Trollclaw Ford

This ruined hamlet stands where the Coast Way fords the Winding Water amid mist-shrouded, grassy hills. Trolls lurking in the hills make the place perilous no matter how many mercenary armies or adventuring bands come to clean the monsters out.

Abandoned a dozen winters ago, the Ford has been rapidly overgrown. The trolls keep creatures larger than snakes and birds from lairing there and pull apart buildings digging out badgers and burrowing food. Most caravans camp heavily armed in bonfire rings well away from the Ford and make a run across the river at highsun, flanked by horse archers whose arrows can be ignited at a trot from spear-slung braziers.

The most recent settlers at the Ford were the High Helms, a veteran adventuring band. A dozen strong, they rebuilt a villa into a fortified hold and held out against the trolls for three full seasons-until someone slew them and shattered their tower with an explosive spell blast seen from miles away. Their treasure still lies in their fallen tower, guarded by their undead bones and possibly by whoever-or whatever-slew them. (Folk speak of their slayer being a serpent-headed mage with faceted, amber-colored eyes and the slitted pupils of a snake.)

Geography

The ford is shallow and functional, but the water is black and foul, still poisoned by the death of the deity Bhaal to the north at Boareskyr Bridge. The crossing is fraught with danger, since trolls haunt the region, especially in hours of darkness.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
1360 DR

Type

Hamlet

Related Reports (Secondary)

• GM Report - Thunder and Lightning, Very Very Frightening