snail and mushroom soup.

Important Features in Town: Boulder Pass is located on a plateau on top of a 500' cliff that overlooks The Black Desert. A narrow winding road switch-backs down the cliff to the hills below and then down to the desert which is about a mile away. The city is walled on the front and the back only, with the sides of the city built right up to the sides of steep cliffs. Ladders extend to the tops of the cliffs hundreds of feet above to allow access for sentries, but no force of great size could ever approach the city from the sides. The south wall of the city is very tall, very thick, and dotted with dozens of towers. To the south the road leads up into the high passes then wind their way through the mountains. As the northern terminus of the main trade route north to Rossak the city is very wealthy.

Nearly the entire city is built out of locally quarried white marble, giving the city an ethereal quality at might when the moon is full and bright. Winds from the desert bring vast amounts of black sand into the city, creating stark contrasts of black and white. Constant patrols of workers are constantly sweeping the city.

The city itself is almost perfectly square and built in 5 sections, each of which runs the width of the city. There is no defining feature of any given section. They are just additions to the city as it has grown. Because of this the northernmost section that overlooks the cliffs is the largest and houses the King's Palace and most government and military buildings, but that is only because it is the oldest sections. More and more individuals and a few businesses have started to build outside of the city to the south and most believe that within 5 to 10 years the city will add a sixth section to the city. Tall towers are very popular in the city, with dozens of buildings reaching the height of 100' and several reaching even higher. The tallest tower, The Pinnacle, is just over 250' tall.

Local Lore: The lands surrounding Boulder Pass are fraught with dangers, from hoards of kobolds to tribes of orcs and hobgoblins to dragons. Through the courage of her military, the power of her many mages, and the great number of adventurers that come through the town, very few of these dangers ever approach the city. Caravans that travel to the south, surprisingly, rarely hire outsiders as guards, yet they are usually guarded by enough locals to make them formidable and not worth the effort of attacking. Adventurers and lone travelers, though, often find the road a dangerous one to travel. On the upside there is never a shortage of work for adventurers, whom the city often hires to make sure no tribes of various monsters are residing too close to the city. Rumors of an ancient red wyrm having returned to life after being slain by adventurers abound in the city, but they are ignored by most. The various rumors about the many dragons in the mountains would fill several books a year.