Best of the Web: Caves and Props, and Holmes Basic

 I stumbled across an old post by Skerpsies over at Coins and Scrolls. The post is called OSR: Caves and Props. Basically it is an alternate cave creation system to the one in Veins of the Earth. I loved reading Veins of the Earth but don't think I could ever use it. I should say I don't think I could ever get my players to stay down in that hostile environment for more than a session without collapsing caves behind them and forcing them forward. Caves however, I love the idea of caves.

I also love maps and Veins of the Earth's system is more of a point-crawl. There is an example of a cave map using the system in the Skerpsies post. I like the idea of a point-crawl but damn-it I love maps. So use a real cave map you might say. Well Skerpsies includes a good exa mple of one of those as well and they are so crazy as to make it impossible to describe. That natural result is simplified caves like those in Caves of Chaos that aren't really caves so much as soft-edged dungeons, more like the simple carved caves in this video than caves.

Skerpsies answer is simple and brilliant and three dimensional. I like it but need to do it on the computer. Using Sketchup or something like the old blob-based 3d modeling. Anyway it got my brain racing so I had to post about it so I can find it later.

Pits Perilous has an interesting post called Holmes as a Complete Game, Redux in which he discusses using the old Holmes basic rules to create a game limited to three levels. It was a followup to his post Holmes as a Complete game. I find the idea intriguing. The minimalism is nice, but I'm not sold on just three levels. In the old game you create a character through play, and in this case they are retiring before you know much about them. Still I like the idea and would love it if someone wrote up Endgame rules for those veteran 3rd level adventurers.

The Thrill of Resource Management

I've read a bunch of posts on resource management lately. Most have decided that 5E does a poor job of resource management, and they did it back in the day when the game was played a bit differently, and does it even matter anymore? This got me thinking of the two ways I've handled resource management in the past (well three ways but I've never bothered tracking arrows and just assumed the archer recovered the arrows and that seems to be the default out there so I won't cover that).

1. Have the adventurer party buy their resources in quantities aligned with days. Buy five days of food/water and you don't need to worry about tracking day to day, your mission is up at 5 days. Since 5E has long rests that makes a good marker for a single day even if it doesn't align to 24 hours exactly. Make sure the party eats during a long rest or they don't get the benefits and you have a nice marker for used goods. A smart party will take an extra days worth of resources with them just in case. A sneaky GM might decide to spoil the resources for some reason (torches got wet, food got covered in green slime), when that happens they should assume the same standard. Four days worth of torches were destroyed. 
2. Have the players hire a pack bearer to follow behind them carrying the Resources they need to survive in the dark. Have them pay the pack bearer  the listed rates and otherwise ignore the resources, Patsy has that covered. The pack bearer should be assumed to avoid combat and may actually have to be protected but they can cook during those long rests, hold light during combat, and trudge out the treasure in their pack that is now depleted of resources. This bypasses resource management in a playable way.

I've not only used both ideas with some success I've even blended the two. The fun thing about ignoring Resource Management most of the time is when it suddenly matters and players haven't given it any thought before. Patsy is gone and the torches are gone with him, now what? We've got an hour before the torches we've got burn out and it's going to be really, really, dark down here. Most games have fighting in darkness rules and if you're a player you probably don't want to be using them if you don't have to.

Best of the Web - Tom Bombadil, & Clerics

I've read the Lord of the Rings more than once. I've never been a big fan of Tom Bombadil, in fact on more than one occasion I've just skipped those bits. Recently I ran across an old 2011 post on the blog Loose Connections. The post is about Tom Bombadil called Oldest and Fatherless: The Terrible Secret of Tom Bombadil that postulates that old Tom could actually be evil. He admits Tolkien probably didn't plan Tom to be evil but lays out a lot of very convincing evidence. I won't be skipping those bits the next time I read Lord of the Rings, thats for sure.

Currently I'm listening to the audiobook of Paol Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions on my morning dogwalk. I'm not sure what I think about the book at this point, seems very episodic, but one thing that struck me. During the Werewolf episode they brought up the idea that the Lancanthropy might lessen the further they got from the Fairie world. I don't know if I'd ever come across this sort of idea before but I really like it. I've read about spells becoming stronger on different planes and perhaps on Holy or Unholy ground but never things like Lycanthropy. It seems like it would be easy enough to create mechanics for this sort of thing.

Hack & Slash has a post On the Clerics Devotion. The author is down on Clerics and has a replacement idea. He makes some good points but really what it gets down to is Clerics require work from the GM. Worldbuilding work to help them fit into the setting. I don't think any D&D book has been helpful in this regard. They seem to concentrate on the Gods and not on the religion. This is a shame because the beliefs of the people help define a culture. RuneQuest got this right (at least closer to right) in that they spent time on the Cults. Probably too much time to be honest but the cults, the hierarchy of priests and their relationship to the worshipers, holy days and such is far more interesting and important to a campaign than how many HP the god has. That's the sort of thing I've been trying to write up with my recent Chaos Cults. In time I'll re-write a few other religions this way. A monotheistic one for Clerics at least (a rewrite of my old Lough) and a polytheistic one for Druids (who I call Shaman because Druids is way to specific to the Celts). 

Best of the Web - Interesting Factions, Activity tables, and Generator of Missions

Guyeatsfood at Burn After Running has a post titled Interfering Factions – A Technique to Improve Your One-Shot. The idea is really good for one-shots but I'd like to see something similar for a campaign. I'd like to see Adventures include potential hooks based on class, the assumption being that the local Thieves Guild, Wizard's Chantry, Temple, and whomever hires Fighters provide side missions to our friendly adventurers, many of these side missions might be things they share with the party, or which they try to accomplish on their own for selfish reasons. Not sure if this is a rule-type idea (a few such missions are required prior to leveling-up) or one that would just be ad hoc to make things more interesting.

Long ago I posted some encounters tables from d4 Caltrops. These are amazing, I posted a number of them before but he just kept creating more and more and more and I didn't want my Best of the Web dominated by one guy's work. Well now he has a post bringing together all of his OSE Encounter Activity Tables in one place. 

The always reliable Courtney at Hack & Slash has published a post called On a Generator of Missions which is excellent. He also has an advanced version for Pay What you Want at DrivethruRPG.

 

Hembek - Players Map

One of the difficult parts of running an urban campaign is describing the streets. It's easy to describe wilderness and most dungeon rooms but a decent city or town will have a lot going on. And if you want a sandbox its best to give the players maps so they can make decisions and determine where they want to go. This brings us to handouts. Cities of Harn had handouts of the cities but one thing they left off was any sites of interest so I remember a lot of 'where's a tavern?' ' Where's the blacksmith?' Things the players would learn quick enough poking around for an hour or two in most towns.

The Wards are Alphabetical and I've listed the callouts directly on the map and keep the
same numbering so the Players can always say they go to C4 and things are easy for the GM to match up. Also within each Ward the numbering goes clockwise most of the time to make it easier to find things and starts over with each Ward so there is room for future expansion without screwing with the current numbering. 

At some point I'll probably need to name some roads to further simplify navigation but not now.

Hembek - Jembgate Ward, Kruddlestreet Ward, & Limey Ward

Jembgate Ward

Jembgate Ward was outside the wall (along with Kruddlestreet Ward and Limey Ward) until roughly a century ago when the Republic became an Empire and the Grand Council decided the walls should be extended to protect the buildings outside the wall. 

The Ward is filled with Pallas worshipers that wish to be away from the Old Faith influences and political filth ontop of Gull Rock. 

J1 - Jemb Tower

The tower provides access to docks used by fishermen, to the city wall and a well protected tunnel into the Ducal Palace.

J2 - Parish Church of Pallas (St Opiel, Patron of the Moon)

A Parish church that is ready to expand into something bigger. Most notably this church is connected to limestone catacombs within Gull Rock. The catacombs were once Limestone mines but were turned into catacombs long, long ago. The catacombs act as the burial area for the ashes of Pallas worshipers. A number of Pallas Holy figures are interned within and its become somewhat of a pilgrimage site.

J3 - Broken Glaive Tavern 

The tavern is named after the weapon favored by Pallas Regina. The tavern is filled with Pallas worshipers. The owner Yower de Sewlink brews an inferior ale and a superb beer. Tunnels in the rear of the tavern connect to the Gold Scales tavern & thieves Guild in Wesinna ward.

J4 - Blessed Row

When the cliffs of Gull Rock sheared a few decades ago the rubble came down and took out the houses on both sides of Luck row. These houses survived untouched and now have double or triple what the normal market value because they are considered blessed by Pallas and St Suriel Patroness of Luck.

J5 - Townhouses

Most of these large townhouses are subdivided into rental units.

J6 - Steel Tower

A Tower owned by Haldir DeWessen the mercenary commander of the Steel Solution Mercenary company. Haldir has made a lot of money contracting out his trained soldiers as protection for caravan and ships.

Kruddlestreet Ward

Kruddlestreet Ward was outside the wall (along with Jembgate Ward and Limey Ward) until roughly a century ago when the Republic became an Empire and the Grand Council decided the walls should be extended to protect the buildings outside the wall. 

K1 - Parish Church of Pallas (St Karlel patron of Wealth)

The church makes a lot of money from fishermen wishing to have their boats and nets blessed. The Church also buys unsold fish from the local fishermen (at a discount) and cook the fish to feed the urban poor which ensures the local fishermen are never stuck with excess product.

K2 - Fate's Fortune Inn

A Inn/gambling den run by the thieves guild that caters to the locals and pilgrims to the Old Faith Grove. The Inn specializes in watered down ales and meat pies.

K3 - Green Townhouse

The Green Townhouse is painted green. It is subdivided into multiple units and occupied by Old Faith worshipers and are packed with two or three families each. Sometimes these families are related, sometimes they are not. Plans to build additional buildings in the various burbage plots behind the townhouses are everywhere but so far nobody has the wealth do build.

K4 - Multibusiness Townhouse

• Bakery - The baker takes flour from the mills and bake a few wagon-loads of bread every day for sale to the inns and taverns around the city.
• Scribe - The only scribe in Hembek Eric de Hornt reads and writes letters on behalf of the illiterate. Additionally he acts as a primitive postal service using caravans to route letters to the Scribes Guild in other cities for delivery. 
• Barber - Cristiff de Courflon is a Surgeon first, barber second. He spends most of his time setting broken bones and cauterizing limbs. He even has a store of opiates to help with the pain. He knows what he's doing (as much as anyone in this age of medieval medicine knows) and if you've got pains he's the one to call. 

K5 - Kanaris Arena 

This elevated platform has been used by Kanaris templars to fight duels and judicial combat for centuries. It is also used as a nice viewpoint as it has a wonderful view over the river.

Limey Ward

Limey Ward was an area of Lime groves outside the wall (along with Jembgate Ward and Kruddlestreet Ward) until roughly a century ago when the Republic became an Empire and the Grand Council decided the walls should be extended to protect the buildings outside the wall. It is considered the safest of the Wards (when it is considered at all) primarily because the students make up the bulk of the population and they don't have anything anyone wants.

L1 - Old Faith Grove

The oldest place of worship in the city the Old Faith Grove has been drawing shepards and herders to worship for centuries untold. A number of attempts to burn down the grove have been thwarted over the years by Kanaris Templars that always seem to be about. The attempts stopped entirely when the Grand Council gave the Church of Pallas the right to build a University nearby and even the most fanatical Pallas worshiper would not wish to risk the University burning down.

L2 - University Extension

The Grand Council insisted that non-Pallas worshipers must be able to attend the University. The Church of Pallas response was to build an additional dormitory and classrooms and keep the pagans separated.

L3 - University of Hemek

The pride of Pallas Regina. The University of Pallas Regina provides religious indoctrination as well as study in the sciences. It's considered a top university throughout the world although would be considered lacking by modern standards.

L4 - Big Tower

This wide tower houses a dozen guardsmen. The tower has three siege canon and casks of black powder but the guards living in the tower don't know how to use the stuff and are unaware of the explosive danger of the casks.

L5 - Octagonal Tower

The tower is designed with a pass-through, basically a guard walking on the tower walls can pass right through the tower without disturbing the occupant. Marlor lives here (the University pays his rent). He  is a crazy hermit and a worshiper of Pallas Regina. Marlor spends most nights staring at the stars with his primitive telescope and singing to the moon and stars above in some ancient but beautiful language.

L6 - West Gatehouse

Built in 1286, the gatekeeper opens the gate in the morning, collects the toll (1/2 GP per foot, no wagons), and closes the gates in the evening.

Hembek - Heathgate Ward & Ironthorpe (Ward)

Heathgate Ward 

Heathgate Ward is the main land entrance to the city and deals with caravans and the like. It is also known as foreign-town and even foreigners that come by ship often find their way to Heathgate Ward. 

H1 - Stallions Rest

A wealthy caravanserai that has plenty of grazing space for draft animals and mounts as well as space for wagons in its interior and a staff of boys to take work animals out to graze outside the wall when necessary. The "Rest" has three massive drinking rooms and a cluster of supporting buildings that can be rented out separately. The Inn is owned by the Temple of Wagos and has a bridge direct to the temple. The Rest's food is good but the selection is minimal, basically bread, vegetable stew and ribs. This establishment is run by a retired Wagos Priest. It is loud, and fun, and fights break out all the time but weapons aren't used. Fights occur in the beergarden out back. 

The Rest is also the location of Caravan Brewery, a brewery owned and operated by the Priests of Wagos who follow very strict brewing laws of their order. The brewery makes a fine lager, mediocre ale (ale hops aren't particularly hood in this area) and a superb extra stout. They claim the key is the water filtered through the limestone rock of Gull Rock. The brewery has extensive below ground spaces to store product in the cold.

H2 - East Gate

The largest gate in the city this gate serves as the base of operations for all city guard activities. It is the only gate that allows horses and wagons (1/2 GP per foot or wheel). The gate includes barracks, dining, and cells for short term visitors. 

H3 - Builder

Builder - Robert of Ashland works primarily on home repairs and creating bricks that are then sold to Master James. He came to town because he figured there would be lots of new projects with his second Cousin the Grand Duke in control and all but so far most of the big jobs have been given to Master James, a Master Builder in the Builders Guild. He proposes big jobs to the Grand Duke but so far all his suggestions have been built by Master James.

H4 - Crows Cock Inn/Thieves Guild

Inn within a town, near the gates. The inns mainroom is two stories and they frequently have entertainers.

• The inn serves as the base of operations for a gang of four thieves. They are led by Alfred. Alfred isa total bastard and manipulator. He is also a spy working for the Grand Council. Alfred is well paid for information. He then uses the cash as evidence of his success as a thief. He has also arranged for his gang to be rescued from time to time through heroic Robin Hood style escapes or more often through the bribing of the Sternel brothers who are city guards at East Gate and sympathetic to bribes. The other gang members know nothing of this spy business.

H5 - Meat Row

Meat row is actually two buildings occupied by butchers. They toss the offal into the canal which has drawn rats to the area. Hides are shipped on a small boat to the Insula of Sand Jack for the leatherworkers.

• Butcher - Aarn de Trenby butchers cattle and sells the meat to merchants to feed their caravans. Aarn also has a basement that is deep enough to remain cold for meat storage.
• Butcher - Michelle of Kramika primarily goats and smaller animals. She is not a member of the guild and the Merchants refuse to buy her meat. The foreign caravans have no such reservations so she has survived so far. Lately in an effort to drive her out of business rumors have been spread that she is a witch who poisons the meat but a group of Kanaris Templars slaughtered one such rumor-mongering Merchant and the rumors suddenly stopped. The Templars now get a discount price on meat purchases.

H6 - Heath Gate

A gatehouse, barracks and prison. The old gate houses a unit of the city guard. They patrol the town,  man the gates and walls, and occasionally raids the bad part of town. 

Ironthorpe (Ward)

Ironthorpe (Ward) is dominated by horses. The templers and the Imperial soldiers and Calvary ride their horses all over the place and foot traffic better be wear. 

I1 - Ironthorpe Square

Every morning the square is filled with tents and stalls selling livestock, food, produce, and spices. Once a week, or when certain cargos arrive, other items are sold (clothes, crafts, animals). Most of the buildings facing the square are warehouses owned by merchant houses that sell their wares in the square. In the center of the square is a water fountain available to all. The Kanaris temple and Cavalry barracks nearby may be the safest spot in the lower city (assuming one isn't disliked by the Templars)

I2 - Parish Church of Pallas (St Suriel Patroness of Luck & Travellers)

A Parish church dedicated to travellers. Foreign Pallas worshiping merchants and teamsters attend and tend to donate lavishly.

I3 - Great Church of Pallas (St Chasan of Storms, St Opiel of the Moon, and St Samael-of Weather)

A good sized church built to impress. The Church has worked with crafters to ensure the inside the Church if filled with beautiful wood and stone work. The high altar is a showpiece of medieval wooden sculpture. The Great Church is the residence of the High Cleric, Primate of Pallas Regina in the Hembek Empire.

I4 - Cavalry Barracks

The round tower, square tower, and neighboring buildings are the home of the Hembek Cavalry. The Cavalry was created by the Grand Council when the Republic became an Empire. The Cavalry is responsible for securing the roads within 5 miles of the city and keeping the peace in Imperial territories whenever and wherever necessary.

I5 - Salley Port

This gate/drawbridge is raised manually and is used primarily by the Hembek Cavalry and Kanaris Templars from the Brotherhood of Skulls when they want to go on patrol or just ride outside the walls. 

I6 - Kanaris Brotherhood of Skulls (Old Faith God of War)

The original Kanaris temple in the city the Brotherhood of Skulls took over when the Brotherhood of Kanaris took over their current chapterhouse in Bowyer Ward. The two chapters have a friendly rivalry that generally takes the form of drinking contests and verbal mocking.

Hembek - Eastrade (Ward), Farcraft Ward, & Greatcraft Ward

Eastrade (Ward) (Merchant's District)

The Merchant's district is adjacent to but separated from the Dockyards. It is heavily patrolled and is probably the safest of the lower wards. The buildings are stone, and typically 3-4 stories in height. A large number of the buildings have actual glass windows and fireplaces. Many have small walled gardens in back.

E1 - Lustria Order of Healing Temple Complex

The Lustria religion has two distinct (but cooperative) Orders. The Order of the Goddess of Love with their bathhouses and lusty Priestess (Temple in Hightown East), and the Order of Healing with their hospitals and nursemaids (this Temple). The Order of the Goddess of Love pays for the good work done by the Order of Healing (with much to spare) while the Order of Healing ensures the good will of the semi-puritanical populace of Pallas Regina worshipers. Any expecting mothers that arrive at the gate will find a food, shelter, and care, until a month after birth. The complex even has housing for Lepers in the Southeast Corner.

High Priestess Tonsla is nearly a hundred and beloved throughout the region. Generally Lustria Hospitals are forced to survive on the funds provided by their sister order but Tonsla has taken in a number of nobles with Lepracy and the families of such have been generous to the Temple. The Priestesses of the Hospital have a very high success rate with pregnancies and even Pallas worshipers have been known to seek their help during birth.

E2 - Pallas Regina Scriptorium

The complex includes a complex townhouses and a newly constructed Church. A fire burned down the old Church seven years ago but a new one was built quickly. The complex has a printing press to print books using carved wood blocks. They print Pallas Regina books as well as the books of other religions edited to distort their message. This has caused a lot of stress between the Church of Pallas Regina and the Old Faith. Nearly a hundred monks work in the scriptorium creating books. 

Headmaster Laruan is beautiful and helps the poor as best she can. She is a strict disciplinarian obsessed with stopping Chaos but she doesn't believe all magic is bad. The Church is no longer open to the public as Laruan believes it was a false-worshiper that burned the previous Church to the ground.

E3 - Forum

The Forum is the main throughway to the Dockyards to the North so the large North and South doors are almost always open. Public notices are posted and criers call out news and folks talk and spread gossip here. The Forum is a large building where merchants and craftsmen can set up stalls. Above the stalls are offices and storerooms. On Saturday the forum overflows into the square to the north.

E4 - Merchant Townhouses

Townhouses that house smaller Merchant houses. These have all been purchased over the last few years by the Church of Pallas in preparation for eventual expansion of the scriptorium. Currently they are renting the properties to their original owners.

E5 - House of Mika

The House of Mika is the headquarters of the largest Merchant house in the city. The building has offices, meeting rooms, Chartrooms, a library, rooms for Captains. The actual members of House Mika live in Alder Rock (Ward). They own nearly a hundred ships and control nearly half the seats on the Grand Council through proxies.

E6 - House of Aarn/Chantry of Conjuration

Nice little hidden chantry pretending to be a semi-successful merchant house. They even own a dozen Carracks and have a seat at the Grand Council. It is said that the Chantry is significantly larger on the inside.

Farcraft Ward (Crafter's District)

The Crafter's district is knicknamed dulltown because nothing happens. Crafters live here but don't even sell their goods in Farcraft Ward, prefering to sell them in the Forum or by contract sell them directly to one of the Merchant Houses. 

Known for their grey Roofs, most Crafters are Pallas believers. The buildings are 2-3 story buildings with the lower floor being stone, and the upper floors being waddle & daub. Many buildings have small statues of Pallas or Patron Saints in niches built above head level. Most buildings have multiple families living within and more than a few have small gardens with livestock (goats & chickens).

F1 - Smithee/Chantry of Necromancy

The Smithee is Kyle, a human with dwarfism with a bad leg and few prospects whom everyone believes is a Dwarf-Dwarf. Kyle plays along and claims they hobbled him to keep him from fleeing and forced him to make weapons. He doesn't know how to make weapons, but the Chantry supports him and he helps them sell magical weapons from time to time.

• Secret Chantry of Necromancy. Few students but a lot of semi-resident scholars. The Chantry has one Scholar who doesn't teach. Three Flesh Golems provide security. They wear armor and helmets and beyond the stench are indistinguishable from very large humans. The Head Teacher has on two occasions worked with the Thieves Guildmaster to make murder victims walk around and die in front of witnesses, thus clearing their killers. The House mother of the Chantry has no magical skill, she does all the laundry, cooking, and errands. She's a mean, bitter, cuss but the house is very protective of her and have been known to let her pick victims for experimentation from those that have annoyed her around town. The Thieves Guild has a deal to turn over the occasional victim for the school to experiment upon.

F2 - The Freezer

Their was an active limestone quarry beneath Gull Rock until the South face of the rock sheared and collapsed a few decades ago. The Grand Council closed the mines. The Crafters Guild purchased the unused mines and taking advantage of the naturally low temperature below ground they fitted them out for cold storage (ice blocks placed there during the winter can survive unmelted until the following winter). The Freezer also acts as a popular public house during the hottest weeks of Summer when the Gold Scales brings Casks of wine over for consumption (and to hide their own mining tunnel connections).

F3 - The Gold Scales Tavern (Guild of Thieves)

A Tavern with a large selection of fine wines that caters to crafters. The 'scales' often has live music and satirical songs are a local favorite no matter who is the target. 

• The tavern acts as a base for the Ward's Thieves Guild. The Guild concentrates on protection money and keeping other gangs out of the area. The Gold scales is built over the entrance to an old Limestone mine, the mines are often used as a way to train members. Tunnels that were once used to smuggle things past the guards connect to the Broken Glaive Tavern in Jembgate Ward but now that Jembgate Ward is within the larger town the tunnel is rarely used. Farcraft Ward is considered neutral territory between the various thieves gangs in the city. Guild acts as a safehouse for Thieves from other areas (for a price) and has a deal with the Chantry of Necromancy to provide live victims for experimentation in exchange for the occasional favor.

F4 - Pallas House

Pallas House is a manor belonging to the Church of Pallas. It is used to store woodblocks and paints used by the scriptorium.

F5 - Crafter's Guildhouse

The Guildhouse is a bit run-down and serves as faction headquarters. Geoffrey the Craft Guildmaster is also the alderman for the ward. The Craft Guild is concerned primarily with regulating prices and keeping them high rather than quality which is left up to the individual crafter. The Guild primarily fights to keep the Merchants from hiring un-guild Crafters in the shipyards. The Crafters have united to buy a seat on the Grand Council. 

F6 - Parish Church of Pallas (St Dagiel Patron of Hardwork)

The Parish church that serves the crafters is humble on the exterior but inside it has some of the finest woodwork and art in the city (time donated by crafters). The Clerics have a good relationship with the Crafters of the Ward.

F7 - Insula of Jack Sand

Jack Sand is a type of quicksand or partially buried sinkhole that the owner claims to have nearly fallen victim too while in Ophiri. The bottom story is dominated by the cities leatherworkers who are known for their quality leather.

• Leatherworker - Stephen spends most of his time making or repairing saddles, saddlebags, straps and similar items. He has a dozen journeymen and they are all constantly busy. He has been slow to promote his Journeyman and Apprentices and that has caused one, Peter, to leave and set up a non-guild leatherworker shop. Stephan has also accumulated a nice pile of money he's not had the time to spend. 
• Leatherworker - Peter the leatherworker was made a Master Leatherworker. He has one apprentice and spends most of his time tanning and preparing leather to sell to the cobbler.
• Tanner - Paul the leatherworker was a Journeyman for Master Stephen but left when it seemed he would never be made a Master himself. He has operated a low-key leather tanning business since, providing inexpensive repairs and patches to leather goods and barely making a living. Master Stephen is aware of his activity but hasn't done anything against him as nobody likes Tanning.
• Cobbler - Brian the cobbler makes and repairs shoes and boots. Mostly repairs. As the only cobbler in town and without any apprentices he is super busy. So busy he has allied himself with the General Store so he doesn't have to work the sales side of the business. 

Greatcraft Ward (Crafters East)

Crafter make the products that Hembek sells. There are a lot of crafters. Greatcraft Ward is even duller than Farcraft Ward and most people simply pass through the place. 

Most Crafters are Pallas believers. The buildings are 2-3 story buildings with the lower floor being stone, and the upper floors being waddle & daub. Many buildings have small statues of Pallas or Patron Saints in niches built above head level. Most of these buildings have kitchen gardens dividing up the center of the block complete with chickens, goats and the occasional pig. 

G1 - Marsh Gate

Once the southwestern entrance to the city, the Marsh is long gone. Marsh gate acts as one of a dozen barracks for the city guard. The tower has a gatehouse as well as well as bottle-neck dungeon to house troublemakers.

G2 - Parish Church of Pallas (St Ballaton Patron of Fate)

The Parish Church is the same as Parish Churches of Pallas throughout the region. It is constructed in brick covered over in plaster. It is shaped like a T, with a large statue of Pallas sitting cross-legged with a brazier in her lap. The brazier always contains burning charcoals or (during ceremonies) a fire. The Church is famous for the ale brewed by the Clerics. The Church brews enough ale for all of the Pallas Churches in the city with some left over. 

G3 - General Store

This creatively named store sells nearly everything. The owner has deals with a number of suppliers (pottery, baskets, candles, leather goods, pots, pans and clothing). If he doesn't have it he can probably get it. He doesn't deal in arms or armor or food though. He has a tailor on staff. The owner Edmund de Trenby has three sons who act as clerks or take product to the Forum for sale. They also have two guards on staff. They all live above the shop so it is never truly empty. 

G4 - Titan Square

The square is where crafts booth sold product long ago, now most is pre-sold to Merchant Houses destined to be shipped far away. The square is famous for the Mighty Titan Fountain which shows a giant Titan and his troubadours from the famous ballads. Because of this the fountain is used as the starting point during the Titan's festival.

G5 - Master James House

Master James is a Master Builder. He supervised the construction of the town walls, the Kanaris and Lustria temples in Hightown East, and most recently the reconstruction of the Temple of Pallas in Wesinna. He has an army of journeyman and apprentices that do the bulk of the work while he plans and supervises and spends time with the wealthy hoping to drum up more business. Master James father is friends of the Grand Duke and he has used his authority to put the non-Guild builders out of business in town. He allows Master Robert to stay because Master Robert provides bricks and ideas for future projects to the Grand Duke, and handles a few unimportant jobs. Master James is an arrogant prick who has used his association with the Kanaris Templars to have more than one person killed.

G6 - Lonely Baker

The only bakery in the city since their competition burned down in a fire a few years ago. The bakery has a mill outside the city run by the bakers brother who didn't have the temperament to apprentice with the bakers guild but had a good head for business. The baker and his son bake bread all day and all night. They sell their bread to the inns and temples and have little left over for regular sales.

 

Best of the Web - Monsters as Puzzles, Holmesian Dungeons, and Bootleg Spellmarket

DM David has an interesting post called Turning a Monster Into a Puzzle in which he discusses a number of early monsters that had one weakness that players had to figure out but how this failed when everyone started reading up on the monsters outside the game and thus figured the secret ahead of time. Also how play-styles changed so that retreat isn't really an option these days so if a party doesn't get it you get a TPK. 

The Monster as a puzzle is a great idea but doesn't work with a wandering monster or one tucked away in a room. It works much better with a big monster that the players can hear rumors about ahead of time, one in which they can flee if their ideas don't work, one that is unique so that a Lore check won't give away the riddle. This sort of thing is the bread and butter of Lamentations of the Flame Princess that encourages every monster to be unique.

Blood of Prokoppius has a post called Towards a Holmesian Dungeon that I found interesting. Especially the large rooms, I never really noticed that. Modern dungeons are filled with tiny rooms. Perhaps tiny rooms are more realistic for underground construction, perhaps B2 set the pattern, perhaps that's because of the sizes of Dungeon Tiles.

Goodberry Monthly has a post called Bootleg Spell Market. The idea is nice and evocative, I imagine a small business in the rear of an apothecary that normally sells fake love potions and such. The rear sells real potions and scrolls and caters to the select few. Something a lot smaller than Diagon alley in the Harry Potter books. All that is nice, but the real gold in the blog post is the "What Could Possibly Go Wrong" column in which provides quirks to common spells. It reminds me of the Unique Spellcasting fumbles in Dungeon Crawl Classics.

I'd love to see a crowd sourced version of the 5E spellbook that provided info for each spell, this sort of thing, as well as interesting fumbles.  

Hembek - Cheap Ward & 'The' Dockyards (Ward)

Cheap Ward

Cheap Ward has claim to being the oldest settled part of the city but since the buildings have always been ramshackle huts its claims are generally ignored. Most of the buildings now are built of stone and painted with blue trim. 

Cheap Ward is the seedy part of Hembek full of drunk sailors and thieves. Cheap Ward is where fisherman live, as well as some poor dockworkers and those trying to avoid notice. The town has a nice cross-breeze most of the time which is good because that's the only thing that can remove the ever-present smell of fish. Most of the fishermen converted to Pallas worship when the Clerics started purchasing any remains of their unsold catch. Most fishing is done on pseudo-caravels owned by families that go out for days at a time.

C1 - House Thryth

This fancy townhouse serves as the headquarters for the gang that runs gambling in Cheap Ward as well as act as a storehouse for stolen goods. Using fishing boats they can get goods out of the city or over to the Dockyard ward unnoticed, and using their connections they can turn over stolen goods that are too hot to keep in the good graces of the cities elites.

C2 - Holy Draught

An old burned out Church of Pallas partially repaired and converted into a tavern. Clerics of Pallas very much disapprove of their building be repurposed this way. Filled with those that work the dockyards. Caters to low lives and gamblers. Run by the Thieves Guild. Anything you can imagine can be purchased here and delivered within 48 hours, or so they say.

C3 - The Net Public House

A public house that caters to fishermen. The place is known for having fishing nets on the walls and roofs and for occasional games involving a drunk escaping from beneath a net. The net serves inferior everything at a really decent price. Fish soup is their speciality and they frequently open before dawn to allow some fishermen to grab a quick drink before heading out for the day.

C4 - House of Ornmoth

Ornmoth is a very successful merchant house with nearly fifty ships. Destalt Ornmoth is the Warden of Cheap Ward and has become wealthy looking the other way regarding crime in the Ward. 

'The' Dockyards (Ward)

'The' Dockyards (Ward) is where the magic happens, that is the hustle and bustle of cargo loading and unloading and bonding and sales that keep the merchant ships moving and that make Hembek a wealthy city. The warehouses and Merchant Houses are well protected by private security but the streets of the ward are notoriously wild as its easy to dispose of a body into the harbor.

D1 - Three Black Pyramids

The Three Black Pyramids pre-date Hembek. Nobody knows if they were once above ground or what. No entrance has ever been found. All that is known is they draw floating trash and that they moan and wail during the winter Solstice. A number of Chaos Cults have managed to weave the Pyramids into their religion in creative ways but most of their claims are clearly nonsense.

D2 - Fish Market

The catch of the day is sold here. A variety of fish are sold but it is primarily Cod and Herring that are salted or pickled for sale to other cities.

D3 - Seaman's Guild and Dormitory

This large complex provides room at low rates to members in good standing. It is usually a loud boisterous place filled with illicit activities (primarily gambling) provided by the gang from Cheap Ward.

D4 - Red Church of Pallas (St Karlel patron of Wealth)

The Red Church is like large cathedral with no transept and glassless windows to let the air in. The center of the church has a bubbling fountain that creates beautiful relaxing sounds. Throughout the Red Church are pots filled with Shriekers, arranged by note so that when anyone enters the temple the shriekers produce a glorious humming sound which serves as an alarm as well as creating beautiful music during ceremonies.

D5 - Temple of Wagos  (Old Faith God of Luck and Merchants)

This temple is very wealthy as the Merchants make their donations for luck before every ships sets sail. The temple has a large worship room with statue and brazers floor is tiled. Neighboring rooms house the three priests and cook in minimalist style. The temple is wealthy but the High Priest has avoided re-investing as a slightly worn appearance encourages donations. 

D6 - Bonding House & Wharves

Government warehouse and granaries. Goods awaiting taxation are stored in the bonding warehouses until they can be inspected and their values attained. Values are generally lowballed if the bribes are right. The granaries store extra grain in case of hardship although they are generally insufficiently stocked or just empty. The bonding house is guarded by a large mercenary contingent comprised of a unit from the Company of the Black Rose and a unit from the Steel Solution who keep an eye on the goods and each other. There was a tunnel connecting to the warehouse that unscrupulous people would use to remove their bonded goods but that was discovered and sealed up long ago.

The wharves are all along the south bank of the harbor (obscured by buildings on the map). They are wooden and sturdy but mostly used only for loading and unloading cargos because of high docking fees. Typically hundreds of ships are anchored in the center of Hembek harbor where the fees are minimal.

D7 - Captain's Guild

A large wealthy building overlooking the docks and Dock channel. The Guildhouse is beautiful but most members believe it is too small and want to expanded in accordance with the wealth of the city and importance of their Guild. They are looking to buy land nearby to build a new Guildhouse.

Hembek - Alder Rock (Ward) & Bowyer Ward

Alder Rock (Ward)

The Alder Rock (Ward) is the oldest (beyond the ramshackle fishing village that started it all) and wealthiest part of town. High Town is built on Gull Rock, named because of the hundreds of gulls that nest along the cliffsides. Gull Rock would be fairly easy to climb without equipment but would be nearly impossible to climb without a flock of disturbed gulls giving away your presence.  

Nearly thirty years ago the South cliffside of Gull Rock splintered off and collapsed taking the old wall and a number of buildings with it. The south cliffside is fairly easy to climb now but the slope is treacherous with shifting rock and is considered disrespectful of the dead to clamber over the remains of the landslide. 

A1 - Ducal Palace
Built on Alder Rock, a rise in Gull Rock, the Ducal Palace is very fancy and beyond its difficult to access position it is not really designed for defense. The Palace was built with three Baileys with the cliffside bailey containing the Ducal Residence, Center Bailey containing Grand Council buildings, and the outer bailey and gatehouse housing the guards. A tunnel leads from the dungeons beneath the Palace to the Temple of Pallas Reginas and another leads down to Jemb tower in Jembgate Ward.

A2 - The Painted Ship Tavern Inn
The Painted Ship Tavern is owned by an ex Ship Captain who made the mistake of buying a tavern too close to the Church of Pallas. Church members drink, but not excessively. He has hired a top rate chef and makes a bit of coin selling food, and now has the food franchise at the theater. The owner is known to drink at the Long Journey Inn when he wants to get really drunk. 

A3 - Church of Pallas Reginas (One True Goddess!)
The Church is a massive structure on the North Side of High Town. The Headmistress is prim, proper, and obsessed with closing Temple of Lustria which is sin-filled and degrading. The Temple has wood-block printing presses used to print the Holy Book of Pallas Regina and to reprint other books to make them 'tolerable' to the sensibilities of Pallas (censored or meanings outright reversed). For example the reprint of the Lustria Book of Love turned an X-rated Kama Sutra into a G-rated dull text on marriage.

A4 - Theater
Funded by the Merchant's Guild this is an elaborate building with a two-story indoor theater. Traveling musicians and plays are common. The tower has a bell that will ring at lunch-time the day of a performance to let everyone know the theater is open. Those that cannot afford the admission price often crowd along the street at the base of Gull Rock to listen.

A5 - Temple of Wagos  (Old Faith God of Luck and Merchants)
The Temple is very wealthy considering its small staff. The temple has a small stairway that leads to a rather steep incline. The thick double-doors that would normally seal this city entrance are left open since the cliff-side collapsed making it nearly impossible for anyone to use this entrance. In front of the temple is a statue. Merchants deposit donations into the mouth of the statue to get Wagos blessing when their ships leave harbor. Nobody is a strong worshiper of Wagos but nearly all make the donations rather than take the chance.

A6 - Long Journey Inn
A large inn near to the theater and Temple of Wago. The Inn has a dozen rooms and stables in back. The inn has a small brewery attached that provides beer and ale throughout High Town.

• The inn has a small pub attached. The pub is frequently full of rowdy customers, well as rowdy. The bartender lets guards have a free drink to ensure they are frequently present which keeps things from getting too out of hand.

Bowyer Ward

The Bowyer Ward is the second oldest and wealthiest part of town. Named for a legendary Bowyer when the area was overrun by Crafters. A large portion of Bowyer Ward is new, having been built after terrible fires swept the area. The temples of Kanaris and Lustria, and the Merchant Guildhall date to this time. 

B1 - Sea Gate

The gate opens to thin stairs down the cliff to a set of small docks at the cliff base. The gate is used by Merchants in a rush. The Gatehouse serves as residence for guards. The guards also patrol the walls of around Gull Rock.

B2 - Temple of Lustria (Old Faith Goddess of Love and Motherhood)

A large Temple complex in the North East corner of town. The complex is wealthy and popular. Tiled mosaics and Parthanan-style domes mark the oldest temple in the town. The large domed main room has a pool, adjacent rooms have large hot and cold baths in Roman style. The walled gardens also have an outdoor pool that allows caravan folk to bath before the baths or instead of. the temple is often bustling with activity. Not necessarily Lustria worshipers mind you, but the the Priestess don't mind as long as the non-believers make the donations. 

A few centuries ago the Temple of Cruach (in Eastrade Ward) was burned in a massive fire, the temples library was saved and transported to the basement of the Temple of Lustria in secret. The library exists today although few of the Priestesses can read the old texts. A few years ago the Church of Pallas Regina Scriptorium was gutted by fire. The Church bell was saved by a Lustria worshiper and installed in the Temple of Lustria where it continues to ring hourly. 

The Chapter Mistress is a cold hard fox with a sharp mind and a penchant for politics to get what her girls need. The Temple has private baths and worship rooms where a large enough donation allows for private worship and ritual bathing with one of the nubile Priestess. There is a private entrance used by members of the Grand Council who wish to worship in secret. The Temple has a dorm for just about any woman that needs a roof over her head. The Temple also sells hand illustrated copies of the Lustria Book of Love, the sales of which have helped finance the Chapters hospital and enabled them to open a full Hospital complex in Hotina Ward. The neighboring block has been annexed by the Temple and is used as a Hospital for the population ontop of Gull Rock.

A renown artist has been staying at the Temple for years. He has painted a number of fresco's on the walls and ceilings as well as painted portraits of a number of the Priestesses using the relatively new oil paint. He has provided some assistance the Priestesses tasked with illustrating the Lustria Book of Love and it jokingly referred to as the Holiest Man in the city because of the amount of time he spends in the temple.

B3 - Temple of the Brotherhood of Kanaris (Old Faith God of War)

Temple that is more of a violent Fraternity House. The Templars of the Brotherhood of Kanaris are very fond of the Priestesses of Lustria and anyone harassing them may find themselves facing a dozen Templars in a bloody rage. This fact has done more to keep the peace between the Church of Pallas Regina and the Temple of Lustria.

Previously this was a temple of Hanno but the priests fled or went into hiding after a miscommunication with some Kanaris Templars led to a number of deaths. The Kanaris templers uprooted the statue of Hanno and dumped it over the cliff. The statue was been buried or removed long ago but the Templars often make a point of urinating off of the wall onto its last known position when they have been drinking. The temple itself is rather bland and more of a fortress (fortress fraternity house) than a place of worship. There is a walled garden and stables and barracks for visiting templars. The Templars can be found exercising with weapons, asleep, or recovering from a hangover. The Chapter Grandmaster is an old Veteran with a missing arm (his left) and incredible skill with his sword. The Temple has a dorm for worshipers passing through or hanging out. The Brotherhood has an unwritten deal with the guards that nearly any non-murderous offense will be forgiven after a night in jail.

B4 - Gull Rock Main Gate

The Gatehouse at the top of a massive staircase. The steps are broad enough to accommodate horses. The strong gate allows the top of Gull Rock to stand isolated if necessary. Anyone not a resident or accompanied by a resident of Alder Rock (Ward) or Bowyer Ward, can expect to pay 1d6 coins (more will be demanded of those that look poor or are covered in blood-stained clothes). The guards usually let females heading to the Temple of Lustria pass hoping to build goodwill with the Priestesses. The Gatehouse serves as residence for guards. The Guards also patrol the streets of Gull Rock. There is a bottleneck dungeons in basement, used for short term imprisonment.

B5 - Merchant's Guild Hall

The Merchant's Guild hall is a lavish affair with lots of fine mahogany and leather bound chairs. The Guild has an extensive library of charts and cargo manifests. The Guild has built up good will with the Temple of Kanaris next door by never complaining about the noise and financing a weekly meal and debauch for the Templars. Young Merchant's often consider this some kind of blackmail but the elder Merchants would point out the Guildsmen rarely have trouble with Templars, with Pallas Clerics, or Thieves. Guild policy is strict neutrality between the religious elements but if push came to shove most of them tacitly support the Old Pantheon against the busy-bodies of Pallas Regina.

B6 - Postern Gates

The walls have two small gates. Guards live directly above the gate. The gates were built to allow for sallies against invaders but no invaders ever came and then the cliff-side collapsed leaving a rugged but easy way into High Town. Now the gates are mostly used by romantics seeking a nice view of the city below.

Hembek Wards

To make a city work you've got to bust it up into manageable pieces. Luckily the medieval English administrators had the same issue running cities so they busted them up into Wards. So that's how I've decided to divide Hembek. I 'think' my wards are somewhat compatible in size as the ones in London, if not, well it's close enough.

Wards

Hembek is divided into 12 Wards, each Ward has an Alderman who represents that ward in the Grand Council. Aldermen are supposed to spend time in their Ward but most prefer to spend time in Hightown with the wealthy. An overview map is the best way to orient things.

 

The Wards are:

• Alder Rock (Ward)
• Bowyer Ward
• Cheap Ward
• The Dockyards (Ward)
• Eastrade (Ward)
• Farcraft Ward
• Greatcraft Ward
• Heathgate Ward
• Ironthorpe (Ward)
• Jembgate Ward
• Kruddlestreet Ward
• Limey Ward

Eventually each Ward will have its own encounters charts. Probably a fresh one for each event so encounters on a stormy day will be different from those on a Festival day. That's work nicely and make the whole thing usable but it'll also make boring reading so I probably won't post that sort of thing.

The Wards will be covered in a  bit more detail in follow-up posts. 

Note - Non-humans are not really considered in Hembek. I don't use them in my campaign as its more of a Grim-dark affair than High Fantasy. Still if a GM wants to add non-humans they would typically live in the Easinna North Ward or tunneled into the base of the Rock in Fishtown Ward.

Hembek

The Most Serene Republic of Hembek is ruled by a Grand Duke ("My Lord the Duke" "Most Serene Prince" and "His Serenity"), who is elected by the Great Council of Hembek. Hembek is a wealthy Mercentile city along the lines of Venice or Hamburg. Hembek is big enough to house lots of adventure, to act as a home base, or to be the target of raids.

Hembek History

Age of Legends/Age of Titans

Everything prior to a thousand years ago is known as the age of legends. There are no written records of the Age of Legends. Humans were around but they were primitive. Bits of songs and scraps of poems are credited with coming from this time. It is suggested that Titans ruled the Earth. The Black Pyramids in Hembek harbor are believed to have been built by the Titans. Nobody  knows what happened to the Titans.

Hembek began as a fishing community built at the base of the rock where fish and gull eggs were readily available. The settlement started catching fish at the mouth of Hembek river using fish traps and along the coast using small one or two person boats. At this point they all worshipped the so called Old Faith, a pantheon of a dozen gods.

Age of Old Ones

The Old Ones were an advanced society that arrived from the South and built a number of cities and spread the word of their Goddess Pallas Regina. They made contact with the Hembek settlement and spread the worship of Pallas Regina. Worship of the Old Faith declined during this period but never entirely went away. The use of proto-Carvels dates from this time, the larger boats were used to fish further afield, even as far as the Thule banks, using nets. The Old Ones stayed for nearly three hundred years before they abandoned their cities and disappeared again.

Hembek Oligarchy & Pallas Edicts

Hembek continued to prosper after the departure of the Old Ones, primarily on the salted fish trade (cod and herring). Hembek became a hub of civilization along the otherwise wild coast. The city grew in power and population. Eventually talented craftsmen in the city made the city famous for patterned cloth.

The worship of Pallas Regina continued to dominate the Republic but as trade grew other religions found their place and were legally tolerated. It was during this time that the Four Edicts of Pallas were published. The Edicts came from the visions of a prophet of Pallas Regina. The Edicts:

• No visual representations of Pallas Regina are allowed
• No eating after nightfall
• No Dancing
• Must fast on theWinter Solstice

Riots & Constitution

A hundred years after the departure of the Old Ones a series of riots rocked the city. The unrest was finally resolved with the signing of the Hembek constitution. The constitution includes the following articles:

• Article 1. Hembek will be ruled by a Grand Duke, elected by the Grand Council of Hembek. The Duke will rule for a period of time determined by the Grand Council but never longer than 10 years. 
• Article 2. All laws will be made by the Grand Council. The Grand Council is comprised of the ten top Merchants in the city. The Grand Council is not allowed to begin a war without a hearing of the citizens.
• Article 3. Offices in the public service below the Grand Council must be elected by a vote of the citizens and disloyal public servants need to be discharged.
• Article 4. No citizen, poor or rich, are to be imprisoned without a hearing at the Grand Council. The Grand Council cannot grant safe conduct for a person who owes a citizen of Hembek.

Article 1 has resulted in a number of Grand Dukes being elected for the duration of a crisis and then replaced. A Grand Duke cannot be re-elected. The ruling class is an oligarchy of merchants and aristocrats.

Article 2 has resulted in a yearly bidding war for council seats. Typically seven of the seats are unchanging, one changes constantly, and the last two are held one by a group of Merchants and one by a group of Crafters that pool each their resources to buy that seat.

League of Trading Cities

Twenty three years after forming as a Republic Hambeck joined the powerful League of Trading Cities. The Leagues Laws stated that member cities would defend the freedom and the privileges of citizens of other members and that refugees or those deported from member cities would not find shelter within the walls of other members. The creation of the league led to prosperity and rapid growth. The cities walls, cobbled streets, and expansive navy date to this time.

Most of the other cities were dominated by worshipers of the Old Faith and increased trade had the result of injecting wealth into the Old Faith temples in Hembek

Hembek Empire

The Republic of Hembek never set out out to become an empire, they stumbled into it. The Initial step was the result of loans made to the Kingdom of Granum. The Kingdom, unable to repay loans from Hembek merchants and facing a cut-off of all trade, sold the Thule Island to the Republic of Hembek. The purchase was hotly disputed in the Hembek Council but eventually they determined that if the island could be properly civilized it could provide a lot of raw materials that would be more valuable than the cost. Thule Island was declared a March and granted to Lord Dereck Lord of the Thule Island Marches. The March Lord take the risks and rewards for a half century term before the status of the Thule Islands is to be re-evaluated again. 

The second addition to the Hembek Empire came when the Grand Duke Of Hembek married a Granum Princess. The Islands of East Thule were given over as a dowry. These lands weren't nearly as turbulent as Thule Island proper but their is simmering trouble there. One of the major reasons the somewhat prosperous East Thule island was given away was because the Kingdom of Granum knew they would be unable to defend the Island against pirates and other neighboring powers and thus avoided the humiliation of having the islands taken from them.

The farmers of Thule Island and Islands of East Thule are Pallas Regina worshipers, tipping the balance between the religions towards Pallas Worship which has increased the tension between the two competing faiths.

Collapse of Gull Rock

The oldest permanent buildings in Hembek are built on a large rock of limestone known as Gull Rock. Twenty seven years ago the southern cliff-face sheered-off taking a large section of High Town city wall and a number of buildings with it. Plans to rebuild the wall have come to nothing so far. The area has been shored up and all limestone mining of the Rock stopped at this time. 

The collapse is still considered the big day the old codgers talk about and speculation of what caused the sheering abound, most guessing having to do with unhappy gods from the conflicting faiths.

Factions

City Guard - The Merchant's pay them so they will always side with the merchant's over other factions.  Having said that they keep a light touch most of the time spending most of their time keeping foreign sailors from causing trouble.

Clerics of Pallas - The most powerful religion in the city they have spent most of their efforts buying land and building Parish churches all over the place to spread the worship. The Clerics are generally intolerant of other beliefs but so far have not become openly hostile (because the Templars of Kanaris protect the other temples of the Old Faith with their swords and ready willingness towards violence). 

Crafters Faction - Despite the name this faction includes the fishermen and herders living within a mile or two of the city and the one Wizard's chantry in the Crafters District. This chantry remains hidden and low key but members occasionally help the faction. The crafters faction are mostly believers in the Old Faith.

Merchants Faction - the Merchant Faction is comprised of two groups. First, a dozen super-wealthy merchant houses run the city for their own gain. They have provided jobs and made everyone better off and believe this gives them a status above the law, an attitude which has created tension with the rest of the city.  The other group is the masses of small to medium sized merchant houses that want desperately to grow and become part of the first group. This second group will assist the first at times, but backstab them at other times.

Thieves Faction - Disunited faction but they have similar goals so they are lumped together. These are the Thieves gangs throughout the cities. These groups primarily deal with gambling, protection money, and (through their control of the longshorman's guild) work slowdowns. They also ensure there are no beggars in the city and limit the number of burglars and cut purses working the city and arrange to return anything deemed to hot as to bring the guard crushing down on them. Most of this Faction aren't serious believers in anything except self interest.

Details of Hambek

Streets of Hambek

The entire city has cobblestone streets, even the alleys are paved in stone. Flags and banners showing devotion to temples or Churchs, loyalty to Hembek, the Merchant's Guild, or the Crafter's guild are all over the city and constantly flapping in the breeze.

Sanitation

Hembek has a primitive sewer system. The 'sewer' is a covered trench in the center of most larger streets designed to carry rain water and waste out of the streets and into the canals. In areas not covered by the 'sewers' the buildings have a barrel for the collection of nightwaste which is taken away every day before dawn. This waste is carted out of town and sold to farmers as fertilizer, or dumped in the bay depending upon the needs of the crops. The waste of horses and other beasts are also cleaned up the old fashioned way. 

The Bogbreath triplets act as maintenance workers for the city, in reality this means they spend most of their time pumping water from the river into the various city fountains, or pumping water from the fountains through the 'sewers' to clean them out when rain is insufficient to the task. They empty the barrels of night soil and clean the harbor area around the Black Pyramids, and prowl the streets with their yapping dogs hunting rats when they have time. 

The Bogbreath Triplets are not the smartest folks in town but the most popular by far. They work hard and never complain about the dirty work and everyone is happy to see them when the come around on their duties. Most of the inns and taverns even offer them free drinks to encourage them to come by often. Their efforts combined with the sea breeze have spared the city the typical medieval stench and not that anyone knows about such things but has gone a long way towards preventing cholera as well.

For the rest, civic pride is strong and anyone making a mess will find themselves yelled at from every window on the street. 

Law & Order

The main streets in both Hightown West Ward and Hightown East Ward are illuminated by oil lamps from dusk until midnight (basically when the oil runs out). The temples and Churches in the lower city are lit but most of the rest of the city is dark after dusk. Most homes have lanterns and flinging open the shutters will tend to light up the street enough to see what is going on. Any kind of criminal activity will likely generate a hue & cry from nearby homes. 

• The city guard has a light touch, they will side with Wealthy and Merchants over others, and will respond within 1d6 minutes to a hue & cry. The guard are the cities permanent 'police' force. They are equipped and trained with sword & shield and padded armor. Leaders may have mail. The guard are based out of the city walls. The guard patrol within the city walls and are pretty lax about that. They all carry horns to bring reinforcements (including nearby Militia or the Imperial Soldiers) to handle anything they can't manage.
• The Militia are comprised of every able-bodied townsman within the walls. They are equipped and trained (barely) with spear & shield. They have never been called to action.
• The Ducal Guard are based out of the Ducal Palace. When in the palace they are equipped and trained with halberds & shield and wear mail armor. 

Law

Hembek has a dozen Judges that work out of Ducal palace most of the time. All are graduates of the University of Hembek although not all are Pallas Regina worshipers.

The legal system is somewhat ad hoc combining the ancient foundation legal system with some local laws, some religious laws and the occasional bit of common sense all drowned in a system of corruption and bribery. The town guard or any of the Imperial soldiers can arrest people on the flimsiest evidence knowing they will probably never be held on account of this. At least one has created made his own money making pseudo-kidnapping scheme out of this until he was hacked to death in a debate with a Kanaris Templer. Generally the only recourse the 'victim' has is to complain or pay the fine.

Prisoners are usually held until Sunday when they are either freed or face a judge who listen and pass arbitrary judgements. The judges try to be fair and impartial, helping the government's reputation and putting an end to the worse abused by the guards.  This is partially out of civic pride and partially as a way to avoid any rioting.

The Town Guard have a large bottleneck dungeon in nearly every occupied tower in the city walls. They drop prisoners in there and lower food for them until Sunday and time for trial, or until someone comes along to pay the fees. The Ducal Palace has extensive dungeon but they are rarely occupied. Usually only highborn prisoners would be held here. 

Warehouses & Taxes

Goods entering the Hembek Empire are taxed. The rate varies depending upon the goods, the mood of the taxman, guild status of the merchants and the amount of the bribes. Small amounts of goods can pay the tax and sell the goods, larger amounts are generally put into the warehouse until they can be inspected and value determined, and taxes paid. 

There are in effect two inspectors, one that works for the Grand Duke and one who works for the Grand Council. This is done to prevent anyone trying to cheat. Luckily for the dishonest they tend to pool their bribes and are pretty open about it, saving the effort and risk of trying to bribe them separately.  

Merchants will also pay to have goods safely stored in the warehouse until it is time to ship them. Larger trading houses tend to use the secure facilities in the Guildhouse basement or in their own basement.

There is a property tax on all buildings within the town but the taxation is relatively light and beyond the scope of this post. 

Guilds

Guilds are an association of craftsmen designed to ensure quality, fix prices, protect trade secrets and keep non-guild members from competing. The guildhalls are used for meetings and socializing, mostly for socializing.

Animals in the City

The most common animal in the city is, by far, the Seagulls that nest along the North face of Gull Rock. During the day the gulls are everywhere and constantly squaking.

Beyond the gulls and rats the city is actually filled with a number of animals. The types of animals are different depending upon which part of town you visit.

There are dogs, The ones in the Kanaris temples, guard dogs at the Guildhalls. Some living at the Ducal Palace and the three owned by the Bogbreath brothers for hunting rats. A couple of the wealthy homes also have dogs. 

Most houses in the lower town have at least a chicken and goat for eggs and milk. The University has a cow. Above the city are a number of crows that pick through garbage, pick at bodies, and unaware rats. 

There are horses as well, although they are officially frowned upon within town limits. The Grand Duke and his entourage, as well as Imperial Cavalry and Kanaris Templars regularly ride through the city and horses occasionally are used to pull wagons and carts of goods.

Food grown locally is wheat, barley, tomatoes, eggplant and olives. Most other foods are shipped in or grown in small batches for personal use.