Phenedulon

Small Town: Population 1,873 (38% letheni, 28% vesperkin, 20% human, 8% lynoxi, 6% other)

History

Founded in the tail end of the Upheaval period, Phenedulon is a convenient stop along the road between the Yzerid il Gamor and several other major settlements within the Sundor il Doren region. It was founded due to its proximity to abundant wood to the east, and resources in the mountains to the west. The town is also known as being the origin of the Essi Tera religion, which was founded early in the Reckoning period. The Essi Tera are very well respected in town, with infrastructure to support them including housing for the Perinari, as well as a chapel near the center of town.

At the very beginning of the Reckoning period, however, the group known as Am Nethin Keldis began their experiments attempting to harness the Wellsprings' energy in order to ascend to godhood. Their first experiment resulted in a Wellspring eruption from Quen's Wellspring in the mountains directly southwest of town that produced an anomaly in the forest directly east of Phenedulon, which has come to be known as Phenezotir ("briar patch"). The forest was once home to numerous thorny bramble patches, which the anomaly animated. Since then, these thorns have spread, combining into a large patch that is over a mile wide that can be seen at the edge of the forest, constantly shifting and slowly expanding toward the town; gaining a foot or so per year. What is more concerning is what now inhabits the Phenezotir, as any who get too close to the thorns are attacked by creatures known as the Phenekin; humanoid figures made of thorny vines and plant matter that drag their victims into the thorns to be torn apart. The thorny vines within Phenezotir have also been shown to be capable of moving on their own to grab victims.

In the mid-Restoration period, in Asten of 405 RE, Phenedulon was struck by disaster when a miscalculation by the mining crew working in the mountains to the west caused the ground to fall out from beneath the mines, dropping more than two hundred miners to their deaths into a large cavern below. Being in such a remote location, they did not have the resources to recover such a large number of bodies. However, one Human man by the name of Tanul Borish took it upon himself to purchase gear to descend into the mines and recover each and every body of the miners that had perished there. The townsfolk were so inspired by his act of selflessness that many joined him, carefully extracting the bodies. Tanul then spoke to the townsfolk to learn about each victim's culture and funerary practices, providing each and every one a proper funeral and last rites. Tanul's charitable act led to the establishment of the Essi Tera, the charitable religion that provides free funerals and last rites to all. Tanul is honored with a statue outside Art Obindar Eshar.

Government

Phenedulon falls under the jurisdiction of magistrate Spendra Muzani in Dedenatorr to the northwest. Dedenatorr is about 500 miles away, so Phenedulon is fairly remote and communication is delayed. Phenedulon receives adequate oversight from their magistrate, but not much in the way of assistance in infrastructure and defense. There have been several attempts to appoint a local administrator to give the town more autonomy, but every time they have tried, Spendra dispatches Dedenamudidi to remind them that they are under her jurisdiction. The locals have a very low opinion of her and they have begun reaching out to other magistrates asking for assistance to mediate this dispute, including Tamon Ebonindir in Tellanorr, and Emris Amakiren in Vardanorr.

Economy

The town's economy is not the wealthiest, but it is enough to live comfortably. They have to import many goods due to how remote they are, but the resources mined from the mountains of the Great Divide to the west are a large part of the economy. Phenedulon is also one of the only places in the Sundor il Doren that has large apple orchards, which they use to produce cider and a number of candies and food items. The town occasionally receives donations from faithful benefactors thankful for the Essi Tera's work, though this happens maybe once a decade, if that.

Notable Locations

• Phenezotir - Located within the forest to the east of town, this large "patch" of thick, thorny brambles spans over a mile. Originally normal plants, a Wellspring anomaly at the very beginning of the Reckoning period brought them to life, causing them to grow together into a massive network. The thorny vines within move on their own, slithering around and grabbing anything that gets too close. The townsfolk warn all that pass through to avoid this area of the forest, but many choose not to listen, and end up paying the ultimate price. There are reports of creatures seen dwelling within the brambles, with shadows seen moving throughout. There are rumors that creatures within, called the Phenekin, have even crept into town at night to grab folks who are out late to drag into the brambles. The brambles creep about a foot closer to the town every year.
• Art Obindar Eshar - The "spirit chapel" can be found near the town center, and is the base of operations for the local chapter of the Essi Tera. The chapel found here is larger than those that would be found in towns of a similar size because the religion was founded here and has a room dedicated to the history of the religion. Though it is no longer the "headquarters" of the Pacrovast and Pacrovari; the local Telphanist, a Letheni woman named Faldiel Muathradil, has served faithfully for almost 100 years. The chapel has facilities dedicated to the preparation of bodies as well as areas for constructing graves and coffins for those that prefer burial. There is a statue outside the entrance to the chapel dedicated to Tanul Borish, the religion's founder, in his likeness.
• Meldonar'as Hestan - An abandoned temple of some sort located high in the mountains to the west. It is so named for the many rocky spires surrounding the temple which give the platform the appearance of a crown. Visitors who have studied it believe it to be an early location for the Sorcerer's Cabal to study Quen's Wellspring, located a short distance to the south of the temple; however, the Sorcerer's Cabal reportedly has no record of it. Attempts have been made to explore the temple fully, but many areas are magically sealed, and none with the skill to unseal them have come to investigate.

Culture

Phenedulon has a large following dedicated to the Essi Tera, a religion dedicated to providing funerals and last rites to all, free of charge. The religion was founded in the town, and ever since folks have been inspired by it to come together to help each other when they lose a loved one. Residents will cook food for the families of the deceased and help them coordinate the funeral. This has bred a culture of generosity, and the town's residents are known for their hospitality, with many homes in the town opening their doors on the rare occasion that the town's inns are filled. Given that their economy is not particularly strong, they will even donate to families in need through a community center. The town's faithful, including the Perinari, are known to make pilgrimages to Esharreth to the north to guide the spirits of their loved ones to the protection of Bantuxis, the spirit tree.

There are some strange local customs and etiquette one must be aware of if visiting for the first time. It is customary to leave a donation at Art Obindar Eshar when passing through town, and not doing so will not go unnoticed; you may receive the cold shoulder from the townsfolk if you do not pay your respects. One of the first laws you may learn of when entering town, advertised by numerous signs in particular near graveyards, is that necromancy is forbidden. This is unusual in Arak, as many view the body as an empty shell after death and are okay with their bodies being used for labor in some places; however, attempting to raise the dead from Phenedulon's graveyards will earn you a heavy jail sentence of no less than 20 years. As a result, the graveyards are guarded night and day. Possibly the strangest custom in town is that it is mandatory for every mining crew to have at least one Vesperkin with them at all times. This custom seems to have stemmed from the Wellspring eruption which caused the formation of Phenezotir, during which the tremors from the Wellspring caused a rock slide in the mountains, burying the mines and trapping the miners within. Because the mining equipment was all within the mines, the townsfolk had no equipment to rescue the miners. They resorted to sending Vesperkin through small gaps in the rocks to dig them out from within and locate the miners. The original reason for this practice has been lost, and the townsfolk now simply believe that Vesperkin are lucky and prevent mining disasters, like how miners use canaries to warn against natural gas leaks. Most mining crews ask the Vesperkin to walk ahead of them, as if they can somehow sense a potential collapse.

The local cuisine is satisfying and uplifting. They have found a good balance between health and indulgence, supplementing staple foods like Doxanacotin and Sestuhanid, with sweets like Zirapechar and Cotinaletani. Doxanacotin is the local favorite served in every inn, and is a type of thick curry stew with potatoes, carrots, and apples. Sestuhanid is a pastry with buttery dough filled with cooked apples, peppery greens, bacon, and hot spices. Zirapechar is a cake made by pouring the batter over softened spiced apples and after baking, coating it with a creamy honey-cinnamon glaze. Finally, Cotinaletani are the most popular treat in town, a soft cookie filled with apple jam and topped with warm spices. There is a festival on the first two days of Umen during which the local apple orchards bring their harvest into town along with all kinds of foods made from them, serving cider. Musicians play in the town center and a race is held around town, with the winners being awarded a bottle of premium apple wine by the orchards.

Defenses

Phenedulon is fairly remote, and does not have as many guards, called "Phenemudidi" locally, as other settlements of its size, as Dedenatorr cannot spare the extra guard for a town which sees so little travel. The only threats the town faces are the occasional Goblin sighting, and Phenezotir. Concerns over Phenezotir have grown over the years, however, as anxiety builds from watching it slowly creep ever closer to the town while there are occasional disappearances and sightings of dark figures in the forest. The town has petitioned Spendra in Dedenatorr numerous times requesting something be done about the anomaly, but it has fallen on deaf ears.

Crime

There are two primary issues facing the Phenemudidi of Phenedulon currently; the Bul Vazari, and Chumell. The former is a group of bandits that have taken to attacking miners transporting valuable minerals to town in order to sell them, and the latter is a new village being settled to the north that has been stealing resources from the town in order to establish themselves. The Bul Vazari, or "mountain kings", have become increasingly vicious in their attacks, and have killed a half a dozen people. The Phenemudidi have put a bounty on the gang's members in the hopes that they can get some additional help in bringing them to justice. Meanwhile, residents of the new village known as Chumell to the north have been sneaking into the town at night, stealing food and equipment to establish themselves. They have been caught several times and dealt with accordingly, but that hasn't dissuaded the burgeoning village's other residents.