Fallowfield
Lying 10 miles north of Port Elredd along the coast, this section of land was once open cropland owned by a wealthy farmer in a nearby village. One year, when not enough sharecroppers were available to work all of his property, the farmer chose to let this field lie fallow. Then a second year passed as well, and in that year a plague struck the village. Many people, including the wealthy farmer, died. The survivors burned the bodies and their homes, unsure of the cause of the disease but looking to escape its deadly grasp, and rebuilt their community on this "fallow field," since the previous owner wasn't around to object. The village recovered from the plague only to fall prey to the orcish hordes years later, just as its neighbors did. The town was sacked, looted, and left empty. It remained that way until recently.
The city of Elredd was one of the few towns in the Flanaess that hosted a permanent temple to the hero-deity Kelanen ( swords, sword skills, balance), also known as the Prince of Swords. The destruction of the temple attracted Kelanen' s attention and his ire, and so he has given one of his worshipers the task of rebuilding the temple. This will require the eventual elimination of humanoids from Elredd, of course. However, since Kelanen seeks balance in all things, his minion believes that the allied hordes of humanoids in the Pomarj must be viewed as having an unbalancing effect on the region. Thus, the godling wouldn't object to having them scattered.
The worshiper chosen was Fina Fen Kela, a priestess and a seasoned tactician. Fina's longtime traveling companion was Atanasoff, an eccentric gnome and worshiper of Murlynd ( magical "technology"), another hero-deity. The Prince of Swords approved of the gnome's involvement, since Kelanen and Murlynd once worked together to imprison Iuz back in the sixth century. Fina and Atanasoff gathered a party of adventurers with the purpose of ridding Elredd of the humanoids. Two weeks ago, they took up residence in the village of Fallowfield to spy on their enemies and plan their strategy. Information on the priesthoods of Kelanen and Murlynd is available in the Hero-Deities appendix.
They are a small group compared to the enemy they oppose. Fina's forces include two priests, two rangers, one paladin, seven fighters, and one thief. Their small party size makes it easier for them to remain undetected in the midst of the enemy's territory. They live off the land with little effort, supplemented by priestly magic and some magic items. They plan to continue their observation for at least another two weeks before beginning any hostilities. If another group of adventurers should offer to join their force, they would welcome the help. Alternatively, these adventurers could rescue the player characters if they need help.
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