Palebank Village

Palebank Village is an Uthodurnian fishing outpost village and the first surviving outpost of its kind beyond the Flotket Alps.

The Vellum Steeple of Uthodurn maintains a teleportation circle to Palebank, which is involved in their excavations of Eiselcross to the north.

City Description
Just north of the Flotket Alps, Palebank Village is a port on the Frigid Depths situated against a low cliff boundary adjoining the rolling hills and fields of the glittering diamond-like Crystalsands Tundra. There is a small dock located on the adjacent sand-and-snow beaches, fifteen feet below the northern cliff. The docks are built to house roughly a dozen ships, most of which are fishing vessels or ships carrying supplies and travlers between the village and nearby Eiselcross.

Palebank is a somewhat rundown village in a climate that is wintry year-round. Defense structures include four watchtowers and a ten-foot-tall enclosure made of sharpened logs. The village is otherwise is comprised of over a hundred small buildings. It is too small to have split into separate neighborhoods, so the layout of the town is somewhat haphazard, consisting of a large roughly circular main road and smaller streets and alleys breaking up the center. The narrow streets are muddy and slushy with piles of snow pushed to the edges against the rickety, rustic buildings. There is a large meeting hall decorated with curling tusks over the door and a sign reading "Winter's Tit Lodge."

The village is not far enough north that it goes long periods in which the sun never sets, as in Earth's Arctic Circle.

Demographics
In 835 PD, Palebank Village has a population of 690, 61% of which was Dwarves, 32% Elves, 3% Gnomes, and 4% other races. Most of the population is Uthodurnian, and armed and armored.

Government and Defense
Palebank Village is led and governed by Elro Aldataur, an Elven ranger and the village's founder and appointed leader. He is assisted by those he trusts and to whom he has delegated individual responsibibilities. Aldataur, who was appointed as the village's leader around 775 PD, oversaw the village's expansion and protection.

Aldataur has sixty to ninety Glassblades under his command. One of the primary responsibilities of these glassblades is to protect the townsfolk against monsters who wander too close to the village. Some civilians are also willing to take up arms in defense of the city if necessary. One of the Glassblades' quarters and training areas is called the Nowhere's Quarter.

Uthodurn governs Palebank Village from afar.

Commerce and Organizations
Basic supplies are tradable and buyable at small inns and supply shacks. The people of Palebank are ice fishers, trappers, and hunters, returning in small caravans to Uthodurn to sell wares and restock supplies.

The Tribes of Shadycreek Run, a collection of rival criminal families, occasionally send agents to Palebank to seek out more information about Eiselcross.

Religion
Palebank Village contains two temples, one to Corellon and one to Moradin.

Law and Crime
Crime in Palebank is rare, as there is little wealth and cooperation is crucial for survival. When crime does occur, it is typically minor, out of desperation, and punished at the discretion of the appointed leader.

History
As of 835 PD, Palebank's docks had been recently expanded to accommodate increased travel from the village to Eiselcross. The trade and hospitality industries in the town had likewise increased due to this demand.