Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #255

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #255 

September 13th, 2023 

• Number: 255 

• Name:  Deep Dive on a Site of Interest: Boarfang Mountain and the Dead Woods of Ceannar  – Part 3 

• Location: Northeast corner of Flattop Hills 

• Population (approx.): 211 (Boarview) and 72 (Fae community) 

• Brief: Boarview at first glance is your typical deep woods community focused on logging, hunting and trapping, but the nature and history of the Dead Woods and its unique inhabitants and protectors turn the typical toward the atypical. The populace is decidedly diverse throughout the region where unique Kin (like Nor the Druid) and other sentients (communities of Faeries for example) outnumber the more commonplace Kin (Dwarves, Elves and Men) living beyond the borders of the forest.  

• Like the unusual population, Boarview’s history has been a mix of ordinary and extraordinary. It has been a haven for mountainfolk, foresters and explorers for centuries, surviving encounters with raiders, bandits and monsters both living and dead. The locals are rugged folk, the survivors banding together to rebuild as needed in response to the attacks and incidents, with Nor hovering in the background to offer a helping hand. The imposing presence of the “Green Giant” gives pause to most who would exploit the Dead Wood, but in dark corners and around tables in hidden hunting lodges, scavengers and adventurers plot expeditions up the slopes to the west. 

• The mix of old petrified flora and fauna overlaid with centuries of deposited earth and new growth leads to both scrounging and cultivating of unique raw materials not found elsewhere and thus prized by artisans and crafters. 

• Tessa,30, female Fairy, is an alchemist who works with the special herbs from the forest surrounding the Dead Wood. She is tall, spindly, and has orange and yellow wings. She keeps her black hair short and serviceable. Her eyes are deep purple and bewitching. Tessa wears green shirts and short skirts. She keeps a small backpack to put herbs and other forest matter in. Tessa uses a special magical cutter to trim herbs given to her by her Aunt Dew.  

• Tessa owns The Affordable Elixir, a potion shop in Boarview. She is proud of how she has become a destination shop for the town. The store is successful because of the unique potions Tessa can make from the plants and trees of the forest. Tessa is friendly with Nor, and he gives her some of the broken trees and bark from the Dead Wood to use in her potions. 

• Tessa lives in a small Fairy community on the outskirts of the Dead Wood. She is single but lives with her sister, Aqua, 34, Fairy, and her two children, Arloc, 8, and Iatel, 4. They have a large house and partake in festive Fairy gatherings frequently. Other Fairies visit Tessa for various potions to help with growing older or a hangover cure. She always has a kind word and a gentle smile for everyone visiting. 

• Geography: Boarview is dominated by its large central roundhouse built upon a small hillock where the local hunting trails come together. Originally built as a watchtower by Ceannar scouts, it has grown and expanded into a 4-story complex of cut stone, milled logs and segments petrified wood provided by Nor. Boarview House, as named by the locals, houses most of the local businesses, such as Tessa’s Affordable Elixir, a hotel, a boarding house, two taverns, the Mayor’s office, and a church, all surrounding a central open space featuring gardens and fruit trees, overlooked by inner balconies. Matching outer balconies are reinforced and can serve as battlements. Outer windows have armored shutters. Rain is collected and stored in cisterns plus underground storerooms supply the village during rare attacks. An attached tower, next to his office, is home to Sir Cantus Broadaxe, current Mayor of Boarview. Huts, log cabins and treehouses surround Boarview House dotting the landscape off into the woods.