Punt Village and its surrounding areas.

The Path to the village

Finding the village isn't all that difficult to find. The large, painted capstone at the base of the mountain is the beginning of it is pretty difficult to miss. Anyone passing with some historical interest might be fascinated by this ancient stone, with its etchings and paintings of incredible, and unknown creatures. Some of the paint is newer, hiding that much of the decoration seems to be pre-Chaos. Most people give it a curious glance and never think of it again, except maybe as a way to give directions. It is a hard path to travel though, long and steep and winding with some steps cut into the rock that have worn with age to be more of a hinderance than they ever were a help.

The Village Punt

Located on one of the few narrow plateaus on the Mountains near Gruna, Punt has to make due with the space it has. Most of the buildings are attached, built onto each other to leave as much space as possible for the small vegetable plots and fenced-off chicken huts outside as possible. There is a single road in front of these buildings and, like everything else in this village, its narrow. The seconds story overhangs the ground level of the building, held up by thin stone pillars, that create a sheltered walkway underneath that most people use instead of the official street unless they are driving goats. Lines hang between these pillars for drying clothes, and anyone who did want to use the main road would need to duck under them. A common feature of children that recently underwent a growth-spurt is red lines on there foreheads or necks as they learned to adapt to this.

The largest of these buildings is multi-purpose. It functions as both the townhall, the public house and as the goat-shed. There are a few rooms in the attic of this building that can be opened for guests. One such guest is Elena Leafstone, a woman of mixed human and dwarven heritage who is a druid and is researching pre-Chaos history (with all of the permits required from the Empire to do so). She is very interested in the Meeting Stones, and other things to be found in the area. The village does not make her pay for lodgings, but does ask that she do small medical treatments for animals and people. She has, somewhat unwillingly, started to move into the clinic that has been newly built at the edge of town. The townsfolk seem to be of the opinion that she will be remaining for quite some time.

The well and the gazebo around it are the only structures build out of line. What was at one time a very comfortable chair sit under the gazebo, and on it sits an old dwarf. Sky Seeker Slategrip took up a post here a year or two after he left home. He likes being close to Gruna and, after the poisonings of the water and air vents by the gnomish forces during the war, has become a little paranoid about the water in Punt. Although, he will be the first to admit that there is more chance of a chicken falling in and poisoning the town with its corpse than any actual malicious actions.

In truth, the people of this small village don't have many things to concern themselves with. Their goats keep them fed, as do the chickens and small amount of vegetables. They aren't in some place of strategic value for any war, or source of some rare resource. There is a risk of falling off a cliff face if you aren't careful, and some of the goats can have been known to break a bone or two. Sometimes the broken bones are a result of some fool trying to climb the Meeting Stones and falling off. The forest and mountains have many dangers but mostly those stay within the trees of the vast, dense pine forests below them or deep into the depth of the mountains themselves. There's the cave at the base of the road leading up to them - but that is locked off with its brightly painted capstone and decorations from ancients passed warning of the strange, stylised creatures inside.

There is, of course, the fact that harpies keep kidnapping their children. But no one in the village really sees that as a problem. After all, the harpies are usually happy to ransom back for a few chickens or goats and the child learns the lesson not to wander off from a terrifying flight and being fussed over and 'sacrificed' by ladies with very sharp talons. The price of the ransom is hard to determine, but the bigger and the more pleasant children seem to cost more. Being told you are the 'cost of a chicken' is an insult in Punt. If asked, they would think other people might remember their village for their fine goat's cheese.

The Slopes and the Meeting Stones.

The Meeting Stones are a group of very large, stone boulders not native to the region. They have a series of etchings in a language that no one can identify and that Elena thinks is Pre-Chaos.

The goats of Punt are pretty much given free range of the mountain itself, and very few people think to count them. They belong to the leader of the village, and change ownership with the title (which is voted on every ten years or when the last one dies). So, goats are everywhere, all of the time. They go up on roofs and walk the roads of the village. The vegetable patches are housed in cages, like the chickens, with wire and frames to allow light in. Goatherds take them (or as many as they can convince to go with them) into the slopes every day and bring them back to sleep in the goatshed every night. Lovers, children, goatherds and Elena all can be found at the Meeting Stones depending on what time you go visit them.

Harpy's Nest

Located higher up the slope, the harpies who worship the Grand Skies above them, have made a nest in a crashed airship. Their individual nests dot in and another the site, while their leader, called Fine Feathers is the only one permitted to nest within the ruined helm of the vassal. She was chosen because the feathers on her back look a little bit like a Roc in flight and has made a shrine to the giant birds. Here the children are taken and place on the alter to be 'sacrificed'. This just means that they have to make a promise that they will aid a Roc if they are ever given a chance to. Also, they have to ride the skies should they get the opportunity to. Then their faces are painted and they are returned once the ransom is delivered.