Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #228

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #228 

August 17th, 2023 

• Number: 228 

• Name:  Deep Dive on a Site of Interest: Among the Taodean Hills and Dales – Part 4 

• Location: In the Tuton Maug along the border with Noldrune 

• Population (approx.): 1? 

• Brief:  There were times in the past when the heavens of Aenwyld rained fire and brimstone on the lands and seas below. Once such time was about a thousand years ago over the Tuton Maug and surrounding regions. When the firefall ceased and the next day dawned, miners and adventures departed their homes and hiked into the hills in search of fallen stars, whose metallic content were invaluable to smiths, swordmakers and armorers alike. One site, near the border of Noldrune, went undiscovered because the spear from the heavens plunged deep into the earth and was quickly covered by a landslide and a subsequent rainstorm. Years later a hunter stumbled upon a lake surrounded by a thick ring of flora and remains to this day. 

• Osros, 41, male Half-Elf, is a Ranger who manages and maintains the hedgerow around the pool above the meteor impact site. He is rugged and quite handsome. He has black hair with flecks of gray in it. His athletic body comes from years of being outdoors and caring for nature. Osros has dark blue eyes which have a bit of the “green” in them, which help him notice unusual problems with the hedgerow. He wears leather armor and a cloak with a silver clasp shaped like a squirrel. The pin is a nod to his seemingly unnatural ability to speak with the residents of the hedgerow.  

• Osros stumbled upon the hedgerow when he was out exploring as a teen. While there, he met the former caretaker, Mianna, 230, female Elf. Mianna knew she was nearing the end of her life and since the site required a guardian, she took Osros under her tutelage. Mianna passed away over ten years ago, and Osros has made great strides in keeping people out and the unusual creatures in. 

• Osros lives in a small houseboat on the southern edge of the water. The magic of the hedgerow has infused his being, and he no longer craves contact with anyone other than the plants and animals of the hedgerow. He doesn't even realize there is a world outside of the pool. A depression was formed when a meteorite hit the ground a thousand years ago. The depression became a pool when rainwater and a mountain stream filled it. Something in the meteorite caused the hedgerow to attract and bind small creatures to the site (but how did the fish get there one might wonder). That something has altered the flora, the fauna and the caretakers, but to what end is unknown. 

• Geography: The Hedgerow Pond is about 250 feet across and almost 400 feet long. It is surrounded by a dense wall of foliage over 50 feet thick in places and about 20 to 30 feet tall. A mountain stream pours into the pond via a waterfall on the south edge. Another stream begins at the northern end and meanders into a vale beyond. Osros’ houseboat (home to a long line of guardians) floats near the waterfall.