Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #350

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #350 

December 17th, 2023 

• Number: 350 

• Name:  Deep Dive of Subjects of Interest: Warriors of the Wastelands – Part 7 

• Location: The Wastelands 

• Population (approx.): 666 (Mad Enslay north-eastern Mu Ono Desert) 

• Brief: The wretched, the scum and the villains of the northeast Wastelands, surrounded by those would gladly lock them up or worse, hang them, fled into the badlands of the Mu Ono Desert. There they found salvation of a sort in the form of a settlement centered about a spring wrenched to the surface by the wizard Somerstat “Mad” Enslay centuries ago. Mad Enslay’s other legacies lay locked within the dead (?) wizard’s tower in the center of a ramshackle town thrown against the base of the arcane spire. Mad Enslay is home to all manner of ne’er-do-wells including dispossessed Saut Tribesfolk, exiled Fesea Nomads, defrocked Guildsmen and Kin who have drifted down from the Dismal Marsh for “a bit of fun.” As expected, it has been infiltrated by agents of each of those surrounding regimes. Mad Enslay is ruled by the so-called Cabal of the Wizard’s Kin, an ever-changing bunch of miscreants who claim some relationship with Mad Enslay however tenuous or contrived. The Cabal meets in a guarded meeting room at the top of The Stack, an “entertainment” complex in the center of Mad Enslay comprised of various levels focused on gambling, entertainment and the like all built over the spectacle of the Bloodstain Arena in cavernous basement. 

• Rur the Red, 32, male Hobgoblin, is a fighter at the Bloodstain Arena of Mad Enslay. He is tall and durable. His blue-gray skin has light yellow fur on it. Rur doesn't care about his appearance; his fur is often matted, and his skin has lacerations. He wears different pieces of armor left over from other gladiators. His face is imposing, and his nose appears broken. Rur likes to use large weapons such as battleaxes and broadswords. 

• Rur became a gladiator at seventeen when a group of adventurers captured him from the Cold Paws Warrior Tribe and sold him to the arena. Since he was big and robust, the arena's owners took time to get him some martial training. Rur thrived and worked his way up the arena ranks. When Rur was 28, a female goblin, Sur, arrived. Rur and Sur became a gladiator pair and added some comedy to their routine. The crowds loved it, and people came to the arena to see them. Currently, the duo performs with Sur using a net and spear, and then Rur doing an elaborate finishing move to knock out their opponent. 

• Rur lives in a small private room at the arena. Gone are the days of sharing bunk beds in the barracks. Rur is still considered a slave and must have a soldier accompany him outside the arena. He was recently granted permission to marry and is now engaged to Olvol, 23, female Hobgoblin. Their marriage will be an event for the crowds to watch. 

• Geography: Mad Enslay proudly sits in the middle of a square bounded by the Dismal Marsh (#274) to the north, Guild Watch (#170) to the east, the lands of the Fesea Nomads (#173) to the south and the tribal territory of the Saut Tribe (#161) to the west. The ancient wizard brazenly built his tower in the center of the wild lands of the north-eastern Mu Ono Desert, it and the Stack nestled besides, visible for miles in all directions. Smaller structures of all shapes and sizes huddle about the taller pair for strength, support and protection. The inhabitants have also delved deeply into the earth below Mad Enslay, creating the Bloodstain Arena as well as vaults, prison cells, storage and numerous escape tunnels. It is rumored the wizard built down as well as up, but the material and magics of the tower have to date resisted all attempts to delve into its secrets.