Crookston-By-Water

Crookston-By-Water is a small halfling village in the Cape Cowrie region of northeaastern Rubicos. Constructed atop marshy ground, Crookston-By-Water is slowly sinking. Several of the buildings lean at odd angles. The citizens wear – nearly to a one – mud-splattered overalls when they go about town. The nicer buildings stand on stilts, while the poorer houses are left to drown in the mud. Stone paths wind through the small town, protected on all sides by the marsh. Over a hundred people live in Crookston and it’s the town where nobody asks questions.   Crookston–By–Water has an unsavory – but well-earned – reputation as a smuggler’s haven. Barrels of goods – usually ale and cider from the orchard further south – are shipped down the river and, when they pass by Crookston-By-Water, they occasionally disappear. That, or they’re replaced with other barrels, all stamped by customs officials further upriver. The town’s officials are so thoroughly bribed, they make no trouble.

• The Copper Lantern: A riverside establishment, this pub is a front for the various smuggling concerns in the village. It overhangs the river and, from there, barrels can be seen floating by. Antiques litter the walls. It’s a frequent stop for the Order of the Loyal Hound, out patrolling the roads.
• Stargaze Spire: Yancy Wickerbock, a retired merchant and novice wizard, constructed a tower here. It leans sickeningly to the side and, when home, Wizard Wickerbock offers stargazing lessons and telescope viewings. He’s currently away and the tower’s locked up – protected by a glyph of warding.
• Timeless Treasures: A quaint curio shoppe at the end of a winding street, Timeless Treasures spends most of its time shuttered. Its proprietor, a halfling recluse named Goldilocks, frequently travels back and forth along the Cape with her hound Buchanan.