- Something is stirring up the giants at the Tents of Rushemé. They have thrown up a wooden palisade around their camp, and loud arguments can be heard from behind it. The arguments involve a new tribe that came out of the jungle a few days ago with a carved icon. Understandably nervous, the Storm Lords want to send someone into the camp to ascertain what is going on and to defuse the situation if possible.
- The Swords of Karrn have gone too far and have executed a member of the Stormreach Guard, openly defying the Storm Lords. An attempt by the guards to restore order ended with the Swords routing them. In addition to turning to House Deneith for help, the Storm Lords seek adventurers to help restore order in the district.
- In Grindstone, the remnants of the city wall are riddled with tunnels and chambers that descend into the earth. Some show signs of a catastrophe in the past, a force that destroyed the wall from underground. A recent mudslide has revealed a deeper set of tunnels. Perhaps they hold the answer to what happened.
As you pass through the gates and enter Grindstone, the air takes on a different feel. People glower at you from doorways or shutter their windows. Children stop playing their games, and only street vendors look you in the eye. These people seem more taciturn than usual for Karrns, but why?
Citizens from other wards move quickly, as if eager to be away from here. They seem a little fearful, and that gives the residents some measure of pride.
With only the Koronoo River between it and the jungle, Southwatch is exposed to the wilds. Over the centuries, the ward’s older buildings have been dismantled to provide other wards with building material, and only fragments remain of the great wall that used to defend this stretch of the city’s southern face. Across the river, the Tents of Rushemé lie ready to trade with the city.
Southwatch is home to those not afraid to live on the edge, whether pariahs, poor people with no choice, or those who have dealings with giants. Among these people are many settlers from Karrnath. The freedom to worship the Blood of Vol openly has drawn many Karrns to the city, and the Last War sent its share of expatriates.
Justice here is rough, enforced by the Swords of Karrn under the leadership of Drago Thul. If the Storm Lords think they need to intervene, they are more likely to send in House Deneith mercenaries than the Stormreach Guard, which would be outmatched by the Swords.