Kheda
Yao felt like he had a bag of stones in his stomach, as he quickly walked back to the village. Gone! All of them! How could dozens of people just vanish over a few days? He had just been there a few days ago with a couple sacks of cabbage to trade for their ore, and nothing seemed wrong with Parasu - so why did he find nothing but footprints and bloodstains this time? It didn't make any sense. Monsters may have attacked, but they usually left something behind, like bodies, markings, structural damage, anything! It was almost as if everyone in the nearby village just got up and left.
The thought of whatever happened to Parasu made Yao sick with a bitter taste at the back of his throat. Parasu was only a few hours' walk away from Kheda, it wasn't unreasonable to assume that they were vulnerable to the same ... thing. He had heard tales of monsters with power over the minds of men, of Kami that had wiped out villages in mere minutes, not to mention the rumors of bandits roaming the plains to the south. Maybe he was being overly cautious about the situation, but he knew he would have to speak to the elder about what to do. Patrala Nagara was said to have adventurers available for hire - as he walked through the woods to Kheda, Yao considered travelling to Patrala afterwards to beg for help. Whatever struck Parasu couldn't be far from his home.
Demographics
Kheda is a puny village in the middle of nowhere, and the majority of its inhabitants are farmers. The few who are not are either too young or too old to work. There are currently two sadhvis living there whom maintain the temple and perform religious services. No one in town is wealthy enough to avoid labor.
Government
As an isolated settlement, there is very little oversight of Kheda and most governance is communally based, although many people respect and heed the village elder. Decisions are talked about between families and agreed upon in the town square, by the well. Everybody in town is expected to pull their own weight, and their unwritten social contract is usually enough to prevent lawbreaking, as most offenders are just thrown out of the village.
Defences
The town itself is built at the base of some steep cliffs, meaning there are three directions from which to approach the village: of these, the eastern and western approaches are both blocked by 10-foot tall stone walls. It's unlikely that the wall can withstand much damage, but it serves its purpose of keeping monsters away from the more vulnerable areas of Kheda. Befitting a village of its size, it has no standing army or patrol of any kind - when danger strikes, it's up to the farmers to pick up their tools and defend their homes.
Industry & Trade
Many of the people of Kheda are self-sufficient: What they cannot acquire on their own, they trade for with nearby villages. Of course, not all of them have the more valuable amenities such as medicine or high-quality tools, and that usually necessitates a trip to Patrala Nagara to the south. However, Patrala almost always has a surplus of food, so the traders rarely make a profit for their trouble - the vast majority of trade between Kheda and Patrala are done through bartering at the bazaar.
Infrastructure
Kheda is a simple place: There are slightly more than a dozen buildings that make up the town, almost all of which are homes. Aside from that, there is a granary in town, with a communal storehouse built next to it. Additionally, there is a Temple of The Transcendent Emperor nearby, with a small cemetery not far away. The most important structure in town is the well in the center of the square - everyone in Kheda gets their fresh water from it. Finally, there are three farms along the edges of the village.
Geography
Kheda is located at the southern base of the Motionless Heights where it meets Green Gullet. It is surrounded by a rather open forest that makes it easy to see afar, and the terrain immediately outside of town is bumpy and rough. The village itself is situated on a relatively flat section of earth suitable for farming. There are no sources of water nearby except for the well in the center of town, which reaches down into an aquifer.
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