Black Switch. A farming village of 11 farms, with a blacksmith, a millstream, mill and a small, newly remodeled inn and brewery, called the Ruse's Mage and shrines to Chauntea and Lathander. This and the town's name go back to an old tale of a farmer who scared off an orc band by holding an ordinary black switch in the hand, pretending that it was a wand and he was a mage, and threatening to blow the orcs all the way back to Gruumsh, if they didn't disappear. They did.

Black Switch

The Map of Black Switch

1 - Village Granary. This is a community building with several layers of cellars used to store grain and provisions for the entire village.

2 - Black Mill. Miller Kenneth Racek runs this water-powered mill, which makes various flours and presses vegetable oil.

4 - Sunrise House of Bounty. The House holds shrines to Lathander and Chauntea. The Priest is Melfar of Lathander (lvl 2). The Chauntea shrine is maintained by worshippers and local druids.

5 - The Ruse's Mage Inn and Brewery: Several hundred years ago, a farmer remembered only by the name of Kimpl stood up against a raiding band of about 20 orcs. They arrived in the early morning hours, and Kimpl was wearing only his night robe. According to local legend, it was an absolutely ridiculous robe - the kind of thing only magic dabblers ordinarily would wear. He supposedly emerged from his farmhouse with a large black stick in his hand about the size of a staff, waved it at the orcs and claimed to be some visiting mage from distant points. He told the orcs if they still were visible in the village - then called Starvale - in another 3 minutes, he would blow the orcs all the way back to Gruumsh.

He apparently put the fear of the god into them, because they hightailed it, turning Kimpl into a local hero and legend. Kimpl was the mage of the ruse. The inn was named after him. The village was renamed after his staff. Even the village pond was named after his ruse. In the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR), Delbert Hiel, a retired militia member from Deepingdale, bought the long closed inn and remodeled it. It was opened in Tarsakh of the current Year of the Unstrung Harp (1371 DR). Hiel calls his delicious lager beer Black Magic Brew. It's available only at his inn, at 4 copper thumbs per quart/liter tankard. He has no plans to sell it elsewhere. His inn also serves local meat and produce at prices ranging from 5 to 8 silver falcons and has 2 single rooms and 9 silver falcons and four doubles at 8 silver falcons per person.

Ruse Pond - The pond is named after Kimpl's ruse. It is a favorite spot for catching rainbow trout and yellow perch. The pond was dammed by Kenneth Racek's ancestors, to run the mill.