Menagoles

A mountain settlement north of Cathalon, reached at the far end of the woods route toward Lambert's Crossing — the destination of Eldrich the Elder's caravan. Described secondhand as a "small mining town," it proves on arrival (Session 48) to be a sprawling knot of seven or eight hill-hamlets grown into one ~5,000-person settlement, ringed by two mountain ranges and split by a small river. Its tin mines are long spent; what defines it now is that it sits deep in Laewendas's territory, occupied and taxed from the central fortress of Orathos Keep. It still sits near the mountain Middlethor and the battle-site called the Runes of Oldheim, with a lingering question-mark over a possible Elder race connection.

(Spelling settled to Menagoles, though the GM still says both "Menaggles" and "Menagoles." See Canon Questions.)

Session 44 (named)

• Set as the caravan's destination after the off-road woods crossing north of Cathalon, en route to the Knucklebones / Lambert's Crossing operation.
• Noted for its mines, the nearby mountain Middlethor, and the Runes of Oldheim — a site of a great battle from the original war when Laewendas seized the throne and crushed those who declared war on her.

Session 48 — reached and explored

• The reveal. Far from a small town: 7–8 mountain hamlets Menagoled into one ~5,000-person settlement of mismatched building styles, ringed by mountains and split by a small river. Occupied enemy territory — announce yourself as Reclamation and you're attacked; draw too much attention and you risk Laewendas herself. Outsiders are watched as potential spies.
• Orathos Keep. Stamped into the centre on an artificial hill is Orathos Keep, a ~150×150-ft fortress flying Laewendas's banners, garrisoned by ~30–40 guards under an unseen captain (a training yard drills out front). Built ~a year ago. Its name — Orathos Keep, deep in enemy Rivalon — is conspicuous and unexplained. The regime levies a "one-in-five" tax on every purchase, "praise be Queen Laewendas."
• Getting in. The party circles to the western entrance to avoid looking like they came from the woods, and passes a 5-guard pat-down (Jex hiding his Reclamation Signet inside himself).
• The food festival. A street festival of pumpkin juice (Klaus), the 300-year forever soup of Soup Joe (served in edible mushroom caps; a townwide soup vote the next night), and Baragarranak's 40-pound all-meat pie challenge — which Fenric survives to ~12 pounds (champion: half-giant Horanir Helmnet of the Helmnack line).
• Lodging. Only two places take outsiders: the church (east) and the Tapped Clapper inn by the central goblin-wizard fountain (run by a cat-folk couple). Tours of the town are run daily by a goblin tour guide; Little Layton (home of 102-year-old Elder Brantwaite) is the largest-by-area hamlet, with an independence streak.
• The disappearances. Per the kobold gravekeeper, since Orathos Keep rose ~a year ago the town's skilled residents keep vanishing — the alchemist Snuffles/Snuggles, a blacksmith, the one-eyed hero-knight Warwick — and a walled estate-owner was murdered two days ago (the lead detective barred as the victim's lover). The mines went dry after the orc Vara'nak burnt them ~a decade back, around when the fort was built.
• The prison tunnel. The church's freezing undercroft (a tourist haunted-house) is genuinely an old evacuation tunnel from the town prison: the party knocks on a hollow stretch and something knocks back. Eldrich the Elder's caravan is confirmed here (an escort spotted at the fountain); the reunion is deferred.

Session 49

• Eldrich's base, found. Eldrich the Elder has set up a hidden war-council room in the back of the Tapped Clapper (off the toilet corridor), guarded by Pavid and sheltering the concealed Doctor (Dr. Provostinalkov). He sets the party on a two-pronged plan: a Menagoles base for skirmishing at the Knucklebones warband near Lambert's Crossing, and investigating the sealed mines.
• More of the town's pattern. The fort's last two blacksmiths vanished (plus a missing smith's wife and an alchemist); the jail holds militia-disturbers and one long-held political "philosophizer" prisoner; and the food going into the prison suggests it holds a small number fed, or a large number starved — a clue toward the church's prison tunnel.
• The dead mine, retold. The mines (tin, on the Middle Tor north of town) were officially burnt by the orc Vara'nak Gar-Galdar ~a decade back; Eldrich the Elder distrusts it, Lash suspects sealed monsters beneath (Ulda Golgain's warning), and the Helmnack family — anciently claimants to one of the Tors — is tied in via the missing smith Horonir Helmnack.
• Geography. Confirmed sitting between mountains with Little Tor, Middle Tor (the mine) and a mythical "Greater Tor"; a forbidden, fortified mine lies north, with a path running oddly toward Lambert's Crossing.

Session 50

• Where the missing went. Infiltrating the forbidden Middle Tor mine, the party finds the town's kidnapped skilled folk at work: the mole-man alchemist Snuffles (missing since Session 48) refining ore in the alchemy shed, and Helmnack-line smiths among the whipped labourers. The town's Clerics of the Crown officiate at the mine's trials.
• The real reason for the occupation. The mine digs a naturally-growing glowing green crystal — the Shard of the Autark substance — which the captives are being forced to refine. The "mines ran dry / orcs burnt them" story is cover for a god-weapon operation, giving the disappearances a purpose.