Who Rules: Count Nevik Yemokal (NE, Gnome Male, F16), a fighter by trade, but an assassin by profession, who was hired to take out the former ruler. He did, but he took out his employer and the prospective replacement after he had been paid for his job. He made the two look like they did everything, and was elected ruler by the grateful citizens. However, the takeover was long and quite bloody.

Who Really Rules: Count Nevik rules completely. There is no council, and he relies on very few advisors.

Population: 24,000 (65% human, 35% equal mix of others).

Major Products: Produce, textiles, bricks, white wine, red wine, wool, vellum, livestock, cheese, and Battlement Brew, a dark ale that is smoky and bitter.

Armed Forces: Normally 2,500, but at the moment it is 6,000 (equal mixes of heavy, medium, and light infantry and cavalry, and various specialists) and is augmented by nearly 8,000 troops from various cities of the Regions.

Notable Mages: Fireball (NG, Human Male, W15) and Lightning Bolt (CG, Human Male, W13) are two brothers, and mercenaries, who were brought in by the military to help with the war against Turmish. As their names imply, they each specialize in one particular spell. Their true names are unknown.

Kezrik the Great (LG, Human Male, W19) spends most of his time creating custom magic items. Recently, though, he has been creating scrolls and potions to help lessor mages on the battlefield.

Flamim the Blind (CN, Elf Male, W15) is a blind mage who uses spells (and a cat familiar) to see. He is an expert on sound spells and any blinding type spells, which he uses to great advantage. His rapport with his cat is so great that a lot of people can't tell he is blind.

Notable Churches: Tempus, Tyr, Gond, and Silvanus.

Notable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds: The Silver Stealth is the local guild, and it is led by a person who only goes by the title of Silver (CN, ??, T18). No one knows what Silver looks like, or whether or not "he" is a man or a woman. Any attempt at magical prying has been turned back by some unknown power. Silver, though, is aware of how important the city's freedom is, for it is normally a commercially active town, and when the war is over it will be commercially active again. To that end, "his" thieves are helping the armies as scouts and spies. At the same time, though, they watch to see if any prominent citizens are killed during battle, in which case someone will pay a visit to the victim's house to see what they can do to unburden the widow of unnecessary and emotionally traumatic belongings that once belonged to the recently deceased.

Equipment Shops: Normally Full, at the moment, though, a lot of basic equipment is scarce in stores, but easily found on the black market, but at outrageous costs.

Adventurers' Quarters: Adventurers are normally welcome anywhere, but at the moment they are drafted into the army as soon as they set foot in town.

Important Characters: Tellan Goldwood (LE, Elf Male, I10) is a big dealer on the local black market. While he is generally a decent businessman, he is not above using illusion to deliver false goods to people who are rude. If anyone wants something that can't be found anywhere else, he is the person to see.

Grisha the Drunk (CG, Dwarf Male, F14) is a master instructor on axes, maces, and shield use. However, he can barely function if he is sober. It is only when he is drunk that he can function normally. He does occasionally over-indulge in alcohol and then becomes almost as bad as when he is sober. His skill as a teacher, though, is such that many ply him with expensive liquors to learn from him. When properly drunk, his teaching times are nearly half of contemporary tutors.

Sielle Koyren (LN, Human Female, F/T 12/13) is renowned for her stealth and tracking skills. She normally spends her days hunting evil denizens in the mountains outside of the city or acting as a guide for adventurers in the area. Since the war she has put her skills to good use acting as the lead scout for the army. She gets along well enough with the thieves helping out the army but she will not teach them any of her skills or share any of her tracking knowledge with them.

Important Features in Town: The town is built in a square pattern, with the four corners each being built on the center of a large hill. The intervening walls, though, do not follow the contour of the land, but maintain a uniform height all the way around. The walls, therefore, range from 30' to 75' in height. The town is also extremely large in size, with very wide avenues throughout the city, and many fountains and statues. At the moment, though, the statues are gone, hidden under ground for protection, and makeshift barracks buildings are built wherever they can fit. There is also a wooden palisade built around the town and the four hills, with tents and siege weapons covering a lot of this area. To the south of town, in the foothills, are the vast farms and plantations that produce the local food stocks. These areas are patrolled heavily by cavalry and light infantry units, along with several heavy units stationed in the area.

Local Lore: The current war actually was caused by an incident several years ago, when the nephew of the King of Turmish slipped and broke his neck in a local bar. Despite the fact that he was completely drunk, and no one was near him, his comrades were afraid of what would happen to them, so they said a local mob lynched him. The king's sister was distraught and convinced the king to declare war. The declaration, though, came after two years of negotiation. The city of Morde joined Enfold, and both launched preemptive raids into Turmish. These were quite successful, and bought enough time for reinforcements to start pouring in. Since then, the war has stalemated to a point where Morde is besieged. Enfold, though, remains strong and is constantly launching raids against Turmish troops and looking for a way to lift the siege against Morde.

Since the war, some of the local kobold and goblin tribes have become more and more active. This has caused valuable troops to be sent to try to put these creatures down. This is one area where somewhat experienced adventurers are put to use.