The Wickenburg-Fairfield Road enters Fairfield through a gap in the southern side of the wall around the town. (There are many of these gaps, so the wall actually is to little purpose.) The Fairfield-Valorde Road enters through another gap in the wall at the norteast corner of the town, running south inside the wall past Appledore's Store. This handy emporium, actually the only establishment of its kind anywhere west of the Clarion River, is run by the halfling Appledore, who is such a canny businessman that he can find a use for almost anything, and will buy all crafted products, any booty and other tokens of victory seized from defeated goblins and orcs, and just about anything else one might try to sell him. Behind Appledore's Store, in the same building, the halfling Bunthorne grows a strange plant called kenaf, from which he (in fact, your humble servant) manufactures paper of much finer quality than any made from wood pulp. If you have need of assistance with writing of notes and other documents, or simply need paper for your own use, you may get it here.
All roads into Fairfield meet at the Town Square. Here the visitor will find the Town Hall, a Blacksmithy (sometimes with and sometimes without a blacksmith present), and Joan's Tavern--operated by a distant relative of Lord Darby and the natural social center of the town. Though Joan sometimes has a little trouble understanding you, she retains a great store of information about local goings-on, and asking her a few well-aimed questions may often speed you to solutions of problems bringing you to Fairfield. Among other things, she knows everyone in town and can tell you about them.
A little north of the Town Square stands the Fairfield Church, where you may from time to time encounter the wandering friar, Brother Thomas. His healing powers are reported near and far, but he is abroad in the lands about a great deal, and it takes some luck to encounter him. Northeast of the Church, toward the Fairfield-Valorde Road, the great Fairfield Tower provides a sturdy bastion for emergency refuge, but no one can remember the last time Fairfielders were forced to take refuge in it. Today it mostly stands empty, occupied by cobwebs rather than desperate defenders.
The most imposing part of any visit to Fairfield town, however, always will be found along the road west from the Town Square. A short distance in that direction, the visitor will find the Castle Gate through which one may pass into the grounds of Darby Castle itself. This imposing stone edifice is the home of the most powerful noble lord living west of the Clarion River, Lord Darby himself. While he rarely has time to greet commoners passing through his realm, if you take up residence in Fairfield you would be wise to swear fealty to him and then enjoy the benefits that flow from being part of this prosperous community. He frequently has tasks for his loyal subjects to perform, many of which will not only be exciting but also possibly financially rewarding. The Castle itself is often open to the public, so feel free to wander about and gape with open mouth at the splendor in which true nobility manages to live, even in these wild lands beyond the great river.
Several residents of Fairfield do not actually live inside the town walls, however. In the interests of completeness, we provide some brief notes here about these outlying residents, on the chance that your travels to Fairfield actually require you to deal with these persons:
Two other important features in the neighborhood of Fairfield, but outside the town walls, deserve mention for the visitor to the town. to the southeast of Fairfield, beyond the hobbit-hole of Mistress Lilac, the Gem Mountain Mine has been cut into the western slope of Gem Mountain by sturdy dwarves and others who enjoy the underground occupations. Gem Mountain is not only the highest peak in this region of Pernica, but also is believed by those of dwarvish persuasion to contain vast lodes of precious stones, ore of iron, and possibly other valuable substances deep beneath its surface. How they know this we cannot tell, but they have their ways, after all.
The other important local feature is Lake Darby, the pleasant and well-stocked lake to the northwest of town beyond the northern grain fields, where Fairfield residents often spend pleasant afternoons fishing, picnicking, and generally enjoying the out-of-doors. If you like to fish, the spot is not to be missed!
