Some Characters from Twill
These NPCs were created for my own campaign, which picks up after a 9-month-long winter that the Wardens spent hunkered down in Twill.
Eleanor Harding
Eleanor is the mayor, owner of several farms, and a former sailor. Back in her heyday she sailed the rivers and oceans of Meridia to forge trade relationships between disparate towns. As mayor, those relationships continue to come in handy.
During the long winter, Eleanor organized an over-land trade expedition to the neighboring city of Ark. She spent much time poring over maps and navigation charts. Many in the town resent that she did not suspend taxes for the winter, as the Duke’s men could not make the journey to collect.
Each plot of land owned within Twill confers one vote; the mayor is elected by a majority. Their position lasts until they die or a town assembly passes a resolution of no-confidence.
Alice Edwards
Alice is the owner of several textile factories in town, a major employer, and aunt to Jolene. Old Lady Edwards (don’t let her hear you calling her that) is a shrewd businesswoman with an almost rat-like face. She has half a dozen children, all of whom manage one of her factories or facilities. Jolene was a late addition, after her parents (Alice’s sister and her wife) were killed in the early days of the Three Years’ War. Alice’s own husband was killed in a skirmish between Twill and a band of Federation deserters.
During the long winter, Alice spent a lot of time fretting over long account books. She ensured that all of her employees were paid out their wages each month, even as her unsold products piled up in warehouses and hastily-cleared storerooms.
Fritz Tannen
Fritz is an old man who looks young (or a young man who looks old? hard to tell) with a singular mission: to connect the world and conquer distance. He believes that the ability for everyone to be globally connected will bring an end to an age of conflict and mistrust. One of his stranger ideas is that before the Empire, earthlings built devices that transmitted messages through directed radiation and electrical impulse. His ideas are thoroughly discredited in Strata; it is thought that such radioactive waves could be used to communicate in space, but the dense cloud of Aether on the Earth’s surface makes it impossible.
For now Fritz suffices with an Ansible, a bit of Imperial technology that allows instant communication at any distance. The wearer must place it as a crown on their bare skin, leading to Fritz’s odd haircut (totally shaved sides, long sideburns, and a disorganized salt-and-pepper mop on top).
In the first few months of the winter, Fritz entertained the town with tales from one of his fellow Ansible-users in the northern Burning Republics. As the cold wore on the Ansible became less and less reliable. By now it barely works, and desperately needs an expert from Strata or Ark to repair it.
Uriel
Meet Uriel, a mononymous adventurer with more swagger than sense. They work as a reclaimer, finding ancient artifacts for the highest bidder (with some bounty hunting on the side). Competitors have underestimated them because of their height (short) and shape (round) and temperament (affable), but Uriel gets vicious when they get competitive. More than one rival bounty hunter crossed Uriel and didn’t live long enough to tell the tale.
Generally they’re the so-practical-that-it’s-impractical type. When on a job, they shave with their machete. They don’t keep any powerful relics for themself, because why not sell ‘em? They’ve always disdained learning to use Aether as a shortcut. What Uriel does with their money is a subject of some debate; it’s certainly not spent on their drab khaki-colored overalls or their unremarkable kit.
During the long winter, Uriel had only expected to stay in Twill for a few weeks. As those weeks stretched to months they grew restless, alternately making close friends and picking knock-down, drag-out fights. At the first sign of winter easing, Uriel lashed their kayak to their pack and set out across the ice to find open water.
Jolene Edwards
Jolene is a local mechanic and fixer who earns her living maintaining the machines in her aunt’s clothing factory. Jo spends most of her spare time working on ambitious gadgets and restoring ancient geegaws. Her workspace is just off the town square and the garage door is usually open, so local kids sometimes come by to pick up odd jobs in her shop.
During the long winter, Jo spent a lot of her time trying to keep things together. She created heating elements, insulated dwellings, and stretched the town’s limited fuel supplies as far as they would go.
Ibrahim, the Watcher
Ibrahim is a wizard who lives one of the dilapidated, flooded towers just off the shore of Twill. He finds the skies fascinating, but lately has been troubled by his astronomical observations of the Moon. While infamously solitary, it is rumored Ibrahim is generous with his knowledge to those who wish to learn.
During the long winter, Ibrahim grew restless without correspondance from his far-reaching intellectual circle. He spent more time in the town in the past six months than he did in the past six years, always hoping for intelligent conversation or witty repartee.
Sketches
(Characters I either didn’t name or didn’t flesh out)
- Mousy woman who is studying squirrels and loves learning new things about squirrels
- A muscled baker who works as a pirate in the summer shipping season
- A seamstress and minor hedge witch
- Klixk, a bug-kin with a strange accent who is from “very far indeed”.