[Age of Worms] Character Creation / Game Information

[Deadusernamelol]

. Age . Of . Worms .

[Party Roster]
1] Disciple of Sakura (Adre Miathas)
2] Jacior (Bedlam)
3] Rock_DS (Telbon)
4] MT the Clown (Teslaokin Amphatera)
5] The Jester of Equilibrium (Lete)
6] Seph Baelzara (Beatrice)
7] Maxeon x (Melionysis)

[The Prophecy...]

Since the beginning of history, humanity has measured time in Ages. Ages of Glory, of Dreams, and even of Great Sorrows marks the human tally of years, giving a sense of order to the events of past centuries. But one age has yet to occur—an age of darkness, of decay, and of writhing doom. Witty bards and wrathful preachers know it as the Age of Worms, weaving it into the peripheries of their passion plays a mythic era of destruction that could begin at any time. Astrologers, diviners, and the servants of Fate know more. The canniest among them fear that the Age of Worms has already begun.

[Character Creation]

Available Sources: WOTC-Published 3.5 Sourcebooks
Banned Sources: Savage Species, Magic of Incarnum, Tome of Magic, Tome of Battle, and Unearthed Arcana.

ECL: 1st (0 XP)
Gold: First Level Starting Gold.
Ability Scores*: 32 point buy OR 4d6, drop the lowest, 7 times.
If you roll, you cannot choose point-buy. If you roll and get no score above 13, or a total modifier of +1 or less (after dropping the lowest roll) you may re-roll.
Hit Points: Maximum first level, roll 2HD for each level afterward. Re-roll any ones, take the best of the two rolls.
Alignments: Any other than Chaotic Evil.
Pantheon: Greyhawk
Backgrounds: Recommended for role-playing purposes and to get the indepth feel for the campaign, though no necessary. If you wish to discuss your background, feel free to PM me through Gaia or IM me over messanger.
MSN: sir_lans@hotmail.com

[House / Optional Rules]

1] Spellcasters that prepare spells may spontaneously cast Cantrips and Orisons. Normal daily limits still apply. Spontaneous casters instead know an additional number of 0th-level spells equal to their relevant ability score modifier. Sorcerers with 18 Charisma, for example, would know 4 additional 0th-level spells.
2] If you wish to use Animal Companions/Familiars/Mounts in combat, their stat block must be in the "Other Notes" section of your character sheet, or on another sheet altogether.
3] Please mark the resource used for stuff outside of core! Like, if you take a feat from the Complete Adventurer, put "Feat Name [C.Adventurer, pg. x]" or something like that.  

[Deadusernamelol]

[Local Background]

At a perfumed arcade known as the Emporium, Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff rubs shoulders common labourers awaiting an appointment in the Veiled Corridor. In an adjoining antechamber, snakes and exotic dancers gyre to a sonorous weave of cymbals and seductive pipes. A floor below, a gaggle of grasping miners presses against the windowed door of a darkened cell, impatient for a glimpse of a two-headed calf.
Out on the street, a gang of rowdies scream obscenities at a crumpled halfling, kicking it as if scrambling for a ball. Their drunken laughter echoes off shuttered windows and bolted doors.
In a tower-flanked fortress across the shadowy square, filthy men with nothing to lose shout hymns to St. Cuthbert, clutching to their idealism and principles like cornered animals. Their wild-eyed chief minister smiles as he draws a cat-o-nine-tails across his bare back, awash in their adulation and the spirits of his god. But it's just another night in Diamond Lake.

[Diamond Lake, Briefing]

Diamond Lake nestles in the rocky crags of the Cairn Hills, three days east of the Free City of Greyhawk to which it is subject. Iron, copper, and silver from Diamond Lake's mines fuel the capital's markets and support its soldiers and nobles with the raw materials necessary for weapons and finery. This trade draws hundreds of skilled and unskilled labourers and artisans, all hoping to strike it rich. In ages past, Diamond Lake boasted an export more valuable than metal in the form of treasure liberated from the numerous tombs and burial cairns crowding the hills around the town. These remnants of a half-dozen long-dead cultures commanded scandalous prices from Greyhawk's elite, whose insatiable covetousness triggered a boom in the local economy. Those days are long gone, though. The last cairn in the region coughed up its treasures decades ago, and few locals pay much mind to stories of yet-undiscovered tombs and unplundered burial cairns. These days, only a handful of treasure-seekers visit the town, and few return to Greyhawk with anything more valuable than a wall rubbing or an ancient tool fragment.

In the hills surrounding the town, hundreds of labourers spend weeks at a time underground, breathing recycled air pumped in via systems worth ten times their combined annual salary. The miners are the chattel of Diamond Lake, its seething, tainted blood. But they are also Diamond Lake's foundation, their weekly pay cycling back into the community via a gaggle of gambling dens, bordellos, taverns, and temples. Because work in the mines is so demanding and dangerous, most folk come to Diamond Lake because they have nowhere else to turn, seeking an honest trade of hard labour for subsistence pay simply because the system has allowed them no other option. Many are foreigners displaced from native lands by war or famine. Work in a Diamond Lake mine is the last honest step before utter destitution or crimes of desperation. For some, it is the first step in the opposite direction: a careful work assignment to ease the burden on debtor-filled prisons, one last chance to make it in civil society.

Despite its squalor, Diamond Lake is crucial to Greyhawk's economy. The city's directors thus take a keen interest in local affairs, noting the rise and fall of the managers who run Diamond Lake's mines in trust for the government. The city's chief man in the region is Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff, a lecherous philanderer eager to solidify his power and keep the mine managers in line. Neff exerts his capricious will via the agency of the grandiloquent Sheriff Cubbin, a man so renowned for corruption that many citizens assumed the announcement of his commission was a joke until he started arresting people.

The alliance between the governor-mayor and his pocket police might not be enough to cow Diamond Lake's powerful mine managers, but Lanod Neff holds a subtle advantage thanks to the presence of his distinguished brother, the scrupulous Allustan, a wizard from Greyhawk who retired to Diamond Lake five years ago. None dare move against Neff so long as Allustan is around.

Instead of scheming against the government, Diamond Lake's six mine managers plot endlessly against one another, desperate to claim a weakened enemy's assets while at the same time protecting their own. While they are not nobles, the mine managers exist in a strata above normal society. They consider themselves far above their employees, many of whom are indentured or effectively enslaved as part of a criminal sentence. The miners' loyalty tends to map directly to the working conditions, pay, and respect offered to the miners by their wealthy masters.

Diamond Lake crouches in the lowland between three hills and the lake itself, a splotch of mud, smoke, and blood smeared across uneven terrain marked by countless irregular mounds and massive rocks. The oldest buildings pack the lakeshore, where fishing vessels once docked and stored their impressive catches. That commerce has abandoned the town entirely, for the shining waters that once gave Diamond Lake its name are now so polluted as to make fishing impossible. Many old warehouses have been converted into cheap housing for miners and labourers, and no one is safe outdoors after dark. As one walks north along the streets of Diamond Lake, the buildings become sturdier and the spirits of their inhabitants likewise improve. A great earthen road called the Vein bisects the town. With few exceptions, those living north of the Vein enjoy a much better life than the wretches living below it.

All of the town's social classes congregate in the Vein's central square. Roughly every two weeks, someone in the town upsets someone else so greatly that the only recourse is a duel to the death at the centre of a ring of cheering miners. The bookmakers of the Emporium and the Feral Dog do brisk business on such occasions, which tend to draw huge crowds. On less violent nights, the square is still home to a thousand pleasures and poisons; if Diamond Lake is a creature, the Vein's central square is its excitable, irregular heart.

[Diamond Lake Statistics]

Diamond Lake (small town): Conventional; AL N; Population 1,023; 800 gp limit; Assets 40,920 gp; Isolated (96% human, 2% halfling, 1% gnome, 1% other races).

Authority Figures: Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff (male human); Balabar Smenk (male human), mine manager; Chaum Gansworth (male human), mine manager; Ellival Moonmeadow (male elf), mine manager; Gelch Tilgast (male human), mine manager; Luzane Parrin (female human), mine manager; Ragnolin Dourstone (male dwarf), mine manager, Sheriff Cubbin (male human); Tolliver Trask (male human), garrison commander.

[Diamond Lake; Locations of Interest]

1 The Emporium
Once simply known as Zalamandra's, one of many vice dens along the Vein, its ill fortunes changed ten years ago when its charismatic young madam seduced Professor Montague Marat, proprietor of a travelling sideshow and curiosity collection passing through Diamond Lake. The two joined forces and a cavalcade of freaks and eccentrics moved into the building's lower floor. Thus was born Zalamandra's Emporium. 3 commons (copper pieces) give access to the "Gallery of Science" along the first floor's central corridor. Although the professor himself abandoned Diamond Lake three years ago, nearly a dozen of his former employees remain at the Emporium. Come visit Shag Solomon, the shaggy wild man from the northern pine forests or Esmerelda Jr., the two-headed calf. Other attractions include the misshapen contortionist Tom Shingle, the combustible magician Ariello Klint, the potionmonger Benazel the Alchemist, and the alluring Chezabet, who reads fortunes.

3 nobles (silver pieces) allow access to the lushly decorated upper floor, which features a large gaming hall, an exclusive entertainment club, and the infamous Veiled Corridor, where any pleasure may be obtained for the right price. Zalamandra tolerates absolutely no conflict within her walls. Anyone who ignores the edict risks the attentions of Kurlag, the Emporium's imposing half-ogre bouncer.

2 Lazare's House
A cosy gaming parlour situated on the Vein's central square. Inside, Diamond Lake's elite match wits over dragonchess, a popular game in which two sides of 42 pieces contest over three 96-square boards representing the sky, the earth, and the underworld. Visitors are expected to bring their own pieces, but may rent a house set for 2 crowns (gold pieces). The place is run by Lazare, a dragonchess champion from Greyhawk some twenty years ago, and his beautiful daughter Dannath. Lazare was once a mine manager but, nearly bankrupted, was forced to sell his mine to Balabar Smenk years ago. It is no secret that Lazare blames Smenk for the death of his cherished wife, who grew gravely ill at the height of the ownership struggle.

3 The Feral Dog
The Feral Dog, a sleazy tavern on the Vein's central square, is by far Diamond Lake's busiest. Every night and especially when the workforces of several local mines let out at the same time, cheering labourers within the bar scream obscenities and wave betting vouchers over two dogs in a lethal pit fight. Dagger tossing contests are also quite popular. The halfling Pagget is the current dagger-throwing 'champion.' No one savours the tinny ale served by Gorvic, but the place is more about camaraderie, bravado, and desperation than about expecting exemplary quality or service. A gang of criminals indentured to Balabar Smenk casts a broad shadow over the Feral Dog's squalid taproom. Patrons know from experience to respect the word of Kullen, the silently seething albino half-orc who leads the motley band.

4 Church of St. Cuthbert
Within this tower-flanked structure, the poorest of Diamond Lake's poor huddle in a torch-lit sanctuary listening to the fiery sermons of Jierian Wierus, a bombastic orator whose populist rants appeal to the best virtues and values of the common man while at the same time preying upon their fears and superstitions. Wierus endlessly preaches a creed of common sense, honesty, and self-sacrifice, encouraging his faithful to give penance to St. Cuthbert by whipping themselves in repetitive acts of self-mortification. His growing cult, now some 150 strong, gives succour to the dregs of Diamond Lake society and is seen as a menace by some. The secondary acolyte is Hameneezer, a hard-working cleric who manages the day-to-day affairs of the church. The church is also known for a local remedy known as diamond water elixir, a cloudy brownish mixture of local vegetation, salts from the mines, and Diamond Lake's tainted water. Local sayings about the medicine rightly claim that drinkers "will feel a lot worse before they feel any better."

5 Tidwoad's
As close to a bank as one can find in Diamond Lake, the gnome Tidwoad runs this shop located on the Vein's central square. Maintaining a fine collection of gems in a showroom display case, Tidwoad boasts that his establishment is completely theft proof. A shield guardian named Festus helps keep the jeweller's theft-free streak alive.

6 Sheriff's Office
Led by a boisterous alcoholic named Sheriff Cubbin and his right-hand man, Deputy Jamis, the six thugs who comprise the constabulary see to the general safety of the town and ensure that Neff's schemes go off without a hitch.

7 General Store
Diamond Lake's largest general store is run by the amiable Taggin. The store's goods include the most common adventuring gear, and Taggin cheerfully offers to special order anything he does not have in stock from Greyhawk, a process that "usually takes about a week." Besides basic supplies, numerous mining-related items can be purchased here.

8 The Hungry Gar
Guld Tortikan, head chef at the Hungry Gar, claims to serve the finest meal on the Vein. He is mistaken.

9 Jalek's Flophouse
Once a warehouse used by fishermen, Jalek's Flophouse is situated on Front Street within smelling distance of the lake. It houses nearly a hundred pitiful indigents fighting off destitution with a handful of commons. Lodging is 5 commons a night, paid to a massive, helmeted mute half-orc named Golot. The brute pummels those who do not pay until they flee or die. The shifting inhabitants and the chaotic layout of the upper floor make it one of the best places to disappear in all of Diamond Lake. The landlord, a halfling named Jalek, lives in a rooftop apartment and is seldom seen. The Cuthbertine flagellant Jierian Wierus, however, is frequently seen in the flophouse where he recruits a growing tide of converts.

10 Smenk Residence
The most powerful mine manager in Diamond Lake, Balabar Smenk has wrestled four mines into his possession in the last ten years, and apparently has designs upon the rest. Smenk lives in a sodden old mansion (once owned by Luzane Parrin) a century past its prime, the front door of which is always wide open, fulfilling an old promise that he would always be available to his miners. Beyond the front door, one can see three great bestial apes prowling the outer corridors, chained to a rail that runs through all the rooms. Three thugs, brandishing lead pipes, also patrol the streets around his home, warning anyone they see to go away with a sneer.

11 Deepspike Mine
This abandoned mine is used by Balabar Smenk for storage purposes and is kept locked at all times.

12 Greyhawk Militia Garrison
The refurbished ruin of an ancient keep houses more than sixty members of the Greyhawk Militia, soldiers tasked with patrolling the northern hills, liaising with the halfling communities to the north, and protecting ore shipments from Diamond Lake and the nearby towns of Steaming Springs and Blackstone. Captain Tolliver Trask, the garrison's aging commander, distinguished himself during the Greyhawk Wars and is well respected by his soldiers and the community at large. The complete garrison force consists of three squads, each led by a lieutenant. They are Dobrun Trent, a half-elven archer of exceptional skill, the talented sword mistress Mikkela Venderin, and the powerful Trovost Skunt, who exploits his authority with regularity and aplomb. Other notables of the garrison include Dietrik Cicaeda, the middle-aged Chief Cartographer of Diamond Lake, and Merris Sandovar, the garrison's Chief Scout and a late member of the Bronzewood Lodge. Both are close friends of Captain Trask.

12a Chapel of Heironeous
Within the garrison is a chapel dedicated to the Valorous Knight. It boasts the second largest congregation in Diamond Lake, dominated by soldiers and guards, as well as one of the town's most dynamic personalities in the form of its high priest, Justice Valkus Dun. Dun came to Diamond Lake two years ago, after the previous justice, Amon Kyre, vanished under mysterious circumstances. Local gossip holds that Dun once had great prospects in Greyhawk's immense Sanctum of Heironeous, but that politics saw him exiled to an assignment in squalid Diamond Lake. Nevertheless, Dun took to his assignment with zeal, and the weekly services have taken on an activist spirit. While Captain Trask urges his charges to stay out of local affairs, Dun instils in them a duty to the townsfolk and urges them to make a difference in the community. The resulting tension, between Captain Trask and Justice Dun, as well as between the Heironean soldiers and the disreputable elements of Diamond Lake (which is to say nearly all of them), is palpable. Valkus Dun is assisted in his duties by Honourable Velias Childramun, an aging priest who has lived his whole life at Diamond Lake's garrison and handles most of the healing needs of the complex and sees to the occasional pilgrim seeking the soothing balm of Heironeous. A newcomer to the chapel is Mélinde of Heironeous, a charming warrior priestess who acts as Dun's personal advisor. She has a reputation as an excellent sword mistress, as well as that of a fine dragonchess player.

13 Lakeside Stables
Lanch Faraday, the portly ostler who operates the rundown Lakeside Stables, charges 5 nobles per day for stabling. Some customers have complained about mysterious bruises on their horses, but no one has yet to press the issue.

14 The Midnight Salute
This by-the-numbers house of ill repute caters to the garrison crowd and anyone seeking a less exotic (and less expensive) experience than that offered by the Emporium's legendary Veiled Corridor. Its proprietress, the ravishing Purple Prose, stresses discretion and decorum with her workforce. One of the favourites here is Constance Grace, a lovely lass with a reputation for eagerness.

15 The Spinning Giant
When not drilling, sleeping, or on patrol, garrison soldiers flock to this raucous two-story tavern run by Nimiscent to meet with friends, chant drinking songs, and drown themselves in ale and god cheer. A faded fresco painted on the building's face depicts a dancing imbecilic hill giant in a yellow dress known as Flailing Felanore. Patrons must enter and exit via a door positioned between the giant's legs. Forty years ago, a dim-witted young giantess captured by the militia was "granted" to the proprietor of their favourite watering hole to serve as a mascot. The attraction worked, drawing visitors from as far away as Greyhawk to gawk and stare at Flailing Felanore's awkward gyrations. Though Felanore died from an outbreak of the Red Death plague nearly twenty years ago, the free-standing circular centre stage on which she once pranced remains the most prestigious musical venue in town, if not nearly the most titillating. Garrison soldiers make up most of the Spinning Giant's regular patrons, with a handful of mine overseers and merchants rounding out the crowd. Diamond Lake's poor, including most miners, and members of the local constabulary are not welcome here. Pickpockets and other riffraff are not tolerated and the patrons have been known to respond harshly when confronted with a crime in progress.

16 The Captain's Blade
Tyrol Ebberly, a severe-looking man who claims to have once been a watch captain in Greyhawk, runs this small weapons shop with efficiency. He's an absolute fanatic about weapons and loves to show off his wares. Ebberly is also known as an inveterate gossip.

17 Venelle's
Diamond Lake's resident bowyer and fletcher, Venelle also deals in other weapons and armour imported from Greyhawk in exchange for items of her own design. She has friends among the Bronzewood Lodge and is pleased to entertain guests who appreciate arrowcraft and elven culture, herself having a touch of elven blood in her veins.

18 Allustan's Residence
The "smartest man in town," a friendly wizard named Allustan dwells within a charming red and deep blue house on one of the rare stretches of healthy grass in all of Diamond Lake. A small meditation garden adjoins the face of the house, incorporating vertical stones and small pools of concentric circles. The fresh paint and the well-tended yard contrast sharply with the rest of the seedy town, a testament to the locals' respect for (or fear of) a man whose prowess is known as far as Greyhawk itself. Allustan is the older brother of Lanod Neff. The sons of Diamond Lake's powerful and efficient governor-mayor, years ago their father sent them both to Greyhawk for education. Allustan soon found himself in the prestigious University of Magical Arts, but eventually left his studies to pursue an adventuring career. He came back to Diamond Lake five years ago and retired with more than enough treasures to support his lifestyle.
Nowadays Allustan offers his library and considerable intelligence to the citizens of Diamond Lake as a sage, although few miners have reason to seek his services. The wizard charges a standard rate of 20 orbs per question.

19 Tilgast Residence
This grandiose estate belongs to Gelch Tilgast, who once held the reins of Diamond Lake's ore trade before the arrival of Balabar Smenk. Allied with Luzane Parrin and several mine managers from the neighbouring towns of Steaming Springs and Blackstone, Tilgast has attempted to thwart Smenk's designs on the area's mines. Yet at home Tilgast has failed to attract the support of Ellival Moonmeadow, Ragnolin Dourstone, or Chaum Gansworth, all of whom remember a time when Tilgast was king of the hill and lorded his power over everyone else. Tilgast maintains a family of seven fine thoroughbred horses within a well-managed stable enclosed in a stockade wall. Wealthy visitors and a few residents of the town pay 1 orb per day to stable a favourite horse within the compound, where a clutch of meticulous grooms tends to the animal's every need.

20 Old Piers
In decades past, nobles from Greyhawk flocked to Diamond Lake to sail upon its crystal clear waters. Mine tailings, waste runoff, and other pollution ended the practice almost a century ago, but the rotting carcasses of once elaborate piers still jut into the lake's murky waters. A few masts peak out from the surface, tombstones of abandoned fishing vessels from more recent times. Regular fish cannot survive in the tainted waters, leaving only dangerous, hardy predators like the ravenous, toothy gar that have become such a problem in recent years. Those who venture across Diamond Lake do so at their own risk.

For a piece of silver, a retired marine named Durskin will ferry up to six passengers across the lake in his sloop, a dingy vessel called the Autumn Runner. The destitute boatman lives on the deck of his boat, which smells of urine and teems with fleas and sea mites. Those seeking a safer passage must rely upon the Harkness, a ten-man sailboat maintained by the shadowy Cult of the Green Lady, who use the vessel to cross back and forth between Diamond Lake and the cairn in which their order holds its services to Wee Jas, goddess of magic and death. Passage on the Harkness costs 3 nobles, and passengers must endure bothersome sermons on the exquisite beauty of death and the arcane prowess of the Dark-Eyed Lady. In either case, it takes about 30 minutes to cross from one shore of the lake to the other.

21 Able Carter Coaching Inn
The Able Carter Coaching Company connects Greyhawk to its satellite towns via a fleet of horse-drawn coaches and an inn positioned at every leg of the journey. Diamond Lake's hostelry offers 20 rooms for let at a rate of 1 orb per day. Stable services are available for a fee of 5 nobles per day. Four guards keep watch on the place throughout the day and night, and can be hired to ride with a coach for an additional 5 orbs per day. A permanent guest named Fester Trollump traps badgers in the hills and sells their pelts for a modest profit on monthly trips to Greyhawk. On rare occasions he traps more exciting beasts like griffons or manticores, which he supposedly takes to Greyhawk as well.

22 Parrin Residence
Luzane Parrin inherited her family's claim on three mines outside Diamond Lake at the age of 17 when her mother, the influential Millicent Parrin, died nineteen years ago from a sickness called the Red Death. Since Balabar Smenk's arrival in town, she has lost most of her allies, one of her mines, several of her best-earning foremen and overseers, as well as her family estate. Her husband also died mysteriously two years ago. To protect her remaining assets from Smenk, she has allied herself with Gelch Tilgast. Rumours also hold that Parrin has begun a romantic relationship with Chaum Gansworth. The townsfolk tend to avoid the Parrin residence as an aging witch named Amelliante keeps watch on the place.

23 Greysmere Covenant
Three prominent representatives of the dwarven stronghold of Greysmere, many days to the south across the treacherous Mistmarsh, live in this sturdy brick and timber structure. Greysmere imports some of the raw iron ore unearthed by local humans, as it bears a colour prized by the most skilled artisans and metalworkers of the dwarven clans. Dulok Blitzhame leads the delegation with straight talk and cunning pragmatism. Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff frequently invites the dwarves for meals and parlour discussions, and Blitzhame in particular shares a strong friendship with Ragnolin Dourstone, from whom he gets most of the ore exported to Greysmere. The other councillors, Galuth Grobadore and Bitris Ruthek, spend much of their time representing the interests of Greysmere in neighbouring communities.

24 Gansworth Residence
Diamond Lake's youngest mine manager, Chaum Gansworth, arrived 14 years ago and since then he has remained in the background, never drawing too much attention to himself while quietly amassing a fortune from three very productive mines. Gansworth lives in the heart of Diamond Lake, at the end of a cul-de-sac marked by a memorial obelisk dedicated to the memory of a mine collapse 70 years ago that killed more than 300 miners. A low wall surrounds most of the two-story structure, and five sentinels guard the compound at all times. Luzane Parrin is rumoured to visit often.

25 Rusty Bucket
This popular restaurant used to specialise in fish, but since the lake went bad it's been forced to adapt to a land-based menu. Within, green stained-glass windows filter eerie light into the main dining room, where the intertwining melodies of a trio of pipers enhance an ethereal atmosphere. Guests dine in a large common room, with a handful of nicer tables situated in a roped-off area beside the main dining hall. The far table, on a raised platform overlooking the private room, is reserved for Chaum Gansworth, Diamond Lake's most calculating mine manager and the owner of the Rusty Bucket. Gansworth rigorously pursues a neutral stance in all political dealings. As a result, many of the town's major political players consider the Rusty Bucket neutral ground.

26 Moonmeadow Residence
Unlike the other mine managers of Diamond Lake, Ellival Moonmeadow manages only one mine for the Directing Oligarchy. Regulars at Lazare's gaming parlour know this reclusive grey elf as "The Prince," since he is a minor noble from the distant olven realm of Celene, a land so fabled it might as well be imaginary as far as most of Diamond Lake's residents are concerned. Moonmeadow remains aloof from the affairs of the human mine managers, and sees their iron-based operations as more vulgar than his local silver monopoly. The only thing that brings him into the public eye is dragonchess, and even he plays only with opponents capable of challenging his instinctive, complex style. The blond, well-dressed elf rarely consorts with humans at all, preferring the company of six grey elves who also hail from his homeland. These agents serve as Moonmeadow's protectors, constantly on the watch for trouble even when relaxing, always within arm's reach of a weapon. Conversation with them leaves one with the impression that they think they're here on a temporary assignment; that Moonmeadow's silver mining operation is merely a pretence for his presence in the region. If that's true, it's a ruse that's been going on for more than a century, for the elf has lived in Diamond Lake longer than any current resident.

27 Osgood Smithy
The distinctive "O" maker's mark of Manlin Osgood is a regional sign of quality powerful enough that lesser blacksmiths in neighbouring communities often forge it to maintain competitive parity. Osgood and his team of seven apprentices and journeyman smiths specialise in masterwork armour and household items like canteens, canisters, tools, and the like. Osgood is a somewhat course, unfailingly polite middle-aged man with a bald head and a walrus-like moustache. He always remembers a customer's name, and greets frequent patrons with a hearty handshake and a slap on the back.

28 Smelting House
A century ago, local mine managers maintained their own smelting houses, but constant conflict resulted in frequent sabotage that choked the flow of resources from Diamond Lake to the Greyhawk markets. The Directing Oligarchy reluctantly stepped in, monopolising the smelting trade and basing the town's only smelting house in a massive fortress-workshop perched on the edge of the lake. Runoff slag belched from great sub-surface pipes accounts for the majority of the pollution that has killed off most aquatic life in the region, and production these days is more robust than it has ever been. The rarely seen chief smelter, Vulgan Durtch, is supposedly one of the richest men in Diamond Lake, but few neighbours know anything about him. Durtch runs the place with a precision that requires his near-constant supervision over a team of two dozen menials and overseers, but rumours suggest more sinister motives for his seclusion.

A tower on the building's northwest corner serves as the residence and workshop of Benazel the Alchemist, a talkative chemist from Greyhawk who oversees the alchemical rituals and reagents necessary for the smelting process and who sells potions from his first-floor office.

29 Diamond Lake Boneyard
The town's overcrowded cemetery used to be a great source of bodies for medical students in Greyhawk and unscrupulous necromancers, but the Cult of the Green Lady has put a stop to that. Throughout the day, the green-robed acolytes wander the cemetery chanting songs holy to Wee Jas while tending graves and clearing vines and mud from stone markers dating back hundreds of years. Tales abound that one coffin in the boneyard - no one is sure just which one - contains not a dead body, but dozens and dozens of gold bars. Ample evidence supports the rumour, but anyone who tries to test out the theory must first deal with the cultists.

30 Neff Manor
Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff inherited the position from his father after spending several years in Greyhawk's city watch. While many in Diamond Lake would like to see him removed from power, none dare act against him for fear of Allustan, Lanod's older brother. Neff's sprawling manor house squats atop the hill overlooking Diamond Lake, a tangle of scaffolding, wires, and work crews. Protected by a wooden stockade wall, the manor houses the political apparatus of the town, including several meeting rooms, a courthouse, and numerous bedchambers for visiting dignitaries and Lanod Neff's countless guests. Visitation with the governor-mayor is by appointment only, with an audience sometimes taking several days to arrange.

31 Dourstone Mine
Ragnolin Dourstone has managed this copper mine since the very beginning, when he chose this spot seemingly at random. The mine itself is surrounded by a wooden stockade and is well guarded. Ever the pragmatist, Dourstone believes it is better to pay a few guards a good wage to keep the workers in line rather than offer a fair wage to his miners (2 nobles per day, plus room and board). Needless to say, only the desperate or those unable to find work elsewhere remain here for long. In most cases, the miners work only long enough to earn the money needed to buy passage elsewhere. Many of the miners that do stick around are crippled ex-criminals unable to find other work or convicted criminals who have been sentenced to hard labour.

32 Abandoned Mine
It's been so long since this mine was in operation that nobody even remembers its name.

33 Menhirs
This worn old stone ring is often visited by residents of the Bronzewood Lodge, and is sacred to the Druids of the Grey Circle, a relic from a time when laws of the wilderness governed man as well as animals.

34 Old Observatory
This crumbling abandoned observatory once housed an order of astronomers dedicated to Celestian. Now it houses a constantly rotating group of tenants with ties to Balabar Smenk, who owns the deed to the property.

35 Dourstone Residence
This squat, well-protected manor is the home of Ragnolin Dourstone, who came to Diamond Lake from the dwarven stronghold of Greysmere about 50 years ago and established several mining operations in the area. Although one of the more responsible mine managers, Dourstone has a greedy reputation and it is rumoured that he left Greysmere under mysterious circumstances.  

[Deadusernamelol]

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