#npctember

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember begins with a merchant's apprentice taking a break from her work as the sun sets. It's hard work in the harbour when the fresh loads of pipeweed come in from the high north. But at least the boss gives them a bonus in product when the day's done. Tastes like granddam's longhouse. Been a while since she's been back.

NPCtember features various faces from my D&D setting, the city of Ninestar!

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember 8. A half-orc laborer gets some looks from the person she's moving goods for. She's used to it, but even so. They can hurt. Her ma tells her to shake it off. Well, her ma is a tuskless and is half her size. She doesn't get as many looks. Maybe her ma should shut up and she should just let them hurt a bit. In any case, work to do.

Orcs in lanjari are distant cousins of dragonborn and kottolds who have secondarily evolved some mammal-esque traits. They are the most distantly related species to terramorphs where crossbreeds tend to be fertile. Human-dragonborn crosses, while seemingly still blessed by the god of fertility, usually do not produce healthy children or adults who can reproduce. Elf-orc crosses are rare, but usually healthy. Human-orc or dwarf-orc crosses are decently stable, but can face gigantism and other growth related issues (next to social ones). Halfling-orc crosses usually do not make it past pregnancy. Dragonborn - orc crossbeeds face less issues, but the social stigma in orc society is huge.

Many half-orcs come from orc parents who choose to move away from the clan system. Some come from non-orc parents who join a clan as a tuskless or as an orcess. npctember8.png

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember 19: two older businesswomen work.

It's so much busier now. And the new houses are brick rather than stone- and the newer ones even fully wood! Nonna remembers when her house, with the beautiful masonry and white-washed walls, was the best the masons had to offer. Now it's almost old-fashioned.

Of course, Mimi remembers when Nonna's house would have been a beautiful lord's house. She arrived here when the usual dwelling was wattle and daub, with a stone base, finished with smooth clay in the Sun-Elf style. Back when the Salmon Laws weren't a thing, and her family would have to arrange access to the salmon every year. And the fights over the crabbing rights…

Now, it's a bustling city rather than just a river town or two river villages. But really most things haven't changed. There's fishermen and masons and clay folks and woodcutters. Tailors and weavers (now on those fancy looms!) and merchants. So many merchants. And students, of course! What an influx of people!

But one thing is never going to change. Nonna and Mimi are always going to have hungry customers for their shrimp dumplings.

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember 3: An arcane interpreter works during a lecture at Ninestar Arcane Academy.

Polyglot arcanists are often hired as arcane subtitlers. Using illusion magics like Prestidigitation, they can translate, interpret or subtitle speakers live. In a multicultural, multilingual city as Ninestar, they are often used by public speakers wishing to make a statement on inclusion.

They are also employed for nearly every lecture at Ninestar Arcane Academy. Spellcasters have a high risk of disability due to their chaotic field. The most high ranking lecturers usually need accessibility options.

Derrek loves his job and really values his accuracy and connection to the lecturers. He wishes he had more time to chat with the students- he loves seeing the younger generations of arcanists. When he gets the chance, he tries to convince them to specialize in arcane linguistics.

(And a companion comic.🏜🌄, or for vocal speakers, Golden-Sun Warmed-Rock-Home, is an Awakened lion. He is communicating with direct telepathy with Derrek here. He uses written or typed word with mouth utensils. He also uses a telepathy to speech device, but because his grasp of language requires a lot of effort, the telepathy to speech device is often muddled or hard to understand.

If he can, he sends his telepathy directly to an interpreter who speaks fluent Common. In the lecture, Derrek might be accompanied by a vocal interpreter, or might also be saying the words out loud at the same time.)

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember 2. A chaplain prepares altar children for the evening service, but had to quickly fetch a new mantle because someone spilled a juice. Thankfully they're still all here and on time, so on they go.

[katjapetersart]

I've been very busy with other pieces, so NPCtember's goal is gonna be 20 characters.

NPCtember 15: A working lady poses for a sketch by a friend.

It's a nice spring day, the sun is warm but the wind is cool. They're far away enough from the docks now that the fish smell is less. No luck on the Big Bridge but it doesn't matter. Here's a nice place.

Her friend tells her to sit how she likes. Well, her dad always said 'cross your ankles like a good girl when you're in the city' and that's what she's gonna do. How long will this take? He isn't usually fast. What will he look at? Oh, a guard drake. No, no, don't look, gotta stay still. They're pretty close by to the common market. Maybe they could go get a lobster sandwich, or some eel. That'd be nice.

Wind's a bit chilly. She can hear the crews of the ships around. Tomorrow it's back to her job on the docks as well. Hopefully the boss is better and they can actually set sail to pick up those bricks.

Oh, it's done.

Being a river city, though it prides itself on its universities, a lot of economy is based on the backs of many hardworking dock workers. They're almost always not citizens, work hard for little pay, but also have a strong community that can breed highly specialized workers and shipfolks. Containerization is not a thing quite yet, so similarly shaped loads are a little bit of peace from difficult, unsteady loads.

[katjapetersart]

NPCTember 5: Duriz, the gnome artificer in the Noble district up in the northwest of Ninestar. A self proclaimed ex-adventurer, she is now focused on arcane developments. She has done a lot of very technical and development work on the new arcane loom. She is - perhaps rightfully so - proud and protective of her work. She sitll does research and development in her in-estate workshop. She lives with her servant, a ratfolk she met in her earlier days. With many magic items going missing, she has hired the party to protect her estate.

[katjapetersart]

NPCtember 20: Settle down.

Good coffee, warm rugs, a fun bard out today. The coffee house is the perfect student's afternoon trip. Comfortable, warm, cheap - and a good think tank. But today it's just her and Tins, having a coffee and watching the bard. The nights are cold even in summer, but in here it's always warm.

The final entry into NPCtember! This one was a bit of a difficult challenge to me but I'm happy with 20 entries. 20+ faces from my D&D setting, some relevant to the campaign, and some just regular people going about their regular lives.