Government

An elected council of four leads the town.

Combat

A "light mortar" was found in a ruin and dragged to Ararholm. It can be turned to aim in any direction, and can hit targets up to 5km away. At targets closer to the village it operates more like a cannon.   It is stationed on a piece of synth that allows it to be rotated with some effort. Nearby is a waist-high column with some controls, used for aiming and firing the mortar. Also nearby is the energy source for the mortar, which is finiky and needs constant monitoring during a battle to ensure it provides power and doesn't overcharge.   Using the cannon is a multi-stage process.  

1. The mortar is turned to face the direction it needs to fire (action)
2. The mortar is aimed (Intellect task)
3. Mortar is "loaded" by turning a crank until another shell is loaded (where the shells come from is unclear) (Speed task)
4. Mortar is fired (action)

• On a success, hits within d20 meters of the target and does 3 points of damage.
• On a 1, the cannon is disabled ( power source dies or fritzes out, gets jammed, control panel stops responding ). Requires a difficulty 5 Intellect roll to determine what broke and how to fix it ( if it's fixable at all ).
• On a 19, the shot hits within d10 meters of the target and does 4 points of damage. It also blinds creature within close range that fails a difficulty 4 Speed check.
• On a 20, the shot hits directly on the target, does 5 points of damage. It also blinds creatures within close range that fail a difficulty 5 Speed check.