Welcome to Hammerford

The ancient town of Hammerford lies far south on the continent, where high mountain ranges separate vast frozen plains from wooded tundra.

For nearly a dozen centuries, the city stood as a thriving waypoint along trade routes from warmer areas in the north to dwarven mines deep under the mountains to the south. Giants were rumoured to live even further south than the dwarfs, and part of the supposed evidence of their existence is the shallows of the Cranreuch River. A wide ridge under the river provided an excellent ford when the river once flowed freely. For nearly four hundred years, the river has never thawed, and the sturdiest, smoothest portion of ice to traverse rests over the same location. The shallows are allegedly formed by the head of an enormous mallet from the discarded weapon of a giant. Nobody has ever seen the mallet or dug into the river bank to verify its presence, but the legend endures and from this story, the town gained its name.
The town has endured, even as the dwarven mines to the south fell silent and the glaciers advanced. However, recently the permafrost has begun retreating and many opportunistic individuals have returned to the erstwhile boom town, swelling its population again. Some dwarfs return to claim ancient clan stakes, while speculators of every variety have also swarmed the area. Rumours of dangerous creatures long buried under the ice fall readily from the tongues of the wary or credulous. Some speculate that even the giants are awake again.

Regardless of the hazardous legends to the south, other forgotten foes have materialized. Many despicable humanoids have journeyed south with the warming temperatures: orcs, ogres, troglodytes, kobolds and goblins. Other nefarious humanoids travel to Hammerford, eager to explore and loot ancient locations revealed as the ice retreats. Trapped between these perils, the town of Hammerford hopes to last another few centuries.