Springhome

Springhome was a small city at the edges of the desert. It originally formed as an outpost for the Kingdom, who used the natural spring as a resupply point in their patrols. Eventually a city grew, as merchants and craftsman saw the need for goods for the ever more permanent Kingdom garrison. When the influence of the Kingdom faded, and their borders shrank, their official control of Springhome ended. The city still swears nominal fealty to Brightshire. The Paragon Orders each still maintain an Order house within the city. The Exemplar Order uses the City as a primary staging point for its activity in the area. The prosperity of the city has given rise to a diverse population of humans and dwarves. The Dwarven Unions, and Merchant Barons have a heavy presence in the city, and the surrounding area. Despite this, Dwarves are still treated as second class citizens, with human merchants getting preferential treatment. As a result a second, less legal market, has emerged run by dwarves. Springhome is broken into three distinct sections, Old Town, where the Lords manor and the Order Houses for the Exemplar, Adjurant, and Lustrate Orders are located. New Town, where the new and old money mingle, and the slums where everyone else lives, with only The Dwarven Quarter and the Ameliorate Orderhouse providing much relief. Outside the city the Temple of Pilar sat as a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and dispossessed, drawing pilgrims from all over. The city was plagued with a sense of growing tension and unease, as unrest gripped the populace. Dwarven merchants plotting change, Lustrates and Adjurants flaming the resentment of the poor towards removing the Dwarven stain from the city, and the Followers of Pilar preaching a cleansing fire from God. The city was a powder keg ready for a spark. Into this Qayn and his companions made their mark.