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The Crucible
of Youth campaign began on 29 Chillbone 204 LE. It is six hundred
and fifty-four seasons since the founding of Bear's Reach. A great
deal has changed in the twenty-three generations since Scarman Thorn's
time, but Bear's Reach remains as isolated and self-sufficient as
ever. In this section I will give you a general overview of how
the town functions, its politics and its major personalities.
Population
According to the records of the current Chronicler, Havelock Weaver,
the population of Bear's Reach stands at 266 people. This total
does not include the wizard, Trevane, who doesn't really count because
he is an outsider. Neither does it include Galen Thorn who is widely
considered to be dead after leaving the town nine seasons ago. The
demographics of the town break down as follows:
- Over 61: 5%
- 41-60: 18%
- 21-40: 29%
- 11-20: 28%
- 0-10: 20%
Almost half the population is 20 seasons or younger, which is a
reasonable figure in a town where the life expectancy is less than
fifty. The birth rate in this generation is slightly lower than
the preceding one. This has been largely put down to a push by the
Village Council (see below) to encourage families to limit themselves
to three children. Bear's Reach can only support a finitie number
of people and the current population is seen as the optimim figure.
The Families
Everything in Bear's Reach seems dependent upon what family you
belong. Certain families fulfill prescribed roles to keep the village
ticking over. Usually when a daughter marries she joins her husband's
family and participates in the profession or the craft of that family.
However, that is something of a simplistic view, as the villagers
are a paractical lot and will do the jobs that need to be done.
During the harvest, for example, everyone will pitch in and work
the fields - even the fishermen. The head of each family sits on
the Village Council.
Marriages and intermarriages in the village are verging on the
incestuous. With a finite number of would-be spouses people tend
to grab their first chance at marriage regardless of affection or
compatibility. All the families listed below are related to all
the other families in some way or another. However, marriages between
first cousins have been kept to an understandable minimum.
Thorn
The Thorn family is the family descended directly from Scarman
Thorn. Traditionally, the Thorns had their fingers in every pie.
They owned some of the farming land and so some Thorns farmed. They
owned boats and some Thorns fished. The head of the family traditionally
retired from all these pursuits to run the town inn (which they
also owned). The Thorns were the nearest thing Bear's Reach had
to a noble family. However, things have changed.
The last living male of the Thorn line was Galen Thorn who (if
he still lives) is now seventy-five seasons of age. Only one person
in the village still carries the Thorn name and that is Moira Thorn.
However, as she is a woman there is no chance of her passing that
name onto subsequent generations. Galen himself had no male children,
and so when Moira dies the Thorn name will die with her.
Galen was a restless soul who wanted more from life than Bear's
Reach was capable of offering. In his youth he spent many seasons
away from the village, only to return and take over running the
inn. Nine seasons ago he left again with no widely given explanation.
He passed the running of the inn to his son-in-law Tarn Brewer.
Galen Thorn is the grandfather of Krais Brewer (Neil's character).
Brewer
The Brewers have always worked around the town inn, and are in
the business of fermenting, pickling and generally preserving fresh
water and small items of food. The Brewers use the crops of barley
grown by the farmers during the summer to create malt and then ale.
They also maintain the "hop-patch" behind the inn where
they grow mulberries and similar plants that they use to flavour
the ale (thus creating beer). The most common spirit is a colourless
liquid made from fermented potatoes (much like vodka). A collection
of wines made from wild flowers are also available depending on
the time of the year.
Scarman Thorn was a man who appreciated the importance of alcohol
(particularly after fiftteen seasons without it), and he sponsored
the Brewer family shortly after the establishment of Bear's Reach.
The relationship between the Thorns and the Brewers continued for
many years. The current master brewer is Tarn Brewer, who is married
to Galen Thorn's daughter and now runs the inn in his absence. Tarn
is a bit of an old criminal and entirely mistrusted by the town.
He is not above watering down the beer to make a quick profit.
The inn continues to be used for all manner of village events such
as weddings, funerals and village council meetings. It is the centre
of village life, mostly because there is very little else to do
with one's free time.
Chandar
The Chandar family currently has two distinct branches. The line
descended from the deceased Sharax are master boat builders and
they make a living maintaining the fishing fleet. The family under
his dodgy brother Borax have opened the Van Turnsgate iron mine
six miles to the south of the town. They take on labourers from
the non-professional families and produce scarcely enough iron in
a year to make it worth the bother.
Chiesa
First born sons of the Chiesa family have always entered the Church
of the Land, and the priesthood has remained in this family for
as many generations as there have been generations in Bear's Reach.
The rule did not run quite true this time around. The priest Sigmund
has taken his grandson Kaylas rather than his son, Skellan. This
is mainly because Skellan showed some vague interest whereas Skellan
is still rather directionless despite his age.
Cooper
A family of barrelwrights, the Coopers are also fair builders and
carpenters. The families of the four brothers: Knarris, Thomlin,
Caerdrin and Mulbrin continue to ply the family's trade under the
watchful eye of their aged father.
Craftwright
A large family with several distinct branches, the Craftwrights
live in a number of dwellings around the town. They are experts
in any number of crafts such as pottery, thatching, stonemasonry
and carpentry. Their skills are in high demand.
Dyer
The dyer family do far more than bleach and colour cloth. Their
rambling abode is just over two miles from the centre of Bear's
Reach, and for good reason. The dyers take on all the industries
that the rest of the town are pleased are downwind. A family of
dyers, tanners and salt-farmers, their home absolutely reeks. Notable
among members of the Dyer family is Dominic Santori Dyer - who in
addition to being a full time tanner and part-time taxidermist is
also the lay preacher of Mortis (god of the dead). His wife, Caitlyn,
is the town mid-wife and lay preacher of Vítaeous (god of
life). The Dyers are a large and respected family, and they are
not shunned as long as they bathe regularly.
Farmer
Yes, the farmers do farm. Much of the land between the eastern
boundary of the Whittenwood and Scarstone Beach is given over to
farming of some sort. For the most part it is root vegetable farming,
although the Farmers do grow crops during the months that allow
it. The farmers look over much over much of the livestock in the
town. This includes a small family of shire horses, some goats,
cows, pigs, a couple of donkeys, numerous fowl, a few sheep and
some dogs. None of these creatures are kept for food, they are exploited
for their other attributes. Many houses and out buildings are kept
on the Farmer's land. They are also responsible for the great barns
where the winter food store is kept.
Fisher
Just four generations ago the Fisher family was in the ascendency
in Bear's Reach. They were the most successful, the most daring
the most celebrated of all the families. Their exploits bringing
in whales with their small boats were legendary. Then it all went
wrong for them. The other fishing family, the Njedelstroms, started
to catch all the fish and miss all the storms. The bitter patriach
of the Fisher family, Rasputin Fisher, knows why. This was the time
the seer, Kvar Whiteheart married into the Njedelstroms. She has
been given them an unfair advantage ever since. Rasputin hates the
Njedelstroms, and his force of personality is such that many of
his family feel the same way. The Fishers are, traditionally, also
the family from which the cleric of water hails. However, although
this is still currently the case, it looks increasingly likely that
the Njedelstroms will steal this away from them as well.
Forester
Many argue the Forester line died with Harris Forester in Summer
177. At that point the family name passed to a changeling, a half-elf
called Morris. Harris was unmarried and the chance the boy was his
was a slim one. However, Caleb Thorn, who ran the village at the
time convinced the Chronicler to acknowledge Morris as Morris Forester.
All subsequent Foresters are descended from him. The current generation
isn't much to speak off. Only two siblings survive. The male (Tobias)
is an accomplished druid who is unlikely ever to be seen in the
town again. The female (Lyssa) is an utter nutcase. She went mad
shortly after giving birth to another half-elf. This half-elf, Illyan,
is a skilled healer but he is not eligible of the family name. Any
hope of the name continuing rests with Tobias, which is probably
not going to happen.
Goodie
The Goodies are considered a slightly disreputable bunch. As a
family, they do not really have a profession, and (along with the
Lyars) they make up Bear's Reach's unskilled workforce. They work
the fields, they go down the mines and so forth. This lack of focus
doesn't sit well with the rest of the town, even though the Goodies
perform an essential job. Their lack of skills is unfairly believed
to stem from a lack of character, and it is widely thought that
immorality runs deep in the Goodie family. However, as they are
such an amiable group this does not offend them. They even play
up the role to scandalise acid-tongued women who should know better.
Lyar
The Lyars fulfill much the same roll in the town as the Goodies,
however where the Goodies are generally liked (if caricatured) the
Lyars have a reputation as being sullen and lazy and generally unwilling
to put in a good day's work. If anyone sat down and analysed the
situation they would see how blatantly untrue and unfair this is,
but gossip is a not normally a bedfellow of logic.
Miller
The Millers are a realtively small family dedicated to the grinding
of flour, the kneeding of dough and the making of bread. The oldest
building in the town is the old stone windmill that used to be owned
by the millers. However, it was some way from their home on the
banks of the Bear River, and so a second mill (a water mill) was
constructed many generations ago within sight of the Wyrwood, and
just along from the weir. After a great storm ripped the sails from
the old mill it was boarded up and left empty. Which is how it remained
until ten seasons ago when the wizard Trevane arrived in town and
moved into it.
Njedelstrom
An absolutely enormous family. Very nearly one in four people in
Bear's Reach carry the Njedelstrom surname. Since the seer, Kvar
Whiteheart, married into the family seventy seasons ago they have
had nothing but good luck. The Njedelstroms are a fishing family
and in all that time not one of them has been lost at sea. Kvar
tells them when to sail and when not to and even when powerful storms
are brewing. This has earned the family the undying ire of the Fisher
family, but the rest of the village is just pleased they can rely
on regular shiploads of fish. The Njedlstroms all live togetehr
in a massive, rambling building opposite the town inn.
Smith
Ras Smith is the local farrier and blacksmith. There is precious
little for him to shoe in town, but he is skilled in working with
metal of all kinds and uses what little iron is extracted from the
nearby mine each year to great effect. It is not a large family.
Only two others in the town beside Ras carry this surname, but Ras
has a son and hopes that the name will endure.
Walker
The Walker family was originally a semi-nomadic, who followed the
ways of the old bearmen and wandered around the vicinity of Bear's
Reach. The Walkers were always at home in the Whittenwood and it
is said they knew (and still know) secrets of that place they have
not revealed to any outside the family. For years it was thought
that the Walkers still had contact with barbarians who lived out
in the forest, and for that reason they were not really trusted.
However, they have played an increasing part of village life over
the last thirty years (one hundred and twenty seasons), and for
the last three generations they have lived permanently in the town.
Walkers tend to jobs in the same way as Goodies and Lyars. They
are a kindly group, always taking in strays - such as the half-orc,
Nits, who was adopted by the family eighteen seasons ago.
Weaver
The weavers are a family of basket-weavers, net-makers and tailors.
They have nimble-fingers and have skills not possessed by anyone
else in the town. The most notable member of the Weaver family is
Havelock Weaver, who is the current chronicler.
Grushko
Not a family native to Bear's Reach. Vitor and Yelanna Grushko
arrived in the town with Galen Thorn when he returned from his original
adventures back in Autumn 194. They live on the original Thorn farmstead
that Galen said he didn't want anymore. They are still considered
outsiders, but generally liked. Despite his age, Vitor is head of
the town militia. The pair are the grandparents of Kaylas Chiesa.
The Village Council
Bear's Reach is technically part of the duchy of Kelembor, and
the inhabitants owe fealty to the Duke of Jeston and to the king
in Norandor. However, there has been no official contact with the
outside world in three generations, and the town runs its own affairs
through the council.
The Council has been in existence for as long as there has been
a Bear's Reach. Originally convened as a meeting between Scarman
Thorn and the thirteen companions it is now a meeting of the head
of all the families in Bear's Reach. Bear's Reach is an extremely
patriarchal society and therefore only the eldest man from each
family is eligible to sit on the council. The leader of the council
is always the representative from the Thorn family, regardless of
age. However, in the absence of any Thorns the council has taken
to rotating the head alphabetically every month through all the
families. As the campaign starts Esher Walker is the headman. Tarn
Brewer believes that he should always be in charge, because Galen
left him with all the responsibilities of the Thorns. Suffice to
say that no-one agrees with him. The council is currently made up
of the following:
- Tarn Brewer (42)
- Shul Chandar (56)
- Sigmund Chiesa (52)
- Finious Cooper (68)
- Lorik Craftwright (42)
- Benjamin Dyer (44)
- Gellem Farmer (50)
- Rasputin Fisher (84)
- Dirk Goodie (48)
- Marblach Lyar (45)
- Sheldon Miller (59)
- Konig Njedelstrom (60)
- Ras Smith (42)
- Rufus Weaver (66)
- Esher Walker (68)
Note that the Foresters and the Grushkos are not represented on
the council. The council meets at noon every Sunday in the taproom
of the inn, and it debates the burning issues of the week behind
closed doors. No-one else is allowed to be present except Havelock
Weaver who takes the minutes of the meeting so they can be preserved
for future generations. The council decides on which jobs need to
be done for the good of the town. After the meeting villagers can
petition the council with their grivances, which the group debates
for ten minutes and decides upon by means of a simple vote. Normally
there aren't any grievances and the council members can stay in
the taproom for the rest of the afternoon getting slowly plastered.
The Town Militia
Crime is not a problem in Bear's Reach. Everyone knows everyone
else and if anythng is stolen or goes missing then it is invariably
the fault of Tarn Brewer. Rumous has it that Tarn is running what
he pompously refers to as a "thieves' guild" out of his
garden shed. There has never been any proof that this is the case,
and Tarn has never done anything so serious as to catch the ire
of the entire town.
With the exception of Enid (who married into the Njedelstroms a
year ago) Tarn's children are always in trouble with the law. Barvin,
Krais, Grint and even his daughter, Mab, have all seen the inside
of the town gaol as have a few of the dodgier Goodies who may or
may not have been working for Tarn. However, the militia treat this
as a bit of a game, and it gives them something to do on those long
winter nights.
The militia is made up of four people and only two of them have
the job full-time. The head of the milita (with the title of provost)
is Vitor Grushko. Under him is Cavark Walker. Skellan Walker (Vitor's
son-in-law) is a part-time constable as is the half-orc Nits (Cavark's
adopted son).
The gaol is slightly easier to escape than a old cardigan. Nine
seasons ago, when it became apparent that the presence of Galen
Thorn was the only thing stopping Tarn Brewer from being a scallywag,
it was converted from the disused privvy that sat at the centre
of the square outside the inn. A small heated guardhouse was then
tacked onto it.
The militia are not generally called upon to defend the town from
brigands or wild animals. They would certainly answer the call,
but so would the two-dozen Njedelstrom harpooneers who would probably
be slightly more effective. Vitor makes a weekly report about the
"state of the village" to the council, but this is more
by tradition than anything else.
Role of the Chronicler
A small half-stone building directly behind the west wing of the
Njedelstrom residence is the home and archive of the Chroncler of
Bear's Reach. There has been a chronicler in town ever since Jedson
Valmar and the building contains the accumulated records of the
intervening 166 years. The records are not entirely complete, as
storms, floods, time and accidents have taken their toll on them
but they are still an amazing resource. An amazing resource if you
want to know about the history of the town.
You won't find books or scrolls on anything other than the goings
on in the village. Family trees, records of births, deaths and marriages,
minutes of the council meetings and the records of special events
are all held here. Everything is filed and indexed in such a manner
that only the chronicler really has a chance of finding anything.
The current chronicler is Havelock Weaver, who is unmarried and
unconcerned about it. He is currently working on a project to start
copying the oldest and least legible records for the use of future
generations. This takes much of his time, and he would love an assistant.
The Wizard Trevane
Ten seasons ago a vital and powerfully built man in his late twenties
arrived in Bear's Reach without explanation. He informed the village
council that he was a wizard and that he wished to reside in Bear's
Reach for reasons of his own. The council, wisely fearing the power
of wizards, raised no objections. Trevane took over the abandoned
old mill, and converted it into a residence. He has been there ever
since.
Trevane does not participate in village life. He offers no opinions
on local events and does not engage in idle gossip. He ventures
into town to purchase food and fuel and then returns to his home.
When he must speak he is to the point and slightly acerbic. Occassionally
he leaves town for a few days, but he always returns often heavily
laden with items he has collected from the Whittenwood. After ten
season his presence is as much of a mystery as the day he arrived.
Two seasons ago, Trevane took an apprentice: Arax Chandar. Again
he gave no explanation as to why he suddenly needed an apprentice,
and Arax himself isn't entirely sure either. As far as the village
can tell, Trevane uses Arax for cheap labour and the lad can often
be seen chopping wood or painting Trevane's front door.
Pregnancies
The following people in the town are pregnant. The child is (or
believed to be) the woman's husband unless otherwise stated.
- Delia Njedelstrom, née Thorn (fifth child; 14 weeks pregnant;
due on 15 Midwinter 204)
- Isla Njedelstrom, née Cooper (fourth child; 17 weeks
pregnant; due on 43 Blacknight 204)
- Frances Njedelstrom, née Miller (third child; 33 weeks
pregnant; due on 29 First Snow 204)
- Seelie Cooper (first child, 20 weeks pregnant, due on 22 Blacknight
204). This child has been born out of wedlock and the identity
of the father is unknown. Popular opinion is that the half-elf,
Illyan is responsible for this just as he was alledgely responsible
for getting Emmaelia Craftwright pregnant in the Spring. Seelie
hasn't denied that Illyan is the father.
- Ariadne Dyer, née Fisher (second child; 12 weeks pregnant,
due on 29 Midwinter 204).
Religion
The town is devoted to the pantheistic worship of the Moon Gods.
The religion here tends to be less strict and more tolerant than
in the rest of Norandor because it still includes some reminents
of the druidic and bearmen beliefs from the time of Scarman Thorn.
All the moon gods are venerated equally, although only two of them
actually have a priest in the town.
Sigmund Chiesa is the high-priest of the Church of the Land, which
opeates out of a small shrine in Sigmund's back garden. He has one
acolyte also blessed by Terranor, Kaylas (Jon's character). Sigmund
blesses crops, makes things grow and generally supervises the spiritual
well-being of those who make their living on land.
Curran Fisher and his apprentice Raven Njedelstrom are the clerics
of the church of Water. They keep a shrine at the head of the beach
and they give their blessing to fishing expeditions.
The husband and wife team of Dominic and Caitlyn Dyer are lay preachers
of Mortis and Vítaeous respectively. They can cast no spells
and draw no powers from the gods, but they bring the ministrations
of these gods out to the people who need them.
There is no formal clergy for the gods Zephyre or Calafax, but
it should be remembered that all of these priests and preachers
will offer blessings to all the moon-gods. And that on Zephday,
villagers can still visit the shrine to Terranor or Sharrash and
offer prayers to Zephyre.
Food and Resources
Food and water are the key elements to survival in Bear's Reach.
The diet of the townsfolk is not rich and varied, but it is sufficient
to maintain health and well-being. Fish makes up most of the diet
of the townsfolk and is the staple of most meals. Normally, the
fish is cod or haddock but the town tends to eat whatever is pulled
out of the sea by the Njedelstroms and Fishers. Mussels and other
forms of shellfish are also collected from Scarstone spit.
Red and white meat are not common parts of the diet. The town does
not farm animals for food so although there are a few sheep, cows
and horses in the vicinity they are not kept for their meat. Equally,
chickens and other fowl are bred for their eggs not their flesh.
Meat normally comes in the form of venison, but it is time consuming
to catch deer, and the food is not available during the long winter.
There is very little arable farming in Bear's Reach as the soil
is not rich enough to support it. During the summer months some
grain plants are grown in the shape of barley and wheat that is
turned into malt and flour respecrtively. The soil is good for root
vegetables: potatoes, carrots, turnips, suede and all manner of
other chunky veg is available through most seasons except winter.
Fresh water is taken exclusively from the Bear river, just upstream
of the watermill. The towns waste is taken the three miles to the
Boar river and thrown into it. Prevailing winds and tides mean that
the waste is washed away south away from Bear's Reach and scarstone
beach. In the winter snow is melted for fresh water.
During the summer months excess food is salted to keep it fresh,
and water is turned into alchoholic beverages. During the winter
the temperature falls to such an extent that food left in stores
will freeze. This happily preserves it for the winter months. It
is possible to continue fishing through all but the direst months
of winter, and so a steady supply of fresh fish is provided almost
throughout the year.
Few buildings in Bear's Reach are made of stone, although many
have stone foundations. The stone was quarried from the Von Turnsgate
mine centuries ago. The wood for the buildings come from the Whittenwood,
but a new tree is planted for each one that is felled. Fuel for
heating, lighting and cooking comes from the burning of logs, but
also from whale blubber. Killing whales is a staple part of the
Bear's Reach economy and a great number of products such as soap,
whale oil and cooking fat are derrived from these great beasts.
Any lantern in the village that burns oil is burning whale oil.
Eventually, you get used to the smell.
Economy
What does a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, that has only
266 inhabitants, actually want with money? There are no facilities
in the town to mint money, so many of the coins that are in circulation
have been circulating since the time of the Thirteen Companions
who brought a fair amount of wealth with them to the village.
People in Bear's Reach take the profession of their father and
work in it simply because that is the way things are and the way
things will always be. Few have aspirations for anything more. Many
transactions that take place in the town are arranged through bartering
- "you patch that hole in my roof and I'll give you three pheasents".
However money does exist and changes hands for certain services
(such as drinks in the tavern) and purchasing less tangible goods
and services. Gold crowns and silver shillings do exist, but they
are ancient. The condition of the currency led the council to experiment
with firing ceramic trade tokens, but this did not catch on. Much
of the money in circulation in Bear's Reach in 204 LE comes from
the wreck of a ship discovered during the great low tide of 174
LE, and the money Sminton "Bobcat" Farmer brought back
to the town in Autumn 190.
Some members of the town (notably Tarn Brewer) are obsessed with
money. Tarn hates the town for the slights he believes they have
given him, and has taken to screwing as much money out of them as
possible. This is truly vindictive because he really has no means
to spend the money to make his own life better, he is just hording
it to make everyone else's life that little bit worse.
See Also:
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