Bim: Birthplace of Holy Mother

Bim is a lowland crossroads at the lip of the Geldcrass Plains, where the island’s main east-west highway splits and runs north to the port of Fairpont and onwards to Rochpont. Once a quiet market town servicing the local farms, it is now a renowned place of pilgrimage – the birthplace of the current Holy Mother – and a natural waystation on the main trading route to and from Aranthaes.
 

Setting & First Impressions

Approaching from the east, the highway crests a green rise and reveals Bim’s red-tiled roofs gathered behind low stone walls, with wheat and flax fields fanning out toward the vast, sunlit flats of the Geldcrass Plains. Snow-banded peaks of the Geldfray Mountains anchor the horizon to the north east, while windbreak cypresses and dovecote towers mark the old boundaries of town plots. Traffic is constant: passing merchants heading to Aranthaes or the port of Geldpont, mule strings from the mountains, fish carts down from Fairpont, and green-cloaked pilgrims moving in twos and threes to the central square.
 

Birthplace of the Holy Mother

The modest cottage where the Holy Mother was born has been preserved as a shrine known as the Mother’s Threshold. It is plain, whitewashed, and carefully undecorated by decree – a reminder that sanctity and wealth can grow from simplicity. The nearby Chapel of First Light holds votive candles from every province in Aranthaes; its bell rings at dawn and sunset, and on the first day of each month a procession encircles the town walls before returning to bless caravans departing on the highway.
 

Trade & the Crossroads

Bim’s initial importance rested on its geography – as the main highway splits here to the north, heading across the fertile plains for Fairpont. Grain, linen thread, cured river and sea fish, and mountain herbs are the usual trades, but pilgrims have now brought a thriving craft of waxwork, devotional medals, and other items made to be used as offerings to the Mother.
 

Notable Places

The Mother’s Threshold: the preserved birth-house and focal point for blessings of the sick and travelers.
Chapel of First Light: a squat stone chapel with a high lantern tower; its sacristy keeps a registry of vows made on the road.
Old Watch: a ruined keep on the eastern knoll, now a hostel for mendicants and a lookout when storms roll off the mountains.
 

Rhythms & Customs

No bells are rung during funerals; instead, the town walks in silence from the chapel to the fields, letting the wind carry the farewell. During planting week, pilgrims help sow a single communal strip of land; its harvest is reserved for the poor and for wayfarers who cannot afford a bed.
 

For the Storyteller

Bim is a gentle hub with busy edges: offerings at the Threshold may include items of unexpected power or provenance. The ruined Old Watch has tunnels rumored to predate the first road. When the plains turn treacherous with early floods, the town’s goodwill is tested – and so are the oaths made in the glow of the Chapel’s lantern.
 

Encounters

When traveling through or around Bim, roll d10 for possible encounters…

  1. A procession of 2d6 pilgrims carrying candles and offerings bound for the Mother’s Threshold.
    Pilgrims: AC 10, HP 6, staff (1d4), no armor. Harmless, but may request aid or blessings.
  2. A merchant caravan heading toward Fairpont with 1d4 wagons and guards.
    Guards: AC 14, HP 12, longsword (1d8), chainmail. Merchants: AC 12, HP 15, dagger (1d4), leather armor.
  3. A wandering mendicant monk from the Old Watch ruins, muttering strange prophecies.
    Monk: AC 11, HP 18, quarterstaff (1d6), simple robes. May know hidden paths or tunnels.
  4. A flock of d6 goats that have escaped from a herder, blocking the road.
    Goats: AC 10, HP 3, headbutt (1d4), no armor. Herding them back may earn goodwill.
  5. A group of 1d4 novice clerics from the Chapel of First Light practicing hymns.
    Clerics: AC 12, HP 10, mace (1d6), leather armor, cantrip (Sacred Flame 1d8 radiant).
  6. A band of 1d4+2 petty thieves hoping to pickpocket pilgrims or wayfarers.
    Thieves: AC 13, HP 8, short sword (1d6), leather armor, advantage on stealth checks.
  7. A field hand injured by a plow blade, calling for help.
    Farmer: AC 10, HP 4, pitchfork (1d6), no armor. Healing or aid wins local favor.
  8. A relic peddler with 1d6 “devotional charms” of questionable authenticity.
    Peddler: AC 11, HP 9, dagger (1d4), no armor. Charms may be worthless… or hold a hidden blessing.
  9. A traveling troupe of 1d4+1 singers and actors performing plays of the Holy Mother’s birth.
    Performers: AC 11, HP 7, dagger (1d4), no armor. May provide rumor or news if treated kindly.
  10. An old pilgrim collapses on the roadside; their satchel contains a sealed scroll addressed to the Chapel of First Light.
    Pilgrim: AC 10, HP 5, staff (1d4), no armor. The scroll could be vital – or cursed.
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