The Old Moathouse

An old moathouse sits near the High Road that winds through the marsh some 20 miles outside of Hommlet to the east. This place was once the outpost of the Temple of Elemental Evil during the original rise of Zuggtmoy, its watchtower, and an advance base for raids, looting, and destruction. From this area, servants of the Temple were to bring the Village of Hommlet and all the lands around it into subjection. The conquered folk were then to be used as slaves to construct yet another fortress further west, spreading the evil power of the Temple in ever-growing rings to encompass all the land around its base.
This outpost was sacked after the Battle of Emridy Meadows. A detachment of horse and foot with a small siege train then came to the marshlands to lay the castle low. The common folk from miles around came to help, and the Moathouse was surrounded, cut off, and battered into extinction. The place is now shunned by the people of Hommlet, who hate its former evil and the memory of the terror brought to them by the black lord of the fortress—a vile cleric of damnation named Lareth the Beauitful—and his evil men and humanoid troops.
Rumors of this place abound and some suggest it is now haunted by the dead followers of Iuz and bandits killed in his service. Some believe it merely overrun with monstrous wildlife from the surrounding marshes.