Cedarholm is a walled, mostly human frontier town in Sylvaris, on the road between Nantwich and Verdantspire, about 45 miles from the capital. A sturdy timber palisade on stone footings surrounds it, with watchtowers and a gatehouse manned by a proper town guard. Inside are cobbled streets lined with shops, an inn, a smithy, a market square and rows of timber houses. Just outside the walls lies Brann's cattle ranch, the Rockbell Ranch. It's the last safe stop with real walls before the capital.
Leadership
Cedarholm is led by its Speaker, Brann Rockbell, an older, heavyset human man with dark skin, long gray-streaked braids and a graying beard, who still dresses like a rancher in a leather vest and riding chaps. He spent years as a sellsword and adventurer before settling down. He's seen enough of the jungle's dangers to take the town's defenses seriously: the walls, the guard and the watchtowers are largely his doing. He's blunt, practical and tough, but he has a soft spot for travelers in trouble, because he used to be one.
Rockbell Ranch
Just outside the walls lies the Rockbell Ranch, a wide fenced spread of pasture carved out of the jungle. Brann owns it, and it raises cattle that keep the whole settlement fed in beef, milk and leather. Ranch hands drive the herds out to graze each morning and back behind the fences before dark, when the jungle predators come out.
The Bottom Drop Inn
The Bottom Drop Inn sits just inside Cedarholm's main gate. It's a two-story timber building with a big common room, a long bar and a stone hearth that's always lit. It's run by Marta Hale, a cheerful, sharp-eyed human woman who hears every rumor in town and remembers every unpaid tab. Caravan drivers, ranch hands and travelers crowd in at night for ale, stew and card games. Rooms upstairs cost 5 sp a night, and the stables out back take mounts.
The name is an inside joke between Marta and Brann. The night they met, she drank so hard she fell off her horse and landed flat on her bottom. Brann still brings it up whenever he stops by, and she still refuses to tell the story to strangers.
The Cedarholm Job Board
The job board hangs by the gatehouse. Its notices are pinned up by townsfolk and signed off by the guard.
- Missing Cattle. "Three head gone from the Rockbell Ranch's east pasture. Tracks lead into the jungle. Reward: 25 gp. Ask for Brann."
- Caravan Guards Wanted. "Escort needed for a supply caravan to Verdantspire. Pay on arrival: 10 gp a head."
- Cellar Trouble. "Something's in the cellar of the Bottom Drop Inn and it isn't the ale. Free room and board for a week. Ask for Marta."
- Herbs Needed. "Healer seeks moonpetal blossoms from the riverbanks south of town. 5 gp a bundle."
- Wolf Bounty. "Dire wolves sighted near the walls. 5 gp per pelt, paid by the town guard."