Tock
Overview
Tock is a town of whispers, built on secrets, sustained by corruption, and cloaked in mist. Located on the banks of the Giant’s Tears River where Mountainrun meets the edge of Nunca, Tock was once known as
Twisted River—a sleepy border town of minor elven nobility. But over time, that family vanished, their name erased, and in their place rose a darker power.
Now ruled in practice by the Ashwood family of Hollow Lake, Tock is a lawless extension of Nunca’s reach—one that
King Aranethil Starleaf technically claims, but no longer controls. This is where the Ashwoods come to be themselves: away from court, away from scrutiny, and away from consequence.
Leadership
Thaddeus Ashwood, one of the most feared members of the Ashwood lineage, oversees Tock as his personal retreat and dominion. While he maintains a public image of refinement in Hollow Lake, here in Tock, the mask comes off. He is ruthless, indulgent, and above all—unchallenged.
The town’s original elven stewards disappeared decades ago. Some say they were bribed into exile. Others whisper of assassinations and silent burials in the Black Spill. Whatever the truth, the Ashwoods now rule Tock with quiet authority and violent efficiency.
Demographics
Tock’s population of 120,000 is mostly human, with a mix of half-elves, mercenaries, vagabonds, and outcasts. It is a haven for those who trade in silence and sin.
Upper Class: Ashwood loyalists, smugglers, artifact dealers
Lower Class: Dock workers, petty criminals, black-market traders
Outsiders: Monitored closely—welcome only if profitable or controllable
Districts
Ashwood Heights: The heavily fortified district atop a riverside bluff. It includes Thaddeus Ashwood’s estate and the quarters of his closest enforcers. Entry is invitation-only.
Dockside (Raven’s Perch): The gritty economic hub of the town. Traders, pirates, and smugglers navigate the shifting loyalties of dockhands and militia alike.
The Whispering Bazaar: A secretive market buried beneath the ruins of an old elven district. It deals in forbidden artifacts, stolen magic, and untraceable favors.
The Old Quarter: A district of collapsing buildings, former noble homes now swallowed by rot. It houses the town’s poorest, most of whom don’t remember a time before Ashwood rule.
The Black Spill: A marshy graveyard at the town’s edge. Locals claim the spirits of the old rulers whisper through the reeds on windless nights.
Government
Officially, Tock is part of Mountainrun, subject to the laws of the Under City. In practice, it is an outpost of Nunca’s darkest ambitions.
Thaddeus Ashwood governs Tock without resistance. Local records show no appointment, no treaty, no declaration—but none challenge him. The Ashwoods built their empire on rot and fear, and Tock is the bloom that grew from it.
Trade & Economy
Tock survives on both sides of the law. Its economy thrives on:
River Trade: Legitimate goods moved between Mountainrun and Nunca
Smuggling Routes: Contraband flowing up from the south—elven relics, cursed objects, rare poisons
Information Traffic: Secrets bought, sold, and buried beneath coin
The
Whispering Bazaar is the town’s economic heart—cloaked, cursed, and thriving.
Culture & Reputation
Tock is where nobles go to disappear—and reemerge with blood on their hands. The town is a vent for the Ashwoods’ darker appetites, their unsanctioned experiments, and political purges. What happens in Tock rarely returns to Hollow Lake, except in whispers.
The people are wary, street-smart, and fiercely independent. They know who rules—and they know who dies when they forget.
Defense
The Black Cloaks: Thaddeus’s personal militia. Trained killers, many drawn from The Broken or handpicked from Nunca’s underworld.
The Broken: River pirates with blood-ties to the Ashwoods. They serve as smugglers, raiders, and ghost-story fodder.
Ashwood Wards: The town’s most secure districts are protected by twisted enchantments—wards fed by pain and sealed by silence.
Factions
The Broken: Pirates and smugglers who control the river with a cruel hand. They pay tribute to the Ashwoods for protection and legitimacy.
The Honest Liars: Blackmailers and information brokers who manipulate truth itself. Some say Thaddeus uses them; others say he fears them.
The Shadow Dancers: A cabal of masked performers who influence politics through whispered theater. Their performances draw nobles from across the region—and often change lives with a single verse.
Points of Interest
The Black Thorn Inn: A tavern so infamous it’s become a proving ground for cutthroats and informants. Its upper floors host hidden meetings, while its cellar holds darker things.
Whispering Bazaar: Hidden beneath a sunken plaza, this market is where reality frays. Memory potions, soul-bonded scrolls, and stolen artifacts pass through bloodstained hands.
Crooked Well: A relic that predates even the Ashwoods. Drink from it at your peril. Some say it offers visions. Others say it steals futures.
Ashwood Manor: Lavish, brutal, and cursed. The estate pulses with magical energy and houses horrors that even Thaddeus keeps under lock.
Architecture
The town’s architecture is rotting grandeur—elven stonework smothered by human decay. Buildings lean, rot, and hum with leftover enchantments. Mist clings to narrow alleys and hidden tunnels. Every shadow seems to know your name.
Geography & Climate
Tock rests along a twisted bend of the Giant’s Tears River, surrounded by dense forest and forgotten ruins. The climate is damp and cold, with mist rolling in nightly from the water. The terrain is unstable—both physically and politically.
History
The town was once Twisted River—a peaceful elven outpost governed by a noble house loyal to Mountainrun. That house is gone now, its fate undocumented and unnervingly quiet.
What followed was an occupation in all but name. The Ashwoods moved in, reshaped the town in their image, and named it Tock. A name meant to echo time running out—for rulers, for law, for anyone who thought they were in control.
Legacy
Tock is a town of warnings. A place that speaks of power unbound by law, of nobility drowned in vice. It is a symbol of what happens when the highborn abandon pretense—and what follows when they do.
“When Hollow Lake wants something buried, they send it downriver. It always finds its way to Tock.”
