Thorold rewrite
by Marc Saindon“Thorold . This lovely little village prides itself on the fact that it raises the best thoroughbred horses in all of Glantri for the Barony of Gulluvia. Thorold, though it appears peaceful and perhaps even lawful, is just as chaotic as Gulluvia. The mayor of Thorold is a distant cousin of D’hmis, and follows her laws and orders to the letter. The village is rather large and has three taverns, a general store, and two smithies.”
Torhold – Village – Population 800 (mostly Humans, some Elves) and surrounding countryside 4000 (Humans, some Elves)
The original description is fine, if only needs a bit of expansion on its lore to give it life.
I’ve changed the spelling of Thorold to 1) distance itself from a reference to the immortal Thor, 2) to call back to fairy tales of Glastonbury Tor (I expect some kind of celtic langage from the Fae) and 3) to reference the defensive position of the location (‘hold’, like ‘stronghold’).
Despite its low population, Torhold is a Bourg (or “Burg” in Gulluvian vernacular) and has a Charter, as its one of the older settlements, built on the ruins of a previous faerie ringfort left vacant as part of the deal between House Argenta and the Fair Folk. It started as a wooden fort on a hill. The fortifications have been furthered improved upon throughout the centuries, turning the simple outpost into an impressive walled village.
Torhold is lead by a Burgomeister (alternatively called ‘Mayor’ in Gulluvian Common, which would be similar to English) and an elected council, although the military vocation of the village changes politics somewhat, with the Bailiff of the Guard holding power of his own over the settlement and answering only to baronial authorities. A stern figure of law, the Bailiff keeps his troops disciplined, the market without crime and the court without corruption. The troops are always at their “Wartime” levels (not “Standing”), as Torhold is a training center for young recruits (maybe giving Fighters in your party an origin story), many who later on get postings to other location in Gulluvia.
Economically, Torhold centers around military life. Expect one of the smiths to be a full-time armorer, while the other caters to horseshoeing. The General Store is the center of a larger marketplace, has a large part of its business supplying the army (uniforms, boots, etc.). The three taverns (Signs of the Griffon, the Unicorn and the Moon to give them names) is where young recruits spend their wages when they are on leave. As the Gulluvian army fields cavalry, horses are in high demand, so enclosures outside the walls provide a market for them. Torhold has an expertise in breeding horses, meaning higher quality specimens are available (see the Ylaruam rules), and the faerie energies of Gulluvia may also affect equines, giving them an Alignment suited to their temper (“Widow-Maker” is Chaotic Evil, “Willy the Wonder Horse” is Lawful Good) rather than keep them Neutral/Unaligned. As horses are economically important, this transfers in the culture as well, and horse races and knightly tournaments are popular attractions during the warmer months, as is gambling (on which the Bailiff frowns). A variant of Mari Lwyd festivity might also be held in autumn or winter. People from Ethengar, Machetos, or Ylaruam could feel at home in this horse-crazy settlement.
The countryside of Torhold is for ranching. Various farms and homesteads (5 to 50 people in each) dot the landscape. Richer farms breed horses, while most smaller families are involved in raising cattle and dairy farming (as well as derived products, like crafting cheese and butter). As ranchers and herds, Torholdians often get into arguments with the crop farmers of N’Sau over land use. Another point of contention is that Torholdian women, notably the milkmaids, are a bit more attractive and healthy (a side-effect of cowpox exposure that make them immune to smallpox), so this might be a hook for Romeo&Juliette storyline.
During the events of B3, Torhold remains a bastion of stability. The authorities aren't sure how react in the current chaos outside, so perhaps the Bailiff or the Mayor can mandate a few adventurers to look inquirer into it, perhaps as envoys to the Silver Palace.
(art from: https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Hungarian-Horse-Market/C2F60AD0A7138174)