Curfman Barony
Population: 1,360 in the town, 2,720 including the surrounding area
Guards: 13
Militia: 136
The town in general
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The town of Curfman, named after the Baroness who currently rules the region, sits along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. A small stream runs into the Bay; this stream provides power for a small electric generator and grain mill. Most of the important buildings have electrical power and running water; most of the peasantry currently do not have these luxuries.
The majority of the streets are cobblestoned, with drainage gutters running along both sides. The town does not currently have a dedicated sewer system, but the drainage gutters do empty into a few large metal pipes that lay under the main streets, which empty into a ditch southwest of the town.
The town is bordered on three sides by a granite wall, which is a good 10 ft. high in most places. There are only three entrances in this wall: the main gate to the town on the western side, and the two ends of the wall near the Bay. Stone towers are prevalent at each corner of the wall as well as at every entrance. These towers house railguns and other weaponry suited for defending the town against airborne and ground-based threats.
The majority of the buildings are made of wood, often with cinder block foundations or basements. The Baroness has made it a rule to fund windows to keep the elements out of the homes.
Surrounding the town itself are about a hundred square miles of farmland, most of it worked by people from the town. A few dairy and pig farms dot the surrounding landscape, and a nearby forested area is often tilled for lumber or firewood. Also nearby is a small iron mine; most of the coal burned by the town is imported from the kingdom of Liberty to the north, near the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania. Lower-grade bituminous coal is also imported from a number of mines closer to the town of Fenton.
As the town sits on the Chesapeake Bay, a number of people in the town are deep-sea fishers. Fish, more than any other meat, is a staple in the town's diet -- particularly tuna, Atlantic salmon, and catfish.
A Brief History
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The town of Curfman was originally a small fishing settlement on the Chesapeake which had originally been settled around 70 P.A. At the time, it had no acknowledged leader or organization, being primarily a group of families who were just trying to make ends meet away from the prying eyes of the Coalition.
Things didn't go smoothly at first, and the settlement came under the domination of one of the many petty tyrants of the land - in this case, a man named Roger McLeod, a Borg out of the Republic who was trying to carve his own feifdom, at the expense of everyone else. The people suffered greatly under the McLeod's dominion, until one day one of the wandering adventurer parties under the guidance of Sir Carrado, a D-Bee cyber-knight, came across the town. McLeod died at the hands of Melina Curfman, one of the party's members, after he attempted to kill them out of fear of being deposed.
Melina Curfman was a kind soul who had been pondering retiring from the adventuring lifestyle and settling down. Here was a town without a protector or leader, now that McLeod was dead. At first, she didn't want to appear as though she was taking over by force, and asked the town if she could stay to help out as their protector. Taken in by her humility, the town unanimously asked her to lead, even going so far as to offer to call her a Queen. Melina's answer was, "The leader of this town should be someone much more approachable than a Queen." She then turned down the titles of Duchess and Countess, as well as two D-Bee titles she'd never heard of, before agreeing to the title of Baroness.
Since taking the role, Baroness Curfman has worked to bring up the standard of living in town. It was her own personal funds which built the factory and grain mill which employ the majority of townspeople. The town sits on a trade route between the Republic and the northern settlements, so there are always transients, many of whom have chosen to settle down.
The Militia
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The barony's militia is led by a Sherrif, a Deputy, and twelve guards who are responsible for maintaining peace and order in the town and the surrounding farmland. In addition, a small force of about 140 able-bodied men and women from the barony are available at a moment's notice to defend the town from various threats. This militia drills every Saturday in the town Courtyard, and has access to advanced armor and laser weaponry. A single (second-hand) Iron Heart Armaments patrol boat is maintained in the harbor for the militia's use.
Laws and Controls
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Civil Liberties: The people of the Curfman Barony enjoy many liberties, including a free press and rapid yet fair trials, with the burden of proof on the accusers rather than the defendant. The laws don't discriminate between human or D-Bee.
Weapons and Armor: The Baroness believes that if more people in the town had been better armed, they would not have had the issues with McLeod that they did. The laws she's passed enable the average person to own any weapons or armor they can afford. She herself has taught a number of weapon safety courses over her reign; these courses are now taught by the Sherrif and the rest of the town guard.
Taxation: The barony's taxes are very light. The bulk of the taxes are in a small percentage of grain or livestock from the farmers and fishermen or a small, minute percentage of monetary income from the merchants and factory workers. Average taxes are 5% of annual yield.
Media and Information Technology: As noted above, the barony enjoys a free press. Information in the local newspaper is not censored, and is sometimes critical of the baroness's decisions and decrees - especially the ones dealing with magic (see below). Despite being only semi-literate herself, the baroness has encouraged education for the youths in the town, teaching them to read and write.
Magic: Magic is discouraged in the barony, but not outright banned. Magic-users must register with the Sherrif, detailing their capabilities in full. This registration must be updated every three months. Crimes committed using magic tend to be punished more severely than similar offenses committed without it. The Baroness is uncomfortable around magic; this is due in part to her own upbringing. Her old adventuring party didn't have any mages, and occasionally ended up fighting them. However, she is on good terms with Faldrang, owner of the local magic shop, who is constantly trying to convince her to ease up on her stance.
Psionics: Psionics are not as restricted as magic. Psychics don't have to register or carry any special identification, and crimes committed using psychic powers don't carry any special penalties. It could almost be said that the barony is a haven for psychics; it is a well-known fact that the baroness is a telepath and psychokinetic in her own right.
Foreign Relations
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Coalition States: Baroness Curfman is actually considered an "Enemy of the State" inside the Coalition due to her past. Fortunately for her and the Barony, the Coalition is far away; the nearest Coalition State is Free Quebec far to the north. There is no direct contact with the Coalition.
Lazlo: The Barony has no direct contact with Lazlo. The Baroness is uncertain whether she'd be willing to enjoy relations with them, owing to their large number of mages (see above).
The Republic: This technology haven built on the ruins of Washington, DC, is located two days' ride on horseback south of the Barony. There is some trade with their larger neighbor, but the barony is wary of the local economic power wielded by the Republic. The last thing the people of the barony wants is to become subjugated by their neighbors.
Annapolis Harbor: This neighbor sits across the Chesapeake Bay from and slightly north of the barony. There is some relations, but the two are generally indifferent to each other.
Fenton: This small town (which first appeared in Sourcebook I), slightly smaller than the barony, is a friendly rival of the barony. Baroness Curfman and Lord Mez Frommalane have met several times recently to discuss a possible mutual defense alliance, should the Devouring Swarm hit the nearby area.
New Baltimore This nearby haven of mages makes the Baroness extremely nervous, due to her disdain and slight fear of magic. Fortunately, New Baltimore sits farther north up the coastline, so relations are currently indiffernt towards each other.
Shemarrians: The enigmatic Shemarrians of the area confuse the people of the barony. They are grateful towards the cyborg warrior women for their efforts against the Atlanteans, but the Shemarrians' alien ways make the barony to maintain a wary watchfulness. Lady Melina believes them to be highly-advanced robots, but she can't say who would be producing them.
Atlantis: The Barony's relations with Atlantis are currently hostile; the Baroness has placed a bounty of $20,000 (100,000 Coalition credits) for every confirmed death of an Altara warrior woman, and ten times that for every Minion; she wants to see the head as confirmation.
Town highlights
The Baroness's Hall
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A wooden structure, like most of the buildings in town, the Hall sits atop a hill, overlooking the border wall to the south and out over the town proper, which sits to the north.
The hall is a three-story structure, and has a stable and blacksmith's forge attached to the rear; these are actually built into the hill, and are under the hall proper.
The "ground floor" of the hall is dominated by a large, ornately decorated room used as a throne room, where the Baroness entertains important visitors and acts as judge in local trials.
The Courtyard
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Near the Hall is a large field used for drilling by the militia, ceremonies presided over by the Baroness, and recreation. It is from a balcony in the Hall overlooking this field that the Baroness addresses her subjects.
The Factory
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This is a small factory that produces a number of common goods for the people of the Barony. The Factory was built using funds provided by the Baroness, and currently employs a third of the townspeople. The Factory is unable to produce energy weapons, but can build conventional firearms, cookware, and electric refridgerators and freezers.
The Mill
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Surrounding the town are a large number of agricultural fields; corn, beans, and wheat are the primary plants grown. The mill takes the corn and wheat to turn them into flour. It is situated on the stream, and uses a large paddle wheel for power.
The Harbor
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Curfman's harbor is a small affair, little more than a few wooden docks which have small fishing boats moored to them. Occasionally, a larger barge comes through and docks there, but most river barges pass by to dock at one of the larger towns. Almost all the boats are purchased elsewhere, commonly from Annapolis Harbor or the Republic.
Most of the boats are powered by oars, sails, or coal-burning boilers; a few gasoline-powered boats can be seen, but most of these have to buy their fuel elsewhere. The militia possesses a single Iron Heart Armaments patrol boat for river defense, powered by an electric engine.
Market Square
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An open-air market near the middle of the town, the merchants and goods available are in constant flux. Most of the merchants operate from caravans that run from Free Quebec down to Camp Cherokee and back.
Faldrang's Magic Shop
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The only magic shop in the town is run by an old wizard who looks a lot like Gandalf -- complete with long gray beard and pointy hat. Faldrang is assisted in making his goods by five apprentices; his granddaughter, Elenor, tends to the store (and is a capable wizard in her own right).
Keller's General Store
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The standard general store. The owner, Robert Keller, is also the town sheriff's deputy. Most goods available at the store are made locally, either by local smiths or by the Factory, but Keller does carry a few items imported from abroad. He also has the ability to recharge E-clips, although he prefers to offer a recharged second-hand clip at a discount price in exchange for the discharged clip.
Odie's Fix-It Shop
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Odie Lowe runs the only repair shop in town. Odie claims to be able to fix almost any mechanical, electrical, or electronic device, and to date he has lived up to his claim. He has even been known to work on advanced power armors, although no one really knows where he gets the parts. Odie's workshop has the capability to recharge E-clips for a reasonable fee.
Fitzpatrick's Gambling House and Saloon
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Fitzpatrick's is the largest of the three saloons in the town, a three-story building with electricity and running hot water. It is a clean establishment with good food, micro-brewed beers on tap, and assorted card games. Sam, the owner, prides himself on running an honest establishment, and has been known to fire dealers he found cheating the customers.
The saloon is able to house a few people in the second floor bedrooms, but these are filled quickly; Sam usually directs people to Miss Priscilla's for rooming.
Sam's staff includes a cook, a dishwasher, two barmaids, and six dealers; Sam tends to operate the bar during business hours.
Alicia's
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Everyone in the town knows that Alicia's, touting itself as a "gentleman's club", is in reality a strip bar whose dancers double as prostitutes. What worries most of the villagers is that the two dozen or so dancers who live and work on the premises are local girls who grew up in the town, and that none of them had seemed the type to engage in that type behavior. However, all the girls are of legal age, and there is no sign that they are not doing this willingly . . . .
In addition to the obvious, Alicia's offers a wide range of drinks as well as gambling tables. A number of transients have walked away from the tables suspecting that they were cheated, but they have no proof either way. Alicia Marcello, the owner, has hired a pair of juicers to act as bouncers, so there are almost never any of the problems that would appear to plague such an establishment.
Bing's Bar
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Bing's is the third saloon in town. Unlike the other two, Bing's is a dark, usually smoke-filled place. The liquor is strong and bitter, the meat is generally rotten, and the bread is stale. Bing's doesn't have hired dealers, but card games are known to happen. People don't come here to socialize; they come here to get drunk. The building itself has been demolished twice in the past two years.
Miss Priscilla's Boarding House
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Priscilla Sullivan runs the town's only boarding house, a long three story building that's been separated into a number of comfortably furnished bedrooms. She runs an honest place, even if she is a bit puritanical in her beliefs. She will evict anyone engaging in illicit behavior. The building is heated by burning coal, and provides oil lamps for lighting. A stable behind the main building is able to house a number of horses and other animals. Miss Priscilla is aided in her endeavor by a stable boy and five Indian maids.
Local rumor has it that Alicia Marcello keeps trying to buy out Miss Priscilla's place, but the latter refuses to sell.
Main Street Jukebox
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Located near the Market Square, this store sells pre-Rifts music CDs as well as contemporary music produced in the Coalition, Lazlo, and Kingsdale.
Marcello's Pawn Shop
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In addition to owning and managing her brothel, Alicia Marcello also owns a pawn shop near the Market Square. She offers good prices for second-hand equipment, and makes sure all of it is in good condition before putting it back out for sale. Occasionally she'll carry a few magic items, but most of what she carries are second-hand weapons and armor.
Doc Morbid's
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Doc Morbid, the town's premier physician, runs the local medical clinic out of his home, a large two-story house with a large portion of the lower level converted into his clinic. He is assisted by an apprentice, three nurses who double as the town's midwives, and a secretary. While a skilled healer, Doc Morbid is unable to perform cybernetic surgery. He also gives off a slightly creepy vibe that spooks horses, causes dogs to snarl, and cats to hiss. This vibe has caused rumors of him being a vampire, but he has been seen moving around town during the day and during rain storms.
Haydt's Meat Market and Taxidermy
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Fredrick Haydt runs the main butcher shop in town. Only occasionally does he carry beef; the majority of the meat sold is chicken, mutton, and pork, with venison being common in the fall. Every so often, when a local hunter gets lucky, he carries dinosaur and rhino-buffalo meat.
Fred's wife, Gina, is a skilled taxidermist, and is the person to go to for mounting animal heads for display.
The Church of Man
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This small wooden structure sitting directly across the street from Fitzpatrick's Saloon outwardly resembles the old one-room churches of times past. It consists of a main room with a raised alter and enough benches to seat everyone in the town and surrounding areas, a small foyer, and a bell tower with a single bronze bell worked by a pull rope. The church itself doubles as the town's schoolhouse.
The head of the church is Reverend Glenn Simmons, a learned and charismatic, although sometimes confusing man who teaches from a number of texts, including the Judeo-Christian Bible, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, Hesiod's Theogeny and Works and Days, the works of Confucius, the Book of Robert the Wanderer, the Poetic Edda, and the Principalia Discordia, among others. The religion he espouses combines elements of all these, while flat-out ignoring other elements; he refers to this as "cutting through the cow manure". Reverend Simmons is an official advisor to the Baroness; he is on good terms with Sheriff Arlington, Deputy Keller, and Faldrang, but slightly adversarial to Alicia and Bing. In addition to his other duties, Reverend Simmons acts as the town's resident schoolteacher.
Rumors:
"The Devouring Swarm is due to appear very shortly, probably nearby. For once, I hope Plato's wrong."
"A group of black- and red-robed wizards were seen headed north, an entourage of zombies following them. I'm not sure what they're up to, but I doubt it's anything good."
"A pair of borgs were seen leaving the Republic, headed west and leading a number of people in chains. Most likely slavers."
"There has been an increase of Splugorthian slave barges crossing the Chesapeake within the last few months. I hope they don't come around here; we got enough on our plate without having to deal with Atlantis."
"Shemarrian patrols have increased between between the settlements; they seem to be up to something. I hope they're hunting Atlanteans; if they turn on us, I don't know if we'd survive."
"A black-scaled dragon has made his lair in the nearby hills, and has been terrorizing the locals. So far, it's only eaten livestock, but has threatened to feed upon the locals unless they pay him exhorbantly... in gold. Someone has to do something about it."
"A Coalition patrol passed through here. Killed many D-Bees, but left the humans alone... with a word of warning not to trust any D-Bees. What were they doing this far south and east, though?"
"A Glitter Boy recently killed a Spluggie slaver. Odd thing: although the slave girls working with the slaver turned on it and helped kill it, the GB killed them as well. Word is the Baroness has a price on their heads, and something tells me she means that literally."
"Ginny Hoffman just started working at Alicia's, calling herself 'Stormy'. Shame, really; she had such a good future ahead of her. She was due to marry Odie Lowe in a few months, you know, but she broke it off when she started working there. She seems happy, but Odie's devastated. He says she's been acting differently, and he wants someone to look into it. He's willing to pay handsomely for any information."
Notable NPCs:
Baroness Melina Curfman
Sheriff Seth Arlington
Deputy Robert Keller (also owns/operates the general store)
Reverend Glenn Simmons
Faldrang, local wizard/enchanter
Odie Lowe, local repairman (electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc)
Samuel Fitzpatrick, owner of the saloon/gambling house
Alicia Marcello, owner of the strip club/brothel and the pawn shop
Bing, owner of the low-rent pub
Doc Morbid, local physician
Priscilla Sullivan, owner of the boarding house
Other Places of Note:
Coalition States
Lazlo
Free Quebec
Boston Harbor
Iroquois Confederation (Longhouse Preserve)
Mad Haven
Liberty
The Pitt
Allentown and Bethlehem
Lancaster (Amish Country)
Trenton
Philly
Annapolis Harbor
New Baltimore
Fenton
The Republic
Central Preserve
Greenville
Camp Cherokee