This is a placeholder for the setting.

Where: The village of Tukoa
Population: 1800

Original Purpose: Exploratory outpost

Leadership: A governing council ("the Council") made up of a sage, an explorer, the mayor, and more recently a representative for the druids. The sage still vies for exploration of the moor. The explorers have changed their priority from exploration to harvesting mud. The mayor is unbiased. Willis is for the most part silent, but protests against the systematic dredging of the moor.

Gods and Stuff:

History: Tukoa was founded by explorers for the king, in search of mystic treasures rumored to be hidden somewhere in The Smoldering Moor. The moor was, in fact, surrounding a dormant volcano that hadn't erupted in ages, but still emitted a noxious steam that engulfed the swamp, making travel across it next to impossible.

The original outpost, founded about 20 years ago, was a jumping off point for multiple excursions. The first failed miserably. None of the explorers made it back. The 2nd was little better, although one survivor told of the hissing horror that attacked them as they tried to navigate the swamp in search of the volcano. That survivor was never the same. The villagers refer to him now as "Crazy Liam" and he lives a haunted life on the outskirts of town.

On the western edge of the budding town, the forest was being felled to allow for expansion. Rumors of dark shapes in the woods led to the creation of a giant wall to block off the forest from the town. About a year later, however, the town awoke to find a fully grown oak tree had inexplicably grown overnight at the base of the wall, splitting it in two. Furthermore, the new buildings nearest the wall became overgrown in a matter of weeks. Only one home was spared, that of a recluse named Willis. He became the spokesmen for what he called the Woodmasters (presumably a small group of druids dwelling in the southern forest). Willis has since been reluctantly received into the governing council and is known by the townsfolk as "Willis of the Woods."

The third expedition into the swamp succumbed to disease soon after their departure into the mists. One of the explorers, an herbalist by trade, learned that the mud from the swamp could be processed into a powerful healing agent. In a short while, efforts changed from finding the mouth of smoke to harvesting as much mud as possible from the swampland. Kilns were set up on the shores of the swamp and mud production went into full swing.

The mud continues to be a major export for the village, but rumors still swirl about the Hissing Horror lurking in the swamp and the potential for great arcane riches if the epicenter of the Smoldering Moor could ever be located and explored.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:42, Tue 27 June 2023.

Notable Citizens:

Thirval Tullas: Mayor. Founding council member.

Jaak Kothar: Founding council member. Lead explorer. Disappeared on first expedition into the Smoldering Moor.

Auroem the Red: Sage. Founding council member. Charged with overseeing the expedition into the Smoldering Moor and recovery of whatever magical items lay there). Disappeared on first expedition.

Edweard Kothar: Kothar's brother. Current council member representing the explorers.

Modred: Auroem's apprentice. Current council member representing the interests of the Academy of Magic in the north.

Willis Redmane (aka Willis of the Woods): Current council member. A reclusive citizen who was chosen by the druids in Southern Forest to represent them as their spokesman.

Galdar Goldhelm: Hero hired by Modred to explore the moor from above. He found nothing and shortly thereafter departed Tukoa.

Crazy Liam: The only survivor from the 2nd expedition into the Smoldering Swamp. While Liam's life was spared, the cost was his sanity. Most see him now as a raving lunatic, although some believe there is wisdom and a few clues about the swamp buried in his banter.

Tal Frewnmist: An herbalist and member of a recent expedition into the moor. Discovered the healing properties of some of the mud in the moor and has redirected efforts to harvesting, processing, and profiting from the mud.

Lex Malcolm: The leader of the Tukoa militia. He is faithful to his job, but a bit too cocky for his own good. Suspicious of anything non-human, with a particular disdain for goblins.

The Barkeep -

The Innkeeper -

The Gossip -

The Oracle -

The Stablehand - tall skinny man with a large Adam's apple

Stable Master Paris - not very nice (at least not by the stablehand's description).
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:54, Tue 02 Aug 2022.

Timeline:
20 years ago: Outpost was established on northern bank of the Crystal River, with the Smoldering Moor stretching endlessly opposite the river. The town was built from that outpost, under the guidance of a three person governing council (referred to simply as The Council. The members were Thirval Tullas (the Mayor), Jaak Kothar (the lead Explorer) and Auroem the Red (a mage charged with overseeing the expedition into the Smoldering Moor and recovery of whatever magical items lay there). The name Tukoa come from the first letters of each Council member's name.
19 years ago: The first journey into the moor disappeared without a trace, never coming back. Founding fathers Kothar and Auroem were both lost.
The council was rebuilt with Kothar's brother (Edweard) and Auroem's apprentice (Modred) joining the only remaining founder (Thirval Tullas).
Susequent journeys into the moor were significantly less ambitious, venturing only briefly into the smoke and returning almost immediately with no further insight regarding its source.
17 years ago: As conservative journeys into the moor continued with little progress, the village expanded to the west, leading to the clearing of the edge of a large forest. Citizens in that western district reported dark figures assembling in the woods. This led to the raising of a wall between the woods and the edge of town.
14 years ago: Upset by the futility of surface-based ventures into the swamp, Modred sent for a hero and a scroll of flight to reveal the source from above. This proved no better. The smoke was so prevalent that it essentially covered the entire moor, presenting no indication of its epicenter, if there even was one. The hero's name was Galdar Goldhelm. To this day in Tukoa, a Goldhelm is slang for a big expense paid for nothing. Embarrassed by this folly, Modred retreated to his tower, focusing on his own studies.
12 years ago: In a stunning surprise, the wall was breached by a single oak tree that appeared to have grown to full maturity from out from nowhere overnight. Quickly thereafter, similar fast growing trees began to sprout in homes in the west district, leading to the evacuation of that part of town. Only a single home was spared, that belonging to Willis Redmane, a reclusive man from the west.
11 years ago: Willis Redmane was contacted by druids from the Southern Wood, who demanded it be left undisturbed (including the regrowth in the western district). Willis brought the demands of the druids to the governing council, who agreed to the terms. Since then, Willis of the Woods has been granted a chair on the governing council. Peace with the woods has lasted.
8 years ago: At Modred's request, a 2nd major expedition was made into the moor. This one was little better than the first. The only survivor came back clutching a floating remnant of one of the boats. He was gravely injured, but somehow survived. While fortunate to have done so, he paid for his life with his sanity. Townsfolk now refer to him as Crazy Liam and he still lives on the edge of town, ranting to those who will listen of the hissing horror that lurks in the moor. Most consider him a babbling fool, however some suspect there is some wisdom buried in his mostly incoherent stories.
2 years ago: Another modest foray was made into the moor. This time, although nothing of the smoke's source was answered, one of the explorers, an herbalist named Tal Frewnmist, discovered that the mud in certain portions of the swamp was useful as a healing agent. A giant kiln was built on the shores of the moor and focus shifted from exploring the greater moor to extracting the "healing mud" wherever it could be found.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:20, Sun 27 Feb 2022.