Vartis and the Inn of the Blazing Star

[acererak]

Through the mountain passes, at the end of the Great West Road lies Vartis, the last stop. Vartis lies at the westernmost border of what was once a great empire, but is now only a collection of feudal states. Vartis is surrounded by great natural resources, Lake Mithril supplies the town with bountiful fishing. Vartis is a receiving point for timber felled in the Arcadian Forest. The hills and mountains south of Vartis are filled with precious metals mined by both humans and dwarves.

Vartis falls within the Duchy of Westhold. The Duchess, who is beloved by all, rules here after her husband was felled fighting a humanoid incursion from the wildlands. The Duchess' son, the future Duke of Westhold, is rumored to be in the throws of a serious illness at present. The Sheriff of Vartis is a steadfast servant of the Duchess, he is both overworked and underpaid. Vartis is a mixture of those who are descended from citizens of the empire, the cultural group known as the Taruns, and the natives of the area, known as the Kell. The Kell are a people of the lake and forest. Kellish folk tends towards the worship of nature deities and their folklore is steeped in legends of the fey.

Vartis is a modest sized town by the standards of the day. The town lies along the coast of Lake Mithril and Castle Mithril, the Duchess' castle, lies on a redoubt built in ancient times. The Inn of the Blazing Star is a well known as a homely public house in an otherwise rugged frontier area.