SEVENARCHES
Large Town nonstandard (mayor and druidic oligarchy); AL N
Base Value 2,000 gp
DEMOGRAPHICS
Population 4,340
Type humanoid (human 88%, fey 5%, gnome 4%, halfling 2%,
other 1%)
AUTHORITY FIGURES
Esmet Silkenlock, mayor (N female human rogue 3/expert 1);
Dethenesthen Carcusian, Captain of the Underbrush (N
male human ranger 4); Leoti, Voice of the Wind (LN female
human druid 9).
SEVENARCHES
Just stepping into civilized Sevenarches eases the mind. The land is
fairer, the grass softer, the weather milder, and the sky a brighter
blue than only a few yards outside the territory. Sevenarches is
possibly the largest River Kingdom in land area, although Gralton
and Pitax have decent competing claims to this title. It also has
a shocking stability compared to other River Kingdoms, thanks
to its sizeable standing army and the hyper-vigilant oversight of
the ruling druid sect known as the Oakstewards. Once an elven
settlement, and continuously occupied for thousands of years,
the territory is now primarily home to fey and the humans who
have learned how to live with them.
Life in Sevenarches is less civilized than in other River
Kingdoms. Settlements are small, rough, and fortified.
Rather than the loose spreading of a village every few miles
that characterizes other civilized settlements in the Inner Sea
region, small towns tend to clump together every dozen miles
or so, with lightly patrolled farmland in between.
Dirt roads with stone mile-markers are the most advanced
thoroughfares in the kingdom. Very few roads exist, with
those that do primarily running from the city of Sevenarches
out to the towns and farms along the rivers. Wild animals,
including dire animals, roam freely across most of the realm.
Travelers are warned to stay in groups, and hire protection
if going very far. The branches and tributaries of the Sellen
are the main mode of transit, and most villages and farms are
located within a few miles of a riverbank. Civilized Sevenarches
strings along the north and east borders of the realm, leaving
the interior wild—about 70% of the land is uncultivated, left
to the fey and wild creatures.
Fey are a notable minority, even living openly among
humans in the town of Sevenarches. Though generally
helpful, some fey do tend to steal things, replacing them with
junk (or sometimes magical items that seem like junk, such
as a feather token). Because malicious or troublemaking fey
often try to lure people off roads with false pleas and dancing
lights, local humans have learned to ignore strangers calling
or signaling to humans for help; “Stay in sight, all is right,” is
a Sevenarches truism.
No one in Sevenarches goes hungry, and bandits are
noticeably less common here compared to other kingdoms.
But the price for stability is paid in liberty. By law, the ruling
Oakstewards may demand up to 90% of a person’s holdings
without question—whether or not that person is a citizen of
Sevenarches. Rebellion brings banishment; armed rebellion
is punishable by f laming execution.
Oaksteward demands are rarely so drastic—a typical
command is to care for a sickened wild animal, to grow a
certain kind of plant for a year, or to escort a trespasser to the
border. However, in one instance, the Oakstewards demanded
the abandonment of an entire village with no explanation, and
no assistance in relocation. Over the years, the Oakstewards
have become increasingly draconian and unsympathetic in
their demands, but the boil is so slow that most residents
don’t notice. That said, the Oakstewards are hardly micromanagers.
Some Sevenarches residents go years without
encountering one. Nevertheless, when one approaches, the
druid’s commands must be obeyed.
Sevenarches is exceptionally difficult to conquer. The
strong fey aspect of the place overwhelms most would-be
invaders, as terrain seems to shift, invisible enemies swarm
supply lines, weapons are replaced with tree branches, and
officers are kidnapped from their campaign tents. A larger
power with intent to seize the land could overcome these
problems, but a typical River Kingdoms despot with a few
hundred soldiers can barely travel a mile without getting lost
or turned around. Those who do must then face the wrath of an
unknown number of powerful druids on their own territory.
Sevenarches remains on civil but distant terms with
other kingdoms (although both the civil authorities and the
Oakstewards maintain a mutual disdain for Tragshi, the
poisoner from Daggermark, who keeps trying to collect rare
herbs that grow in the enchanted gardens of Sevenarches).
The overbearing mystery of the Oakstewards strains
neighborly relations. However, food policy in Sevenarches
covers many sins. Druidic magic ensures that the kingdom
of Sevenarches grows abundant crops. They then supply
neighboring kingdoms with surplus grain at reasonable
prices, even in famine years, regardless of the buyer’s ideology
or morality. This food source allows the southwestern end of
the River Kingdoms to survive through harsh political shifts,
and endears the Oakstewards to commoners who live near
Sevenarches territory, no matter what their lords may think.
Government
The Oakstewards are the true rulers of Sevenarches and lead
with a hand that is alternately detached and heavy. The druids
seem unmoved by cries of human injustice, but act quickly to
defend land and citizens against despoilers, springing from
within the trees themselves to prevent harm to their demesne.
The Oakstewards operate in infuriating secrecy, keeping
silent even when communication would help their causes.
No one knows exactly how many Oakstewards exist. Four
roles among the druids communicate with the outside world,
chosen each year during the winter solstice. The Voice of the
Wind serves as the speaker to outsiders, and the foreign affairs
diplomat. The Root of the Sapling encourages growth of crops
and children. The Bloom of the Harvest ensures proper food
distribution to Sevenarches residents and foreign buyers.
The Sharp of the Bark defends the borders, waters, and roads
of Sevenarches. There are more than four Oakstewards, and
probably more positions that the druids hold internally,
though the druids share no further information on this topic.
The revolving nature of the Oakstewards’ governance makes
it difficult for outsiders to build relationships. A different
Voice of the Wind attends every Outlaw Council. Policy
remains consistent, but the different druids have displayed
wildly varying diplomatic abilities.
The Oakstewards meet and confer in a secret lodge in the
Elderwoods. The lodge exists within a series of enormous,
ancient oak trees, joined via branches and other growths to
create one great internal room.
Notable Sites
No settlement in the kingdom of Sevenarches can truly be
categorized as a city. Only around one-third of the territory is
what other civilized societies would even consider “inhabited.”
The Den: About 10 years ago, a pack of awakened dire
wolves left the Wilewood and claimed the southeastern corner
of Sevenarches. Now, about 20 of them live in an empty stone
granary in an abandoned village they call the Den. The wolves
speak Sylvan, and attack anyone in their territory without
warning, even Oakstewards. Human survivors of the wolves’
appropriation moved north, but many still resent the loss
of their homes and personal treasures. Several abandoned
villages remain largely intact, as the wolves eat looters but
care little for their treasures.
The Elderwoods: This stand of ancient oak trees in the
south, near the Kyonin border, is older than the Oaksteward
organization, and thick with treants. The Oakstewards do not
allow logging here, regardless of the immense sums of money
they have been offered for this virgin, millennia-old timber.
Sevenarches: The eponymous main settlement of
Sevenarches has a wall, overgrown with ivy, and openings
that lack gates. A remnant from the distant past, the wall is
all but useless as a defensive structure and could never repel
an assaulting army. The town itself is a creepy jumble of elven
ruin and human architecture. Flora covers the city, and many
streets are draped with resilient ivy thatch, springy to the
touch, but thick enough to withstand heavy draft animals.
Sevenarches is the first major stop for pilgrims and traders
headed north on the Sellen. The town is home to two bustling
supply companies, Sellenmark Supply and Auldwell’s, two
fiercely competitive shops that sell all major and minor
adventuring necessities.
In a cobblestone courtyard at the center of town, seven stone
arches with subtly shifting colors stand in a circle, each 20 feet
high, radiating faint illusion magic. These are reported to be
magical elven arches that might serve as passage to the First
World (though this actually is a lie; the Oakstewards assembled
these arches and established this place as a diversion for
onlookers wanting to study or use the true arches.)
The mayor of Sevenarches, Esmet Silkenlock, is a reformed
thief, a Keleshite from Katapesh made good in the River
Kingdoms. Esmet is an indefatigable leader and administrator,
overseeing as much of the town as possible, with the help of her
staff of four. Having learned from the example of the Pactlords,
she lets trade and travelers have a free hand. Chosen for the job
by the Oakstewards, Esmet has complete operational authority
over town matters, except for the occasional Oaksteward fiat (a
state of affairs she finds annoying).
The army of Sevenarches (which protects the entire kingdom
as well as the town itself ) consists of about a thousand soldiers
known as the Underbrush. Led by Captain Dethenesthen
Carcusian, a disgraced former Taldan envoy to Kyonin, these
defensive guerilla fighters rely heavily on elven skirmish
tactics to demoralize and drive off enemies. Carcusian and
200 Underbrush soldiers are based in Sevenarches, but he
regularly tours the territory with a retinue.
But for the Oakstewards, the violent vicissitudes of the
River Kingdoms would overwhelm Esmet’s light touch and
Carcusian’s small military. Leoti, the current Voice of the
Wind, appears in town about once a week. A middle-aged
Kellid woman with a world-weary demeanor, Leoti is friendly,
but no-nonsense in dealing with outsiders. She loves to hear
stories of happenings in Numeria.
The River Sellen: The great river comes within a mile of the
city of Sevenarches, where caravans take merchants, mercenaries,
and other travelers to the settlement. A direct walk to the city is
discouraged, as the way is waterlogged, and marsh fey sometimes
steal from travelers on foot. A gang of pixies working for the town
accompanies each caravan, some invisible, some not. They use
their detection spell-like abilities on anyone who looks remotely
suspicious (which includes all adventurers), looking for sign
of elves trying to sneak into the territory. Watery fey and the
occasional water elemental also keep watch on the river, and
usually report crossings to the Oakstewards.
The Seven Arches: Somewhere within the Wilewood, found
on no maps (and by few humans), is a great clearing hundreds
of feet across. Arranged according to some arcane design, seven
arches stand in the clearing, carved from gray-brown basalt
quarried nowhere in the River Kingdoms. Time and nature
have challenged but not defeated the true arches. Vines climb
the sides, and moss half covers the stone carvings of animals
and magical beasts. Each arch is a different size and shape;
the highest towers 50 feet overhead and 30 feet wide, brushing
the lower forest canopy, hinting at the size of what could
be summoned through it. Those who sense magic find the
arches’ presence nearly overwhelming, bright as bonfires on a
moonless night. Others find the clearing unsettling, possessed
of a high ringing in the ears, or a vague acrid smell.
Ten thousand years ago, these arches were powerful gates to
strange places, including the First World, and the elves used
them freely. Now they have somehow become mistuned, perhaps
leading to otherworld realms, but certainly degenerated into
portals of fey disease that disgorge evil monstrosities known as
the gorgas. Gorgas come in a bewildering variety of animalistic
shapes, but all have teeth, claws, and eyes of pure shadow. The
sacred charge of the Oakstewards is to protect Golarion from
the gorgas that emerge from these portals. What else can be
summoned through is a mystery to all but the Oakstewards.
The Oakstewards have also learned that elves who come
near the portals are stricken with an unnatural plague, one
which not even the druids can treat or cure. Known as the
Obnubilate Plague, the malady destroys not only an elf ’s body,
but also his memory. Oaksteward lore says the plague is highly
contagious, so the druids do not allow infected elves to leave
the clearing again, lest they pass it on to others of their kind.
The druids suspect that a cure might lie on the other side of
one of the portals, but none of their exploratory parties have
ever returned, and they don't even know if their search parties
chose the right portal.
Every few human generations, a band of elves breaks
through the Oakstewards’ protections intent on reclaiming
their former holding. The arches become more active when
elves are nearby—the gorgas on the other side of the portals
can sense their approach. This is detrimental to both the elves
(as the plague strikes quickly) and the kingdom of Sevenarches
(since the gorgas ravage the kingdom until the Oakstewards
can slay or banish them).
For these reasons, the Oakstewards ban elves from entering
Sevenarches. They dare not even explain their motive, because
they believe Kyonin’s Queen Edasseril and her court will be
too proud to listen to mere human counsel. Believing in their
own ability to handle the dangers, the Oakstewards think
the elves would bring in an army and unwittingly spread
the Obnubilate Plague to every elf on Golarion. While the
Oakstewards do not think highly of elves, neither do they
want them dead.
The Thinlands: This broad, f lat area near the Tymon border
is both frightening and wonderful. All along this stretch of
ground, observers see shadows of a forest that isn’t there. In
the winter, the shadow branches are bare, while in summer,
they thicken, creating blocks of shade. Some parts of the land
are covered in full shadow all year long presumably from an
unseen mass of trees too thick to allow light. Crops grow well
here, and the human residents hardly notice the strangeness,
but for the occasional breakthrough from the First World. The
walls between planes are thought to be especially thin here.
Creatures from the First World sometimes appear unbidden,
and disappear hours or days later.
Wilewood: The largest forest in Sevenarches contains
an unknown number of fey, treants, centaurs, and assorted
forest denizens. The Wilewood is not home to any strictly
evil creatures, but all are wild and dangerous, especially to
those here without Oaksteward permission. The wildness of
this forest is unlike the manicured woods of Kyonin or the
human-subdued forests of the Inner Sea region; rumor has
it that nearly one in 10 adult animals encountered in the
Wilewood are permanently awakened by fey magic. Though
intelligent, few of these beasts tolerate trespassers.
The fey here think of themselves as a sovereign nation
within Sevenarches, and are unfriendly to all outsiders at best.
Lacking the same ideals or ethics as mortal creatures, the fey
make unauthorized visits dangerous even to those of innocent
heart and benign intent. The fey don’t consider themselves
strictly aligned with the Oakstewards, but recognize the
druids as friends of the wood, and work with them as their
chaotic nature permits.
Resources
Agriculture in Sevenarches is superb. The Oakstewards’
oversight grants Sevenarches the ability to outproduce every
other River Kingdom in grain, fruit, and honey. The realm
also produces and exports meat and livestock, as well as hides
and tanned leather. Its timber is top notch, although most of
it is used domestically and the Oakstewards have little interest
in exporting it. Sevenarches has few mineral resources, and
imports almost all of its ore and worked goods.
Adventurers
In accordance with thousands of years of tradition, the
Oakstewards treat adventurers in one of two ways. Anyone
asked to serve, or who formally requests Oaksteward
permission to accomplish a specific task within Sevenarches
(the explanation must be short, clear, and of obvious benefit to
the Oakstewards) may be given a barkwrit, a heavy, rectangular
slab of oak bark carved with a druidic rune, as a token
indicating safe passage. Anyone bearing a barkwrit receives
free food and lodging in civilized Sevenarches, and respect
(though not guaranteed safety) in wilder parts of the kingdom.
Alternatively, adventurers are as free to wander the kingdom
as any other wild creature. In this case, the Oakstewards
offer no protection, and may appear at scenes of peril to act
as witnesses, not saviors. Foreigners who do significant harm
to the land or its occupants may well face the Sharp of the
Bark in high dudgeon. Of course, if an outsider is elven, the
Oakstewards summarily act to expel the trespasser.
