The Town of Rothain Hill

Plot Premise

Rothain Hill is part of a specific controlled environment plot. This plot, unlike all the others, will have a strict guideline for characters as well as storyline. That means that if you wish to participate in it, you have to submit a character that will fit into the plot and then adhere to the setting/rules of this plot, along with the game’s basic rules. These rules are as follows:

1. No characters with magite or magical items.
2. This town is 99% human population, with 1% being dwarves. This means most characters should be human or dwarf. Humble, average, normal, basic beginnings/history. Please make a normal character. There will be NO exceptions. No heroes, no vast or superior knowledge of the world, no special abilities, no encounters with demons. We all know what normal means, shouldn't have to explain it.
3. Please use the town’s history to help you build your character. Like a name? Want to be the son or daughter of someone listed? Sure. But be realistic, follow rule #2. Just be sure to check current characters in this plot to make sure you aren’t stepping on toes.
4. No random craziness. Craziness = Not showing good sense or practicality. This means any and all instances that throw these characters into trouble needs to gain permission before doing so. This includes- demonic attacks, random attacks on a character, bar room brawls, things that affect the town as a whole.
5. NPC creation and control is welcome, but all NPC’s have to have an NPC sheet, and also adhere to ALL of the above rules, unless otherwise stated.

The basis of this plot is to have a group of characters live around and know one another. It’s for character development, for a little more relaxed game play. The goal is to not center on battle, but rather small fun scenarios that require less fighting and more interacting. Of course there will be things that happen, nothing epic to start, but it will in the future get involved in the game’s main plot just like all the others. Overall though, it’s about events and things happening in the daily lives of ‘small town’ folks.

Rothain Hill

Rothain Hill is a medium sized town located in the southern region of Feydhar. Bordering the forest lands and the open rolling hills and fields of Feydhar, Rothain Hill has taken on many different forms of industry. The town is well known for breeding livestock, such as sheep and cattle, as well as breeding fine and hardy Rothain horses (they look like Clydesdales). They also have grain farmers and several local fruit orchards. The town also has an abundant fur trade with rabbit, raccoon and elk. The town is primarily self sufficient, but does trade with local towns for other goods, such as stone, exotic spices and weaponry. Of course they do supply goods to the other towns and cities, as well as their mother city Veluralin. It is also a lumber town and has many specialized wood working merchants that make items from basic utensils to weapons and furniture.

Like the horses, crafts such as blacksmithing, tailoring and livestock have been practiced primarily by the same families for decades. More often than not two or three families will work together on a certain craft.

With a population around five hundred Rothain Hill is one of the smaller settlements in Feydhar. It is the main pit stop for adventurers heading into the more rugged and inhospitable lands to the south, and so the town does on occasion become a host for an assortment of travelers.

The town itself is constructed of heavy stone brought from the Shadowspire Mountains. All buildings are constructed of this stone along with wood and plaster. The rooftops are shingled with cedar wood shakes, though a few of the more prominent buildings, such as the church, the Green Brook Inn and a few of the more wealthy households have red tile roofs. Being built on a hill the town has several tiers and the streets wind around the buildings. The town does have an outer wall that is primarily to the south of the town, but it is very basic, with no guard towers or gate houses.

There are two main buildings within the town of Rothain Hill, and the first is the cathedral. This church was built to the worship of Evithanon and all his children. It is by far the most fanciful building in the town, with stained glass windows, decorative carvings and a fenced in garden. The church uses this garden to grow herbs they sell and also use for medicinal purposes. There are no monks here, just one bishop and his family who run and take care of the church. The second building is the Green Brook Inn. Here many of the townsfolk come to enjoy a drink of local brewed ale, eat a good meal, and come together for festivities. It is also the town’s bakery.

A small policing system is in place, headed by Ian Ballard, a retired old soldier from Veluralin. Above Ballard is a council of the town’s three elders, consisting of the three oldest families in the region; The McFadden’s, The Blake’s and The Lamont’s. However out of the three families the McFadden’s are the oldest, and so Irving McFadden is considered the head figure of Rothain Hill.

The council depends on Ballard to help settle small disputes and make sure the town is kept safe. However if a matter of serious nature arises then it is taken to the elders. Although national offences against the kingdom are rare in the region, such as treason, these are sent to Veluralin to be dealt with by the King.

Magite is rarely seen in this town and there are no facilities to train in it. Many people who live in Rothain Hill take up a trade profession as their primary skill. Ian Ballard does help to train men, and occasionally women, in the art of sword fighting and self defense, but in the most basic form. Those who wish to train further in the ways of a magus or any other advanced class must travel to the capital. The only two known magus in Rothain Hill are the cathedral’s bishop and his cleric wife.

For the most part Rothain Hill is an active little country town with very little outside influences. The people here are generally in the poor to average class sectors of wealth, with very few having slightly above average class wealth. There are no families of ‘noble’ blood in the town, but the three council members and their families are nearly treated as such given that they own their own large tracts of land around the town.

Most people know one another, or at least can recall names. Violence in the town is low, and extends primarily towards the youths in the town that don’t get along. Otherwise things are pretty calm and peaceful in Rothain Hill.

Geographically the region rarely sees snow, but only in the coldest month of Snowbound. This however is very light snow; it doesn’t stick well and tends to melt quickly. On average in the winter the temperature is quite tolerable, at around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit, dipping occasionally into the low 30’s. Those native to the region are use to this and can be seen walking around outside in sweaters or light coats. The summers can be very warm but not overtly hot. They do have a rainy season, this being in the months of Windvale and Rosedown.