Nestled in a deep valley, sunlight has never caressed centuried Shroudhaven. Thick fog—rendered permanent by ancient magics—fills the valley. Here, refugees from a long-forgotten war found sanctuary from their enemies. Most villagers are undead, and a dark reputation hangs over the village. Visitors to the village, though, tell a different story. They speak of the undead battling their basest urges and trying to live peaceful lives.

Ruler: The Gloomhand (five-member council)
Government: Council
Population: 79 (22 humans, 11 dwarves, 27 elves, 6 halflings, 13 ghasts)
Alignments: N, LE, NE, CE
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Undercommon
Resources & Industry: Alchemical supplies, clockwork devices, entertainment, exotic mushrooms

Finding Shroudhaven presents certain difficulties, as no road leads to the village; wagon ruts serve as the only path. Thick fog interferes with navigation. Wolf howls and mad gibberings from all directions provide travellers constant companionship. Eventually, the first indicator of civilisation, signs spaced around the village proclaiming “No Necromancers, on Penalty of Death” and “Lawbreakers Will Be Eaten,” greet visitors.

Shroudhaven’s architecture, and its residents’ style of dress and dialects hearken back to its centuries-old genesis. Incredible, innovative artwork and artisanship contrasts oddly with the village’s quaint nature.

The sky only manages to brighten to a gloomy grey at noon. Brass lamps lining the streets cast yellow glows barely penetrating the fog. When the fog thickens, one can only perceive the vague shapes of buildings and other beings.

While Shroudhaven’s undead inhabitants make no outward displays of their state, in order to make guests feel more comfortable, astute observers easily discern the truth. For such guests, the undead don’t bother to hide their true natures, and instead put their effort into convincing visitors of their civility.

The Shroudhaven Curse

Undead creatures fleeing an ancient war to the supposed safety of a fog-shrouded valley founded Shroudhaven. A group of good divine spellcasters chased the refugees and enacted a ritual, cursing the creatures to remain in the village or perish. The ritualists planned to attack the undead at their leisure or, at the very least, keep the undead from preying on their compatriots and innocent people. The curse carries a stipulation: should all the village’s residents cease hunting and eating intelligent creatures, the curse ends. None of the cabal’s members believed the undead would meet this condition, so they assumed the curse was unbreakable. Unfortunately for them, they never saw the fruits of their labours, since they were massacred a week after performing the ritual. The curse is still potent, though, and causes a resident to suffer a terrible wasting disease after one week away from the village. This disease is invariably rapidly fatal. With the village’s remote location, this prevents ordinary travel, so powerful residents use teleportation magic to travel the world. Through trial and error, they have discovered the allotted time away resets after a decade, allowing repeated, but infrequent, excursions. The curse also affects newcomers, a fact none of the residents share with those they court to join the community.

Notable Locations

Most of Shroudhaven comprises peasant homes. A few locations, however, are of interest to adventurers:

Jinkin’s Bar and Grill: The first stop for many visitors, Betram Jinkin serves an array of locally sourced food.
Manor House Inn: Several residents have suites in this massive mansion, which also houses newcomers.
Roarg’s Alchemy: An acrid stench permeates the air around this building, where Quentin Roarg creates alchemical supplies as a break from working on his passion project.
The Cathedral: Meeting place of the ruling Gloomhand council, the Cathedral also serves as the village’s prison.
Hunting Shoppe: Sestra Vol’s shop has a wide variety of hunting supplies suited to repel or destroy the undead.
Yvaine’s Farm: Yvaine Grau raises sheep and cattle near one of the mushroom fields, which provides surprisingly healthy fare for the animals.
Mushroom Fields: Since normal plants cannot grow without sunlight, Shroudhaven has turned to harvesting mushrooms.
Theatre Mellavious: Varied performances grace the stages of this magnificent theatre, on a nightly basis. Zuzu Mellavious invites visitors who catch her eye to perform on stage.
Gear and Gears: Keren Zaris runs this shop, which also sells many of the intricate clockwork objects Keren creates.
Respite Lodge: Due to the dangerous creatures outside Shroudhaven, visitors might come here for healing.

Want More?

Village Backdrop: Shroudhaven by Mike Welham is available in 5e, OSR, Pathfinder 1 and Pathfinder 2 editions. Download your copy and add Shroudhaven to your campaign today!