Appelton

Appelton (Infernal: Appel, pronounciation: uh-PELL-tun) is a town located in the mountain range of northern Solithia.

Appearance & Locations

Appelton is a small farming town known for its wool and textiles. In the winter, thick snow covers the land; in spring, the mountain ice melts, the rivers flourish, and the idyllic countryside turns a verdant color. Due to the climate, most Appeltonian homes are made of stone or brick and feature slanted roofs.

The party has stopped by several locations in Appelton, like:

• Appel’s childhood home, where his grandmother still lives
• A forge belonging to Appel’s aunt, Confidence the blacksmith
• Cindy and Appel’s childhood hideout, a hollowed out tree in the woods
• A sweets shop, Garf and Yobbo’s de facto meeting spot for some reason
• A local tavern, where the party met Veracity.

History

Founding

Appelton was founded in 1392 A.E. by Ignominy de Appel. In the face of persecution, Ignominy led many tieflings and half-elves on The Great Journey, a legendary quest across the continent. Supposedly, Ignominy’s route began in the forests of southeast, in modern day Dara, and ended in the northwest mountains, where Appelton was settled.

In the centuries since its founding, Appelton has grown more rural, but the town is still hailed for its heritage and historic importance.

Modern Era

Tieflings have remained the most populous demographic in Appelton, followed by half-elves. Other races make up a much smaller proportion of the population.

In recent years, Solithian presence in Appelton has grown as a part of the kingdom’s expansion strategy. Solithian missionaries first appeared in Appelton in the early 1840s, and religious fervor spread through the town. Soon after, Solithian troops arrived and set up camp not far from town, doing trade with townspeople to obtain provisions and resources. Solithian presence in Appelton is often credited with helping bring the town out of an economic depression. However, others have criticized Solithia for enacting policies that devastated trade opportunities between Solithians and Astorans--policies that put border towns like Appelton in financial peril in the first place.

Campaign Relevance

Appelton is the hometown of Michael de Appel.

The party heard rumors that a piece of the Compass could be found in the ruins of Arnor, the original capital of the Astoran Empire. Unsure of exactly where in the northern mountains Arnor could be found, the party stopped first in Appelton.

While there, the party learned that someone had been impersonating the Hammer Elf, and had been giving Solithian troops trouble. They discovered Yukiko was the impersonator after she attacked Appel in the woods, near his childhood hideout. Soon, the party learned that Yukiko was working together with Cindy and Cravyn as part of the resistance to Solithia. All three worked out of a secret workshop, underneath the hideout in the woods.

Traditions

Several tiefling families from Appelton share the same last name, “de Appel,” despite not being related by blood. These tieflings follow a naming tradition where the family name is kept private, while the town of Appelton is used as a last name. This is meant to signify community regardless of ancestry or family structure.

Another Appeltonian tiefling ritual is the gilding ceremony. After a young tiefling’s horns reach maturity, the tip of the horn is filed down and covered with a gilded horn cap. This practice is supposedly rooted in the story of Ignominy de Appel, who broke off her horns at a young age out of self-hatred and later created golden horn covers for herself to reclaim her heritage.

Trivia

• During the economic downturn of the late 1840s, a series of arsons were committed in Appelton. The true culprit was never discovered.
• Appel once fell into the Appelton well and woke up in the graveyard.