What used to be a sleepy outpost of civilization, mostly getting by on barley, potatoes and sardines, have recently turned in to a busy commercial hub after a substantial silver ore was discovered in the hills just west of the mountains. Merchants, burglars, pimps and other middlemen are establishing shop in the small town, and the local sheriff Brigolda Twotooth is having a hard time keeping order.

Added to this, is the discovery of a strange phenomenon dubbed as the Earth Vortex, a slow churning maelstorm of earth and rocks grinding away at the lands in the north-west. A newly arrived adventuring party was sent up there to explore it, but have not been heard from.

As if this was not enough, the mill up by Beaver Falls was attacked two nights ago. The millers two daughters managed to escape, but the miller himself, good ole’ Markus, was killed in the hubbub. The attackers tried to burn the place down, but the building was saved by its old, sodden planks and a drizzle of rain. Who would want to do such a thing?  And why?

Then there’s those new shipwrights Will and Son, ordering all that lumber. And the overly curious bard calling himself Han Xum. Is he trustworthy? And what of those extremely large hoof prints observed twice up by the crossroads? Yes, Brigolda Twotooth certainly has her hands full these days!