Varinas Hall

This place is the domain of evil, and we bar the gate.
This gate was paid for by blood, and paved with sacrifice.
Welcome to Parseil. Keep your weapons sharp, and handy.

— Inscription over the outer door.

The ruined city of Parseil is infamous among adventurers as a city overrun by monsters, to the point there are a significant number of clans and bands living inside the ruins. Attempting to reclaim it in the name of the Empire has been met with small successes, which would become reclaimed by the chaos of the region over the next few years. With its location outside the borders of the Empire, it has become the prize of loosely-organized adventurers who often severely underestimate the dangers of the city's denizens. However, not all victories have been overturned in the years to come.

Along the edges of the city is a large structure built along the inside of the city wall, an old bathouse, where a weakened portion of the wall crumbled and gave access to the city through the structure. A few decades ago, a band of adventurers led by Varinas the Bold used this structure as their entry point into the city and wiped out the clans of weaker monsters within the general area. With no ability to resupply themselves easily, and a constant siege of attacks from the denizens of Parseil, the band retreated to the structure and began fortifying it. They employed feats of strength, magic, and skill to close off all points of entry save for the exit through the city wall and one access point underneath the bathhouse - in the aqueducts which once carried away used water. Against the odds, the band of Varinas the Bold managed to hold off until other adventurers arrived. But not without cost.

Nowadays 'Varinas Hall' is used as the simplest staging area for those who seek to delve the ruins for fortune and glory. Other avenues of entry exist, but this one is now fortified and supplied through various arrangements with local towns and mercenaries who call themselves 'the Grocers' with some small amount of amusement.

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Purpose / Function

During the heyday of Parseil, the building and connected areas were a bathhouse and relaxation spot for the lower classes. There's few signs of who built it originally, or for what motivation it was made. Adventurers have turned up only the vague hints it was connected to some religious order concerned with 'giving succor to the poor', and the bathhouse was one way of doing it. Exploration has proven the attached areas once were some sort of arboretum, along with what was seemingly a sleeping area for any who wished.

Ever since the reclamation by Varinas the Bold, it has now functioned as a place for adventurers entering the ruined city to prepare, restock, and rest. The surviving members of the adventuring band all take pride in maintaining the safety of the structure, as well as their efforts to ensure regular supplies of fresh food and replacement equipment can be acquired for a nominal markup compared to "civilized merchants". One section of the bathhouse which still has access to water has been restored as a fresh-water spring which helps keep adventurers supplied with one of the harder things to acquire inside the ruin: potable water.

Alterations

- Well, I'm not one to judge from appearances. But it looks like this place has been through a war, lost, and then the victors left it for dead.
- Yeah, that's a fairly apt summary of things. Mind your step, we're still patching that.

— Conversation overheard inside the Hall

The original structure has been altered greatly during the fall of the city and the previous reclamation efforts, but what remains uses clay bricks and chiseled stone as the primary building materials. Any wooden support beams in the structure have been replaced with more recent lumber brought in at great expense, and roughly-crafted partitions turn the once-airy bathing area into a cross between a marketplace and a barracks. Extensions through the breach in the wall have resulted in access to a crude forge and hide-tanning area to keep up with demands for building material (and repairs to equipment). Most notably, all windows and archways which normally would exit into the city itself have been blocked either through magically-conjured stone walls or rubble salvaged from the city itself being put into position and reinforced. The only point of entry is through one of the dried-up aqueducts under the bathing area which emerges a hundred feet from the hall in the side of a sinkhole which opened up.

History

The city of Parseil was a shining jewel of civilization in the days before the Empire, one of the few during what is referred to as 'the Dark Era' by modern historians. After it was overrun by a horde of monsters, said horde chose to linger inside the city instead of moving on. With the strength of the monsters, and their apparent willingness to stay put, the city was not a primary concern for any neighboring kingdoms to deal with. A few kings were nevertheless tempted by the potential riches left in the city, or had a crisis of conscience and wanted to rescue any survivors. Expeditions of adventurers either returned empty-handed, or not at all, prompting the local kings to declare it a lost cause. Part of the issue was, of course, the extensive fortifications which now could be used by the horde inside the city itself against would-be heroes. Decades later, the Empire's expansion never quite reached far enough to the north to encompass the city's ruin, nor did they see a reason to devote considerable martial power to retaking the ruin when there was still unease with neighbors on the border. After several centuries, the city of Parseil thus picked up a reputation as being 'the bane of all adventurers'.

Thus it was with some small surprise the band of adventurers led by Varinas the Bold reported they had seized a foothold in an old bathhouse near a breach in the outer wall. Greater surprise was the claim the band had held it for several moons despite dwindling supplies. A portion of what they recovered from the ruin before being forced to take a defensive stance helped prove there was potential, and bargains were struck swiftly to purchase simple supplies to resupply the besieged adventurers. Other bands of adventurers came to support the efforts, and delve into the ruin themselves - turning over some of the recovered treasure to the defenders in order to resupply before trying again. Investing this treasure into more permanent fortifications and rebuilding efforts led to the old bathhouse being dubbed "Varinas Hall" after the fallen leader of the defenders.

Partnerships were founded with suppliers, and mercenaries who were willing to defend those supply trains for a modest fee. After a night drinking together to toast the first successful trip to bring preserved meats and fruits, the mercenaries eschewed their former identity and became known as "the Grocers" for being the ones to bring in food. The growing number of rookie adventuring groups attempting to chase fortune and glory, expecting the ruined city to be an easy path, led to more stringent requirements before anyone could enter through Varinas Hall's tunnel. Other avenues existed into the city, but anyone attempting to leave through the tunnel who had not entered through it were refused unless they could prove themselves to not be in league with the ruin denizens.

Recent years have also seen a few groups attempting to compete for other footholds in the city's perimeter - all have failed. Rumors have begun circulating outside the city, suggesting the guardians of Varinas Hall are sabotaging such efforts. Those who have actually been to the city and seen the threat of the denizens have argued this is not the case, and it truly is dangerous to try to challenge whatever dark entity keeps the "residents" of Parseil unified and aggressive in defending their claim.

Tourism

Hello there, how many people did you bring? Uh huh. And you are armed or otherwise protected? I see. I hope you understand we are not responsible for your safety on passing through the tunnel, only your safety inside the palisade. Hey, watch the language, where do you think you are? This is the ruined city of Parseil, not a winery in the western provinces...

— Overheard at the entry gate.

Many people travel to (and fewer people travel from) Parseil quite often during the year, usually during any time of the year other than the harsh winter. But there are those who arrive expecting a far easier time, such as nobility attempting to use the trip as a means to acquire credibility. As such, the guardians of the hall have needed to alter their outlook on protection to the visitors. Those who wish to enter through 'the tunnel' are required to have three things:

• A valid, up-to-date charter showing the bearers are a recognized adventuring group.
• Proof of previous deeds to show this is not their first attempt at adventuring.
• A modest fee, though the amount is highly variable depending on the gatekeeper on watch.

Beyond this, visitors are allowed to stay in the area, so long as they recognize their safety is not guaranteed.

Alternative Names

Gateway to Parseil

Type

Bathhouse