Norwick NPCs & Factions (Public Knowledge)
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The Chancellor's Men
"The Chancellor's Men" is the term applied to the newly appointed town officials, those most loyal to D'Cameron's authority and the rule of law. To their credit, they've organized a clean-up of farmland, invested in logging and construction, and secured seed and animal feed for farmers.
Opposition to the Chancellor's Men paint them as conspirators who seem content to feed Norwick's children from Peltarch's scraps. Townsfolk assume that the Jewel is in debt to Norwick for all the lumber they shipped north during the reconstruction, and public sentiment agrees that it's past time to collect. The Chancellor's recently imposed taxes on river trade have intensified this discontent.
Judge Alfred Chancey
You wouldn't know it from looking at him now, but Judge Chancey was a Redcloak once---a celebrated archer even. He often played the roles of investigator and prosecutor in Norwick's patchwork legal system. His temperance has been taken for an elder's wisdom since he started going bald in his mid-20s. Few were surprised when Chancellor D'Cameron delegated oversight of judicial proceedings to him: as a Redcloak, he was known for drawing out confessions where other guards had failed.
Though amiable, Judge Chancey lives a solitary life. His house is humble. He works no land except a small herb patch, and even that inevitably runs wild when duty calls.
Sheriff Rotger Varley (Norwick Militia Leader)
The new Redcloak captain has the outward appearance of a hard, brutal man. Scarred, muscled, with wary eyes. His subordinates consider him a fair but strict taskmaster who was never known to play favorites. Varley tolerates no cruelty, corruption, or slacking. A widower since before the Devastation, Varley has a son, who is often under his sister's care while he works long hours.
The Varleys new farm is south of town, on the edge of the woods. Lotte Varley doesn't have the same fair reputation among farmhands, but they say the pay is good.
Justine Lamar (Norwick Scout Leader)
Lamar was promoted to scout captain during the Zhentarim war. A stern woman whose expression is impossible to read, this elf's public appearances tend to invoke mystery and fear even when she's merely buying bread and eggs. Her loyalty to D'Cameron is widely assumed to be unshakeable: Justine was deep in the Rawlinswood when the devastation happened, and D'Cameron personally saw to her family's escape.
Justine lives in an Elven-styled cottage just north of town with her husband and son. Dominick has tutored Norwick's children for many years.
Brother Johua Wallace (Temple of Chauntea)
Many presume that it's the priest of Chauntea's youth that's to blame for his optimistic sermons. He's taken a hard stance against profiteering, which some find pointedly aimed at the mill-owning and riverboat-operating Norwick family. Brother Johua runs the community kitchen, which provides staples and farming tools for those whose farms were lost in the Devastation.
As a refugee, Johua took the loss of his church leaders hard, but by the time of Norwick's emancipation, he'd already risen to his new responsibilities. Many a night owl have seen him by moonlight, tending to his parishioners' needs long after most folks have taken off their boots and hung their apron.
Sventina Loggus (Arcane Adviser, Archivist)
Not much is known publicly about the recently appointed arcanist except that she was born to refugees from Aura Runedar. Her frequent absences are assumed to relate to ongoing attempts to return Spellweaver to the Prime, but you really never know with wizards.
Norwick Herald
The position of herald remains vacant as it has since D'Cameron first assumed office as chancellor. Long ago, it common insight that she intended to demote herself once the town was secure, but as the decades tumble by, this seems less and less likely.
The Sons & Daughters of Norwick True
Norwick True cry for restoration of the old ways, when true Nars barbarians held their own. The True see the devastation as a symptom of an older crisis: a softening focus on comfort over strength and honesty. Informally, they're led by Ivan Norwick, who traces his ancestry to the Norwick clan of old. Their symbol is a stag's head, which is often portrayed with a limp fish in its antlers.
Critics of Norwick True's leadership consider them opportunists and profiteers who are cynically using the Devastation and public discontent to enrich themselves. Rumors suggest that the Norwicks have been avoiding the reconstruction tax on luxury goods through a smuggling operation, which some decry and others celebrate. Those who aren't invited to their secret meetings have begun to imagine much worse.
Ivan Norwick, Aeline Norwick
Of an offshoot branch of the same Norwick clan which gave the town its name, Ivan and Aeline spent most of their youth in the Great Dale, where their family made a modest fortune. Both brother and sister had the poor luck of visiting relatives in the north when the Zhentarim invaded. To help others escape, the siblings put themselves at risk and even spent a month of the war in chains. When they finally managed to free themselves, they brought many others with them---the beginnings Norwick True.
Since the Zhentarim defeat, the Norwicks have used their fortune to build a mill and import manufactured tools. Both siblings are quite adept at weaponry, but Ivan fights with the same shrewd style with which he negotiates business whereas Aeline has a rager's stamina. The pair have been quite vocal in their grudges against D'Cameron's leadership. Ivan reserves most of his commentary for closed-door meetings, whereas Aeline is likely to spout off publicly when circumstances run against her.
Their barn in the Riverside area acts as the Norwick True headquarters, essentially a secondary town hall. Their hired hand Grag Glanders oversees membership and work orders.
High Priest Tiebalt Malet of Lathander
High Priest Malet was among those held in bondage by the Zhents alongside the Norwick siblings. His loyalty to Ivan has thus been tested in fire and flame, which is meaningful to this priest of a more warlike sect of Lathanderites. Malet is also a descendant of Norwick's barbarian past, which can be felt in his traditional Nar sermons that call for individual duty against the temptation to fear. For Malet, The Zhentarim were merely the latest in a string of curses---like the undead, the demons---that are the consequence of a land and people who have yet to truly find faith in the new day.
Malet may be the only Norwickian who can be said to be on good terms with the new Temple of Kelemvor, especially its Judicator. Their mutual zeal against the undead may be the foundation.
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Others in Norwick
The Temple of Kelemvor
The foreign-born clerics and paladins of the new temple have proven effective against the undead scourge. They've sealed the crypts and stopped the roaming dead from reaching the surface. The Kelemvorites have few interactions with the town, save for the monthly ships arriving riverside with crates of supplies bound for the temple.
They are led by Judicator Laurane de Fremault of Kelemvor, who hails from Cormyr. Her presence is said to be quite intimidating, though few townsfolk have spoken to her directly.
The Inn of the Mirthfufl Cup
Cousins Alan Roper and Oana Ellis co-own Norwick's new Inn, which has marketed itself to adventuring sorts. Alban, a half-elf, typically works behind the bar where his gregarious ways encourage indulgence (and large tabs). Oana, a moon elf, seems less social, and she manages the inn's staff and finances.
A newly formed League of Adventurers operates out of the Inn of the Mirthful Cup. Too young to have much of a reputation, it's said that the guild's self-described "chamberlain," Jordi Bogaert, has considerably deep pockets though his origins and relations are as yet unknown. Some believe that the Guild's promises are more wind than sail.
Hazelmere Whitespire
The sole remaining member of the hardworking Whitespire family, Hazelmere was always a weird, witchy girl more likely to be found alone, staring at nothing, than socializing with her peers. An adult now, it's whispered that she contributed financially to several families in the reconstruction effort, but she seems to shun all recognition for her part. Hazelmere operates a secondhand shop, The Hidden World, in the town center.
Hazelmere's tenants include
- Magelena the changeable and enthusiastic gnomish tailor.
- The dwarven twins Bili and Fili who were born to Aura Runedar refugees and now sell weapons and armor.
- An elven mage known only as The Alchemist.
Spellweaver Keep
The wizards of Spellweaver remain absent. The former site of the Tower is a pit that's rumored to have strange effects upon the Weave.
The Western Wood
King Brek, Biggest of the Whole Woods, Stealer of the Lightning, Eater of Bones
Little is known about the new goblin king of the western Rawlinswood save that his people heap praises and titles upon him. Scouts suggest that the goblins have learned a thing or two about alchemy since his rise, and it's likely that he has a cabal of "lewdtennants" to inspire fear and obedience like previous goblin leaders.
The Circle of Quercatha Terr
With the Zhentarim destruction affecting the woods as much as Norwick, the druids could not stand neutral through the war, but they took the patient approach. From their hidden glen, they emerged sporadically to grant awakened life and a thirst for vengeance to plants and animals of the woods. The ritual's effects linger, and one vocal druid, Nuala Qinrel, has informed Norwick that the ritual will not be completed until the Rawlinswood regains what was lost. Every tree felled for a home in Norwick or Peltarch delays that day.
The Wolves of Narfell
It's unclear whether the old ranger's guild still exists. Nevertheless, when loggers stumble onto already-dead goblins rather than an ambush, they give a quiet thanks to the old watchers of the wilds.
The Eastern Wood
Kerugax, "The Brat Prince"
No one in Norwick knows for certain what transpired between the Col Geroldine and the hobgoblins, but the one is gone and the other clearly benefited. Their borderlands were heavily patrolled by both parties, preventing accurate intelligence. Despite frequent skirmishes and posturing, there were also exchanges of goods.
During the Zhentarim occupation of Norwick, the hobgoblins overthrew their bugbear masters, and its rumored they've built a fortress in the eastern woods. Recently, one name has climbed to the top of the new order, Kerugax---though his bitter rivals have other names for him.
