Ready For Content The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

Ready For Content The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

Duchy of Ashlar The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Duchy of Ashlar is a small, isolated realm clustered around the cold, treacherous waters of Hard Bay, with a population of approximately 63,200. The forbidding Forest of Gray Spires forms its southern boundary, while the rugged Dying Hills mark its western reaches. Between its settled lands stretches the Salt Mire, a vast marsh that nearly divides the duchy in two.

Outsiders sometimes dismiss Ashlar as “Fenland,” but its inhabitants are hardy, resilient people accustomed to difficult terrain, savage weather, and the dangers of frontier life. Ashlar is ruled from its capital, Languard, by Duke Armas Nenonen, a elderly half-elf descended from the adventurer who founded the duchy almost six centuries ago.

Hereditary lords administer their own holdings and swear loyalty to the duke, enjoying considerable independence provided they refrain from oppressing their subjects or openly warring against their neighbors. Nevertheless, ambition and rivalry complicate local affairs. The competing claims of Wido Gall of Dulwich and Hilduin Lorsch of Woodridge over Longbridge—and its valuable crossing revenues—demonstrate how political disputes can threaten trade and unsettle nearby communities. Most Ashlarians live in villages or scattered rural households, supporting themselves through farming, fishing, hunting, woodcutting, and charcoal making. Languard, Dulwich, and Dunstone are the duchy’s principal centres of commerce and skilled craftsmanship, connected by the Great South Road. Dulwich prospers through lumber, pottery, and wool, while Languard’s harbour supports trade and shipbuilding. Increasing merchant wealth challenges the traditional authority of nobles and priests, with guilds seeking greater influence over taxation, commerce, and government.

Religion and organised fellowships help bind Ashlar’s scattered settlements together. Darlen represents law, justice, and the sun; Conn watches over community, family, and rulership; Abarin governs industry and artifice; and Serat is revered by those whose lives depend upon the sea. The Order of the Watch Eternal, devoted to Darlen, defends the duchy and its common people from its strongholds at Tor Abbey and Languard.

Notable Settlements
• Dulwich

Notable Locations
• Valentin's Folly

Meanwhile, the Sagacious Masters of the Eldritch Nexus pursue magical learning from their fortified Black Tower, and the feared Shadow Masks dominate Languard’s criminal underworld. Beyond Ashlar’s walls and cultivated fields lie the remains of older peoples and kingdoms. The immense dungeon of Gloamhold honeycombs the Mottled Spire, while forgotten tombs, abandoned strongholds, and fallen dwarven halls await exploration elsewhere.

Near Dulwich, the ruined Shadowed Keep, once the home of Valentin Ironwolf, shelters bandits, Blood Moon goblins, and deeper supernatural dangers. Ancient evils persist beneath the landscape, and the duchy’s defenders cannot safeguard every road or investigate every ruin. Adventurers consequently find plentiful opportunities to earn their livelihoods, recover lost treasures, and protect communities living within reach of the wilderness.

Tenements The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Tenements of Dulwich are modest residential dwellings scattered throughout the town's older neighborhoods, providing affordable accommodations for laborers, craftsmen, merchants, and travelers unable to afford the more expensive inns. Most occupy aging timber-and-stone buildings, with several families sometimes sharing a single structure. Their interiors are surprisingly spacious, though often crowded with furniture and personal belongings accumulated over many years. Heavy wooden beams support plastered walls, while worn floorboards creak beneath the weight of everyday activity.

Small, leaded-glass windows admit limited daylight, leaving the rooms dependent upon candles, oil lamps, and fireplaces for illumination. Although these residences lack the refinements of wealthier households, their inhabitants take considerable pride in maintaining comfortable and welcoming homes. The typical tenement consists of a large common room serving several purposes, including cooking, dining, sleeping, and household work. Sturdy wooden beds occupy convenient corners, their mattresses covered with thick woolen blankets and linen pillows. Roughly constructed tables and mismatched chairs provide places for meals, conversation, and occasional business dealings. A stone fireplace dominates one wall, its iron cooking pot suspended above glowing embers, while shelves crowded with earthenware vessels, copper utensils, books, and household necessities fill the surrounding spaces.

Wooden chests and barrels provide additional storage, and faded woven rugs soften the otherwise bare floors. Some residences feature small adjoining chambers used as kitchens, storerooms, or sleeping quarters, although privacy remains a luxury in buildings occupied by multiple tenants. Despite their humble nature, the tenements possess a distinctive warmth and character, particularly during the evening hours. Candlelight flickers across exposed wooden beams and rough plaster walls, casting long shadows among the furnishings. Bundles of dried herbs hang near windows and fireplaces, filling the air with the mingled scents of rosemary, thyme, woodsmoke, and freshly prepared meals.

The sounds of neighboring families frequently carry through thin interior walls, accompanied by footsteps on wooden staircases, muffled conversations, and the occasional laughter of children. During colder months, residents gather around their hearths while rain or wind rattles against the windows. Many tenements have been occupied by the same families for generations, and their interiors reflect years of careful repairs, inherited possessions, and practical improvements made by those who call them home. In 579 CY, Dulwich's tenements house a considerable portion of the town's working population, including dockworkers, apprentices, caravan laborers, retired soldiers, and struggling tradesmen.

Rental arrangements vary considerably, with some buildings owned by prosperous merchants who employ caretakers to collect monthly payments, while others belong to aging families who lease unused rooms to supplement their incomes. A modest furnished chamber might accommodate a single traveler, while larger quarters are frequently shared by entire households. Although petty theft, overcrowding, and disputes between neighbors occasionally trouble these residences, most remain peaceful places where ordinary citizens conduct their daily lives. For adventurers seeking inexpensive accommodations or wishing to establish a permanent residence in Dulwich, the tenements offer an affordable alternative to the town's inns, providing an opportunity to become acquainted with the people whose livelihoods form the foundation of the Duchy of Ashlar.

The Dancing Bear The Known World & Raging Swan Press The current year for our homebrewed campaign setting is set during 672 CY (Common Year). Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Dancing Bear is a rambling, three-storey inn and tavern on Steel Street in Dulwich, popular with adventurers, travellers, and off-duty guardsmen. Its cavernous common room displays the ageing, mounted heads of wild beasts and monsters—trophies from its proprietor’s former adventures. These reminders of dangerous expeditions give the establishment its distinctive character and provide visiting adventurers with plenty to discuss over a drink.

The proprietor, Nurlon Rekunen, is a retired half-elven adventurer who purchased the inn more than a century ago. A respected local figure, he knows much about the southern forests and sometimes shares stories of his travels with customers he likes.

His twin sister, Nalthra, runs Dulwich’s renowned jewellery business, and Nurlon readily directs customers with gemstones to sell toward her shop. Despite his comfortable circumstances, Nurlon carries the sadness of someone who has outlived generations of relatives. Raised by his human mother and her family, he has watched his siblings’ descendants grow old and die while he remains. When deep in his cups, his welcoming manner sometimes gives way to melancholy. Those who befriend him may hear stories that reveal the personal cost of his long life alongside its adventures.

Much of the inn’s daily business is handled by Liekko Unaja, a trusted employee who has worked there for two decades. Nurlon relies on her to keep things running smoothly, and she is deeply loyal to him. Liekko possesses an excellent singing voice and sometimes joins visiting entertainers during their performances. These appearances bring her pleasure, although she regrets never having had the opportunity to pursue a singing career.

Nurlon’s sixteen-year-old niece, Sanni Rekunen, brings youthful enthusiasm to the establishment. She loves meeting people, welcoming guests, and being surrounded by entertainment. Already convinced that she is an excellent host and practically in charge of the tavern, she approaches her duties with considerable confidence. Nurlon indulges her ambitions, allowing her to enjoy a sense of importance within the family business.

During the day, the Dancing Bear is usually quiet. Overnight guests linger in the common room nursing hangovers while the staff clean, tidy, and replenish the bar. This quieter atmosphere gives visitors an opportunity to speak with the staff or discuss their plans without competing with an evening crowd. Travellers preparing to leave and guests recovering from the previous night account for much of the daytime custom.

After dark, the inn becomes a lively gathering place where bards, storytellers, and travelling actors entertain an appreciative crowd. The Dancing Bear has a reputation for wild nights, attracting people eager to celebrate, drink, and forget their troubles. Raucous songs and animated conversations frequently fill the common room. The tavern remains open into the early hours, although the noise generally subsides after midnight. The Dancing Bear offers large, plainly furnished rooms for 2 sp per night, making it a practical base for companions exploring the surrounding wilderness.

The establishment serves breakfast, lunch and even supper. Its varied clientele offers opportunities to hear local rumours, meet potential companions, and find employment guarding merchants on dangerous roads.

(All full meals served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach)

BREAKFAST
Peppered Bread: 7cp
Oatmeal: 3cp
Boiled Goose Eggs: 4cp
Chicken Eggs: 2cp
Fruit and Cheese: 3cp
Beef Steak: 2sp
Fried Potato Wedges: 2cp
Pork Sausages: 1sp

AFTERNOON MEALS
Beef Stew: 1sp
Boiled Crawfish with Drawn Butter: 1sp
Poached Salmon: 8cp
Spiced Sausages: 9cp
Stuffed Pork Chops: 1sp
Stuffed Black Trout: 1sp
Steak and Kidney Pie: 2sp
Venison Steak: 2sp
Stuffed Pheasant: 1sp
Roast Duck with Apples: 1sp
Roast Goose: 1sp
Cheese rolls with a Filling of Nuts, Honey and Vegetables: 9cp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 9cp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 5cp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 9cp

BEVERAGES
Whiskey: 6cp
Rum: 7cp
Beer: 2cp
Heavy Beer: 3cp
Ale: 4cp
Spiced Ale: 7cp
Mead: 9cp
Local Wine: 9cp
Fireamber Wine: 1sp
Local Brandy: 1sp

On any given night, 1-5 of the private rooms are rented, and 1-4 of the beds in the common room are occupied. The upper rooms are very clean, and all of the rooms are heated and with the inn only having seven standard rooms and seven private suites, they are easy to maintain and keep comfortable for the guests. Each room has a bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools.

ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
(12) Standard Suite: 1gp