Despite its modest size, this cozy town nestled in a broad valley in the interior has managed to stand the test of time. The city’s survival has been attributed to everything from its non-strategic location to its generalist economy, to some quirk of its unremarkable defensive features. Regardless, the city is known for openness and hospitality, with humans, elves, gnomes, nekojin, and inu represented within its population. Surrounded by a variety of orchards, bearing apples, pears, plums, quinces, and a wide array of nuts, including its namesake hazelnuts, visitors to the city are advised to sample the local cuisine, including sweet and savory pies, especially gnomish mushroom pies. The city’s mines yield common metal ores along with a scattering of magic minerals. In the time of the Empire, little was invested, especially in comparison to the far larger mining town to the north, Irondale. Yet Irondale’s great wealth could only buy food for its populace so long as there was trade, and as trade collapsed together with the Empire, Irondale withered to a virtual ghost town even as Hazelhearth weathered the rampaging subterranean hordes.