Monster Town

Monster Town
Country/Region	abandoned Fresia
Size	Small City: under 10,000
Demographics	the most cosmopolitan city on the Mainland: Goblins, Kobolds, Hobgoblins, and Orcs make up the majority of the population (in roughly that order). Halflings, Humans, and Gnomes exist in smaller numbers
Government	Weak council made of 5 voting and 3 observing members of the various races
Economy	markets, standard equipment. All transactions done in platinum instead of gold

A city in Fresia that is controlled by servitors who generally call it some variation of "The City" in their various languages.

Geography

Monster Town is a walled and moated city on the trade road from Draglet to Fresian markets. It sits in the hills where the Realstream and Fahstream rivers meet at the Realfalls and the town is built around bridges that span those rivers. The Realstream flows from a nearby large lake bordering the Gildresian Range which separates Fresia from The Scar and Gildenhome. The city itself is divided into 5 different districts with the various races each controlling a different district. While much of the interior city has many buildings in poor or demolished conditions the walls, towers, and gates of the city have been constantly maintained and upgraded and remain well fortified.

Districts

• Far Corner: The center city district is home to city government at Caucus Hall, the Order of the Red Door Monastery, the halfling tradehouse Goldhand Guildhall, an Alexandrian Church, as well as various inns, taverns, and markets. More or less all non-servitor races in the city live and work in this district. The district is represented on the council by the Abbot General of the Gubbites, an aged apparently blind hobgoblin, The Old Master. The non-servitors are also allowed 3 non-voting, observer positions on the council. The halfling seat and much of the local halfling business operations are controlled by Eggrin Black, a ghostwise halfling. The gnome Hazdrubal Arrd and the half-ogre Johnny Towers are the other two observer councilors.
• Hobington: The hobgoblin district contains the warg stables, the Hobgoblin Citadel Center, and the Commander's Hall. The district is ruled by the General who also represents it on the council. This district also contains the weapon and armor forges for the city and a strong and well-disciplined standing military force. This force mans the walls of the entire city on the west bank of the river as well as the floodable Wet Gate entrance.
• Koboldtown: The kobold district appears to be in extremely poor repair with most buildings damaged or collapsed into rubble. Lots of wild magic means lots of explosions. The kobolds instead have dug out basements and tunnels of unknowable size and complexity. A large 20' deep stadium used for pit fighting and monster battles is one of the only recognizable above ground features in the district. Brewers and tanners operate here so the air quality is poor. The district is ruled by and represented on the council by a powerful Kobold sorcerer calling herself the Queen.
• Orcton: On the far side of the Long Bridge the Orc district is heavily fortified and said to be the most hostile to outsiders. This district features the city's other main gate, the East Gate which the Orcs control and through which they send their own independent patrols. The walls of this district are manned entirely by Orcs as well. The Orcs are ruled by and represented on the council by a powerful wizard, Gruul the Great, who lives in a tall tower in the north of the district.
• Warrenside: The goblin district is anarchic and chaotic. There are taverns and inns in the district as well as other entertainment including the Theater of Lights. The district has no identifiable rulers and sends a constantly changing selection of representatives they refer to as "the Committee" to the council.

Economy

Monster Town continues to make money from tolls on the roads and bridges as well as trade from Draglet and other nearby smaller monster mines. To be allowed into Monster Town requires paying either a sizable amount of gold or a magical item (lesser potions and scrolls are not acceptable). Due to the platinum mines all prices are set in platinum pieces. Lizardfolk tribes who live along the nearby lake trade fish and forage for tools and foreign goods.

Politics

Monster Town is ruled by a council with each of the 5 districts having a representative representing the Hobgoblins (led by the High Marshal), the Kobolds (led by the Sorcerer Queen), the Goblins (represented by a randomly selected triumvirate of 3 goblins), the Orcs (led by Gruul the Great), and the Gubbites (led by the Old Master). While there are some permanent or itinerant Halfling, Gnome, Human and other residents, all other races combined have only a trio of non-voting members on the council. These current observing council members are a gnome Hazdrubal Arrd, a half-ogre Johnny Towers, and a ghostwise halfling Eggrin Black, though he and most of his family have recently left the city and relocated to the trading outpost on the Grenrhusk River. Each district is also responsible for maintaining militias and providing soldiers and resources for ranged patrols and common defense.

History

Originally a walled city of over 10,000 in Fresia. The large arching bridges were designed by dwarves and built by Gildenhome workers and servitor slave labor. Following the widespread human depopulation of Fresia from the Green Flu in the winter of 1401, a group of servitors said to be led by the Kobold wizard Master Blaster who rode atop a hill giant took the city as a refuge from the plague zombies.

The return of Gub and the Cleansing of Monster Town

In the Summer of 1402, a hobgoblin named Gub who had previously traveled through the city returned and founded The Order of the Red Door monastery. The Red Door Entrants (aka Gubbites) grew to become the primary lawful force in the city, and subsequently imposed their own... idiosyncratic version of Alexandrianism on the settlement.

Ransom

In the recent past a large humanoid about seven feet tall, solidly built arrived and demanded payment from the city or it would face destruction. He defeated the city's giant champion in single combat when delivering the extortion message. The city responded by following after with a strong military response with a strike team of many veterans including high-level monks far up into the mountains towards the Scar. The entire force was destroyed with no survivors and few remains as the entire battle site had been burnt to ash. The council then voted with the following results:

• Orc Vote: FIGHT IT!
• Kobold Vote: PAY (BOW DOWN)
• Goblin Vote: PAY (DO NOT BOW DOWN)
• Hobgoblin Vote: PAY (AND PREPARE DEFENSES)
• Gubbites Vote: PAY (AND PREPARE DEFENSES)

As a result they have been paying a large ransom on a monthly basis. The force has been impenetrable to scrying magics, either because of some nondetection property or because the lair is DEEP UNDERGROUND or both.