Secomber

[Possibly Ten]

Secomber has always been a small sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. In Delimbiyr vale, to be more precise, there where the Unicorn Run flows into the River Shining (River Delimbiyr). Secomber is mostly a town of farmers, stonecutters, and fishermen, and a welcome moment of relief for Adventures
wandering the High Moors on the south.

It's also a place where caravans can hire guards and guides. Usually adventurers needing a little relatively safe cash, or bored locals looking for a chance to 'break free'.

The most important characteristic of Secomber is the bridge, that allow travellers to cross the river without getting their feet wet. Caravans too large, too greedy, or (more often) warbands or
adventurer groups (with a desire for staying unnoticed) often opt to cross the Unicorn Run a bit farther to the north.

Only during summer the Unicorn Run can be crossed by wading. In the deepest of winter one can try and walk over the ice, as parts of the Unicorn Run are sometimes completely frozen.

Secomber has only two remarkable features: the high number of halflings living here, and the fact that sages and mapmakers cannot decide on Secomber's size and if it belongs to the North or the Western Heartlands.

To the inhabitants it doesn't really matter.
They are (mostly) content with the current situation.

Taken from an unofficial source book I found named "Secomber"

[Possibly Ten]

Population.


Secomber has between 200 and 1600 inhabitants, depending on your way of counting and if you are given to exaggeration.
Secomber town itself counts roughly 400 permanent inhabitants. Half of them live directly around Rumble Market and The Dip.

Remarkably, the number of official citizens aka. taxpayers is higher than the number of inhabitants... An explanation is easy to find. In the nearby hamlets and lonely farms another 800 people
live of the land, of which several pay their taxes. Then there is the Waterdeep Garrison located in Secomber itself, varying in size depending on the season and the number of incidents.

There's Keep Vastan and it's inhabitants 30 miles off, then there are the irregular adventuring bands that have a base in Secomber, and there are several 'out of town residents' living in
Waterdeep or elsewhere who still have kept their Secomber citizenship (or, in other words: still pay Secomber taxes).

With Secomber citizenship, you are entitled to cross the bridge without paying a fee, you can vote, and you can claim Secomber protection, as far as possible.

Defining the borders of Secomber is slightly more difficult. Secomber town is easily defined, and comprises of the three hills and the immediate surroundings. The problem lays outside the town's borders. Some hamlets nearby may act as if they are
independent of Secomber (and have their own laws), while a lone settler along the Unicorn run could proudly claim the protection of the Secomber Militia and the Waterdeep Garrison. For example: Keep Vastan claims to be 'part of Secomber' and is 30 miles
away!

Complicated? Well... just keep in mind that most elven strongholds (fortified farms) north of Secomber are more or less independent, even though some of them pay taxes and thus can claim Secomber's protection. Rules can differ, depending on household, so be careful who you visit, and offend, as the law
(their law!) might not be on your side.

Almost half of the inhabitants of Secomber are human (45%), almost the same number of halflings (40%) live here. The remainder consists of dwarves, elves and gnomes. Again, everybody disagrees on these numbers... What is sure though is the percentage of gnomes is rising, and the overall number of people living in the Secomber area is increasing.

Taken from the same source book "Secomber"

[DM Leverage]

Secomber

Sitting along the Unicorn Run just north of the High Moor, Secomber is either the Northernmost settlement of the Western Heartlands or the first village of the north depending on who draws the map. Those who vote for the Western Heartlands point to the town's peacefulness, its thriving families of fisherfolk and farmers, its colorful gardens, and its hospitality to passing caravans. Those who think of it as part of the North point to the town's sizable community of adventurers and guides who have at least passing familiarity with the High Forest to the north.

The city welcomes travelers, particularly adventurers who use the city as a base for forays into the High Moor or the High Forest. Not coincidentially, such adventurers are called on to help out when gargoyles and worse creatures are unearthed from the ruins of long dead Athalantar, the Kingdom of the Stag.
~FRCS: pg 228