The once quiet and quaint halfling community of Underdell rests along the Old Road near the Salt Mire. Steeped in tradition and idleness, the Underdellians found themselves unprepared to deal with the horrors of the plague outbreak in nearby Ashford. Terror gripped Underdell, tearing apart the strong bonds of family and friendship. Fear and paranoia took root in the halflings’ hearts as they tried to escape sickness and death. As Underdell falls apart, a vile halfling bandit has used the chaos to take control of Underdell, enforcing a strict martial law. As neighbour turns on neighbour, a group of bandits terrorize merchant caravans traveling through Ashlar, raiding with impunity and aided by a rich noble. The Underdellians, their smiles and laughter turned to tears and hopelessness, live in fear of another plague outbreak and the harsh punishment of the bandits who insist they are protecting and enriching the village.

• Ruler: Vihtori Ikonen

• Government: Secret Syndicate

• Alignments: LG, NG, N, CN, LE, NE

• Population: 152 (12 humans, 140 halflings)

• Notable Folk: Vihtori Ikonen (location 8), Mayor Linodal Mannerheim (location 5, Mannerheim Brewery), Father Jalo Tammi (location 4, Eveninggarden)

• Languages: Common

Underdell resides under the shadows of a line of hills along the Old Road in the Duchy of Ashlar. A hundred years ago, halfling immigrants to the duchy settled Underdell to get away from the crowded city life of the duchy’s larger towns. The halflings quickly created a small, quiet community, sending exports throughout the duchy of their ales as well as produce from their carefully tended gardens.

Life remained somewhat unremarkable in Underdell until recently when a traumatic event shattered Underdell’s way of life. The black tendrils of death ensnared Underdell’s nearby neighbour, Ashford, with the plague, devastating the village. At first, Underdell tried to help, taking in refugees fleeing from their hellish plight. But when the first plague victims appeared amongst the Underdellians, the halflings’ generosity turned to fear and from fear to paranoia and despair. Though the plague affected Underdell far less than Ashford, the scared halflings looked to a savior, no matter who, to save them. Vihtori Ikonen, a former thug of the Shadow Masks, had recently fled to Underdell. Quickly, he formed a band of fearful halflings, killing any plague victims and enforcing marshal law on the village. Vihtori then began training his accomplices as bandits, preying on the merchant traffic in the area.

Today, Vihtori and his bandits lurk in the background, the imprisoned mayor, Linodal Mannerheim, serving as a puppet leader. Far from being hunted, Vihtori made alliance with a noble from Dulwich to harass caravans from the town’s powerful merchants. The village’s halflings remained cowed by Vihtori, under threat from the plague’s return and the harsh protection he offers.

Notable Locations

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

1. Jail: Recently built, as Underdell never had a need before, the jail lies along the road leading to the village. A small, wooden guardhouse sits across from the jail as a security checkpoint. Guards rigorously screen all visitors for signs of the plague, before allowing them entry. Anyone suspected of illness is held here before their lifeless body is dumped in the pits out back.

2. Marketplace: A number of small businesses stand around an open space once the heart and soul of Underdell. Weekly markets, replete with entertainment as well as festivals, took place here before fear and paranoia gripped the village.

3. The Gallows: Once a bit of dark humour, the local tavern and inn’s name seems more fitting now. Formerly a cosy, accommodating place, its regulars now grip their mugs tightly, casting suspicious glances at everyone.

4. Eveninggarden: A beautiful church of flowing greenery and flowers dedicated to Conn was Underdell’s spiritual heart. Few now find faith in Conn, feeling betrayed by the god. Its resident priest, Father Jalo Tammi, still holds services, vainly attempting to instil hope back into the community.

5. Mannerheim Brewery: This large halfling home is both the mayoral residence for Linodal Mannerheim and Underdell’s most famous brewery. Vihtori’s bandits keep the mayor imprisoned in his own home, using him as a puppet leader.

6. Kirsi’s House: The halflings converted this dwelling to accommodate the human wizard, Kirsi Niskanen, replete with another building to serve as her workshop. Kirsi, a former prisoner in Dulwich’s dungeons, reluctantly works her magic in Vihtori’s service to pay off her debts. To the outsiders, she is Underdell’s eccentric wizard.

7.  Conn’s Finger: A forty-foot-high watchtower stands atop a squat hill originally built by the Knights of the Eternal Watch to safeguard the Old Road and survey the Salt Mire. Abandoned for years, it now houses a contingent of human mercenaries from Dulwich who aid Vihtori and act as a liaison between him and the mysterious noble who feeds him information on plump merchant caravans.

8. The Compound: Vihtori built a base hidden from view by a small, rocky hill. The compound serves as a barracks for the bandits along with pens for the riding dogs and ponies. A 10- foot-high wooden palisade surrounds the complex.

Want More?

Underdell appears in Villages of Ashlar (available in OSR and Pathfinder 1st editions here at the Raging Swan Press store). You can download for free the village’s maps (and the maps for all Ashlar’s villages) in Ashlarian Village Maps.