Ashwatch
"I didn't realize we were walking into a literal ghost-town" -Dust, Tabaxi ClericThe haunted ruins that make up the village of Ashwatch have stood abandoned by any sane mortal for centuries. Situated in the swampy badlands of north-central Eregoth, it marks the edge of the lands sworn to the 14th Lord in ages past. Dominated by the remnants of Ashwatch Keep and its attendant jousting arena, Ashwatch village is home to innumerable undead and spirits who have been the doom of many adventurers. During the Age of Strife, in the days leading up to the Battle of Red Lake, a band of adventurers succeeded in entering a crypt below the keep. There they found the remains of Arthon Cadmus, entombed there as an unliving vampire spawn, and defeated him before he could escape.
Demographics
Humans (previously)
Undead (Ghouls, Specters, Will O' Wisps, Ghosts, etc.)
Notable personalities among the undead population include Sir Rufus Damian, a sword wraith, Arthon Cadmus, who was buried under the keep, and Melian Cadmus, Arthon's devoted and ghostly wife.
Government
Feudal Fief
Defences
Ashwatch Keep
Infrastructure
Ashwatch Keep
Ashwatch Arena
History
Ashwatch was once the demesne of House Cadmus, a minor noble house sworn to House Valkar, also known as the House of the 14th Lord. The leader of the Cadmus family often served as the castellan of House Valkar; the reigning noble at the time of the 14th Lord's demise was named Arthon. As vassals of the 14th Lord, House Cadmus and Ashwatch were purged when their liege's doom came, leaving the ruins a burnt husk of their former glory. Wary of the dark magic that the 14th Lord and his court had tampered with, the crypts below Ashwatch Keep were warded with what magic the fledgling House Cervantes could muster at the time of their ascension to kingship.
Architecture
Stone foundations, wood structure (all ruined, rotted, with burn marks across the tops)
Geography
Ashwatch lays within the swamps north of Red Lake. The village itself rests in a clearing made at its founding, centered on a man-made mound built to give the keep a good vantage point. Old logging paths cut through the woods of the nearby area, occasionally leading towards the ruins.
Natural Resources
Although the former domain of the 14th Lord has been mostly abandoned by civilization for centuries, the area is only sparsely inhabited by natural animals. This is a result of the heavy presence of undead around Ashwatch, which is often the host of Ghouls, Specters, Ghosts, Will O' Wisps, and many more.
The village is named for the abundance of ash trees in the area.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
Age of Dragons
Type
Village
Population
0 (Previously ~400)
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Comments