The Toad’s Square, Thistle Hold

The Toad’s Square

In the shadow of the Beacon lies a large, circular plaza surrounded by taverns and dives, including the Salons of Symbaroum. If one were to name one single place as the most dangerous in town, is has to be the block neighboring the Toad’s Square. More deaths occur there than in the rest of Thistle Hold combined, and it is in close vicinity to the Beacon’s foundation that most of the town’s shady affairs take place – affairs that often go overboard since active town guards seldom are seen in the district. However, what is most renowned about the square is without a doubt the statue which has given it its name. Standing on a base made of black basalt, encircled by a stone-framed pond, stands the reassembled skeleton of a huge, toadlike monster. The carcass was found quite intact under the construction of the palisade and was restored by scholars from Ordo Magica. And even if the beast itself is enough to inspire the wildest fantasies, most speculations tend to be about the modest brass bell hanging in a ribbon around the creature’s neck. Does the bell imply that the giant toad once was someone’s pet? In that case, whose?