(Bulya)

The Township of Graveshead is located on the south coast of Albion* on the shores of Downy Bay (A large island choked estuary) and has a population of approximately 650 people which swells by up to an extra 1000-plus people during the herring season and Feast-day periods.

The area consists of vast expanses of meandering waterways with large bays, channels, inlets and sandy beaches.

To accommodate the seasonal fishers and workers from inland, Graveshead boasts a larger number of boarding houses and barrack-like accommodation than is usual outside the large cities.

Founded by Mattias Fulvi in the days of the Selentine* occupation as Calvarius it acquired its local moniker as it served as a waypoint for the bones of fallen officers whose families wished to bury them in their hereditary crypts.

The rugged nature and lack of agricultural land in the area gives it an abundance of wildlife, bird life and magnificent spring wildflowers.... alas it also means that the area is largely unexplored and occasionally something will come out of the wilds and into town.

Local legends point to the existence of centres of ancient Moon worship among the hills and islands and legends say that hundreds of years ago seven stars descended from the heavens and took on earthly forms before vanishing into the wilderness.

The places of moon worship were centred around the sinkholes known as knucker-holes, and it is said that the huge serpents glimpsed sometimes within them are sacred to the moon. Standing stones erected about the holes depict crude representations of the moon and a humanoid figure with serpentine head and limbs.

The Islands

There are any islands in the bay some of which have a fell reputation;

Beech Island is whispered to be the dwelling place of an ancient evil; fishermen to this day claim that the islands shores are overun with spiders some the size of a mans hand.

Landsend Spit is a sandy spur covered in low brush, the sand here is waterlogged and if the thin crust is broken through then there is naught but quicksand beneath.

Lankins Rip: This deep tidal channel runs beside a small group of sand islands patched with stands of scrubby pine trees. The channel is inhabited by a large colony of sentinel crabs and camping on the islands will lead to a grisly demise.

The exposed jagged cliffs, sand dunes, long white beaches and wild seas of the surrounding coastline contrast starkly with the sheltered tranquil waters of the Bay itself. Located 45 miles west of Port Luth, the area is sparsely populated and though it has seen the tread of Mercanian*, Selentine*, Algandish* and Chaubrettan* boots in the past the area is still distinctly Albish*.

The Town

1. Sullivan’s Smithy
A rugged old man with 3 lazy apprentices, Sullivan has been running the Smithy here in Graveshead for 40+ years. His work is not outstanding but it does the job and he doesn't charge much for it. (Prices are 2/3 of those stated in DWR).

Sullivan, Ordinary Human (Experienced).
ATTACK 14
Hand (d3+1, 3)
DEFENCE 6
Armour Factor 0
MAGICAL DEFENCE 4
EVASION 2
7 Health Points
STEALTH 13
PERCEPTION 5
St 17; Rf 8; Int 17; PT 14; Lk 15

2. Roth’s Store
This establishment is full of the heady smells of smoked and salted meats and he sources his meats from his cousin’s farms further inland. Roth’s family was once involved with a group of wreckers and its possible he knows of hidden sea caves along the coast.....for the right money.

Roth, Ordinary Human.
ATTACK 11
Hand (d3, 2)
DEFENCE 5
Armour Factor 0
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 3
8 Health Points
STEALTH 11
PERCEPTION 4
St 12; Rf 10; Int 10; PT 9; Lk 11

3. Ilka's Eating House
Ilka runs this small eating house and bar; it is normally frequented by freemen, captains and those with enough coin to pay her prices. Ilka once made a name for herself on the streets of Kalugen Keep*, but one day she cut the wrong purse and it took all of her ill-gotten gains to escape Krarth* and make her way to Ellesland*, she will be deeply worried if Krarthian* or Magi*-linked people come to the area.

Ilka Rasteranivic, Ex-Assassin*
1st Rank Assassin*. Was once 5th rank, skills have dulled without use.
ATTACK 13
Sword (d8+1, 4)
DEFENCE 5
Armour Factor 2
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 5
11 Health Points
STEALTH 18
PERCEPTION 8

4. The Kestrel
A run-down and squalid ale-house which serves the nearby fisherman’s barracks. It is run by Red Olney, one of the ugliest men to ever reproduce and his equally homely daughters.

Red Olney will not admit it to anyone but there are rumors amongst the townsfolk that his great-grandfather was not a man... but something other. These rumors are false. Olney is simply extremely unattractive. Olney will not fight even to save his own life.

5. The Co-operative
The meeting place and ancient hall of the captains and their families. Within lie records and charts, maps and ledgers dating back hundreds of years regarding fishing rights, dangerous shoals and other darker mysteries...

There are hundreds of documents here and a large number of them refer to hidden or forgotten places in the region, lost villages, abandoned forts etc.

6. The Mayor's House
Currently occupied by Elias Withrop, the former captain of ' Sally’s Fool' this well furnished home and its humorless occupant also serve as local court and magistrate.

Elias Withrop, Retired 'Privateer'/Former Soldier.
ATTACK 20
Cudgel (d3, 3)
DEFENCE 11
Armour Factor 0
MAGICAL DEFENCE 7
EVASION 5
17 Health Points
STEALTH 14
PERCEPTION 8
St 14; Rf 10; Int 14; PT 13; Lk 14

7. The Warehouse
During the peak season this massive building is piled high with salted herring.

8. Shipton's Sundries
This large warehouse like building contains a strange assortment of odds and ends from fishing nets, to barrels, to tools, linen and occasionally livestock.

Law Shipton, Normal Human.
ATTACK 11
Hand (d3, 2)
DEFENCE 5
Armour Factor 0
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 3
6 Health Points
STEALTH 12
PERCEPTION 4

9. The Lock-up
This is the town's drying-out and incarceration facility... it often contains half a dozen bruised and hung over fishermen and 4-6 members of The Guard. Town guard members should be treated as Normal Humans armed with cudgels.

Town Guard, Normal Human
ATTACK 11
Cudgel (d3, 3)
DEFENCE 5
Armour Factor 2 (Leather fishers-coat over piecemeal armor)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 3
1d6+2 Health Points
STEALTH 12
PERCEPTION 4

10, 11 and 12: Fisher-barracks
During the season these are home to hundreds of working men.

13. Solly's Oils
This reeking building contains barrel upon barrel of weatherproofing oil... it is often not manned.

14. Rather's Rarities
Part curio-store part junk pile this store is stocked with things old Rather has found on his beachcombing excursions... the occasional rare treasure turns up here.

Rather, Ordinary Human.
Rather wears a rather large assortment of tokens, shells, knick-knacks and flotsam attached to his person... most of this is harmless junk but he has found:
An abalone shell inscribed with strange characters. This acts as a charm which enables the wearer to breathe sea-water as if it were air (Rather is unaware of this).
Token of Ramus. A clay tablet bound in Human hair on a thong. This item will protect the wearer from any harm from fire on 3 occasions (Rather has unknowingly used this twice already when he has been clumsy when heating his supper).

Rather has no combat skills and has 3 Health Points.

15. The Slop-house
During the high season this barn-like room serves thousands of meals to hungry fishermen.

16. Slop Warehouse
The warehouse for the slop-house it is piled high with moldy vegetables, pickles and preserved fish.

17. Galney's Place
This strange and slightly foreboding gentleman is a master of leech craft, herbalism and chirurgery. A strongly built man, it is whispered that he served in the Crusades* and learnt his craft upon the battlefield... whatever the truth, he has saved a number of lives. Galney is in actuality Sir Golfrey - a former Knight* of the Order of St. Aponius. He refused to leave a dying enemy and his commander did not take kindly to his orders being ignored. Galney is a 4th rank Knight* and his battle-harness and weapons are stored in the rear of the shop.

Galney, 4th Rank Knight*.
ATTACK 16
Sword (d8, 4)
DEFENCE 10
Armour Factor 4 (Normally 0)
MAGICAL DEFENCE 6
EVASION 4
15 Health Points
STEALTH 14
PERCEPTION 8

18. The Sail Store
Kept away from the salt spray and moisture this store house contains hundreds of square meters of sailcloth.

19. The Lumber Store
This warehouse contains many tons of cut timbers.

20. Kelly’s
Some three dozen women with rawboned fingers spend their days here making and repairing thousands of square metres of nets and rope during the season. There is a large dry store room for hemp and cord beneath the work area and very occasionally a woman comes bolting back up the rickety stairs scared out of her wits by something she saw below but cannot describe. Jack Kelly will usually shush the girl and give her a sit down and a talking to, describing it as nonsense. But still it keeps happening... sometimes, it is whispered, the older ones don't always come back up the stairs...

Kelly’s cellar is linked via a secret passage to the limestone caves which honeycomb the region; originally it may have been installed by smugglers working against the Selentines*, but what uses the passages now is no smuggler...

21. Ludwig's House
Situated halfway up the rise that leads to the old Selentine* ruins this rambling home belongs to Ludwig Golmer, a strange old Kurlander* who moved to the town with his large family some twenty years ago. They are seen as a strange and slightly distrusted part of the community but Ludwig’s ability to brew rich and heady ale has earned him a number of fast friends among the locals and the seasonal workers. Though some do wonder sometimes where he gets his supplies from; occasionally an old black covered wagon pulls up to his home in the dead of night. A group of seasonal workers got too drunk once and tried to waylay it, they were never seen again...

Ludwig
ATTACK 12
Hand (d3, 2)
DEFENCE 5
Armour Factor 0
MAGICAL DEFENCE 3
EVASION 3
7 Health Points
STEALTH 12
PERCEPTION 4
St 13; Rf 12; Int 14; PT 10; Lk 12

22. The Sealer's Hut
This rotting skeleton of a building once housed the local skin and blubber works based on the seal colonies which haul out on the remoter islands of the estuary. It is whispered that one of the sealer's took a selkies child and her curse fell upon him and his fellow hunters. The building now has a foul reputation and is said to be haunted...

There are 3 normal Ghosts* (see BES) that haunt this building on certain days of the year, there seems no pattern to their appearances.

23. Fortress
On the top of the rise sits a stone fortress built upon an ancient hill fort, the fortress belonged to the Selentines* but the hill fort was ancient even before them. The interior of the fortress is paved with sandstone slabs and covered in weathered mosaics depicting scenes of the underworld and burial rites. The upper storey has collapsed and the area is littered with pottery fragments, below the sandstone slabs in one corner a hidden staircase descends into catacombs that acted as something of a half-way house for remains. Some of those buried here do not rest peacefully. At one end of the catacombs a breeze can be felt; if the wall is excavated it reveals a continuing series of tunnels which permeate the limestone bedrock... some of them run downwards and waves can be heard crashing far in the depths, others snake back towards town towards Areas 20 and 21, and some strike off inland. Strange noises and rustlings echo through these cramped tunnels... explorers will soon discover they are not alone.

Several deep knucker-holes (water filled sink-holes) exist in the area, the fearsome Worms^ which are said to inhabit them may spend some time in the tunnels branching off from these watery abysses or perhaps even move between them in such a manner.

Two signal fires stand on either side of the entrance to the cove; they are always lit in winter.

Local Creatures and Beings

The Dunes and Inland
Packs of Wild Dogs* roam the dunes and outskirts of the town, along with rare Human scavengers such as bandits or Robber-Knights*.

Herds of Deer*, wild cattle (see Bulls*) and Horses* roam the dunes grazing on the sparse vegetation and the males can be quite dangerous in the rutting season.

There have always been folk tales of Trolls* and Goblins* among the windswept dunes and lonely salt flats but none have been seen in living memory.

The Bay and Islands
Large numbers of Bull Sharks cruise the shallow waters and will attack anyone or anything when hungry (treat as Crocodile* ignoring land movement rates).

Very large Spiders* inhabit a number of the islands with the largest found on Beech Island, some within the islands interior may be very large indeed. Similarly the islands are infested with Rats*, some of a very large size indeed.

A number of boats have come to grief in the bay despite the protected waters and the Ghosts* of the lost crew may rise from the waters on the anniversary of their deaths to bedevil passing vessels. Similarly one of these vessels may hold a clutch of Barnacle Men* or the like.

Selkies are rumoured to inhabit some of the isolated islands but men have not laid eyes on one of these Fae* creatures for more than a lifetime.