Whiteroof Ward - Locations

Named for the light gray slate roofs on many of the buildings, the Whiteroof Ward handles much of the city’s river shipping. A rough-and-tumble part of town, Whiteroof is home to Fairhaven’s transient half-elf population. The “river elves” of Whiteroof spend about half their time idling in Fairhaven and the rest of it fishing the Aundair River or shipping cargo downriver to Scions Sound. The half-elves have a reputation up and down the river as schemers and con artists, but as canny business owners as well. Most Aundairians say that you’ll either get the best deal of your life from a Whiteroof half-elf, or you’ll get cheated and left empty-handed.

The Whiteroof half-elves tend to be more cosmopolitan than most Aundairians. They’re among the few Aundairians who regularly trade with Thrane, for example. Many an Aundairian bard, half-elf or not, traces his love of story and song to an encounter with a Whiteroof “river elf” that told magical tales of life on the Aundair River.

Vorenn's Walk

In 967 YK, a favored member of Fairhaven’s aristocracy—and a sorcerer of no small power—set to betray the city to the Thranes by selling them royal secrets. Although the crown was none the wiser at the time, word of this act reached the ears of Fairhaven’s criminal element. On the night the nobleman intended to flee the city, he walked calmly from his manse to where a ship waited to bear him safely away. But as he passed through a corner alley in the Whiteroof Ward, more than twenty Aundairian outlaws descended on him with daggers. He did not emerge—but neither did his killers. Today, the alley that bears his name is believed to be haunted with his ghost and those of twenty criminals. Though many stories are told of this event, most claim that both betrayal and sorcery cursed the place of his death.

Street Judgement: Local superstition holds that anyone who enters the alley and bears ill intent against the city will face the spirits of betrayal. Real or not, even the most intrepid of Fairhaven’s criminals choose to go the long way around this part of the district. Characters with knowledge of the undead might be asked to investigate the haunting, especially if the spirits of the legend have been seen leaving Vorren’s Walk. But how does one find suitable bait?

April 22nd, 2019

The Underquay

While most legitimate river trade operates through the dockhouses of the Whiteroof Ward, a select number of Fairhaven’s underworld elite have a resource of their own. Flushed to the northeast edge of the wharf is a quay of cracked stone seemingly used for damaged ships. An unassuming dockhouse is perched on one corner and is accessed only by a single door inscribed with invisible runes of warding. Within lies the Underquay, a surprisingly large extradimensional space that serves as tavern, canteen, and customs house to the powerful and lawless. Those who try to report the Underquay find that some of the authorities have been paid off, and that their days are now numbered.

Deadly Discretion: Characters who learn the watchword of entry into the Underquay find themselves rubbing elbows with the worst of Fairhaven’s criminal element. Here the gang lord Kreelo (in one of his many faces) might meet with corrupt officials, disreputable visitors, or greedy merchants wishing to scare off their rivals. The war profiteer known as Dharvek often comes for business or to trade insults with Dark Dagger rogues. Those who come looking for trouble—or for a smuggler unafraid to break some bones—will find it in the Quay

April 22nd, 2019