Trellaun Row

The only place more depressing than my little rat hole corner of CrowCoil is Trellaun Row. Even my fleas have the good sense to be terrified by the fleas there. I'm not going!
— Dayne Reed
  Every city has its slum and for Ghal Pelor that's CrowCoil. Trellaun Row is something different, something worse. It's a part of the city you don't venture to by choice, where even the aurinless paupers wouldn't sleep, and which houses its own very dark history.   A decade ago Trellaun Row was a functioning corner of the city, having been in the hands of a Halfling family known as the Trellauns. They had many years earlier bought the strip of land from the city (chiseling it off from pieces of Mercy Hill and Anvil South) to set up their workshops. The Trellauns were a family with close ties to the old College of Magic and who dedicated a great deal of their time to hunting down hidden caches of magic. Their success afforded them the luxury of buying land and building warehouses for their finds. The Trellauns were not miserly with their wealthy either, they were known for charitable donations, sponsoring young adventuring parties, and assisting the city's army and constabulary with their collection of magical items.   Unfortunately, this habit of gathering together lost arcana would eventually be the Trellauns' undoing. Mikloch Trellaun, one of the many expedition team leaders tasked with bringing back artifacts, found something very precious buried within an unmarked and heavily guarded College cache. This particular structure that Mikloch found seemed less like a vault and more like a subterranean prison... built entire around a skull. A dragon skull. Many of the defenses had deteriorated and those that hadn't were overcome by the halfling and his team. Once secured they returned home with their prize. And, soon after, the Trellaun warehouses would burn.   None are sure exactly what happened that night. Rumors speak of strange masked figures coming for the Trellauns, of battles between ancient magic and stolen artifacts, and green energy that pulsed from the jaws of the skull and desiccated all who touched it (though some say the mask-wearers were immune). The only thing that is know as fact is that an Undead outbreak followed the chaos that night. Anyone touched by the disaster withered and died only to rise as a ravenous thing hungry for flesh. And, unlike zombies which are regularly encountered in the wilderness these creatures could pass their sickness on with a bite. The Trellauns gave their loves to contain this plague before it could consume the city. They used their stockpiles of Manacite to detonate their artifact vaults and drown the area in cleansing fire. By dawn, the Trellauns were dead, their collections turned to cinders, and the skull... missing. News of what happened in Trellaun Row that night isn't particularly widespread. The Trellaun's sacrifice happened before many any but local constabulary could respond. Only a few veteran officers are still on the force today who were in Trellaun Row the night of the fire. While little exists in official reports much of what happened still haunts those that survived it.   Today, Trellaun Row is an abandoned place. Unlike Lakewatch Vale which has a population who live among the ruins, Trellaun is believed to be home to no one. It is unlivable, infested with disease and vermin, and if stories are to be believed... haunted. The city has shown no interest in rebuilding or demolishing the area (it technically still belongs to the Trellaun family and their adventuring company, if any of them survive) but ruin sweepers do oaccassionally brave the wreckage looking for something that may have survived the conflagration. This is a much rarer job for a ruinsweeper to take though. First, only the Trellauns would have known what was actually in their own collections and they're all dead. Second, most are too afraid that some remnant of the sickness might have survived the fires. No amount of coin is worth a slow and painful undeath.

Demographics

This area would have previously had a larger than normal population of halflings thanks to the Trellaun family.

Government

During its active years it would have operated similar to Ackley Market - a section of the city that management rights have been ceded to a private firm.

Defences

While itself a ruin nearby areas still have a strong constabulary presence. The officers make sure no one entered Trellaun Row, it's streets closed off and barricaded. Entry is easy enough for those determined to do so though. It also benefits from the city's wall, which keeps outside creatures from infesting it, another contrast to Lakewatch

Industry & Trade

Previously this prosperous region of the city benefited all the businesses that supported the Trellaun expeditions. Those businesses, like the Trellauns' warehouses, are all gone now.

Infrastructure

Unknown. It is likely that any infrastructure in the region is completely useless now. Worth noting, unlike Lakewatch Vale, Trellaun Row doesn't seem to flood. It's likely the underground sewers and flood pumps still function well enough

Guilds and Factions

The Trellaun family was large and made up of many different siblings, cousins, and other relations. It's a well known fact that not everyone got along.

Tourism

In its prime this area was a frequent stop for visiting adventurers looking to peruse the Trellaun's collection and maybe make an offer or two

Architecture

The Trellauns used reputable contractors to make buildings that could accommodate visitors of all races, not just halflings. That includes large doors, higher ceilings, and even maintenance stations to make Clankers at home.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
Ten years prior

Alternative Name(s)
T-Row, The Row
Population
0
Location under

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