Palecliff

The small village of Palecliff lies on its eponymous isle in the middle of Covenant Bay. On a clear day, one can see the Council Tower in Covenant from here, but clear days are very rare. Instead, a strange mist seems to perpetually hang over the land. The mist seems to originate from the swamp at the center of the island.

The village (and the island) gets its name from the characteristic grey sandstone that dominates the geology of the island. The village is one of few places around the island where ships can anchor, as most of the coast consists of sheer cliffs that can reach up to 200 feet high.

Transport from Covenant to Palecliff is available, aboard a shallow-drafted cargo ship that usually hauls timber and pine tar from Palecliff. The captain's name is Becky Gracewind. She can tell the party that the mist that surrounds the island is just the normal state of things on Palecliff - no one is quite sure why, but the villagers have learned to deal with it.

Village Landmarks

Palecliff village is a gloomy place, and most houses are built from greying wood with thatched roofs. The villagers are generally suspicious of outsiders. The village is situated on a steep incline, and its roads and paths serpentine up the slope.

The Old Haunt

Modest inn

The Old Haunt lies on the waterfront, close to where the fishing boats dock. It is a rickety shack, but is still warm and cozy.

Gideon Stormsail

(human, LG, 61): Proprietor of the Haunt. He has lived in Palecliff his entire life, and speaks with a heavy sailor accent. He was here before Selena moved in and started taking over. He suspects some foul play is going on.

Irma Stormsail

(human, NG, 58): Wife of Gideon Stormsail. She runs the Haunt's kitchen, making fishcakes and other maritime delicacies for their patrons.

Abelin Slatesmith

(gnome, LN, 103): Abelin is an old gnome with white hair. She is an excellent dragonchess player (+5) who gladly takes on any challenger, especially if there is money involved.

Ravenroost Keep

The keep at the top of Palecliff. It sits atop several tall seastacks, connected to each other and the mainland by rope bridges. It guards the approach to Covenant, but has not been properly manned for decades.

Alderman Rufus Blackley

(vampire, LE, 87): Member of the Harbingers. Selena administered the Dread Gift to him 30 years ago in order to cement their control over Palecliff.

The Trading Post

A warehouse by the wharf serves as a central location where goods are bought and sold.

Regla Proudband

(dwarf, LN, 67) is the proprietor of Regla's General Goods. She has a stand of commemorative cards ("Visit Palecliff!", "Palecliff - come for the fish, stay for the people!", "Palecliff - voted fifth best vista in Estia by the Estian Bulletin!").

Sverki Steelaxe

(dwarf, NG, 41): Journeyman blacksmith who mostly makes axes for the lumber camp.

Tiriath nan Estiae

(wood elf, LE, 140): Alchemist who specialized in poisons. Is very interested in ingredients that grow in the Bleakmire. He does not want to go himself, as the island is known to be dangerous.

Fishing Docks

Dried and salted fish from the surrounding waters is the primary source of nutrients for the people of Palecliff. The Ravenroost has ordered ten barrels of salted fish from her for the winter, and the fishermen are working hard to fulfill that order.

Map: Village Docks Stormy

Shrine to Hel

This shrine focuses on worship of Hel's servants. A large wicker statue of a dark angel dominates the space.

Ariadne Shadowzeal

(human dark priestess, NE, 34): Actually the wicker hag Ragatha in disguise. Member of the Harbingers, but does not actually believe their teachings and is merely seeking power.

Gallowcross

Near the top of Palecliff, where the road splits towards the logging camp, stands a large gallows.

Thora Wildcaller

(dwarf, TN, 88): Thora has some basic druidic healing magic. She can provide minor magical services. Unaware of Cairngrove, but would be very interested to learn about it.

Island landmarks

Most of the island is covered in a dense coniferous forest, crisscrossed with narrow footpaths.

Cairngrove

On the southern tip of the island, overlooking a steep cliff, a 30-foot cairn of stones has been erected. This landmark marks the approach to Covenant, and usually means that the hard part of a journey at sea is over, as the waters of Covenant Bay are much calmer than the open ocean beyond.

A hidden sect of druids live close to the cairn, in a small gulch hidden by primal magic. Only around a dozen people live here, and not all are powerful druids. At the center of the grove is a living wood statue of Shentara the Gladestalker, the primal tiger spirit of the feywild.

Lumber Camp

The forests of Palecliff provide lumber, pine tar, charcoal, and other products. Most of it is exported to Covenant on barges. The forestry industry is mostly owned by Alderman Rufus Blackley.

Bleakmire

The middle of Palecliff Isle slopes down, eventually giving way to a stinking mire. At its center a large sinkhole cave system is the lair of Tofanis the Corrosive. As you get closer to her lair, the vegetation becomes more and more ashen. The lair and its surrounding area is dense with insidious traps, set to keep her enslaved captives working in the underground tunnels, which are rich in gems.

The mostly flooded cave system connects to Petra's cave in Smuggler's Bay, as well as an opening underwater by the Razorreef.

The Reeking Cave

This cave is well known around the island for the absolute stench that surrounds it for almost half a mile. It is home to a Catoblepas.

The Razorreef

Named not only for its sharp rocks, but also for its population of delicious razor clams. Many fishermen have been lost here, when greed or desperation pushed them. A colony of merrow has made their home on the seafloor here, making it a very dangerous prospect to fish here.

Smuggler's Bay

On the southern side of the island lies Smuggler's Bay, which used to be a common stop for those who sought to enter Covenant with contraband. It has not been used for a long time though. The bay has a cave, which has been taken over by a medusa. The entrance to the cave has several very lifelike statues of merrow.

Random Encounters

Palecliff is a dangerous place. When the party wants to travel somewhere, roll 6 (1d12). On a 1-4 (was 6), there is an encounter. For every major threat defeated on the island, this limit decreases by 1.

d8	Encounter	Note
1	Stumble upon a human corpse, drained of blood	Clearly a vampire victim
2	2x Harbinger Zealot + Harbinger Doomsayer	Searching for Alderman Blackley
3	5 (2d4) Merrow led by a Kraken Priest	Slavers in service of Tofanis
4	2x Shambling Mound	Animated by Ragatha's wicker magic. Can cast Spike Growth 1/lr.
5	5 (2d4) Peryton	Hunting pack from Peryton Peak
6	2x Mist Hulk
7	Magisquirrel sighting	Could earn a uncommon chaotic essence or even its servitude with RP & checks
8	Tofanis	Flyover, with possible divebombing. Possibly even battle, with Tofanis trying to escape at half HP.

d6	Map
1	Banshee Moor Bridge	Run Encounter
2	Haunted Mire Ruins	Run Encounter
3	Haunted Bridge	Run Encounter
4	Mushroom Forest Foggy	Run Encounter
5	Pumpkin Patch	Run Encounter
6	Abandoned Campsite	Run Encounter