The Hamlet of Barrowhurst
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South of dismal Coldwater, where the land grows wild and untamed, and the endless waves of the Bitter Sea batter Ashlar’s coast, the isolated hamlet of Barrowhurst huddles hard between slick sea cliffs of grey stone and the eastern fringes of the heavily wooded, rugged and steeply-sided but round-topped Ochel hills.
Lord: Sani El’jonson
Population: 66 (including outlying farms)
Notable Resources: Fish, sheep
Notable Services & Industry: Sheep farming, fishing
Languages: Common
Crumbling, ancient tree-choked ruins lie hidden deep in nearby but inaccessible, wooded valleys. Sometimes, therein, travellers discover weather-worn stones decorated with maddeningly illegible remnants of glyphs and sigils of unknown but undeniably ancient provenance.
Lore
A character might be steeped in local lore and know something about Barrowhurst, or they could have heard about the hamlet from another adventurer or traveller.
Barrowhurst is so named because a long hill—said to be a giant’s barrow—looms over the hamlet.
The manor at Barrowhurst was originally a hunting lodge for the Vuolle family of nearby Coldwater. When Jaska Vuolle disappeared decades ago, the family stopped using the manor as a hunting lodge.
Barrowhurst is isolated; not even the Ridgeway leads to the hamlet. Instead, visitors must take a part-overgrown track to the hamlet or put in by boat.
Adventure Hooks
Lucky adventurers find opportunities almost anywhere. Unlucky adventurers find complications almost anywhere.
Hidden Treasures: If the characters express an interest in digging into the Giant’s Rest, the sullen locals offer them no help and—in fact—actively hinder their efforts. Superstitions cluster thickly about the barrow and its alleged slumbering inhabitant.
Lurking Bandits: The Ochels are wild and lawless; bandits sometimes lurk within. A shepherd’s son rushes into the hamlet to report seeing a band of armed warriors creeping through the hills; they must be up to no good.
Sinking Boat: Frenzied shouting from the harbour and a wildly rung bell call most of the hamlet’s inhabitants to the shore. There, they see a fishing boat listing dangerously to one side; keen-eyed characters spot something odd in the water nearby.
Notable Locations
A few locations in Barrowhurst are notable. There is no inn at Barrowhurst, and adventurers normally end up paying to stay in a peasant’s barn or are hosted at El’Jonsn Manor.
1: El’Jonsn Manor
An aura of faded grandeur and slight dilapidation hangs over Barrowhurst’s manor. The manor’s residents—Sani and Cecilia El’jonsn—cannot afford to upkeep the place in its original style or standard. Although human, they have a half-elven son, the result of a dalliance between Sani and an unnamed elf maid. The young man, a warrior, is away, using his strength and skill at arms for the common good.
2: Stillwater Harbour
This naturally sheltered harbour is aptly named. Its shingle beach and jetties can hold a half-dozen fishing boats.
3: The Giant’s Rest
Looming over the hamlet, this long wooded barrow-hill perches atop the valley’s western wall. The locals believe an evil giant slumbers within and that if awoken, he will destroy the hamlet. They actively dissuade visitors from digging here.
Additional Resources
This One-Pager works perfectly with the free Nightmare Lodge of the Insane Armiger One-Pager.
Credit
Words Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Tommi Salama
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