Isle of Merci - Trignolles Part 1: The Dormitories, the Inn and the Student House

This is the first of a 3-part series that summarily describes the village of Trignolles, mostly through the NPCs that inhabit it. I didn't plan anything fancy for the buildings themselves, so feel free to elaborate where you feel is necessary.

1 – Old Tara's Dormitories

One of the first places the party is likely to visit. A long building with a ground floor built in stone, and the dorm above made of wood.

TARA PRADEL is an old renter who rents beds in a dorm for travellers. It's expensive and uncomfortable, but it's all there is. She never leaves her rocking chair and bosses her helping boy around. She has a kind heart but categorically refuses to show it.
Quest : Her only son Noris works for Olain Ordegal of the merchant guild. He left on an expedition to the alchemist's house three days but hasn't returned, and she is worried sick. He'll be easy to recognize if they meet him : he's young and strong and beautiful and has the most amazing moustache.

Secrets : Tara has not one, but two sons, though no-one else knows this in the village. Her eldest, Lug, who never leaves the backroom on the ground floor, is a half-ogre whose father is the terrible Mignon himself (see the Bad Guys section below). She'll do anything to hide Lug in order to protect him. Also, she has to feed him a baby each year, which she arranges to steal from either Trignolles or the goblin village up in the mountains. Although she hates the situation she's in, she doesn't actually regret her fling with Mignon. She may never be seen to leave her rocking chair, but she can walk perfectly well.

NORIS PRADEL, Tara's son, has gone missing three days ago. He's a handsome young man with a moustache of legendary panache who works for the merchant guild, the Amalgam.

Secrets : He's dead. He was killed by giant beetles on his way to the alchemist's house in the jungle.

NIMI FLIMM is the nine years old son of the the blacksmith. He helps out at Tara's dormitories for modest pay. He does practically everything by himself and almost never talks, except to ackowledge requests or give curt answers to questions.

2 – The Blue Lobster Inn

A quiet tavern, neither regal nor squallid, but well-maintained. Beverages are average, food is mostly roasted slugs from the goblin highlands and cabbage, and there are no rooms to rent.

TAM GAMELON is the innkeeper. A rather bookish little man with spectacles, dutiful and polite, who insists on being called Mr Gamelon. He hates this place and longs to resettle in the city, « where people have education». He enjoys the presence and conversation of the visiting students, and makes everything he can to make them feel welcome. He'll act the same way towards adventuring scholars or wizards.

Quest : Mr Gamelon is the only one who has noticed that each year, one baby disappears on the island, on the same date. Others don't make the connexion, because they don't consider goblin or kobold babies to be on an equal footing with humans, but Tam is rather open minded on this subject. He's a snob, but not a racist, and is actually on very good terms with the other humanoid communities. He's rather shy and will only mention this observation to adventurers he has learnt to know and respect. He's not sure something is amiss, but just in case, would the party maybe patrol the town on that night, to make sure ? Nolli Adelan, Captain Adelan's widow, just had a baby girl... (this quest leads to the Ogre Mignon, and to a circle of refined cannibals. For extra effect, mention Nolli's baby, but also allude to the kobolds in Lower-Trignolles as having many children every time the party walks by. On the fateful night, it's a kobold baby that gets stolen. Do the PCs care?)Secrets : He is besotted with Cassi Elenn, a fiesty student of archeology and architecture who often uses the tavern as a place of study.

SOLIA NINN is the only waitress in the Blue Lobster. She wears the traditional grey leather mask of a faithful of Ialoun (the patron of servants) that hides her face completely. She is comely, demure, and overly eager to help all the time. She's like a whirlwind of efficiency around the clients, helping them to their seats, wiping tables, refilling drinks, dusting off coats, polishing boots, even giving shoulder massages, almost without being noticed. If addressed, she always responds, calmly, demurely, and to the point. She is absolutely honest, is very loyal and always refuses payment, as she claims service is its own reward. Ideally, PCs should feel just a little uncomfortable around her. Too nice. Too helpful.

Secrets : Solia originally came from Ulbinia, where she was a wanted thief. She still has the skills, but has genuinely turned to Ialoun and now considers service to others (not servitude, mind) the most virtuous of activities. Nobody in town knows this, but if her special talents came to be needed for a good cause, she could volunteer her help.

Information : Solia can tell you all about Ialoun (there'll be a post on him specifically), and that he has a small following in Trignolles. In fact, Ser Galavon, the local lord himself, fervently follows the precepts of Ialoun. She knows everything that is publically known about the villagers, but since she never pries, she doesn't know anyone's secrets.

3 – The University House

This is the house researchers and students from the university of Ulbinia use as headquarters when in Trignolles. Only two students stay there now, since an expedition of four scholars recently disappeared in the jungle. A third student, Martan Grinn, is regularly seen about town, but must have his own sleeping arrangements, since he never stays here.

CASSI ELENN is a serious young woman who studies archeology and architecture. She has quite a temper and some villagers are a bit afraid of her, since she'll shout at or insult anyone who doesn't answer her questions quickly or accurately enough for her tastes. She works extremely hard and is very talented, but resents Martan's easy genius and is annoyed with Agnan's laziness, and the unfairly patriarcal structure of academia in general, so she avoids their company when she can. She can usually be found at the Blue Lobster Inn, being sarcastic and dismissive.

Quests : She'll pay anyone who brings her precise information on the location of ruins on the island. Then she'll pay more to be escorted there in person. She never willingly offers to share the information she gains this way.

Secrets : Cassi knows full well that Tam Gamelon is in love with her, and is quite happy to take advantage of his attentions. She is actually grateful for his sincere admiration of her work, but considers that her work comes first, always. Cassi has the potential to become quite the villain, should she be lead to the forgotten lore in the depths of the island. She'll stop at nothing to gain knowledge. Nothing at all. And knowledge means power. And power means more power. Hmm .

AGNAN VISCAT is an average young man in every way. Unremarkable physically, neither stupid nor brilliant, pleasant but not very interesting. He studies archeology and biology and came here to hunt for artifacts and new fauna and flora. He is in fact quite passionate about these subjects, but lacks the energy and courage to go after them himself.

Quests : Agnan would be immensely grateful if he was brought artifacts to study. He can answer most questions about flora and fauna if they figure in a book somewhere, and will always offer to pay in information, as he is quite poor. He isn't as good in languages as Cassi, but will grudgingly direct them to her if he is truly stumped by a translation, although he'd rather keep any finds for himself, since he knows he's not likely to get his hands on many more.

Secrets : Agnan made a deal with a group of smugglers who used to steal artifacts during the archeological digs to sell them in Ulbinia. He managed to contact this group and buy one artifact off them – just a trinket really, since money was always an issue : an acorn carved out of stone, perfectly realistic and etched with runes. He has become fascinated by it and desires to acquire more, but communication with the smugglers stopped abruptly. Desperate, he decided to come to the island in person, but is now at a loss about what to do. He hasn't managed to contact the smugglers, if they're even here anymore, and doesn't dare to venture into the jungle himself. Unbeknownst to him, the real secret of the stone acorn is hidden inside of it. Break it open and it will reveal a single seed. Plant this seed and water it, and an entire forest will grow out of it in a litteral explosion of greenery. It could destroy the village or condemn an entire dungeon.

MARTAN GRINN is a student of medecine who specializes in exotic diseases. He tries very hard to talk to no-one and hasn't set up a practice in the village. He presents a well constructed facade of sarcasm and arrogance, but any who pays close attention (and not many do) may detect a soupçon of something darker underneath : fear. It's unlikely you'll meet him if you're not looking for him (unless you've entered the mine, in which case an awkward encounter is almost inevitable).

Secrets : Martan is not just a student of medicine : he has been called the most promising medical genius of his time. Unfortunately for him, his inevitable rise to fame in the ranks of the university got cut short when it was discovered that he had pushed past the boundaries of conventional anatomy into the unsavoury esoterism of necromancy. Although he bravely argued that the study of death is essentially the study of a specific and crucial part of life, he was exiled on the spot and has kept a low profile ever since. He is in fact now in the direct service of Ser Galavon, who needs workers that are not affected by poisonous gas to work in the mine. So Martan provides him with undead workers, and in exchange he gets decent pay and discreet lodgings in the mine itself (accessible through an old ventilation shaft hidden in the woods near the village). He also gets to practice vivisection, surgery and other medical experiments there, mostly on animals. Treat him as a doctor first, scientist second, and master of the arcane last. Necromancy is a means, not an end. He's the only person in town who may be able to treat lingering injuries or serious illnesses. He is not purely evil or scrupleless, and only animates the corpses of people who agreed to it while they were alive. Fervents of Ialoun have proved a fertile recruiting ground (keep helping out even after death ! Hurray !), and some others have been persuaded to sell their skeleton in advance. PCs can sell theirs to Martan for a hefty 100GP (that he never carries with him, Ser Galavon secretly provides him with the funds). Martan will not hesitate to reveal that he works for Galavon if he feels his life is in danger, in an attempt to put himself above reproach.