Abanee

Settlement Type: Village

Terraine: Light forest/grasslands

Population: 735 (68% Elf)

Description:

Abanee is a village of about seven hundred people that lies between the Zabe Mountains and the Sun-Touched Desert. The village's population is comprised predominantly of elves, with smaller numbers of dwarves and humans also calling the settlement home.

Although Abanee is primarily concerned with logging and farming, there is a section of the population that eeks out a living as relic hunters.  The area west of Abanee is rich in ruins, some dating back to the time of the Wrath, and there are always people interested in artefacts from that era.

The Relic Hunters Guild(01) is a fairly nondescript building in the village, easily missed by strangers and passers-by. The head of the Guild is Par Siedulric, a well-known relic hunter from the east, with contacts throughout Hura.  Siedulric handles most of the relic sales, taking a small percentage from each for his troubles.  He keeps meticulous books of all the relic-related transactions.

The Relic Hunters Guild isn't very popular in Abanee. Many people believe that by disturbing the ruins, the relic hunters run the risk of rousing the dead. As such, few people from Abanee are actually members of the guild.

Strangers passing through Abanee might find work with the Relic Hunters Guild, or possibly kindred spirits. Abanee's relic hunters come from all across Hura and it is entirely possible that a party member could run into an old friend (or enemy) in the village.

A party could also be called upon by the Guild or the village leader to deal with a problem that the relic hunters have stirred up. Perhaps they disturbed the grave of an ancient leader, rousing their spirit to seek vengeance on the relic hunters and Abanee.

Panalmier

Settlement Type: Ruins(City)

Terraine: Forest

Population: 36

Description:

About a hundred miles east of the Zabe Mountains lies the Ruins of Panalmier. Sixteen years ago, Panalmier was a thriving metropolis of over 19,000 people.  It was a center of trade and culture, arts and learning, one of the jeweled cities of the Kingdom of Anesina.

But, one day, calamity befell this proud city. Panalmier was well known for its College of Wizardry, which often worked under special dispensation from the crown, to expand the knowledge and uses of magic.  The college had been working with zabeum, and it is believed that one of their experiments went horribly wrong, resulting in an arcane explosion that decimated most of the city.  Anyone who could, fled the city, seeking shelter in the neighboring communities or futher away.

The death toll from the destruction of Panalmier was number in the thousands.

Because of the destruction of Panalmier, the crown tightened the restrictions on magical experimentation, and formally declared all zabeum to belong to the monarchy and, thus, the government of Anesina.

Today, Panalmier remains abandoned. The forest has begun to slowly overtake the ruins, and travelers do not linger within the confines of the city's shattered walls.  There are reports that animals and plants within the city have undergone strange and bizarre mutations, which has prevented anyone from permanently returning to the city.

At present, the only residents of the city are a small group of government researchers, academic wizards and their military escort.  The Ruins of Panalmier were officially quarantined,twelve years ago, and anyone caught in the city, without permission from the crown, faced arrest, imprisonment and interrogation.  

Because of the dangers presented by the magical fallout, the researchers and military do not remain in the city for longer than one to two weeks at a time, and then must undergo special decontamination rituals to remove the toxic magical residue.

Some foreign powers have secretly sent agents into the ruins to gather intelligence, but many of these individuals have not returned. Their fate remains unknown, but the most likely explanation for their disappearance is that they fell prey to one of the ruin's magically mutated creatures.

Residents in the areas around the Ruins have learned to lock their houses up tight after sundown, as there have been reports of strange creatures emerging from the Ruins, to hunt.  The military has increased their presence in the area, but many local communities have started their own militias, feeling that the crown does not truly understand, or care, about their concerns.

In all honesty, the region has become a hotbed of political unrest, which could explode into open rebellion against the crown, if there was any sort of serious incident.

Einacques

Settlement Type: Town

Terraine: Island

Population: 4784

Description:

The island-town of Einacques is the capital of the Eastward Isles, a collection of islands claimed by the Kingdom of Anesina.  Einacques is a busteling harbor town, with the majority of seagoing traffic using the deep bay on the northern side of the island. The aptly named Foulwater Bay sees dozens of ships of all sizes come and go on a daily basis, and also serves as the main runoff for the island-city's sewers. Experienced sailors claim they can tell they're close to Einacques by the distinctive stench of Foulwater Bay on the wind.

The majority of Einacques's commerce and industry is focused on trade, but a significant employer of locals is the government. As the capital of the Eastward Isles, Einacques serves as the administrative center for the Kingdom. The courts are situated there, as well as the headquarters of the Third Fleet, charged with keeping the seas around the islands safe for travel and trade. 

The island-town is crowded, the population consisting predominantly of elves and humans, who live in very close proximity to one another. The streets of the town are winding, the houses and buildings on some parts of the community built so close together that they eclipse the sun, throwing some lanes into perpetual darkness.

Einacques particular claim to fame is that it was the site of the last battle Anesina's Annexation Wars, 448 years ago.  The waters around the island were the site of a vicious seabattle with no quarter given on either side.  The local fleet was decimated by the Anesinaen Navy, consolidating their reputation as the dominant sea power in Hura.  The leader of the holdouts, a man known simply as Garion the Black was executed and his remains burned and buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on the northern side of the island.  

There are persistant legends that Garion the Black had hidden his war chest of gold and jewels somewhere on Einacques, and every few years some harebrained group of adventurers will arrive on the island and start poking around for it.  To date no one has found so much as a copper piece. Scholars and local loremasters deny the existence of such a treasure, but the rumors continue to persist.

Dead Stop

Settlement Type: Outpost

Region: Mountains

Population: 94

Description:

Dead Stop is a bandit outpost in the Aetu Mountains, on the border of Zadoul and Anasina. The outpost was originally a miner's camp, abandoned after the local mines were tapped out. Over time, a group of bandits moved in and took over, turning the camp into a bolt hole and safe haven for themselves and other criminal types.

Today, despite the presence of a fairly busy trade route nearby, the villains of Dead Stop seldom resort to banditry. Rather, they make their living hosting an underground market for ill-gotten gains, acquired in Zadoul and Anasina. The market takes place quarterly, on nights of the new moon, and attracts neer-do-wells and criminals from across the region.  Authorities in Anasina and Zadoul know of the existence of Dead Stop, and its infamous New Moon Market, but have yet to take action against it because of jurisdictional issues. The area that Dead Stop occupies is a kind of unofficial neutral zone between the two countries, and neither wants to antagonize the other by dispatching a military force into the Aetu Mountains to clean it up. The bandits of Dead Stop are aware of this and so act with a certain degree of impunity, but they are not reckless. They will allow trade in almost anything except zabium.  And even though neither nation will dispatch military forces into the mountains, they do deploy intelligence assets, to monitor the situation and, when possible, execute the criminals who attend the New Moon Market.

Renadie

Settlement Type: Village

Region: Forest

Population: 132 

Description:

The village of Renadie lies in the southeastern corner of the Kingdom of Anasina, within a day's travel of the Aetu Mountains. Life in Renadie is quiet and peaceful. The village's primary industry is apiculture. Almost every household within the village is involved either directly or indirectly in the raising of bees, and the production and sale of bee-related products such as honey, paper, wax, etc.

The largest bee farm in Renadia is (1)the Honey Pot, owned by the Bunogalir family. In addition to the family, the Honey Pot employs a significant number of villagers to help tend the hives. 

Honey and bees are such an important part of the local economy and culture that when a local child is born, the first thing they are fed is honey. The locals believe that this connects them to the community and also gets the infant started off in life with a sweeter disposition.

Renadie is also the site of an unusual historical marker(2) commemorating the birthplace of Adolfin Rentin. Rentin fought in the Kingdom Wars, 275 years ago, and is considered a national folk hero in Anasina.  Many people think it odd that Renadie has not capitalized on the folk-hero's name and reputation, but most folk in Renadie don't seem interested in exploiting Rentin's memory.

Padeleine

Settlement Type: City

Region: Mountain/Grasslands

Population: 19,178

Description:

The city of Padeleine lies in a large valley, surrounded by the Zabe Mountains, in the Kingdom of Anesina. Padeleine's population is 47% dwarf, 36% human, 13% elf with the remainder consisting of other races.  Mining is Padeleine's main industry; specifically, a rare type of metal found only in the Zabe Mountains, known as zabium. The metal is owned by Anesina's monarch, and is valued because of its magic-negating properties.  Illegal possession of zabium is a death-penalty offense.

Given its isolation and the value of its industries, Padeleine is a well-protected city. There is a heavily fortified wall surrounding the city, with (01)guard towers spaced equidistantly along the wall, garrisoned by soldiers of the Anesinaen army.

Although mining and metalwork are the lifeblood of Padeleine, the city's residents do enjoy their pleasures.  In the heart of the city is a small shop(02) owned and operated by Madame Lilli Paques, a dwarf perfumier whose talent for scent is known across the length and breadth of Hura. Madame Paques produces custom scents for the rich and powerful, often incorporating exotic, hard-to-find ingredients. She has a team of hunters who work for her, acquiring the ingredients for her scents, but she's always on the lookout for new agents.