Two decades ago, Emberwood Village was little more than a farmers market, blacksmith, pub, a small chapel, and a few dozen cottages. The local businesses served the farmlands and logging camps surrounding the capital, and the town was an occasional rest stop for merchants to stop off on their way to Halarahh. As the town lies some five miles north of the capital city, it was not directly damaged by the meteor shower. However, the impact shattered the windows of every building, caused some weaker structures to collapse, and left some in the village blinded or deafened. Unfortunately, the aftermath was all the more terrible. Over the past fifteen years, the contamination in Drakkenheim has affected the countryside for miles around. The once fertile fields and dense woods are now barren and dying. Gradually, most folks gave up, departing for safer and more prosperous places. A few people remained behind, determined to hold onto their family homes and salvage their livelihoods. Emberwood Village persisted despite the odds. After the civil war, adventurers began showing up in the town. Explorers heading towards the dark city needed a safe place to tend their wounds and rest, and so Emberwood Village gradually became a sort of boom town on a new frontier for adventure.