Northarden Bridge

This stone bridge once spanned the river Lees in the southwest of the Empire of Trem. Originally a simpler wooden bridge occupied the same spot but It was replaced with stone at the request of a group of adventurers who have saved Northarden from danger. Not wishing statues of themselves these adventurers requested that the funds be put to a more practical use (that didn't involve them having to sit for their likeness to be taken). It was a fairly ornate structure with low stone walls on each side and plaques describing the heroics of the adventurers but that was before the darkness. Now it lies as a broken ruin, and only it's darker history is remembered by the locals.   The views up and down the Lees once made the bridge a popular site for formal proposals. Many liked the symbolism of a bridge and with Northarden on one side, and Herrikire not to far away on the other side of the Lees, the guests could easily be separated to minimise any friction. The bridge become popular enough to attract the attention of the imperial court and was the site for the staged proposal between members of the Tremian and Filisharian ruling families. However, there was one drawback to the bridge. A foretelling had reveal that if a wedding ever took place on it then the bridge would suffer from a terrible curse and the prosperity it brought to Northarden would fade away.  
For centuries the prohibition on weddings held, until the Baronness Lerrisa Montrechin insisted that her daughter would be wed on the bridge. The locals argued against this to no avail, the Baronness had too much power and influence to go against so arrangements were made for the wedding. The event itself was a grand affair, the joining of two influential noble houses. Even the weather seemed to want to cooperate as it dawned bright and clear. Everything made it seem like it would be the perfect wedding, until the groom and his family took advantage of the festivities to try and exterminate the Montrechins. The bride, Nyria, watched in horror as her family were slaughtered. Determined not to let the attackers have the satisfaction of killing her she threw herself off the bridge before they could reach her.
The incident may well have been applauded as a successful ruse in noble circles, were it not for some unanticipated witnesses who made the nature of the attack public, disproving the story put about by the attackers about a bandit raid. The family that attacked the Montrechins was cast out of the nobility and their name struck from every record.
  The incident soured the reputation of the bridge, and while it was still used by travellers there was little interest in it for any other purpose. The blood and remains had sparked many a tale in the nearby alehouses so it was not much of a surprise when stories started to be heard about a voice on the bridge calling people to come down to the water. This was dismissed as wagon drivers make up tales to get a free drink, but then bodies started appearing downstream. The occasional drowning was to be expected. There are always those who underestimate the weather or don't take appropriate. But the weather hadn't been bad and several of the deceased were recognised as regular travellers in the area.   An investigation eventually led to the bridge and it was found that Nyria's ghost was not only haunting the crossing. Feelings of despair and anger had run together twisting the young woman's spirit so that she now sought to lure others into the waters embrace. Though attempts were made to remove the ghost, they all failed. The bridge's new reputation spread rapidly and and travellers started avoiding the crossing, prefering to take a longer, but less haunted route. With few travellers now passing through Northarden, the settlement went into decline and the bridge was abandoned entirely.   By the time people were resettling the area during the third age the story of the bridge had long been forgotten, but Nyria's ghost remained and attempts to rebuild the bridge were disrupted time and again. The crossing was abandoned for a second time, despite a hefty reward for any who could remove the ghost.
Kingdom of Caresnas and Surroundings
  Members of the Onward Journey from the Church of Merial tried to helped Nyria pass on but it seemed that her unfinished business was revenge on the family that had killed hers. With no way to track them down (and the high likelihood that any descendents perished during the Years of Darkness) it seems unlikely that Nyria will ever depart from teh bridge.
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Cover image: Spooktober 2024 by Tanai Cuinsear

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