For those interested, this section of background was edited from
The Trolls of Mistwood. I may reintroduce it at a later date to a later product but I thought it might be fun to share on here.
A concise history of Mistwood
This section of the adventure is
for the benefit of judges that wish to build a campaign base from the village
of Mistwood. The following sections are purely for the judge to have a feel for
the village and the events that lead up to this adventure. It is recommended
that the judge read this section to help establish the mood and circumstances
the village finds itself in.
The town of Mistwood was settled
four generations ago by silt eel fishermen. Located on the eastern bank of the
Gravic Swamp and west of the Misty Woods, Mistwood became famous for its
fishermen and the enormous silt eels caught there. The 25-foot long silt eels
were (and still are) considered a delicacy in many of the more affluent cities
of the West Coast but more importantly, the eel secretes oil that is the only
known cure for the “Blight,” a plague that spread across the southern realm
before the settlement of Mistwood. The Blight killed entire villages in its
wake until a healer discovered the secretions from the silt eels could cure the
disease. There was no other place as abundant with the creatures as the Gravic
Swamp.
What the villagers of Mistwood didn’t
realize was that the silt eels had an existing predator that hungered for the
eels as much as the village’s clients. On the northern borders of the swamp,
beneath the bridge spanning the Gravic River, lived a clan of trolls. These
vile creatures were notorious for raiding travellers crossing the bridge on the
South Road. They were the very reason the silt eels were shipped out of
Mistwood, rather than being transported by caravan.
For over ten years, the trolls
disregarded the village as it grew and prospered, and the Blight was all but
eradicated. But with the village’s success, more and more silt eel fishermen
came to Mistwood and eventually, with over-fishing, the silt eel numbers
diminished. When the trolls had to scout further into the swamps to catch the
eels, they discovered the cause of the silt eel shortage and decided man flesh
would be a suitable alternative.
And so the infamous troll siege
of Mistwood commenced. At first, the villagers were easy pickings for the
trolls. A villager here or there simply vanished. But the trolls became
emboldened and began to openly raid the village, carrying away screaming men,
women and children. It was at this time the young leader of Mistwood, Baron
Johan of House Willow, mounted a defense by erecting a palisade around the village
and appointing a night watch to sound the alarm if trolls were about. The
attacks were frequent but with the diligence of the watch, few fatalities
occurred. The village was, however, still under siege and as the winter months
approached, food became scarcer. Fishermen tried to bring food back but many
lost their lives to the trolls. Times were dire for the folk of Mistwood.
It was on the winter solstice
that the enchantress, Glyndel, arrived at the gates of Mistwood. Her grace and
beauty were almost unearthly. She immediately sought out the heroic young Johan
and made a proposal to rid the village of the trolls. No one was sure of the
deal made with the enchantress, only that she left the village that night and
returned a week later with a magical sword named Clawreaver. It was a troll slaying sword, enchanted for the very
purpose of decimating the foul denizens of Gravic Swamp.
Johan renamed his night watch the
Troll Killers of Mistwood and led them into the swamp. The tales of the troll
purge became legendary throughout the southern realm, and the title of Troll
Killer of Mistwood commanded renown and respect. It is said that had the Troll
Killers not ended the troll siege, the Blight may have decimated the people of
the West. The purge lasted over a year, during which time Glyndel frequently
visited Johan and it became clear that the two were deeply in love. They were
joined in marriage.
At the completion of the purge,
no trolls could be found throughout the region and Clawreaver earned its resting place above the hearth of Johan’s
fireplace. Glyndel bore Johan a beautiful daughter and, for a time, life in
Mistwood became prosperous once more. But none should expect life to remain so.
One evening Baron Johan returned
home to find his beautiful wife gone. She left a note explaining she had to
return to her family but she would return in time. She never did and Johan
raised their daughter, Larissa, with as much love any child could want.
Twenty peaceful years passed in
Mistwood. Fishing rules were made to preserve the silt eel numbers and once
more the Gravic Swamp teemed with the valuable fish. Larissa grew into a fine
young lady, headstrong and beautiful.
.JPG)
