Welton sits on the banks of a slow-moving river, with gentle hills rising up on each side. The houses and shops are generally made of oak, painted bright white, and many have elaborate carvings worked into the eaves. Wheat and sheep farming dominate the local economy, and people pay much more attention to the weather and wool prices than rumors of distant wars or disasters.
The vast majority of the population are human, though there is a sizable minority of halflings and a handful of dwarves. While it is by no means a rich village, Welton isn’t poverty- stricken either.
The village offers little beyond a small general store and virtually nothing of interest to outsiders other than the Shepherd’s Crook, which happens to be hosting both a village council meeting.
Shepherd's Crook
This ancient inn is one of the oldest and largest buildings in the village, sitting opposite both the Growers’ Hall and the Fleecers’ Hall. It is a traditional inn, with a common room at the front, a private dining and meeting room at the back and guest rooms upstairs.
With so many extra people staying in the village the inn is always crowded. Tanned and weather-beaten shepherds in woolen cloaks smoke long- stemmed pipes while drinking cider and muttering amongst themselves, while small groups of young men and women nurse their drinks and mostly stay quiet.
The innkeeper is a dwarven women named Leanor Slatebeard, who runs the bar while her husband Banteth deals with both the kitchen and the brewing.
Tillus Merrion - Leanor Slatebeard - Banteth Slatebeard - Alexi Merriksonn - Father Merriksonn - Willen Featherock - Corel - Flame - Bolt - Bill
Tillus Merrion (Halfling)
Chairperson of the Growers and Buyers’ Association
Tillus Merrion is a proud, blustering Halfling who leads the Welton Growers and Buyers’ Association. The Association – as it is known – represents the most powerful group in the village, and as its leader Tillus acts as a de facto mayor and head of the council.
In his day job, he oversees the sale of grain, wool and other products outside of the village, negotiating contracts with merchants in nearby cities and managing the shipping. He has a gift for trade and has helped to boost Welton’s prosperity in a number of small but significant ways.
When he isn’t working, Tillus is usually beavering away at various schemes and initiatives around the village. He has a love for order, neatness and the rule of laws and contracts, and is quietly obsessed with making Welton clean and well organized.
This commitment can occasionally make him forget that many of the figures he moves about on his ledgers represent living, breathing people. Despite this, he is not a bad person. He desperately loves Welton and will do anything it takes to see it grow and prosper. Even if it means making people go hungry in order to maintain their long-term credit rating.
Leanor Slatebeard (Dwarf)
Innkeeper of the Shepherd's Crook (Wife of Banteth Slatebeard)
One of very few dwarves in Welton, Leanor and her husband Banteth are cheerful, hard-working members of the community. She is well over 100 years old and has seen the community grow from a mere hamlet to the thriving village it is today.
Despite her apparently minor position, Leanor’s long-running relationships with virtually every family in the village actually gives her a lot of quiet influence. She knows all the skeletons in everybody’s closets and has accumulated an awful lot of favors over the years.
Banteth Slatebeard (Dwarf)
Cook and brewer at the Shepherd's Crook (Husband of Leanor Slatebeard)
One of very few dwarves in Welton, Banteth and his wife Leanor, are cheerful, hard-working members of the community. He is well over 100 years old.
Alexi Merriksonn (Human) - DECEASED
Sorcerer (Brother of Fr. Merriksonn)
The protector of Welton, Alexi spent his life keeping dangerous monsters and occasional bandit gangs away from his home village.
Born with a link to the inscrutable forces of Wild Magic that always marked him as an outsider while growing up, his brother Johan was his only real friend. Despite this, he was keen to show his worth to the people of Welton and trained long and hard to increase his abilities.
Befitting the source of his power, Alexi was unpredictable and passionate, given to flights of fancy and wild laughter. He roamed the lands beyond Welton almost at random, seeking out threats before they approached the farms of the common folk.
Despite his commitment to their protection, the folk of Welton always viewed the sorcerer with a degree of suspicion. At times the presence of his brother may have been the only thing keeping some of the more superstitious and hot-headed members of the community from trying to drive him out.
He stumbled across the wolf pack while patrolling the moorlands. He didn’t plan to destroy them, but simply wanted to drive them off. While he was using his abilities, however, he was struck by a Wild Magic Surge, destroying his body and imbuing the nearby wolves with some of his intelligence and magical abilities.
Father Merriksonn (Human)
Sorcerer (Brother of Alexi Merriksonn)
The local priest of Pelor (or any local good- aligned deity), Johan Merriksonn was born and bred in Welton and loves both the village and its inhabitants. He is a human in his mid-50s with a kindly face and wispy white hair.
He and his brother, Alexi, were born to a family of reasonably successful farmers and are well- educated by the standards of the region. While Alexi found himself able to control the power of Wild Magic, Johan felt the draw of the church and was apprenticed by the local priest.
In many ways Merriksonn acts as the conscience and moral compass for the otherwise mercantile-minded village council.
Willen Featherock (Halfling)
Shepherd
A halfling shepherd, Featherock lived a mostly unremarkable life until he was injured in Welton’s attempt to deal with the wolves. Since his experiences at the hands - or rather jaws - of the intelligent wolves he has been jittery and plagued by nerves.
He is of average height for a halfling and despite his time spent recovering inside he still has a ruddy, sun-reddened face from his days spent out on the hillsides.
Corel (Human)
Spokesperson of the Fleecers' Guild
A human shepherd, Corel is lean and tough as old leather. He is a quiet, reserved man who is respected by everybody on the village council. He does not speak very often, but when he does the entire room listens and carefully weighs his words.
He is reasonably successful as a farmer and shepherd and runs his own operation on the hills near the western woods.
He has been working on the hills surrounding Welton for most of his 50-something years and is an expert on the local geography.
Flame (Wolf) - DECEASED
Alpha of the Welton Wolf Pack
One of the alpha pair of the wolf pack, for most of their lives Flame and Bolt were simple beasts. Both cunning and fierce, to be sure, but not intelligent. This all changed when the pack brought down Alexi Merriksonn, and were infused with much of his intelligence and power during a Wild Magic Surge.
Both are fiercely protective of their pack and are worried that their intelligence will cause men and other sentient races to hunt them down and destroy them. At the same time, however, they are now bright enough to be able to think of a great many ways in which they will be able to improve their lives and those of their pups.
Flame, the alpha female, was granted the ability to produce and control flames. She is much more aggressive than her partner, Bolt.
Flame is a very, very large wolf with dark grey fur. Her eyes glow with a constant orange flame and thin strips of red light run across her body, as though her skin is cracked rock sitting on top of a burning pool of magma.
Bolt (Wolf)
Alpha of the Welton Wolf Pack
One of the alpha pair of the wolf pack, for most of their lives Flame and Bolt were simple beasts. Both cunning and fierce, to be sure, but not intelligent. This all changed when the pack brought down Alexi Merriksonn, and were infused with much of his intelligence and power during a Wild Magic Surge.
Both are fiercely protective of their pack and are worried that their intelligence will cause men and other sentient races to hunt them down and destroy them. At the same time, however, they are now bright enough to be able to think of a great many ways in which they will be able to improve their lives and those of their pups.
Bolt, the alpha male, has gained the ability to roar with the fury of a storm and shoot blasts of lightning from his mouth. He is generally more cautious and kindly than his partner, Flame.
Bolt is a very, very large wolf with dark grey fur. His eyes and skin pulse with a crackling blue light. He always speaks softly, for if he raises his voice it rumbles with the power of thunder, shaking the ground around him.
Bill (Wolf)
Ambassador to Welton Village
One of the wolves from the Welton Wolf Pack, for most of his life he was a simple beast. This all changed when the pack brought down Alexi Merriksonn, and were infused with much of his intelligence and power during a Wild Magic Surge.
Bill is the go-between from the Welton Wolf Pack to Welton Village to make sure everyone is keeping to the terms of the protection agreement.