Codex Vetallun And West Grasslands¶
A Badgers Guide to Vetallun and the Western Grasslands
Welcome to the moderately bustling village of Vetallun! This is
your first stop if youre making the trip to the holy city of
Monlon (see: A Badgers Guide to Monlon); the ferry is located
just a bit east of the city, and well stop there on our way
out to Blackvine!
A note on Vetallun: despite its location as a jumping-off point
for pilgrims to Monlon, and its status as a stop for the
Caravan, it seems the village has seen better days. Many homes
and warehouses are empty and disused, and as far as I can tell
have been thoroughly looted already.
Note: The first section of this book cover the city of
Vetallun. The next section covers the environment of the
Western Grasslands, including the Burnt Villa, the Spider
Caverns, and other points of interest.
Vetallun Crossroads
The first stop for most folks on visiting here is the Vetallun
Crosroads, which is the center of the village. The Caravan
stops here, so keep an eye out for a guy yelling near a bunch
of donkeys!
It's certainly possible to get a little rowdy in this town, and
rest assured we will, but the Crossroads is watched over by
several of the Republic's proudest and jumpiest soldiers.
There are a few interesting things to note at this spot. The
first is a milestone telling you that you're two miles from
Iridine (to the south), and equally two miles from Darpen
(yikes) and Franlius. The next is a cage on a platform,
probably for holding criminals; note that the Courthouse is to
your immediate north, but like courthouses everywhere it's not
open to the public. There's also a well here, which has good
water but we're not here to drink water, eh?
Most of the town is clustered around the Crossroads, so it's
not really worth dividing the place up into sections as we do
in the Monlon guide. We'll start at the southwestern edge of
Vetallun, work our way back to the crossroads, and then explore
what's around there. So, head back down the Vetallun Road,
until you see the gate to the Armorer's yard.
Bragan, Armorer: First, take a look at his yard. The shop
itself is very popular, and very busy! The cheapest item is a
bronze dagger (200d), and the most expensive a lorica hamata (2
and a half talents, roughly). He let me poke around his
apprentice's shop, but there was nothing of interest.
Abandoned Home (Villa?): Just north of the Armory is an
abandoned home, possibly a small villa. A fancy place, is what
I'm saying. Have a look around, see the entry hall, the dining
hall with the mosaic, the tablinium with an amusing alcove& and
then let's move on back to the road.
Netros' Bakery: On the way back north to the crossroads, you'll
see this little bakery, and of course you'll smell it before
you see it. Netros himself is cut from the standard baker mold:
jolly and doughy! If you're starving and poor, you can't beat
his biscuits and hard rolls (2 sterces), but if you're looking
to be a big spender go for the blueberry pie at a bargain-level
2 denars.
Perry Inn/Fern: Just a bit north of the bakery is the Perry
Inn, the hotspot of Vetallun. The common room is full of smoke,
both from the patrons and the giant fireplace. This is a great
place when the weather gets cold! Their drink selection is
lackluster, with generic milk, ale, tea, and wine, and the only
food on offer is a fish stew. You can probably do better.
However, Tereshia the barkeep is bright and pretty, and she can
often be seen holding a couple of blueberry tarts. Not that she
can be bothered to offer them to the hungry public... but I
digress. Also of note here is Fern, the athletic Sostaeran who
will teach you outdoor skills, hunting skills, and archery.
She's not entirely friendly, but a good teacher!
Carcass Buyer/Leather Dealer: North of the Perry Inn, follow
the stink of uncured pelts to Jalgris the Carcass Buyer's tent.
I didn't have any pelts on me, so I can't tell you much about
his prices. Right next to his tent is the always-grinning
Venatius, the boot seller! He's not on the standard maps, but
he's got good stock! The cheapest boots here are basic thick
leather boots, for 720d, but if youre feeling high-end you can
pick up a pair of cloth boots with gold ornaments on them for a
hefty 3 talents. If you faint from the high prices, he'll let
you lay on the cot for a spell.
Medical Supplies: To the west of the hides-men is Gallinus'
tent, where the pleasant old baldy will sell you various vials
of tonics ranging from eyewash (54d) to burn salve (172 d).
Spear Trainer: Next to Gallinus' tent is Regul. Theres pretty
much nothing to his tent but the wrinkled man himself, though
he's a deft hand with a spear and will teach you for the usual
price.
Dark Horse Trading Post: Just east of the Crossroads and the
Courthouse is a busy spot, where you can find a Trading Post, a
tailor shop, and the Baths. The Trading Post is a great spot
for Badgers with an adventuring heart and doesn't that
describe all of us? Grizzled old Cantus will sell you all kinds
of adventuring supplies, from torches and rations to blankets
and an iron pry.
Baths: After gearing up for your adventure, you might want to
visit the Baths and relax your muscles before going on a
trip! The usual items are here, like soap (2 st) or a towel
(4d). I am told it is always wise to travel with a towel.
Actually the Vetallun baths might be nicer than the Iridine
public baths, or at least they're more diverse. There are two
tepidaria here, possibly for modesty or to contain crowding,
as well as a frigidarium. But, very exciting, there's a
caldarium as well! That's great for relaxing tired muscles.
Tailor: Across the street from the baths and the Dark Horse
is Shera's tailor shop. It seems she's not been very
productive, or else there isnt much call for a tailor here,
but if you want to you can buy some breeches (72d) or a tunic
(85d).
Bank: Continue east to find Vetallun's bank, another offering
from the Seneda clan. Unlike Iridine's bank, this is a
relatively plain affair, and not much to write about.
Healer: Across from the bank is the Healer complex, where you
can find Fiona and some other medical-type people. You can
make donations to Tilain, in a small office next to Fiona.
The coma ward is run by Wieros, a man who seems a lot more
mighty than his job would seem to require. The place is very
clean, I can tell you that much.
More Adventuring Supplies: Head around the corner from the
healer's place, and youll find a couple of shops spread out.
Winalder offers a limited selection of supplies, mainly of
the rope variety, though he will also sell you a fishing pole
(30d). His shop is basically directly south of the healers,
or east of the baths if you prefer.
Crimson Rat: South further from the healer brings you down to
the Crimson Rat. I can't report much about the place, except
there's an amusing fresco. I couldnt get past Lario, who
seems to serve no purpose except to stare and grunt at me.
One gets the feeling theres some kind of fun to be had in
there, but Im not the right kind of person, it seems.
Grocery: Head back toward the Healers and go northeast. When
you smell fruits and vegetables, you're in the right spot.
Balbina's the grocer here, and from her imposing perch (she's
about as tall as I am!), she'll sell you things like an egg
(3 st) or a whole cooked chicken (7 d). Her sign promises
almonds and grapes as well, but there were none when I went.
Like I say, Vetallun seems to be in a small slump.
Old Goat: Well, last stop before we get on the road to
Monlon or Blackvine! South of the Grocer, check out the Old
Goat Bar. A quiet run-down place, for sure, but one not to
miss. The spiced wine, sold by the carafe for 18 d, is a
great choice to warm your belly, and the pickled goat kidney
(14 d) is just like Mother used to make, I promise!
Ferry to Monlon: Go east from the Old Goat, and head
southeast onto the tow path. Just south of that is the
platform where you can buy tickets for the ferry. A ticket is
30 d, but the Badgers or the MVG may be able to provide one
for you if you're hard up for cash. The wait for the ferry
can be a long one, so make sure you don't have anything else
to do. You can pass the time by reading a Badger's Guide to Monlon!
Along the Vetallun Road:
A full treatment of the sights, sounds and surprises to be found
in the Western Grasslands and along the Vetallun Road would
need a longer book than this. So, for now, please make do
with a few paragraphs that highlight some things you might find
interesting as you walk along towards Vetallun.
From the Boulder (dont look at the wagon, its gross):
Take two steps west, then north up the wagon trail. This
will take you to the Invex Prison, which was closed
when I went to visit, so I cant tell you anything
about it. However&
Walk south 6 paces, and turn east. Youll come across a
really lovely villa, and while the house is closed, the
gardens and atrium are open. A nice place to roam
around, if youre looking for a place to rest before
going to other adventures.
From the northeast corner of the villas lawn, go
north-east four paces, then north into a crude camp. On
the maps I have this is said to belong to someone named
Brith, but I dont know who that is or why they
camped here. There seems to have been some violence,
but in any event the place is abandoned now. You can go
underground for some sleeping quarters, which seemed
all right to me. Nothing ate me while I slept, anyway.
From the old camp, walk eight paces northwest, into the
oak forest. Youll see a steep ravine that you can only
access by walking around to the north. I bruised up my
neck pretty bad getting down in there, so be careful,
or dont go at all. Theres some kind of burial cairn
there, but I cant find out anything about it yet.
Almost directly north of that ravine, at the northern
edge of the oak forest, is a little clearing. Theres a
stool here where you can look at the main attraction: a
big slab of granite that has crescents and spheres
painted on it. I dont know what that might mean, but
its interesting, and its a nice place to rest if, for
example, you just semi-broke your neck falling into a
ravine.