Side Stories, for local color

More side stories recommend themselves to me.

Let’s create a seventh village, named … I don’t know, Gyrilon.  Gyrilon is located 10 miles from both Gulliton.  Hmm, they sound very similar, perhaps they too need review, these names.  Anyway, the village is also 10 miles from the manor door, and provides the Baron with his agricultural food and local access to labour when needed.  Byrilon will be the village that Richter selects for testing his new potions.  Volunteers are name only, having been abducted by the ruthless Hydes through a combination of intimidation and force.  

When the last of the adults failed to return, the children became afraid and made plans secretly among themselves to escape unseen from the village, living in terrible fear as the Mansion rests on a hill overlooking the village.  When certain numbers of children began disappearing, they hurried their plans and fled to the harbor village of Gulliton.  There they stay as urchins, the boys helping gut the catches of fish and the girls helping with cleaning.  I had previous ordered the village to be entirely in the pocket of a smuggling ring, one formerly in cahoots with the Baron; none of those members would risk speaking to the constables about their suspect wealth, as well hidden as it is in Gulliton.

A successful TN 15 Streetwise check leads the PCs to the eldest boy, Clayton Den.  He, like most of the children, has mixed public opinion surrounding him; a mix of fear (that he may rat them out) and sympathy (as the father was well liked and connected).  Den will talk with a successful Gather Information TN 15, provided there is no one looking.  He will spill what he knows of Byrilon, and the information will be a valuable bit of scene setting before the PCs even reach the mansion.  Much of the back-story will be carried in this NPC, but if the PCs miss him, they proceed without the information.

Another boy, Domi Colbert, is working the local stables.  He is also from the doomed village of Byrilon, and can direct the PCs to Den.  He will innocently ask the Constables where they are headed, and if they reply the Mansion, he will become visibly afraid.  That is the best pointing that I can do.  The hints are just for flavour anyway.

Okay, now to name the seven villages:

Gulliton – Coastal, fishing trade, greatly invested in the smuggling trade.  PCs meet up here.

Byrilon – agrarian, depleted by the Hydes’ machinations and taste for flesh.  Children escaped to Gulliton.

Greenkirk – agrarian town, possibly the largest with active traders and shops.

Cherryshire – pretty town with skilled trades, blacksmiths, book sellers, jewellers, on the main road leading North.

Sharonbury – Hilly town.  Bicycle shop, which they are calling Velocipedes, or more commonly, “boneshakers”.

Sharonriver – riverside town, pretty as a picture, sport fishing on bridges

Roseair – natural field of roses, the wet climate exceptionally produces these roses here.

Each of the seven villages has one village Constable, and the entire constabulary is responsible for the entire county, centered on Cherryshire.  Urbanization has been slow to arrive here, but cobblestone roads abound, with more wealth than the tiny county would suggest.