Duckburg

Geography
Resting in the forested valley of the Starlit Hill, along the cliff-lined banks of the Glitterlach, which is a branch of the Krakenstaur. Duckburg is a village that exemplifies the eccentricity of the people who live there. While only about thirty miles northeast of the island city of Posen, and technically under its rule, Duckburg benefits from its isolated position and as a result remains fairly independent.

The most striking feature is the ruined tower that rests on the cliffs overlooking the town from across the lake; an ancient wizard's tower, it is thought, that was ruined during the Sundering. Some of the buildings in the village were built using stone taken from that tower.

The town is named for the massive population of ducks that live on the lake and in the ponds throughout the area. Ducks are considered welcome friends and are a common sight in the tavern, in shops, and people's homes.

Despite Duckburg's isolated nature, there are few dangers. Monsters don't often terrorize the town, nor do bandits roam the woods and roads around the village. For the most part, the gnomes of Duckburg are left to their own devices to go about as they please.

Government
While technically a holding of Posen, Duckburg's nature provides it a sizable amount of independence. The village is governed by the Council of Talky Folk, which is led by the Big Hat--a snow white duck named Miss Beatrice by the locals.

This has mostly been done because nobody else really wants the position. Miss Beatrice is a respected and well-liked member of the community, who is often presented with bread by locals as a way of showing their gratitude for being their unflinching leader.

The Council of Talky Folk meet nightly at the tavern and discuss matters of the town over lager and sausages. Well, they gossip and tell jokes.

History
Duckberg is a relatively new settlement, and its history has been largely uneventful.

Founding
The origins of Duckburg begin in 303 DR, when four gnomish families from Posen made the decision to buck what they viewed as the unfavorable business laws of the city, and traveled to the banks of the lake with designs to make their own settlement. Rather than work against each other, decided to consolidate their efforts and formed the Super Amazing Gnome League. These four families--the Waddleducks, the Boppitybeans, the Cloudhoppers, and the Musicmakers--built the first four buildings using stone from the abandoned tower across the lake. Once this happened, the four families argued among themselves over who would become the Big Hat of the new settlement, as none of them wanted the responsibility. Eventually, they made the decision to name a large duck as the Big Hat. Everybody was happy with this conclusion and the town started to get on with business, drawing in other gnomes from across Dharrenal to their small, rural community of artists and farmers.

Of course, the government of Posen was unaware of the village's existence until a scouting party found it in the autumn of 379 DR. The gnomes were nonplussed and agreed to send taxes to Posen, and the city was content to leave the village alone as long as coin was sent along on time.

The Winter Incursion
The only major conflict in the village's history was during the winter of 344 DR. That winter was colder than most, and the rivers and lake completely froze. As a result, a mob of goblins descended on the village from the mountains, led by a brutal bugbear named Kine the Wretched. The gnomes knew of the oncoming attack (given the gnome propensity for gather intelligence and being prepared) and were ready with alchemical fire, clockwork ballistae, and countless booby-traps. The gnomes fought the goblins along the frozen lake's edge for two days and nights, before Kine was run through by a local hero named Bartelby the Bugbear-Skewerer (this was not his nickname at the time). Once routed, the goblins fled back into the mountains.

Inhabitants
The inhabitants of Duckburg are primarily gnome, but like any civilized population, a smattering of other races can be found in the area. The gnome population is fairly evenly divided between those of both rock and forest gnomes, with even a few chaos gnomes making the town their home over the years.

Notable personages of the town include Hinkles Shinecopper, an archer and the closest thing the village has to a sheriff or military leader (locals often simply call him Sarge); Bipsi Cogspinner, a personable member of the Council of Talky Folk; Muffins Crazybread, the owner of the local tavern, called the Quack Factory; and Gelbin Fastblast, a local landowner and apricot farmer famous for his apricot jam and home-brewed lager.

Fastblast Farm
The large farm and apricot orchard on the north side of town. Due to gnomish magic, the apricots grow year round. Merchants from Fastblast Farm sell their wares at the market every day, and they have recently (within the last six years) opened a brewery, where they brew their apricot lager. It's popular with the locals.

Quack Factory
The town's tavern, founded shortly after the town itself. The middle of the tavern contains a shallow pool where between six to twelve ducks can usually be seen floating around and hanging out. It is a lively bar and almost always full of song. Tini Crazybread, the daughter of the tavern's owner, is a well known accordion player who frequently performs at the tavern.

Tradition dictates that the first time a visitor comes to the tavern, they leave a patch of cloth to hang from the ceiling.

The Grove
A clearing that is used for village meetings and other various ceremonies.

The Market
A few charismatic vendors run a variety of stands and stalls selling different wares. In the center of the market is the Mighty Duck; a large duck statue and fountain. Most of the village's major businesses are set up around the market.

Tinker Hall
A large house (human sized, so it's large compared to a gnome) where local tinkerers, inventors, and machinesmiths meet to discuss new theories, work on their new designs, and run tests on prototypes.

Windy Mill
A large windwill overlooks town from the nearby Windy Hill, this mill is used for its intended purpose. It's notable for being another structure that has been here long before the gnomes settled in, and for the windmill's sails, which are rainbow-colored.