The Farbough Farmstead

The Farbough Farmstead is a small farm located off the crossroads beneath the Wall of Purity that separates Hillsfar from Central Cormanthor. It is owned by a human female in her 40s named Ebenz Forthril, together with several other human and half-elf servants. The farmstead today serves as an orphanage.

Building and Structural Descriptions
The farmstead consists of two buildings - a main dining and operations hall, and a smaller barn used to rear goats for milk and meat. Both buildings have thatched roofs that are painted over with yellow dye, with bright teal paintworks covering the wooden exterior of the buildings. In one account, they look like dandelions that sprout in the fields, making it impossible for anyone to miss.

The main dining and operations hall is a large open kitchen with four rows of long, wooden tables - often littered with food scraps and small notes from children and their caretakers. The entrance of the barn is held open by a hay fork, and does not seem to possess any locking mechanism whatsoever. The open kitchen is often flanked by rows and rows of fresh ingredients harvested off the surrounding fields, with internal trade occurring between the Farbough Farmstead and many other surrounding farmsteads. The building's worn-out and dilapidated exterior thus usually hides an interior filled with people and chaos.

The side barn that houses the goats is slightly smaller, and is used as a housing area for the goats under Ebenz's care. Goats often roam freely in the barn, with no defined cages or fences to keep them in. In the near-right corner close to the entrance lies a small storage shed, with multiple doses of animal anesthesia and farming tools arranged neatly in a pile within the structure.

Population

 * Ebenz Forthril - The human owner of the Farbough Farmstead. She is in her late 40s, and appears to be slightly overweight, lending to her motherly (and dictatorial) appearance as primary owner and caretaker of the orphans within the farm. She speaks common with a rough, loud accent, and usually seen with two infants slung across her waste in a makeshift harness. She generally welcomes adventurers into her property, often willing to provide them with food and shelter in exchange for their company towards the children.


 * Verner - The half-elf helper to Ebenz primarily in charge of the goats. He is usually indifferent, even rude, to adventurers because he sees them as a constant nuisance. He appears pale, sickly and weak, but that is merely how he looks. He is usually bossed around by Ebenz, often asked by her to do menial chores, and he usually carries out his duties willingly as Ebenz has once saved his life. The loves of his life are (unsurprisingly) his goats - he is often seen at the goat barn more than anywhere else, and has raised a goat named Jovee for the past 7 years.


 * Pyrnoth - Ebenz's human son. Aged around 10 years, he is a young boy with yellow hair, and is often seen wandering alone into the Cormanthor Forest in search of rare herbs and plants. This, however, is often misinterpreted by Ebenz to be mere playfulness in the forest.

Storyline, Arc 1
The party's first adventure after assembling in Harrowdale. The party (Helios, Luna and Hollyhana) first encountered a dying old man at the crossroads leading to the farmstead, and in his dying breath the man pointed towards the farm as he succumbed to the necrotic damage inflicted upon him. The party then encountered Ebenz and her orphanage.

Ebenz, who was originally a landlord working in Hillsfar, sought pity for the children of the evicted after the Great Purge occurred and the Wall of Purity erected to distance Hillsfar from the greater Cormanthor forest. In a moment of impulse, she gave up her possessions in the city and willingly purged herself from human society in order to help these children. Knowing that an orphanage would capture attention from Hillsfar, she instead disguised the compound as a farmstead to avoid suspicion, and thus established the compound as the party sees today.

The party's banter with Ebenz led to Ebenz offering them a sight of the goats, which the party gladly obliged. Verner was called to lead the party in, and the party was greeted by a sight of Jovee in labour. The party quickly assisted a crying Verner, and safely delivered 6 kids, all of whom possessed red fur and various physical defects - one goat even had two heads. The party decided to confront the goats and eventually killed the goats, but not before detecting infernal magic cast upon the carcasses.

Ebenz, out of fear, then asked the party to find Pyrnoth. The party do so, and rescue him from a pack of wild dogs alongside Beralt, a young initiate of the Emerald Order who was investigating the infernal magic mentioned earlier. The party refused association with the Emerald Order to Beralt's disappointment, safely returned Pyrnoth to Ebenz who rewarded the party generously with fruits and local produce, and made their way onward towards Yoitsu.

Meta-Information
This location and story originates from "Harried in Hillsfar", an Adventurers' League D&D Module DDEX3-1 released in 2015 by Wizards of the Coast, which provided the characters and settings mentioned above. This material has since been expanded upon through our sessions, and is the basis for many one-shots. One-shots that have occurred in this setting are listed as follows:


 * Bob, the Wizard - Pyrnoth instead got captured by a green Dragon, which lives on the fringes of the forest close to the Wall of Purity. With Udema's help, Bob managed to not only subdue the two-headed goat quietly, but also free Pyrnoth while fleeing from the green Dragon. She parted ways with Udema, and continues to practice magic while travelling.


 * Encik, the Barbarian - Pyrnoth was also captured by a green Dragon in this one-shot adventure. After killing all the goats with sheer force (and luck), Encik met Udema in the forest and proceeded to rescue Pyrnoth, who was wrapped in magical energy near the Lifespring. There, Encik accidentally dropped a torch while trying to flee from the dragon, accidentally setting off a huge forest fire which attracted the attention of a neighbouring black Dragon. This led to a skirmish between both dragons over territory, which provided the chance for Encik and Udema to escape. Encik the Barbarian then followed Udema back to Astarbar Mansion but declined permanent membership, instead preferring to remain acquaintances with the party. Encik the Barbarian then parted ways with the party, leaving Astarbar's Mansion in search of his own story.