Auriel

Auriel is a little town on the River Aldor, unremarkable save for its proximity to Kazbarrow, the resting place of Kaz the Purple, legendary founder of Elyria. Its main products are locally brewed beer, fish caught in the River Aldor and wheat.

Geography
The River Aldor that passes through Auriel finds its source past Karias, up in the Elyrian Mountains, near the border with Micholm. The river is wide and fast-flowing, and carries metal smelted in Karias from ore mined in the mountains down towards the city of Kazholm, ensuring a steady flow of river traffic through Auriel.

To the south of Auriel is the Foxholm Forest, which stretches off to the south towards Elyrium. Kazbarrow sits back in the forest, in a small clearing. Despite its proximity to the Foxholm Forest, Auriel doesn't have a major lumber industry, though it does have one sawmill that keeps the village supplied with timber for construction and firewood, and new land is periodically cleared to make room for new farms as the village grows. The Foxholm Road leads deeper into the forest, and it's possible but dangerous to cross the woods to get to the Elyrium Road.

To the north of the River Aldor are rolling, sparsely wooded hills that give way to the heath that forms the borderland between Elyria and Tarnland. The soil north of the river is poor, and all the town's fields are on the other side of the river. These hills are inhabited by Gnolls, who have recently been emboldened by the return of magic and the empowerment of their shaman.

The road to the west, called the Kazholm Road, follows the river out of the Foxholm Forest, heavy woods giving way to fertile grasslands as the traveler gets further from Auriel. To the east, on the Karias Road, a traveler passes through heavy woodlands that eventually make way to the foothills of the Elyrian Mountains.

Government
Auriel is run by a town council, members of which are elected by acclaim at special yearly town meetings. The council then elects the mayor, which is confirmed with the public in another acclamation vote. The council holds regular public sessions once a month, which are attended by most of the town and give the members of the community the chance to have input on town decision making.

History
Auriel is a relatively young town, founded in 512IR after the Troubles finally subsided. The renewed sense of optimism that came with the world enjoying some sense of stability lead many people to go in search of opportunity, and a group of enterprising humans joined with some displaced halfling families to set the little farming community up on the banks of the Aldor River. They found the river to be teeming with fish, the soil fertile, and the local wood of serviceable quality.

About a decade after the town was first set up, once a few harvests had proved that the wheat that grew in the area was of exceptional quality for beer, the Heatherton Brewery was established in 524IR and has been the town's largest business ever since.

Inhabitants
Elyria's population are mostly farmers, and most of the businesses in town serve either the farming community, or passing travelers.

Heatherton Brewery
The largest - and oldest - single business in Auriel, the Heatherton Brewery, named for the Heatherton family that runs it, produces some of the finest ale in Northern Elyria. It's particularly popular in Kazholm and Karias, and has a market in Oddan as well.

Kazbarrow
The tomb of Kaz the Purple, Kazbarrow is a common destination for Elyria's ruling elite, serving as something approaching a nationalistic pilgrimage. Travelers passing through the area also often pause in Auriel to visit Kazbarrow. The tomb itself is sealed, but the ring of stone circles and the enormous slab that blocks the door are both carved with ancient and complex designs, giving visitors plenty to occupy their interest.

The Church of the Five
Like most smaller towns in the North, Auriel has a single church containing shrines to all five of the Northern Gods. As is common in the North, the two priests - Leif Rathus, priest of Athorus, and Radford Hadrien, priest of Findariel - serve as chaplins of the other gods as well, with Leif conducting sermons on behalf of Polaris and the Lady, and Radford serving as a priest of Kevara when needed.

The Flying Fish
The local's bar in Auriel, the Flying Fish is a quiet, clean sort of a pub. The interior smells of roast meat, Heatherton Ale and hobbit weed, and it does a brisk trade almost every night. It's owned by Regis Cotton, the patriarch of the Cotton family of halflings. His daughter, Irene, waits tables there, and his brother Reg tends bar. The Flying Fish does most of its business in food and drink, but does have a couple of small lodging rooms upstairs. They're basic, but very affordable. Rumors say that Regis made the money he bought the pub with by joining an expedition into the Ithronel Wildlands when he was a young hobbit, barely into his 30s, but Regis refuses to confirm or deny any of these rumours, seeming to find them amusing.

Founder's Rest
Larger than the Flying Fish, Founder's Rest is the town's Inn. Sitting on Bridge Street, next to the river, Founder's Rest nets most of the out of town traffic, both that passing through between Kazholm and Karias (whether on the river or by the road) and those visitors coming to visit Kazbarrow. It leans into this role, keeping several items owned by Kaz (or so they claim) displayed on the wall. It's owned by an elderly human named Peter Tidd, but run by a half-elf woman named Calvia, a retired Bard.