Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #191

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #191 

July 10th, 2023 

• Number: 191 

• Name: Deep Dive on a Site of Interest: Lake Natia Vai of Taodeas Part 2: Red Squirrel Resort and Spa 

• Location: Central Tuton Maug mountains on the slopes of Lake Natia Vai 

• Population (approx.): 40 staff and guards plus a variable number of guests 

• Brief: Centuries ago, a revered elder, K’Tea of the Danthas, fell ill. Following a vision, her sons chased a red squirrel into the Tuton Maug mountains, each taking turns carrying their mother on their backs. Exhausted, frostbitten and nearly snowblind, they stumbled through the woods finally reaching their destination, bubbling hot springs of magical waters which healed K’Tea to their great joy. The Danthas built the Red Squirrel Resort and Spa at the site, and to keep it secret they concealed it from view by illusion and erased the location from most records. Outside of the Danthas Elders, trusted recordkeepers and a line of long-lived Elven Innkeepers, few know of the resort. But recently, sightings of wildfolk to the east on the ridge and at the lake have forced the Elders to contact the High Plains Drifters (#91) for covert protection. 

• Kolvir Dalanna, 240, Elf man, is the current Innkeeper of the Red Squirrel. 

• Aubron Olarie, 203, High Elf woman, is a magician-scientist who lives year-round at the hot springs of the Red Squirrel Resort and Spa. She is tall and gaunt, with a crooked spine. Aubron wears spectacles and has long, flowing silver hair. Her work outfit is overalls with many pockets for the various tools and beakers she uses. She also wears a small tool belt filled with a small dagger, pipet, tongs, and other valuable tools. 

• Aubron has been working at a laboratory attached to the hot springs for over fifty years. She mainly studies the effects of the ley line deep below and waters on the area's fauna, flora and herself. When Aubron arrived, she hoped the hot springs would cure her spine. That hasn't happened, though many other people and the local wildlife seem to benefit from a dip in the pool. Her main test subject is the red squirrels that proliferate throughout the area. 

• Aubron is friendly with Kolvir. The two have been friends for years and often take a meal together. Aubron would like to get married and have children one day, but her spine is in no condition to go through a pregnancy. Until then, she writes many letters to friends and family, taking care not to reveal the Resort’s location, and enjoys meeting new people who visit the spa. 

• Geography: The Red Squirrel Resort and Spa can be found on the southwestern slopes of the mountain that contains Lake Natia Vai. The hot springs are concealed from view by a circular ridge above the waters crowned by tall conifers. The resort includes a main chalet with kitchens and lounges on the first floor, storage and servant quarters below and luxury accommodations on two floors above. Six slightly lesser chalets are connected to each other and the main house by covered walkways. Discreet guard posts mark the compass points of the mostly circular springs. Across from the chalet is a raised platform used as a target for transport spells. A wooden tower rises from one corner of the platform to serve as a docking point for the rare arrival of skyships and hot air transports. 

• Next Article: Notable persons and sites of the Arc part 3