The Pint

When asked where the power is located in the town of Uothenn, most townsfolk gaze distantly and eventually consider both the marketplace and the seat of the aldermen as locations. If asked where Uothenn's heart is located, all agree that it is the Pint in, on the northwestern edge of town. 

Once, long ago, the building that now hosts the Pint and its colorful clientele was founded as a temple to Sucellus, a tribal deity of the Burgundians. Sucellus was the god of grain, harvest, protection and fermented drinks. As such, Eus - the Pint's owner - could not have selected a better place to run an inn out of. Though now partly ruined, the old parts of the Pint consist of a colonnade around a central patio, in which center stands a moss-overgrown statue of Sucellus - holding a hammer in one hand and a pint in the other. Added to the old temple are stables, a brewery (Eus produces his own beer), two kitchens, storerooms, and chambers for both human- and halfling-sized visitors.

Though no longer worshiped - the dominant church in the Realm is the Faith of Phaeton of the Blinding Light - Sucellus continues to be honored in folk traditions. Once a year, a five-day festival is held all over the Burgundy Marklands celebrating the end of winter and in these times The Pint is a hotbed of inebriated activity. In addition, when drinks are served in the Pint, the patrons clank their mugs together proclaiming "Beer for the Beer God!". Lastly, whenever a patron buys drinks for the entire bar, the question "What do we say to the God of Beer?" is loudly asked whilst ringing the bell above the bar. The patrons then answer collectively: "Bring me another one!"

Eus (he has no other name) runs the Pint with unceasing commitment and limitless energy. He appears middle-aged and has done so for decades according to the memory of most locals. He is a friendly, ursine, barrel-chested man whose chief currencies are beer, silver, jokes and rumors. Locals claim he is a retired adventurer who somehow learned to extend his lifespan. Behind the counter on the wall, a large warhammer is put on display as a deterrent against types spoiling for a barfight (it works, most of the time). Eus know everything that goes on both inside and around Uothenn, even in parts of the Marklands a few days travel from town that he has no way of knowing about. When asked how he knows these things (which almost always prove to be promising leads), Eus shrugs and tells the questioner to just buy another beer.

The Pint is popular with adventurers and Uothenn locals, but increasingly draws criticism from the Church of Phaeton. Church doctrine considers the carousing going on at the Pint debauched and the folkloristic traditions as misguided. Yet Sister Isabella is a regular at the Pint and the criticism is mostly voiced by visiting Knights-Paladine.

In the campaign
The Pint is the central watering hole of the Burgundy Marklands campaign. Rumors can be heard at the cost of a few gold ("What do we say to the God of Beer?") and through carousing Player Characters can exchange their gold for XP at a 1:1 rate ("Beer for the Beer God!").

Uothenn and surroundings

The town of Uothenn has weathered the past decades very well. It remains prosperous, its fields fertile, its markets plentiful and its one inn - the Pint - jovial and rambunctious. In the last twelve months, adventurers from across the Realm have travelled to the Burgundy Marklands in general and have flown into Uothenn specifically, drawn by tales of riches and rumors of adventure.

And it is true, the lands around the town are filled with sites to explore: ancient mammoth graves dating from the time Northern barbarians invaded the Realm, barrow mounds, abandoned abbeys and ruined villages all lie scattered across the countryside. West of Uothenn, an area of heaths and magically shifting sand dunes holds lost secrets of the ancient world. And southeast of the town a lake formed by a fallen star is told to contain magical powers. 

The town itself has a small number of points of interest.

The Pint: The throbbing heart of the community, the Pint is the gathering place of locals, adventurers, traders and mercenaries hailing from all over the Marklands. Built into the ruins of an ancient temple to a forgotten local god, it is run by the friendly barkeep, Eus, and caters with equal measure to locals and strangers alike. A mighty warhammer is on display right behind the counter, probably a relic of Eus' adventuring days - and a powerful deterrent to any adventurer looking for a barfight. In stark contrast to the aldermen of Uothenn, Eus knows of a great many happenings both in and around town, making him both a source of rumors and sagely advice. In fact, townspeople of Uothenn will claim he has acted as such not only in recent years, but also since any living Uothenn inhabitant can remember.

Domed Church of Light: The recently-completed church building, run by the Knights-Paladine of Phaeton of the Blinding Light. It is administered to by an emissary from the Knights-Paladine in Margravenstein, Sister Isabella is the cleric in charge of the church and can administer basic rites (i.e. 1st level cleric spells). As Phaeton is a god of light and law as well as culture and invention, the church doubles as a forge and is rapidly outcompeting the town's older blacksmith, Anthonis. Isabella can act as a contact and provide adventuring opportunities, but also has sage capabilities in matters of Law (The Realm) and Faith (Phaeton).

Aldermen Seat: This three-story manor serves as the seat of the Council of Aldermen, the collective of well-to-do townspeople that runs the town and formally answering to the margrave in Margravenstein. It's pre-eminent member is Alderman Vos, an intelligent and wealthy former merchant. It is also the headquartes of Captain Martin, the handsome leader of the town guard. Both are more than willing to offer employment for adventurers looking for a few coins of gold.

Market: The marketplace in front of the seat of the aldermen is stocked with all manner of daily needs, as well as arms and adventuring equipment. A band of exile mountain dwarves roam the market almost every day, looking for opportunities and more than willing to trade in illicit goods.

Welcome to the Marklands

A wide landscape of heaths and moors, of plains and pastures, of shifting dunes and shimmering streams, bounded by the sea to the west and low hills to the east and south, the Marklands of Burgundy stretch before you.

Loosely ruled from the city of Margravenstein, the Burgundy Marklands are a collection of semi-autonomous towns, abbeys and castles catalogued as "Marks" by the scribes of the margrave. The prosperity and population of these settlements - low to begin with - were all greatly diminished a few decades ago, as a horde of savage barbarians and orcs swept through the land. Many towns and villages now lie abandoned, and abbeys and monasteries lie forgotten and overrun by nature or monsters. A select number of towns and fortresses were able to withstand the effects of the invasion and now serve as points of light in this dark expanse of wilderness. The most concentrated centers of civilization lie in the south of the Marklands, in a band stretching from Margravenstein in the west to the city of Einder in the east. Both cities are centers of the surging cloth industry and the band of civilization between them supports that trade.

The campaign starts in one of the hardy towns on the frontier, the Mark of Uothenn, a former market town on the crossroads leading to larger cities. Around Uothenn, abandoned farms, abbeys and villages wait to have their treasures discovered and their safety restored. Monsters prowl the wilderness between settlements. Adventurers, explorers, opportunists and scallywags have flocked to Uothenn to make a name for themselves. 

Campaign Rules

Characters are created using B/X or OSE rules, 3d6 down the line.
Treasure must be spent to gain XP.
Five-fold Holmesian alignment is in effect as a background device (LG, LE, N, CG, CE).

Once created, your character wanders (or rides, if they own a mount) into Uothenn, heading for the Pint Inn looking for a straw mattress, a cup of beer, rumors of adventure and companions - not necessarily in that order.