Symbalas

"The Demon Haunted Town..."

Overrun by demons, the town of Symbalas stands as a testament to the folly of any who thinks they can control or simply understand the minds of fiends. Situated on the southeastern coast of the Imperial Gulf in Golthien, the town was a once prominent and thriving community. Now the vassal to Ludvoskan is but a shell of its former self.

The Legend of Symbalas

Symbalas was a well regarded community, run by a Solti half-elf duke named Evari Symbalas (so named for his elven father, Symbalas Sendalsyne). His family established the town several generations previously, as a base from which they could enjoy the spoils of a profitable business venture made in Ludvoskan. The current duke was good and fair, treating his subjects better than most other lords in the vale. But for all his finer qualities, the duke had a fatal flaw... He was consumed with desire. Desire for knowledge and desire for power. Not to apply this power to any evil end, mind you, but from a standpoint of "doing good" for his peoples and those of the surrounding settlements. He had simply inherited his family wealth and sought to make his own stamp upon the world.
The duke was in business with a few entrepreneurs out of Ludvoskan, men who advised him as to how they achieved their own personal gains. It seemed they entered contracts with a series of strange beings... fiends from the outer realms amongst the alternate planes of existence. Seeing how these men seemed to have prospered so greatly from these fiendish interactions, Eavri quickly conceded. Little did he know that the men he dealt with were using him for their own ends. For the only way they could get out of their own devilish contracts was to land a "big fish" of their own as a replacement.
One thing led to another and soon Evari found himself in the presence of beings from the lower planes. Creatures that promised the world, and for seemingly little in return. Evari agreed, not realizing that his eternal soul was being bartered in return. Once the duke realized his error, he confronted the men who set him up with the devils. When he found them to be of no help, he searched elsewhere, looking for anything, any loophole to end his impending eternal servitude.
It was his own mother who presented to him the exit he so greatly desired. She was a human "witch," aged and bitter. She hated the father of her son, and wished nothing more than to see him suffer. She planned on using her own son to achieve this end. So it was that Evari's own mother suggested to him the "only way" to save his eternal soul. He must take his own life. And he must do it before the eyes of the very devils he was in league with.
Evari was frightened, but not as much as he was when he thought of his immortal soul. He called the devils to his chambers, and there before them, he plunged a blade into his own heart.
The contracts between fiend and man are complicated affairs, with many clauses both hidden and labyrinthian. One such clause dealt specifically with the immediate ramifications were Evari to take his own life, and with no installed heir. It seemed the town of Symbalas would fall to the devils, otherwise robbed of their prize. This, even Evari's mother was unaware of.
Devils are devious creatures, as smart as they are fearsome. They knew that a fiendish incursion upon the material plane would draw powerful forces down upon them. They wished to claim their prize, not be destroyed by it. So it was they installed another of their "clients," a pliable puppet ruler named Baron Vilast Neferal (himself said to be of at least some fiendish blood). From this small seat of power, the fiends spread their influence into the realms of man. They've managed to acquire a strong foothold in Ludvoskan, and even in High Court, the capitol of The Houlon Empire. Not bad for a small band of "lesser" devils.
To the outsider, Symbalas runs today the very same as it always had. The devils, through their proxy of Neferal, do not punish their feudal minions or subjects. In fact, their goals are still pretty much a secret kept between themselves. They do their best to ward off rumors as to the (accurate) fate of Evari and his homelands, and visitors to the town are still rather commonplace.
However, it is said that dark things happen when day turns to night. Unspeakable things that none of the Symbalas' residents dare even whisper about. And then there are the occasional disappearances... And the children... The ones that go to bed acting one way, and seem to awaken with completely altered personalities.
The wise traveler, the one who takes in and heeds every word that is spread around the lands, this traveler avoids Symbalas. This traveler marked it for their fellows as a place of burgeoning evil. You'd be wise to obey the warnings.

Demographics

A 50/50 mixture of humans and elves, with 5% of the remaining population as "mixed other."

Government

The town is ruled by a local lord, the Baron Vilast Neferal. He is assisted in his work by a small cabinet of advisors, foreigners who arrived one day, seemingly out of thin air.

Defences

Symbalas doesn't employ a significant number of soldiers or even many watchmen to protect its walls (both inside and out). However, crime never seems to be a particularly big issue here. Perhaps there is something else that keeps the citizens in check. Perhaps the same thing that makes outsiders think twice before drawing steel against the town.

Industry & Trade

Coal and iron ore from the mines. Abundant food crops from the fields.

Infrastructure

Symbalas is, on its surface, one of a number of simple farming towns, run by w feudal lord. It is more prosperous in money and size than the average community of its ilk, but from where this prosperity comes is unknown to most. The town features mills and waterwheels, as well as proper artificial irrigation for the many crops of the land. Symbalas also controls a few minor coal and iron mines. Finally, as it is situated along the banks of the Imperial Gulf, it engages in a fair amount of trade with its neighbors.

Alternative Name(s)

Evari's Folly

Type

Large town

Population

5,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Symbalasi

Location under

Golthien