Teras, Rakore

Last updated for the Summer of 1331 Avard.

Teras is located on the western side of the mouth of the Galanus River in Rakore. The area has had an on-and-off history going back centuries, but only recently expanded to the size of a city. Teras acts as a commercial exchange hub, and has active fishing, farming, ranching, and logging industries. The city is the third-largest in Rakore (after Kashin and Chasadan, respectively), and ruled by a duke. At any given moment, there are over three dozen ships docked in Teras, loading and off-loading cargo, going through customs inspections, or preparing for refits. The city accommodates deep-draft vessels on the gulf-side docks, and shallow-draft vessels along its river-walk.

For many newcomers to Rakore, Teras is their first stop in a strange land ruled by a dwarven king who's laws treat everyone equally.

The city is constructed of granite and heavy timbers, and is well-designed with sub-surface sewers and anti-siege fortifications. An extremely well-fortified 'inner keep' that houses the barracks and the duke's keep serves as the military focal point, but the duke's and the count's manors are in the more easily accessed heart of the city.

Teras, Circa 1327 Avard.

General Characteristics
Classification: Large City

Population: 16,500 (7,000 Slate, 500 Amarans, 500 Toomarans, 1,000 Sylvan elves, 1,000 desert elves, 500 orcs, 500 mountain dwarves, 1,000 hill dwarves, 1,500 tomanths, 1,000 variable transients)

Spending Limitations: 300,000 silver maximum

Rulership: Kashin is governed by a conventional feudal ruler -- a sylvan elf by the name of Duke Therinol Navaillo, formerly a guardian of now-fallen Terrace. He tends to wear a light gray tabard with an anchor and arrows retort over his studded leather, and keeps an intense expression of study across his features. A ranger veteran of the War of the Undead, the Battle of Thayer's Rock, the Nabrolian Expedition of 1322, and the War of the Four Winds, Therinol is a formidable warrior of some two-hundred years. He assumed the title of Duke in 1325, and has since proven himself as an able leader of considerable initiative.

Duke Therinol Navaillo of Teras: male sylvan elf; Rgr7/Nob4; CR 10; Size M (4 ft., 8 in. tall); HD 7d10 + 4d8; hp 69; Init +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+3 Dex, +3 studded leather); Attack +11/+6 melee (sabre, 1d6+1, crit19-20x2), or +13/+8 ranged (composite longbow, 1d8+1, crit20x3, RI110ft); SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +7; AL CG; Str 12, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14. Languages Spoken: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Sholin, Toomaran, Amaran, Tomanth, Ogran, Kobold, Sylvan, Nabrolian, Vridaran. Skills and feats: Climb +9, Concentration +9, Diplomacy +9, Handle animal +9, Heal +9.5, Hide +3, Innuendo +4, Intuit direction +10, Knowledge (religion) +8, Listen +3, Move silently +3, Open lock +4, Pick pocket +6.5, Search +5, Sense Motive +3, Speak language +7, Spot +3, Use rope +12, Wilderness lore +11; Leadership, Improved initiative, Toughness, [Track], Weapon focus (composite longbow). Ranger Spells Per Day: 2.

Duke Therinol convenes his hall for the first three days of the week, and reserves the other four for discussions with the counts and barons that serve him. Once a month -- usually in the last week of the month -- he meets with the King and the Circle of Priests.

Alignment: Chaotic Good. The wildly mixed population of all races, coupled with the sailors and the history of Teras, has made for a tough city. Duke Therinol's guard do a commendable job maintaining general order -- particularly in the merchant and housing districts -- but the locals have their own rules that they tend to enforce with a fist for outsiders. Racial intolerances usually do not last past the first fight, and the few laws that the duke has had to create truly apply only to the merchants, the general defense of the city, and to keep the peace.

Defense: Teras has about 400 full-time soldiers and reeves, in addition to a militia of nearly 3,000. The guard is led by Count Kaleus Stonegrudge, a nephew of Father Bryan, the High Priest of Galgiran in Rakore. Kaleus was the former ruler of Teras, until it was expanded into a duchy, and does not envy Therinol in the least. He thinks humans are a fidgety bunch, and has no compunctions about letting people know where they stand in his eyes. Count Kaleus maintains some control of Teras, and can ably administer the city in the duke's absence. Kaleus also has no compunction about butting in and butting some heads, along with his guard.

Count Kaleus Stonegrudge: male hill dwarf; War8; CR 7; Size M (3 ft., 11 in. tall); HD 8d8+16; hp 47; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 16 (+5 chainmail, +1 shield); Attack +12/+7 melee (battleaxe, 1d10+4, crit19-20x2), or +8/+3 ranged (composite shortbow, 1d6+2, crit20x3, RI70ft); SV Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +5; AL CG; Str 18, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 7. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven, Undercommon. Skills and feats: Appraise +3, Climb +14, Craft +3, Hide +0, Intimidate +8, Jump +10, Knowledge +3.5, Listen +3, Move silently +0, Spellcraft +2.5, Spot +3; Leadership, Power attack, Run.

History
The city was little more than a fishing village for a few hundred humans for most of its history, emulating the elven city of Terrace perhaps a day's northeast of them. Twice a year, the great whaling ships of the Chandrals and the Morthians would converge on Teras for supplies and re-outfitting. Teras' population would swell in the days and weeks before the whalers arrived, and then the city would shrink again after they left. The native inhabitants of the Rakoran Forests were farmers and rangers for the most part, but all knew of Teras, and the goods to be found there during the seasons.

With the War of the Undead and the subsequent founding of Rakore, Teras' strategic importance was capitalized upon by both private citizens and the feudal lords. Teras was refounded as a ship-building city, and a fortress to prevent unwanted ships from harassing the vital shipping line of the Galanus River. Dwarven craftsmen labored alongside the native slate humans, who also worked in concert with refugee desert elves, sylvan elves from the burned out remnants of Terrace, and even Sholin from the gulf. Teras was built on and hollowed out, to make way for modern sewers, ship-building yards, warehouses, barracks, housing, and all the necessities of a civilian army.

During the War of the Four Winds, Teras was one of the few parts of Rakore that was never over-run by ograns. The city was, however, over-run by Kur Maens, but only briefly -- the Kur Maen forces defected over to Rakore, placing themselves under the command of the city's duke before the fighting could become too serious. Thereafter, the city held against ogran and even Nabrolian besieging forces. When the war ended, Teras proved itself invaluable to all of Rakore.

Worship
The Singing Gnoll (Habrem): Located on the west side of the city is a park-like hill with a number of thick, stained-glass windows in it. The temple of Habrem in the city is completely covered by beautiful gardens, flowers, and ivies in the summer. Inside, the hewn stone of the small temple has perfect acoustics, and room for perhaps fifty people. Located in back are special rooms for training and living quarters, for the one priestess and two accolytes. The Singing Gnoll provide musical training for all the bards and minstrels of the city, as well as personal aid to the large numbers of whores and 'ladies of the evening'. Soft lighting and an atmosphere thick in incense provides a welcome backdrop on holy days for the local choir. The priestess, Mother Evale Contrain, is a strikingly handsome woman in her late forties.

female human Clr3: CR 3; Size M (5 ft., 4 in. tall); HD 3d8-3; hp 21; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +3 melee, or +3 ranged; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5; AL CG; Str 12, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 13. Languages Spoken: Common, Infernal, Undercommon. Skills and feats: Concentration +4, Craft +6, Hide +1, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Listen +2, Move silently +2, Pick pocket +2, Profession +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot +2, Tumble +2; Skill focus (concentration), Toughness, Weapon focus (gauntlet). Cleric Domains: Air, Luck. Cleric Spells Per Day: 4/3+1/2+1.

Other: Well-built altars to a number of the other gods are scattered through the city, and are maintained by the Chaplain of the Guard. Altars to Barith, Galanus, and Arpelos are easy to find throughout the city. On the outskirts of Teras, are several communities with their own small churches, both to Barith, and to Galanus.

Taverns and Inns
The Red Flagon (Tavern): The largest, most popular bar in all Rakore is the Red Flagon. Named by the patrons for the man that runs it, the Red Flagon boasts seating capacity for a hundred men on the first floor, with balconies that can seat another hundred on its second and third floors. Built out of an old barn and refinished a number of times, Tol Red runs a first-rate bar with fast service at all hours. Security is maintained by a half-dozen bouncers that are retired warriors of one kind or another -- with additional forces in the tomanths that visit from the marshes across the river. Found right on the docks, the Red Flagon caters to all the sailors that get ship leave, and all the workers that help the ships. The bar sports six different home-brewed beers, as well as the popular Barb's Brew, elven wines, dwarven rotguts -- and Lead Gut for anyone that can stand it. Of particular note, the patrons of the Red Flagon created, honed, and popularized the game of Seige. Tol himself is a tall, rotund man with a sun-reddened face.

Tol Red: male slate human; War3/Com3; CR 4; Size M (6 ft., 1 in. tall); HD 3d8+9 + 3d4+9; hp 39; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +7 melee (club, 1d6, crit20x2), or +6 ranged (iron-bound tankard, 1d4, crit20x3, RI15ft); SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +3; AL NG; Str 17, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 11. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven. Skills and feats: Bluff +3, Handle animal +6, Hide +2, Innuendo +4, Intimidate +6, Jump +7, Listen +5, Move silently +2, Spot +1, Swim +11; Deflect arrows, Improved unarmed strike, Skill focus (swim), Weapon Focus (club).

the Black Rock (Tavern): The bar for sailors, tough-guys, and under-handed pick-pockets is the Black Rock. Run by a retired mercenary, the tavern serves enormous quantities of home-brewed ale. Ship captains familiar with Teras often forbid their sailors from going to the Black Rock, because their sailors rarely return in the morning sober enough to perform any duties, without any money, and even owing the prostitutes and the owner of the Black Rock money. A considerable amount of underground gambling goes on in the Black Rock, as well.

Roscoe: male Amaran human; Ftr6; CR 6; Size M (5 ft., 11 in. tall); HD 6d10+18; hp 54; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +10/+5 melee (longsword, 1d8+4, crit19-20x2); SV Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +2; AL LE; Str 19, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 11. Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven. Skills and feats: Climb +13, Craft (Woodworking) +7, Hide +2, Jump +12, Listen +0, Move Silently +2, Profession (Brewer) +2, Ride +11, Spot +0; Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Investigator, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack.


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