Moorhollow

Village of Moorhollow 

Population 127

Government Prince Vincent Segesta III (ruling from the city of Segesta) via an appointed reeve.

Geography: Moorhollow is situated at the bend of the Tarfell River, which snakes through miles of nearly impenetrable swampland, nearly 60 miles northeast of the city of Porto Esperanza. The land to the west of the village is relatively dry for its location making it one of the only areas in the region suitable for any sort of farming. This land is dotted with small forests, swamps, and bogs with very few hills. The climate is hot and humid all year round with a rainy season in the late spring and early summer.

History: Moorhollow was first settled nearly 60 years ago by a group of pioneers who arrived in Segesta hoping to find new lands to settle far from the war and strife of Damasia. Made up of peoples from all across Damasia, the people shared a common bond in their devotion to their leader, Dargum Briarmantle, a wild dwarf Cleric of the Wayfarer.

What they found when they arrived however was not a land free from strife, but a savage land occupied by brutal barbarian tribes. The Orcish Bloodspear Tribe occupied the land where Moorhollow sits now, and raided the settlers’ wagons and camps as they made their way northeast along the coast in search of a place to set roots of their own. In order to secure peace in this new and dangerous land, Briarmantle and his three closest friends drove the Bloodspear out of the area at the cost of two of their lives. Only Briarmantle himself, and an elvish man named Talus Greywind survived.

After the battle, Briarmantle’s followers founded Moorhollow on the site of the Bloodspear’s village. He built a small temple to his god on the hill which stuck out above the murky swamp and interred his fallen friends within it.

A few settlers trickled in over the years, stopping all-together shortly after the disappearance of Briarmantle nearly 20 years ago. Some thought he was murdered by his friend Greywind, but most just assumed Briarmantle had simply left on his own on an adventure. They hoped one day he would return, so the matter was left alone. Without Briarmantle there to tend to the temple, it fell into disrepair and was left abandoned.

Since then, things have been quiet. The orcs have never returned, and most of the village’s troubles were confined to occasional bandits on the road to Segesta or a passing snake oil salesman trying to take advantage of the villagers. Recently there have been rumors of sightings of “savages” (bullywugs and lizardfolk mostly, though there are rumors of the Bloodspear returning), and reports of raids on the outlying farms, and travelers being waylayed along the road by more than just bandits.