Stonecross (Hamlet)

Population: ~60 (80% Human – mostly Flan, 10% Dwarf, 10% Halfling)

Primary Trades: Quarrying, stonecutting, masonry, and ropework for mining & bridge maintenance

Overview

Stonecross takes its name from the ancient Flan bridge that spans the ravine just south of town — a single, perfectly balanced arch of mottled stone that has weathered centuries of flood and frost. Locals claim it was built by “hands older than dwarves,” and many refuse to cross it after dark, whispering that the bridge hums faintly when storms approach.

The hamlet clings to the narrow shelf of land beside the ravine, its homes built from the same cold gray limestone they quarry. The air forever tastes faintly of dust and river spray. Though small, Stonecross’s industry and tenacity make it one of the most reliable stone sources in northern Wolfsward — and one of the most superstitious.

Beyond the quarry’s rim lie the foothills of the Griffs, where scattered Ur-Flan ruins and dwarf-like masonry fragments have been unearthed. Giant sightings, though rare, have been reported in the high passes. Kobolds, gnolls, and hobgoblins roam farther north, drawn to the abandoned shafts and caves.

Places to Go

🕯 The Bridge Hearth (Tavern & Common Hall)

A sturdy stone tavern with a single long communal table at its heart. Quarrymen, masons, and surveyors share ale and stories shoulder to shoulder. The hearth itself is built from a slab taken from the ancient bridge — a fact that some consider a blessing, and others, a curse.

Proprietor: Grena Barhold, broad-shouldered Flan matron with a booming laugh and zero patience for superstition—at least when customers are paying. Menu Highlights: Quarryman’s stew (river trout and root vegetables), ashbread (baked with lime-dusted flour), and “Bridge Ale,” brewed with springwater drawn from beneath the ravine. Rumor Board: Sightings of lights beneath the bridge, miners hearing knocking from below the quarry, and a halfling surveyor who swears the bridge’s span “shifted” one inch last spring.

⚒ Quarryman’s Store & Ropeyard

Across from the tavern sits the supply depot run by Varn Droskin, a patient, stone-faced dwarf who once mined under the Griff range. His missing thumb and dry humor are local legends. The store provides chisels, pitch, wagon chains, and climbing rope — much of it crafted and tested by the halfling surveyors.

A fenced yard out back is strung with thick hemp ropes and pulleys used for testing knots and harnesses before they’re lowered into the quarry.

⛏ The Old Quarry

A half-flooded pit north of town, its surface water still and black. Quarry crews avoid the lower shelf since a collapse two winters ago swallowed a cart and three workers. Strange ripples have been seen on still days, and the local druid swears the rock “weeps at night.”

The Flan Bridge

A marvel and a mystery — built long before the Duchy of Tenh. Faint spiral carvings along its stones evoke eyes and flowing waves. Druids of Beory warn that it was raised not for mortals but against something ancient that once crossed here.

Crossing it without leaving a coin or chip of stone is said to bring bad luck, and even the dwarves mutter a quick blessing before stepping onto its span.

People to See

Grena Barhold, Innkeeper of The Bridge Hearth — boisterous, tough, fiercely loyal to her patrons. Keeps miners and masons from coming to blows. Varn Droskin, Dwarf quarry master — keeps precise records of every cut stone and every man lost to the pit. Quietly despises superstition but listens carefully to halfling reports about cracks or stress shifts. Ellar Fenmoor, Flan shepherd and local storyteller — claims to have seen “stone men walking the ridges.” Half the town believes him. Lira of the Glen, young druidess from Reedwatch — advocates for sustainable quarrying and communes with the spirits of the rock. Perrit “Tangleline” Underbough, halfling ropewright and lead surveyor — agile, witty, and fearless. Known for crawling into crevices no one else dares. She’s saved more than one miner with her quick rigging and carries a silver chisel she claims “keeps the dark from whispering too loud.”

Halflings of Stonecross

The halflings here are unlike their kin in the meadows. Calling themselves the Tangleline Guild, they serve as surveyors, ropewrights, and pit-climbers, their small size and steady nerves ideal for navigating narrow shafts and hanging over cliff faces.

They’re respected by dwarves and Flan alike for their professionalism — though humans joke they have “stones in their heads for wanting to live up walls.” In truth, without them, the quarry would have closed years ago.