Name: Harry Jonathan Rawlins
Age: 66
Race: Human (Earth)
Appearance: Personality: Pragmatic, too old for this nonsense, but calm in a crazy situation.
Brief Backstory: Born and raised in Crossville during the Baby Boom, Harry Rawlins lived a quiet life as a middle manager of the local lumber mill until its closing in the 80s. He has been Mayor of Crossville for 24 years now, a perpetual gig that no one seems eager to take from him. Harry's the perfect punching bag for the town's troubles- competent enough to keep Crossville from becoming a ghost town, but never able to get all the ducks in a row to stop
Equipment: (Any unique items on your person)
Profession: Mayor, previously a line manager in a lumber mill.
Shared WorldbuildingSeptember 20th, Crossville Town Council Meeting Minutes
Emergency Session
4:59 PMMayor Rawlins Calls meeting to order, advises those waiting outside the town hall will be given copies of the transcript as it is standing room only within the hall. Individuals in attendance continue speaking, screaming, loudly proclaiming the end of days. Rawlins calls meeting to order again. No response from crowd.
Mayor lowers gavel, asks to borrow sword from Sir/Lady Jeneviv Moltara. Sword is offered. Mayor tells assembled crowd he will use said sword to remove the middle finger from the next person who speaks. Old Lady Josie says he can't do that, rule against Cruel and Unusual Punishment in U.S. Constitution. Mayor remarks that we are no longer in the United States, as is plainly clear by the dragon that flew over Jeff Higgins' corn field two hours ago.
Murmurs die down.
Mayor Rawlins invites Lady Jeneviv Moltara to the speaker's dais, asking her to explain the current political situation Crossville finds itself in, and to "please keep it simple."
Lady Jeneviv proclaims that she is a Knight in the service of the League of Princes in Rebellion. She is interrupted by a speaker from crowd, asking how she speaks English. Lady Jeneviv shrugs and asks how we have come to speak the Common Language.
Crowd murmurs, Mayor Rawlins raises sword toward offending questioner. Silence. Lady Jeneviv continues.
The League of Princes is currently engaged in open rebellion against King Braspian IV, who rules from the capital city to the south-west some many miles. Braspian killed his older brother Magnus by poisoning at a dinner celebration (according to the League) and usurped the throne, claiming that his elder brother Magnus II was engaged in a plot to sell the nation to the Ash-Tyrant across the sea, a great and wicked sorcerer who rules an entire continent through fear and torture, with an army of Shadow-Fiends to do his bidding.
Mention is made of "Sauron" from the crowd. Mayor Rawlins brandishes sword again. Jeneviv is allowed to continue.
The League of Princes believe it is Braspian who is in league with the Ash-Tyrant, as he was never a friend of the northern provinces and Magnus promised them favorable treatment. When Braspian seized the League's emissaries and demanded hostages for loyalty, the League raised their banners and called their armies together to overthrow Braspian, seeking to establish a new confederation of cities rather than a supreme Kingdom.
Individual fiefdoms answered the call, armies were raised, and the war has been ongoing for three years now. The latest battle outside Crossville was a rare victory for the League, and Lady Jeneviv hopes to continue her campaign once her soldiers are rested and healed, potentially moving on a fortress called "The Mud Keep" that overlooks the marshlands to the west.
Harry opens the floor to questions at this time.
Q1: Is there magic in this world?
A1: Yes, there are many schools of sorcery. Jeneviv indicates she employs several magi to heal her grievously injured and throw fireballs as some kind of artillery, though mages are valuable and easily tire.
Q2: Has she ever met an orc?
A1: They reside over the eastern mountains. Are apparently very reasonable if brutish folk.
Q2: What about Elves? Dwarves? Lizardfolk? Tabaxi?
A1: Yes- she employs a company of Wood Elves as archers. Dwarves tend to keep to the Vaults on the island, an industrious folk and not given to care for the mainland's politics. Much is being done to win them over to the Princes' side- or at least keep them from taking the King's. Lizardfolk are common in the southlands. Tabaxi she is unfamiliar with.
Q2: What about Bigfoot?
(a description of bigfoot is provided)A1: That is a foolish question. Those are goliaths and they live in the highland woods.
(Q2 is handed a number of dollar bills by others in the crowd)Q3: Are we going to fight?
A1: Against me? No. You're on my land, though there was no village here the day before today. We will need to come to some understanding, but I consider you under my protection as the Lady of these lands.
(loud disagreement about "Property taxes" and which banks own which mortgages; eventually settles down)Q4: Can we get a copy of the civil and criminal legal codes?
(Crowd member yells "You would, Larry! Ambulance chaser!")A1: I don't see why not.
Q5: What can we do to get home?
A1: I'm not certain how you got here in the first place. But if you require anything of me to return to your world, know that I will be happy to provide it.
Q6: Can we still hold the town Oktoberfest even if Germany doesn't exist here?
A1: The what?
(A description of the planned festivities is provided by the Mayor)A1: I would hope to be there for such a festival. I will bring some beer from my own castle.
(A cheer goes up from the crowd)Q7: What are we going to do about protection? We don't have no army base, and the good lady is in her own war!
A2 (Mayor): I'll be working with city hall to set up an emergency committee. I want everyone to come by to the library at 9AM sharp tomorrow and fill out a form regarding past experience- every job you've had, every skill. We may need to do some reorganizing to make sure we make it through this mess. Whatever caused it.
Q8: Do we still have to pay the electric bills? What about the water? We got it from the lake and the lake ain't there no more!
A2: The electricity is safe for now. The solar farm paid off- and I know half of ya'll didn't want it installed in the first place! I've got two deputies there at all times to make sure it ain't tampered with. Unplug all unnecessary electronics, mind your usage. We've gotta make them last as long as possible. As for water, that is a dangerous shortage. I'll have Doc White look at our options
A1: Excuse me. Water purification is a standard spell for most mages. I'll be happy to send a few of my castle's student mages to assist with that.
[This Space will be added to as a kind of ongoing FAQ for the story]