Oxenford (WH2)

(Hamlet, pop. 40–75)

A small Flan-founded hamlet northeast of Hallowfall, settled only a few decades ago when caravan drovers and farmers discovered rich pastureland in the rolling hills. Life here revolves around oxen, barley, and cider presses. The people are practical and cooperative, wary of strangers but proud of their strong ale and hardy herds. The ‘center’ of town consists of a few farmsteads but a few other families dot the land to the northeast (such as Amberfield Orchard and a few goat farms).
Notable Locations & NPCs.

The Draught Ox (Tavern)

• Proprietor: Harl Drennick (NG Human, 40s, scarred ex-caravan guard). Gruff but generous, he knows every road and will gossip about caravan news.
• Flavor: Low-beamed ceiling, heavy benches, smoky hearth. Stew is always on the boil, and the dark ale has a sharp bite.
• Hook: Harl knows rumors about nearby raids and often nudges adventurers toward work.
• The Draught Ox – Menu
  • Oxenford Stew – A thick beef and root vegetable stew with barley, onions, and turnips. Served with coarse brown bread. (3 sp)
  • Hearth-Roast Mutton – Slow-roasted sheep shank with herbs and garlic, served on a wooden trencher. (5 sp)
  • Farmer’s Plate – A mix of cheese curds, pickled cabbage, dried sausage, and apples. (2 sp)
  • Pottage of the Day – Seasonal vegetable porridge, sometimes with pork scraps. (1 sp)
  • Hunter’s Skillet – Fried eggs, rashers of bacon, and fried potatoes. Favored by caravan guards. (4 sp)

• Drinks
  • Draught Ox Dark Ale – The tavern’s namesake: strong, malty, with a hint of smoke from charred barrels. (4 cp tankard)
  • Amberfield Cider – Pressed from a small orchard outside Oxenford. Sweet and lightly spiced. (5 cp mug)
  • Goat’s Milk Mead – A light mead made from honey and goat’s milk; faintly sour but warming. (6 cp cup)
  • Hallowfire Spirit – Imported from Hallowfall’s dwarves; sharp, smoky, and burns all the way down. (2 sp glass)

• Specialties
  • Ox-Tongue Pie – Rich meat pie made from spiced tongue, onions, and gravy. Popular during festivals. (6 sp)
  • Vineyard Pudding – Sweet bread pudding made with raisins from Oxenford’s tiny vineyard. (3 sp)

Cattle Market

• Master Drover: Brenn Two-Ox (LN Flan, 50s, weathered cattleman, respected elder). Famous for once pulling a broken wagon himself, earning his nickname.
• Flavor: The Cattle Market is the first building on the southwest side, followed by two other farmhouses as you go east. Several fields to the south are for crop rotation and grazing lands. The oxen are traded for coin in Oxton March annually or a caravan contract. Arguments over cattle rights grow with the increasing demands for land and resources.
• Hook: Quest giver for WH2.1 Stolen Herd.

Tanners’ Yard

• Operators: Torvik and Melwan (Flan brothers, 30s). Torvik is broad, friendly, but often smells of hide-rot; Melwan is sharper, enjoys bargaining, and keeps a little ledger. The smaller home in the south center is Melwan’s home. Torvik’s family is the larger and the third angled building is the tannery and pits to the southeast; a well sits by another tannery building.
• Flavor: A stinking corner of the hamlet, hides strung up on racks, vats of urine and lye.
• Hook: Melwan knows local trade networks and occasionally spots outsiders (raiders, smugglers).

Maltbrew Farm & Brewery

▪ Brewer: Talla Maltbrew (NG Human, 35, stout, red-cheeked, proud of her craft). Believes in hard work, honest ale, and distrusting fey.

▪ Flavor: Barn-sized brewing hall (the larger building to the northeast), sacks of barley stacked high, apples fermenting in barrels are stocked in the adjacent structure. Talla’s family stead is the smaller home to the south of the brewery.

▪ Hook: Quest giver for WH2.2 Ale Gone Sour.

Hill Orchards

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Things to Do

• WH2.1 – Stolen Herd
• WH2.2 – Ale’s Gone Sour!