Tomrik's Hollow.
A bustling community in the Northern Reaches, ringed by stone walls to ward away the occasional rebel group or beastman raid, and surrounded by farmland to the east and the Dark Wood to the west.
Founded by and named for the great hero Gregorius Tomrik, it has grown from a single muddy street into the center of local commerce and culture. His descendant, Gunther Tomrik, rules the town as lord.
Nominally still part of the Empire, Tomrik's Hollow finds itself mostly standing on its own. Aside from the great coastal city of Gateway, there exists no other significant military force in the region.
This far from the Alabaster Throne, the chaos and upheaval caused by the orc uprising is almost nonexistent. People go about their business as usual, just with perhaps a bit more apprehension than normal.
This, as with so many things, is about to change.
The Dusty Duck was a perennial favorite among the locals and vagabonds of Tomrik's Hollow. Its drinks weren't the best, but nor were they the cheapest. The food was adequate, but neither particularly moldy nor particularly exquisite. The wenches, while pretty enough, were not for hire like in a couple of the grungier watering holes along the docks. But it was the oldest tavern/inn in town, and that lent it a certain prestige that none of the other establishments could match.
The tavern was lively on this fine Summer evening. A group of halflings from Good Fortune were singing (loudly and out of tune) around an extinguished fireplace. The serving girls were kept busy bringing tankards of ale and plates of food to a number of tables. A dwarf sat on one end of the bar, examining a strange tome. The bartender nodded welcome to a well-built woman in a red cloak while completely missing another, younger-seeming woman that managed to slip in unnoticed.
Everyone gave the large orc in the corner a wide berth. Although she was alone, and the majority of the orc rebels were raising havoc down south, no one wanted to set this one off.
Imrak, Raina, Maraline, and Hate are in!