The hills of Trielta do occasionally offer up some
impressive bounty, in the form of heretofore-undiscov-
ered gold and silver. While such finds are usually small
lodes that are played out almost before others become
aware of them, Trielta has played host to full-on gold
rushes from time to time. Someone stumbles on a
particularly large vein of ore, and prospectors and for-
tune-seekers come pouring in by the dozens. Trieltan
folk tend to see these occasional influxes of gold-hungry
seekers the way other settlements look upon periodic
plagues of locusts: aggravating, inevitable, and thor-
oughly disruptive, but also part of the natural order, and
so nothing to get bothered about.
Indeed, even the largest of these discoveries isn't so
lucrative as to be worth the construction of the full-scale
mining operations that can be found in other lands. No
large nations or trading consortiums are waiting in the
wings to invade and take over the mines of Trielta. They
are what a dwarf acquaintance of mine once referred
to as "scratch mines"-close-to-the-surface operations,
with decent yield for a small amount of digging, but
not worth the construction of "proper" (by which he of
course meant dwarven) mines.
I was in Trielta resting after my escape from Najara
when just such an outbreak of "gold on the brain" (as
the locals term it) occurred. Though most of those who
come at such times are honest prospectors seeking to
make their fortunes, the sudden opportunity for wealth
does attract less scrupulous sorts, including all manner
of thieves, swindlers, and claims-jumpers-not to
mention monsters that prey on unlucky or ill-prepared
miners who unknowingly invade their territory.
The most intense traveling I've done through these
hills was in pursuit of a band of marauding lizardfolk.
The head of the kindly gnome family I was staying with
was taken prisoner, along with his oldest son. I helped
the local halfling sheriff and the small band of militia he
put together to track the band, and to do so quickly, res-
cuing the captives. I've been welcomed in this area ever
since, and have gotten to know the goodly folk here well.
HARDBUCKLER
At the southern edge of the hills lies the walled settle-
ment of Hardbuckler. It is a town of mostly gnomes, with
the occasional human, halfling, or half-elf among their
number. It is one of the best-defended towns I've vis-
ited, with a several batteries of ballistae on impressive
cog-run cranking mounts that allow for a nearly con-
tant cycle of firing and reloading from any of the wall
emplacements. Though the folk of Hardbuckler don't
have cause to use them very often, these weapons usu-
ally discourage the bandits, raiders, and occasional ore
bands that would lay claim to Hardbuckler's wealth.
The town eschews the sort of street network that
1ends to delineate most large settlements;' instead it has
a single street running inside the circular town wall,
and another pair of straight roads crossing the town
north-to-south and east-to-west that meet in the center
of town in a crossroads marketplace. Many buildings
1 ructured for larger folk line these streets, for taller
"olk tend to prefer the comfortable familiarity they pro-
·ide, but the rest of the town is made up of a series of
narrow paths between the smaller-proportioned build-
ings that are the homes of the city's gnomes.
The first time I walked along these tight lanes, I felt
as though I was only seeing a small portion of the actual
settlement, and I was right. Later I discovered that
beneath the slate-roofed houses, with their modest little
adjoining gardens behind plank fences or fieldstone
walls are the tunnels that constitute the true thorough-
fares of Hardbuckler.
Beneath each small dwelling is an extensive cellar,
often three or more levels in depth. These spaces are
where the industrious folk of Hard buckler engage in
their livelihoods. Some of the cellar spaces are shops
or workspaces for artisans who sleep in the house
above. Other of these croftholds rent out their extra
space to travelers, setting aside a few rooms for rent,
and using a single large space as an open taproom,
serving the sort of fare one might find in an inn. The
food in such an establishment is odd-a great deal
of mushrooms, potatoes, turnips, dense lichens, and
stews made of shrews and voles-but filling and tasty in
its own way.
The chambers in these underground inns are well
heated by generous hearths, and thus provide for very
comfortable accommodations. More than a few mer-
chants arrange their travels so as to be in Hardbuckler
ere winter arrives, so that they can spend the cold
months beside a hearth, with a slice of fried pie in one
hand, and a tankard of bitter gnomish stout in the other.
Any cellar space not devoted to another purpose is
used for storage rather than being left vacant. Almost
every family in the town has some space that it uses for
its own needs or rents out for use by others. Those who
buy storage from a Hardbuckler must purchase their
storage crates and other necessary goods from local
artisans, who also make locks, latches, waxy sealants
for waterproofing crates and boxes, and the like. The
crates are all built to specific sizes, with shelving and
space in the cellars measured so that each container fits
snugly and exactly.
Hardbuckler has a well-paid wizard who provides
magical security for stored items, for those who wish it.
Outlander wizards aren't permitted to lay wards or pro-
tections on goods destined for the cellars-such must
be applied by Daelia Inchtarwurn, the latest wizard in a
long line of folk who have worked in Hardbuckler over
the generations. She wears a set of magical bracers
passed to her by her father.RURAL SETTLEMENTS
Most of the outlying settlements in the Trielta Hills
consist of a dozen or two dozen halfling or gnome fam-
ilies, living in homes molded gently into rolling hills.
Relatively shallow valleys serve as agricultural land,
while the slopes are used for growing vine crops (such
as pumpkins and strawberries) or grazing small herds
of the large-horned sheep many of the halfling families
keep, or the ornery braid-bearded goats favored by
gnome goatherds.
Most of these small communities aren't exclusively
populated by halflings or gnomes, since such groups
seem to prosper better when members of both races