Harwick
Harwick is a warm, bustling town. It's nestled along a well-worn trade route where merchants come from across Demorrah to exchange goods, news from their travels, cool drinks, and bawdy tales. The market square is the town's heart, alive with the scents of fresh-baked bread, exotic spices, and the rhythmic calls of traders hawking their wares.
Known for its deep sense of community, despite the transient nature of the bulk of its population, most residents know each-other by name, and travelers know a warm bed and warmer meal will always be ready for them at the inn.
The roads leading in are well-maintained and watched by a local militia that ensures the safety of citizens and caravans alike. A roaming knight has drastically decreased the banditry that once plagued those roads, and Harwick has regained its easy mirth. There has even been talk of a festival! Once frequent, such things have been sadly absent for the past few moon cycles.
Some have suggested a song to be played there, but nobody can agree on where they first heard it. Come to think of it, it does sound familiar.
Primary Features
- Centralized trade square serving as both market and gathering point
Extensive caravan accommodations and warehousing
Multi-generational inns with formal guest registries
Merchant council chambers built from repurposed guild stockhouses
Roadside shrines to both commerce deities and ancestral figures
The Founding of Harwick (Over 200 years ago)
Originally a stopgap encampment for river and overland traders, Harwick’s location at a key crossroads eventually drew permanent structures, turning temporary commerce into regional stability.The Merchant’s Pact (100 years ago)
A non-hereditary council of influential traders instituted mutual obligations, such as public maintenance, militia funding, and dispute arbitration, to prevent monopolies and corruption. The Pact remains in effect.Shadows on the Road (Present Day)
An increase in caravan disappearances and coordinated banditry led to heightened concern. Independent investigations hint at the presence of organized, possibly ideologically motivated factions.The Grieving Knight
An armored figure has been reported assisting isolated travelers under duress. Eyewitnesses describe no speech, only silence, and a deeply ritualized manner of movement. No identity has been confirmed.The Hum (Recent Events)
A low-frequency melody has been adopted unconsciously by a statistically significant portion of Harwick’s population. It appears harmless.
However, it matches no documented song in the Guild Archives.
The origin remains unverifiable.