Episode 1: Refugees

The Village of Brown Carrot, in the outskirts of the major trading outpost of Acqua Termina, is a primarily agricultural one. There are 4 homesteads that surround a little tavern that provides ample supplies to the many fields.

Near the center of the village, where the roads meet, is a village square of modest size where a general store, an inn and a small military garrison are located.

Beyond this little village is a woodland a couple of acres large. There exists a stream that runs through the trees, but isn’t large enough to transport lumber through, so a road from the village runs directly through the woods connecting it to a small lumberyard.

Some loggers sometimes stay in the cabins by the yard in exchange for a small fee.

Recently, a trapper had come into town to body into the military outpost. The body of a young boy, youngest son of the Hardpebble family, one of the four rich families of Brown Carrot.

The little boy, Kid Hardpebble, was missing for a week and was already thought to be dead, so this in itself was not a surprise. The surprise was how. They found him bound tightly by his wrists that seem to have grown from inside his own body, his eyes seem to have been removed from their sockets.

Of course, the Hardpebble family pushed for the culprit for their son’s death be found, no matter the method used, and offered a handsome reward, and perhaps even a betrothal to their daughter, Petunia.

Frederick “Hank” Hardpebble IV

The patriarch of the family Hardpebble, he is constantly attempting to ennoble his House by any means necessary. Being fourth in a line of successful merchants, he hopes to cement his family legacy by marrying one of his 3 daughters or any of his 5 sons to already established noble families.

The death of his son Carmine, lovingly called “Kid” by his family, is ever more tragic for him since he was arranged to be married to the daughter of an impoverished noble house from Acqua Termina. Hank is convinced that the patriarch of the Caxton House, and Lord of the Brown Carrot had something to do with his son’s death.

Carmine “Kid” Hardpebble

The recently deceased Kid was engorged by plants and mushrooms when his corpse was found by a traveler in the Purple Wood. The youngest of Hank Hardpebble’s sons, was betrothed to Agrippina Bombastica of Acqua Termina. He was a very adventurous child, and was always one to explore the woods and caves around Brown Carrot. It was typical for him to disappear for a day or two, but never longer than that, and usually with one or two cohorts in tow. This meant that people were not too concerned when he first disappeared. When he was missing from 3-4 days however, his mother grew concerned and begged her husband Hank to find him. After 7 days, his body was found by this trapper who operated in the Purple Wood.

Kid, 13 years old, was very genial and well-liked by everyone in the village. Even those with bones to pick with the Hardpebble family not only tolerated him, but some have actually grown fond of him. So much so that the young daughter of Caxton House, Bounganvilla Caxton, fell in love with him. Suprisingly, their romance wasn’t explicitly opposed by the Caxtons, who had a longstanding feud with the Hardpebbles. This romance was an annoyance to Hank Hardpebble. as the enmity was mutual. Add that to his plans to connect their family to the Bombastica House, which, despite being impoverished, was still higher ranking Barony, compared to the Caxton Baronetcy.

Hank had allowed this little puppy love to play out for the moment, however, while he finalized the betrothal with the homely Agrippina Bombastica. Kid did not take his father’s plans well, and often announced that he would not marry Agrippina, and had intentions of running away with Bougainvillea.

Petunia Hardpebble

Youngest of the three Hardpebble daughters, and youngest sibling to Kid, Petunia is typically dismissed as a “child”. By all accounts though, she definitely is one. At the age of 12, she has not even entered puberty.

She dislikes being told to play with the children outside or other such frivolity. She prefers reading books in silence, or learning embroidery from her mother. She particularly despises the advances of would-be suitors as well as sycophants who only pay her heed to get in the good graces of her father.

Bougainvillea Caxton and Petunia Hardpebble both studied letters under the tutelage of the minister of the Church of the Divine Masochist. They were fast friends with many common interests, often seen playing together. Secretly, Petunia harbored romantic feelings for Bougainvillea, but she was too shy to express them.

When Kid and Bougainvillea Caxton became romantically involved, Petunia was devastated. She withdrew from society, and focused on her studies. In this time she grew to despise her brother, as if he stole something precious from her.

Of course, on the day her brother’s body was found, she felt a great deal of sorrow and guilt wash over her. Being the closest in age to Kid, they were once very close as well. This guilt, and the sudden changes within her own body confused and ate at her fragile mind.

Since that time, there are rumors that she was also starting to develop magical abilities—a taboo especially in small communities such as Brown Carrot.

Lord Preston Caxton

Patriarch of the minor noble house of Caxton, Lord Preston is an ambitious nobleman who longs for the return of his house to its former glory. His, is the fourth generation since the Caxton house was forced cede a huge portion of their estate to the Hardpebbles.

Preston strived learn all he can about how markets worked and how best to expand their wealth. He has learned to be a savvy investor, putting money into ventures that had paid to be a stable source of income. Under his leadership, the Caxton House had recovered nearly half of the lands they’ve lost. He funded the construction of a lumberyard in the nearby forest which pays dividends in the regional markets.

While Lord Preston typically is disinterested in local affairs, he still wishes to repurchase lands their family lost to the Hardpebbles in an effort to repair Caxton pride. So when his youngest daughter seemed to harbor a budding romance with a Hardpebble, he did not do anything to dissuade it. He did hope to take advantage of it somehow, even if even he acknowledges how calculating it was. Knowing how most Hardpebble wealth was nothing more to him. He knew that Hank Hardpebble wants to marry into nobility after all.

What Lord Preston is concerned with, however, is the news of refugees entering the region from the east. There have been reports that these easterners are brigands who have been raiding caravans that typically pass through Brown Carrot, disrupting trade and causing panic. He suspects that Kid’s death was caused by a band of these foreign brigands.

Bougainvillea “Ginny” Caxton

The youngest scion of the Caxton house, and their only daughter, Bougainvillea dislikes her full name. Not only was it difficult to spell, it also sounded like an old woman’s name. She prefers to go by her nickname, Ginny. Being the youngest, and a female besides, she is typically treated as a child. Unlike Petunia Hardpebble, her friend, Ginny uses it to her advantage. Ginny often acts like a precocious youth, prodding with questions only children can typically get away with. She is rarely rude, always curious and is seen by many as the darling of the town.

Ginny was only ever been rude to Kid Hardpebble, who was always trying to hang around her, pining for her. This slowly developed into a romance. Kid’s disappearance was quite a surprise to her since she rarely kept anything from her. She was raising concerns about him, but the adults were nothing but dismissive of mostly since Kid had a tendency to explore unannounced for a couple of days. When they found Kid dead, she was horrified and cried angry, blaming the local military guard for not caring about the well-being of the villagers they were supposed to defend.

She wishes to take matters into her own hands, hoping to find leads to Kid’s death herself, she went to the lumberyard herself to interview the trapper that found his body.

Captain Ian Pollock

Captain and Commander of the Brown Carrot Guard and a once highly-regarded member of the Poasah Kingdom Regular Army. Captain Ian Pollock was demoted into a captaincy in this backwater of a village when he was caught having an affair with a noblewoman. While his military record saved him from the gallows, he was transferred far away from the capital as possible. He took the punishment quietly, serving for years upon years until the wound became cauterized and bitter the longer he stayed.

This actionless border that Brown Carrot and its environs was a stark contrast to his time serving with the 5th Legion. Here, he and the small poorly-trained militia force dealt with civil and domestic disturbances. Sometimes they had to capture the odd footpad or highwaymen, maybe a deserter or illegal border crosser. Mind numbing enough work that he started to take to drinking to drown down memories of grandeur.

The disappearance of Kid Hardpebble did not concern him much when Ginny Caxton reported it to his garrison. There are always some person reported missing, some person forgetting to tell their lover that they visited the brothels in Acqua Termina. Besides, Kid is the sort to go into the woods to “explore”, whatever that meant.

When he had turned up, Pollock became distraught, guilty that his inaction led to the death of a prominent citizen. He’d promise to stop drinking and began to personally investigate the event.

Gillon Tavner

Proprietor and operator of the local inn and tavern called the Gouty Rabbit. While he does operate and maintain the inn, the land and structure is owned by the Caxtons. In exchange for operating the inn, he is charged a reasonable tax. As well as a percentage of the inn’s income, minus the operating expenses.

Gillon himself though, is given full control and responsibility over his beloved inn. He sources as much goods locally, but is known to purchase more “exotic” food items from traveling merchants when available.

Gillon does all the cooking in the Gouty Rabbit, and the food is generally regarded as exquisite. Rumor has it that Gillon once worked as a cook in the Royal Palace. A rumor he neither confirms nor denies. His dishes do seem, at least to the casual gourmand, to be fit for a king!

Gillon himself is not much of a gossip unlike most inn-keeps. He prefers himself to be known for the quality and satisfaction of his customers. He does have a special fondness for both Kid and Ginny, however, and the death of Kid left him mortified. He worried very much over Ginny and her health, that she may do something rash.

Obel Trent

Shopkeep of the Brown Carrot General Store and merchant in the employ of Hank Hardpebble. Obel is a weasly man who often has to sell you things you only may never really need.

Once upon a time, Obel Trent was a conman that sold “miracle cures”: concoctions made from various “herbs” and sweeteners mixed with a lot of alcohol. These draughts, while delicious had no actual proven medical benefit. In fact, the “herbs” used are generally whatever leaves he could find while foraging with heaps of honey.

One time he had accidentally put a bunch of poisonous leaves into a mix, causing his victims to suffer from severe bouts of bloody flux. He was put into prison by the local magistrate of the town he was in, pending trial for his fraud. Luckily for him, Hank Hardpebble had business in the area and paid for his freedom. Since then the man was utterly loyal to the Hardpebbles.

He was given permission to run the General Store, granted that he be on Hank’s beck-and-call. Hank uses him o collect as much information as could be beneficial to their operation. In order to secure Obel’s loyalty even further, Hank had him marry his sister Mary.