Briskwater was a small village built around the river of the same name that ran from Lac Maroon into the Lunadorian Ocean to the south. After the calamity, the small village saw economic growth unlike any other place in the region due to its residing elven family of magic practitioners and its abundance of nearby natural resources and farmable land. It had kept much of the charm from ages past, with beautiful stone buildings that were surprisingly durable, even during the climate changes.
People here were often involved in hunting, woodcutting or ice fishing in the northern lake that were often frozen over. Despite its undefended location, evils and dangers seemed to keep away from the town.
The town were captured in eternal Fall colors, with the magic of the Caerlinn family, its rulers, keeping the frost at bay.
The Briskwater Tragedy
Following the death of Folduin Caerlinn, the mythallar defenses of the city turned volatile, causing Augnvid to become crazed in a frenzy. A visiting party of heroes uncovered that the mythallar protectors had been manipulated by the visiting Farwalkers, in an attempt to spread the magic of the mythallar thin across the entire region.
While the party managed to defeat the Farwalkers, they were opposed by the Caerlinn children as they tried to stabilize the mythallar. They failed to stabilize it, causing Augnvis to break through the remaining defenses, lift up the mythallar into the air, and be consumed in holy flames, shattering the mythallar across the city in a magical explosion.
The cold winds of the surrounding lands enroached on the once-calm city, ushering in a new era for the elves of the region.
Points of Interest
Almost untouched by the surrounding cold, the town of Briskwater has a lot to offer weary travelers.
1: Slumber Hill
Covered in beautiful oak trees captured in an eternal state of Fall, Slumber Hill were the religious center of Briskwater, with its graveyards and monuments of ages past.
2: Norstadt
Norstadt was a small plantation outlet that housed mostly halflings looking for a permanent life within the borders of the eternal autumn. Not far from the small village was the mansion of the Gebemhaums, a family that had become wealthy by producing pipeweed to the region.
The Burning Phoenix
This popular restaurant were the highlight of the halfling outlet that were famous for its spicy food... and servants. It was a popular spot for the commoners of Briskwater to retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life.
3: Upperburough
Housing some of the wealthier citizens, this beautiful quarter were mostly known for its monastery and it's beautiful architecture, with large stone domes covered in reflective materials.
Briskwater Monastery
This ancient monastery were in fact a collection of several smaller structures that were eventually built into one large structure. Some of the older parts of the monastery were obviously human in design, but the newer additions followed the tradition of elven design. Several orders lived peacefully in the sacred site, dedicated to the many religions of the region. The rulers and people of town tolerated no hardship or harassment based on religious beliefs, but embraced all schools of thought within its walls.
The monastery housed several religious leaders, including Hanro Summers, an old human monk known for his many travels in the region, and Thalindra Hapshart, a fire genasi that oversaw the training of the chosen clerics and paladins in the service of the Lady of Fire.
4: Academy Quarter
Home to some of the brightest minds of the town, the Academy Quarter were dominated by the Caerlinn Academy.
Caerlinn Academy
A rare find in the world, the Caerlinn Academy trained its students in the basics of magic, lore and history. Affordable only by the most wealthy, it had a strong tradition of song, holding many festivals to celebrate the arts, and enhance such events with minor magical additions. The academy were sponsored by the Caerlinn family, but it was not run by them. Instead, it was run by an eccentric triton mistress known as Lady Yeena.
5: Sunheart Park
This section of the town housed some of the permanent actors an performers of the city, providing accommodation for those who gave back to entertaining the people of the town. The amphitheater were carved in sandy stones from long-gone quarries in the far-off mountains, and some of the stone seats were loose. They occasionally contained love declarations of youngsters in the city, as part of a tradition that dated back several centuries, where the young woman Hylea were said to use the seats to secretly communicate with her true love, Gavalhad.
6: Leonard's Ring
In days of old, this impressive colosseum were the central attraction of the city, with brutal gladiators fighting each other in magnificent shows, and raging barbarians facing monsters and beasts of primordial strength. Today, the scene is used for celebrations and musical gatherings. The occasional speech of the residing rulers and other important figures are also held here.
7: Castle Quarters
This city section was composed of large and beautiful mansions that were heavily inspired by the traditional architectural style of the wood elves, with large archways, wooden designs and silvery linings running along the beautiful glass mosaics for windows. The city quarter was humbled by the presence of Castle Caerlinn, said to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the region.
Castle Caerlinn
Constructed by the skilled ancestral craftsmen of the wood elven and high elven race, Castle Caerlinn were said to have a soul and life of its own. The fortress were more of an enormous mansion than a construction of fortification, but appearances deceived those that would test its sturdiness. Dominating a large portion of the castle were the Dome, a large circular structure near the center that protected the Remauna, a powerful defensive crystal that enabled all elves in the town to work minor feats of magic.
8: Windsoar Quarter
Named after the strong winds that used to circle the castle grounds, Windsoar were mostly a residential zone that housed the craftsmen and other specialists of the town. The nearby park were dedicated to some of the towns founders, with large monuments in marble and jade priding its confines. The city quarter also hosted several large bathhouses, some of them being among the oldest structures of the city still standing.
Vashira's Tubhouse
Known for its scented waters that fills the immediate vicinity with pleasant fragrances of roses and soap, Vashira's Tubhouse were a popular spot for the elite to retreat and relax. The tubhouse were said to be haunted by the founder at night.
9: The Remauna
While not visible to the citizens of Briskwater, the remauna were the reason why the town could maintain in a state of Autumn all year long. The beautiful dome structure that contained it could be seen from the surrounding quarters of the city, and small golden lines of enchantment magic floated from it to the surrounding area.
10: Lumber Docks
Housing the important lumber industry, the docks were known for their many warehouses and rowdy sailors. The lumber trade were important enough for Briskwater to have built a second wall around the quarter for further protection against intruders. A large population of tritons and genasi occupied the residential areas of the quarter.
11: Festival Square
This large square were decorated with marble sculptures of high lords and ladies from ages past, overlooking the surroundings from various pillars. Flowers arranged in beautiful pots were kept by gardeners, and visitors were often taken aback by the beauty of the area - and it's many small bars and specialty shops.
The Blushing Lady
This popular inn were known for its high quality of entertainment and its excellent food and wine. It was affordable despite its high quality, making it a popular spot for the locals as well as visitors. It was a building in three stories with beautiful balconies overlooking the Festival Square. The owner was a handsome tiefling man with long raven black hair and purple skin known simply as Unknown.
Fisher's Corner
Almost maze-like in its design, this section of the square were responsible for the many pleasant smells of spices, fried fish and other delicacies of the countless food stalls. As time passed by, the tents and abodes were turned into permanent installments, much to the joy of the surrounding neighborhoods.
12: Merchant's Run Quarter
The economical center of Briskwater housed several shops of local cuisine, spell components, produce, fashion and other luxuries rarely seen in the region. Enough to make any Stormhaven resident loose their breath from the overwhelming amount of pleasant smells from bakeries and restaurants.
Merchant's Run
This twisting road formed the heart of the Merchant's Run Quarter, with many of its most excellent stores located along the curvy road, covered in impressive pavements of warm sandstone. Some of the most prominent stores included:
- Kamalon's Bladestation - A front store of the blacksmith of the same name, selling weapons and armors of exquisite design and quality.
- The Fletchery - A shop dealing mostly in bows and crossbows of the traditional elven design.
- Sister Sinister - Filled with knick knacks and trinkets, this shop were popular among students of the arcane and other lighthearted souls. It sold a large variety of items that could be used to prank the old stuck-in-the-muds, including wands of fireworks and fleshblobs, a type of hard candy that could temporary turn the face of the eater into a terrifying image.
- Silky Sashas Salon - An extravagant store that dealt mostly in custom orders of clothes and fashionable items, occasionally enchanted with minor magical effects to impress people viewing the wearer.
13: Pier Docks
A large residential zone, the Pier Docks were mostly known for its many bars and its large amount of flowery decorations covering the walls of the houses here. The docks which gave the quarter its name traded mostly in luxuries and commodities, leaving the heavier lumber trade to its separate docks. The quarter saw many visiting gnomes from nearby hidden settlements, and goliaths could frequently be seen here as well, in interesting contrast to the tiny gnomes.
14: Underburough
Somewhat hidden from the rest of the splendor of the city, the Underburoughs housed the servants, unskilled workers and unemployed of the town. The houses were much smaller and less splendid than the rest of the town, and the occasional crime would take place here, as the patrols of the town rarely bothered frequenting the streets. The "Underburough Experience" were an expression used, especially by the younger citizens, to take a tour around the seedy bars and taste their specialties - which were often cheap, but effective, spirits, ales and worse.
15: Blade Quarter
Operated by local representatives of the Blade organization in Stormhaven, the guardsmen and protectors of the commoners working here were known, at least by folks from Stormhaven, to be much more soft and elegant in their attire than their counterparts in the region capitol. The barracks were connected to a jail facility and a refocusing center that also housed a handful of academics working mostly with matters of the mind. Vangorn Storm, a muscular wood elven male, ran the operation and were successful mostly due to his popularity among the citizens of the city. Everyone knew he mostly let the officers at the hall run the place by their own whims.