Annbrook

The village of Annbrook is located on a tributary of the Tiree river within sight of the base of the Shadowcap Hills. It is around a day and a half travel on foot from the centre of Cannis City.   Its position off the main trade route accounts for its modest size, and the economy is primarily farm-based, surrounded as it is by fields of wheat, oats, and a particular type of beet (arrow beet) that grows very well in the shady conditions. There are some cattle and sheep but these are used by the village rather than farmed for trade.  

Notable Locations

The Charmed Lamb Inn

The village has a single inn for the occasional travellers who pass through. The Charmed Lamb is a medium sized building with three bedrooms for rent. Two of the rooms have two single beds, and the third is a larger suite room with its own fireplace that has a double bed. The cost is 2sp/night for the smaller rooms and 5sp/night for the large.   The owner of the inn is a halfling called Harrow Greyling (nee Stonesweep), who was originally from the village of Fairshallow in the Shadowcap valley, but settled in Annbrook as his wife Greta was raised there. Greta Greyling also owns some beet farming land, and while the couple live in the inn their three children Maeve, Shay, and Fran, run the farm.  

The Burrow

The Burrow is a smaller pub with only one spare room. The owner is Niall Halfstone, a young dwarf. Greshorn stayed here for about nine months.  

The Fennick Homestead

The Fennick homestead consists of a main cottage, a couple of outhouses and a barn.   Dora (an elf) and Ben (a human) reside there with their young adult children Cassie and Aurin, the farmhand Keir, and their house servant Resca.   Aurin became enamoured by Greshorn during his stay, who persuaded him to help with the portal rituals. Following Greshorn's death, Aurin remained in the family home but continues to struggle with the grief and trauma of his experiences.  

The Smithy

The village blacksmith is Penny Weaver, a human. Her partner Win sells crafts in the attached shop.  

The Mill

Since 825OE owned by Rem Maliris, an elf. Between 822 and 824OE Alric Kota resided there.  

Old Maggie's Cottage

Old Maggie is a wizened dwarf. She has a fat black cat named Jim, who seems to understand Taneran.   She is exceptionally fond of Alric Kota, considering him very sensible and wise by human standards. He helped her with queries from the villagers, and taught her some basic magic spells, and they remain friends.  

History

Alric Kota

Following his flight from Ulna in 822OE, Alric settled in Annbrook for just over a year, staying in the old mill. Villagers remember him as someone serious but kind. He kept to himself and didn't immediately make it known that he was a wizard, but after he got comfortable he became less secretive, and set up wards to protect the village from bandits.   Fearing he would be traceable after gaining a modest local reputation as a wizard among the nearby villages, he left in 824OE and subsequently settled in Thain.   He unknowingly further disrupted the already unusually thin planar boundaries in the village with his planar studies, which aided Greshorn's attempts to open a portal to the Nine Hells a few years later.  

Fierna cult

In 829OE the village livestock began to be menaced by unknown creatures. Incidents escalated until sheep were being killed. It did not seem to be the work of normal predators, as the sheep were not eaten.   While staying in the village, The Folly discovered that the creatures had escaped through a portal to The Nine Hells which had been opened temporarily by Greshorn, a follower of Fierna, with the help of Aurin Fennick.   Greshorn's plan was to open a permanent portal on the site of an old altar to Pharika which had been buried and forgotten in one of the Fennicks' beet fields, allowing Fierna to return to the Material Plane. The Folly disrupted this attempt, killing Greshorn and destroying Fierna's Sacrament Stone in the process.   When their actions came to light, they were celebrated in the village, helped by Lizzie's propoganda songs.  

Post-cult

The Folly sent Lord Iona Durrell to the village to stay with Old Maggie, after smuggling her out of Cannis City.   Alric Kota later took Master Sorrell to the village to celebrate Fioch, at which time they began their romantic relationship.