Hawthorne

Hawthorne

Category: Urban & Civilization | Near: Baldur's Gate | Population: Bustling town of 12,500 residents

First Impression

The rhythmic thoom-thoom of colossal footsteps echoes between colorful buildings as a massive triceratops lumbers down the main thoroughfare, its saddle adorned with streaming ribbons and jingling bells. Street vendors call out in melodic voices while the sweet aroma of grilled fish and exotic spices mingles with the earthy musk of dinosaur companions. Overhead, pteranodon riders swoop between floating paper lanterns, their joyful whoops mixing with the cheerful chaos of a town that has embraced the impossible with infectious enthusiasm.

Atmosphere

Hawthorne pulses with boundless energy and wonder, where the extraordinary has become delightfully ordinary. The air hums with excitement as dinosaur handlers chat with shopkeepers, children chase feathered raptors through fountain squares, and the constant background chorus of prehistoric calls creates a symphony of adventure. Bright banners flutter from every rooftop, street performers juggle while riding ankylosaurs, and the very cobblestones seem to vibrate with the town's irrepressible spirit of discovery. This is a place where dreams walk on four legs and the sky itself has become a highway for those brave enough to soar.

Key Features

• The Saurian Amphitheater: A massive oval arena carved from living stone where dinosaur races and aerial acrobatics draw cheering crowds daily. The thunderous roar of spectators mingles with the triumphant calls of winning riders, while floating observation platforms allow pteranodon-mounted referees to oversee the spectacular competitions that have made Hawthorne famous across the realms.

• Skyport Nexus: A towering crystalline spire that crackles with interdimensional energy, serving as both a lighthouse for aerial traffic and a mysterious portal hub. Shimmering doorways occasionally flicker open along its surface, disgorging exotic travelers and strange cargo while pteranodon postal services use its spiraling platforms as their primary roost.

• The Primordial Gardens: Lush terraced parks where massive sauropods tend to impossible flowers that bloom in rainbow spirals and sing with the morning dew. Ancient druids work alongside dinosaur groundskeepers, cultivating plants that seem to bend the very laws of nature while providing peaceful gathering spaces where the town's gentle giants can rest.

Inhabitants

Hawthorne's residents are an eclectic mix of dinosaur handlers, interdimensional merchants, and starry-eyed adventurers who've made this impossible town their home. The Saurian Riders' Guild maintains loose but cheerful authority, with Guildmaster Zara Brightscale—a half-elf with silver hair streaked in rainbow colors who rides a magnificent feathered carnotaurus named Prism—serving as the town's unofficial leader. She speaks in rapid, enthusiastic bursts and has an infectious laugh that can be heard three blocks away. The local merchants embrace the chaos with good humor, while children born here consider dinosaur companions as natural as dogs or cats. Visitors are welcomed with overwhelming hospitality, though locals expect newcomers to quickly adapt to the reality that a brontosaurus might be blocking the bakery entrance and that's simply Tuesday in Hawthorne.

Secrets & Layers

• The Skyport Nexus isn't just a portal hub—it's a fragment of a shattered moon from another dimension, and its increasing instability threatens to tear reality apart around Hawthorne within the year.
• Several of the "domesticated" dinosaurs are actually polymorphed ancient dragons who chose this form to experience a simpler life, but their true nature occasionally surfaces during moments of extreme emotion.
• The town's prosperity comes from harvesting temporal crystals that form in dinosaur nests, allowing Hawthorne to trade with multiple timelines simultaneously—a secret the Guild desperately wants to keep from Baldur's Gate's authorities.

Adventure Hooks

1. The Great Migration Mystery: Hawthorne's dinosaurs have begun exhibiting strange behavior, gathering at the town's edges and calling mournfully toward the horizon—Guildmaster Zara fears they're preparing to abandon the town forever and needs heroes to discover what's calling them away before Hawthorne loses its heart and soul.

2. Skyport Sabotage: Mysterious figures have been spotted near the Skyport Nexus during the night, and portal malfunctions are increasing daily—when a gateway opens to what appears to be an invasion force's staging ground, the party must investigate whether this is accident or enemy action.

3. The Chromatic Egg: A massive, shifting-colored egg has appeared overnight in the Primordial Gardens, and every dinosaur in town is drawn to protect it with uncharacteristic aggression—as the egg's glow intensifies and reality warps around it, heroes must uncover its origin before whatever's inside hatches and changes Hawthorne forever.

GM Notes

• Emphasize the town's infectious joy and wonder—NPCs should be enthusiastic and optimistic, treating miraculous events as delightful rather than threatening
• Use dinosaur encounters as both transportation puzzles and social interactions; a blocked street might require negotiating with a stubborn stegosaurus or finding the right treat to coax it aside
• The town works best as a hub for planar adventures or as a refuge where parties can recover between serious quests while dealing with lighthearted but engaging local problems
• Combat encounters should feel more like sporting events or misunderstandings rather than life-or-death struggles, maintaining the whimsical tone while still providing excitement