Thistletop

Once a Goblin stronghold, we have taken it over as a player 'stronghold'.

Phase 1 of the development is funded out of party treasure, and provides for a simple repair and repurpose exercise. The ground floor living accommodation is being refurbished, to provide three bedrooms, a common room, kitchen and bunk room, while some of the rest is given over to a museum that showcases the party's actions to help protect the local town, Sandpoint, about five miles away. The Museum incorporates a couple of basement rooms with access to the tunnels, beneath the building. The basement also incorporates five small bedrooms, destined to be used by Characters. Part of the ground floor is allocated for a shrine dedicated to Shelyn, the deity of Sir Robyn, the Paladin who acts as Steward of Thistletop.

In the basement level, there is Temple dedicated to Lamashtu, which has been desecrated but probably needs dismantling to ensure that it is never used again and a Tentamort, who resides in a sealed off area. The tunnels beneath the buildings have been fully explored, but should probably be checked again, at some point, to make sure that they are still safe.

So far, the only thing that has been decided revolves around improving access. The current proposal is to cut a road through the woods that surround the holding, retain the rope bridge (but make sure that it is safe) and improve the road down to Sandpoint. (This has funds allocated, and is in progress)

A longer term objective is to build a dock for coastal, seaborne, traffic.

Other suggestions, to be funded voluntarily, include …

• Turn Thistletop into a Citadel. A few archers on high points can dominate the bridge, which can be 'cut' in an emergency. Add Patrols of skirmishers to keep the forest area clear of goblins and other threats, to secure the area.
• Develop Bramble-Warren. Clear some of the Bramble-Warren to create a bramble hedged bailey, and build extra businesses with in it, the current suggestions are a Wood Working Shop and an Inn. (This has been started by clearing an area for horses and other 'beasts of burden')
• Make Thistletop into a home Home. There are people, including PCs, who live at Thistletop, who we need to stay - because they are the core that allows us to develop the place. Without them, we don't have a holding. However, it needs to feel like a home, rather than ex-gobbo lair in the middle of nowhere.
• Build a community. While there are longer term plans to build a settlement alongside Thistletop, we will have a small community well before that comes into force.

However, those are not firm objectives yet, and need to be implemented alongside each other. An even more distant possibility, is to develop a village at the mouth of the Thistle River - which could host the docks and perhaps a tannery - making it suitable for a mix of fisher folk and hunter/trappers.