EXPANSION

THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG

By STEPHEN CHENAULT
Editor: TIM BURNS
Front Cover: DOUG KOVAKS Interior Art: PETER BRADLEY,Z
Art Direction/ Cartography: PETER BRADLEY

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A GENERAL HISTORY OF THE REGION
In the long-ago Days before Days, the first men gathered
around the shores of the Sea of Erun. They lived there, content
in their youth. Eventually, they divided into 13 tribes and began
to move into the hinterlands. The Aenochians, greatest of
the 13 tribes, left the shores first, seeking what, they did not
know. They traveled east, settling in one place for a time, then
moving on, to settle in another. They were restless and hungry
but again, for what they did not know. Eventually, the Ethrum
and Engale joined them on their migrations and they moved far
beyond the Sea.
Eventually, all three tribes came to dwell in the far north at
the feet of the Mordius the Green, one of the greatest of all
the Val Eahrakun. But as is told in the Andanuth, her fall sent
the Aenochians on a dark journey that in time found them
sundered from their kindred tribes and living wild in the barren
wastes north of the Grundliche Mountains. There the dwarves
of Grundliche Hohle took them under wing and guided them
south to the headwaters of the mighty Olgdon River.
Upon the banks of the Olgdon, they built stout homes of wood
and stone. They did not stay upon the Olgdon for long, however,
for one of their number, Baetan, a ranger of some renown, while
hunting a stag, stumbled upon a broad, open country of rich
grasses, many lakes, pools, and streams. He was amazed, for
never had he seen such beauty in the world. He called the land
Al Liosh, the Land of Lakes.
He returned to his people and gathered a great host of them
about and guided them to Al Liosh and there they settled.
Baetan took as his wife a woman who dwelt in that country,
Imbree, by name. She was not of his tribe, and only later was it
revealed that she was of the Val Eahrakun, one of the gods from
the Days before Days. Together they ruled over the Aenochians
and when Baetan passed, Imbree took their son as her consort
and continued to rule.
Imbree taught the Aenochians many things, sorcery,
necromancy and the like and she set them on paths no other
of the tribes of men followed. She taught them that the gods
were flawed and fearful of those made upon the Forge of the
All Father; she taught them that the gods sought to keep men
in fear and bondage so that men would serve the needs of the
gods. The Aenochians devoured this knowledge and took it to
heart, even though it was false. It was as poison and laid in their
hearts a grim purpose that led to their greatest triumphs and
eventual fall, for Imbree was Imbrisius of old and the consort of
Narrheit, one of the greatest of the Val Eahrakun and together
they caused much mischief in the world.
But from her lies came wondrous power. The Aenochians were
the first to dabble in sorcery, to wander the outer plains, to
unravel the Dwarven Runes, and pry the secrets of the gods
from hidden places. They shunned temples and the worship of
the Val Eahrakun and built wonderous kingdoms of their own.
Eventually, their power grew such that they rejected Imbree
and cast her and her consorts out. But Imbrisius was satisfied for
she had played the Aenochians even as Narrheit had desired,
2 CASTLES & CRUSADES
fooling them into rejecting the gods. And in their long history,
this would be their undoing.
The Vale of Al Liosh, where the Aenochians called home,
extended from the southern reaches of the Grossewald Forest
in the north to the northern edge of the Kellerwald in the
south. In the east, it extended for many long leagues beyond the
Uphrates River and in the west, the Vale lapped up against the
Antule Mountains and the Red Hills. The Vale was dominated
by two mighty rivers, the Udunilay and Uphrates. Countless
smaller rivers and streams fed these rivers and fed the many
pools and lakes that dominated the Vale. Where the two rivers
met the Aenochians built their principal city, Al Liosh, and
after ages, it became mighty indeed.
The Aenochians waxed and waned over the years. At first, their
houses, bound by kinship, ruled small principalities, fighting
one another, or banding together to fight their neighbors. Their
Kings and Queens held little power over the High Lords of
Aenoch. When the Goblin-Dwarf wars began, forgetting their
ancient debt to the dwarves, they played one side against the
other. They learned secrets from both of those people, the art
of metallurgy being chief among them. With this, they built the
foundations of the Kingdoms that would come. In the last of
the wars, they came out against the dwarves and lay siege to
Grundliche Hohle, one of the remaining Dwarven Realms.
When the tide of war passed and the dwarves and goblins were
broken people, the Aenochian Kingdoms were in their prime.
Their arms conquered people to the east and north and south
to the coast. These conquests fueled the power of the ancient
house of Baetan and through concourse with the demonic
forces, their Queen rose to lord over all the peoples of Al Liosh.
In time of years, her offspring founded an Empire and they
conquered the world. They styled themselves God Emperors
and none could withstand them.
Tribute flowed to Al Liosh from all over the world, from the
peoples of the distant east to the lands south beyond the Amber
Sea. The Emperors and the High Lords of Aenoch grew wealthy
indeed. They built roads, cobbled in smooth stones, bridges to
span the rivers and streams. They built manor houses, palaces,
and castles of wondrous beauty. Their homes were made of
white marble, covered in many colorful frescoes that retold
stories of old, highlighted family deeds, people of note, and also
paid homage to the God Emperors who ruled in the city of Al
Liosh. The High Lords, both men and women, knew no want,
nor suffered from anything but their own designs. They lived
in opulence beyond imagining and were steeped in power, for
they took great joy in the arts of war and personal combat, and
though they suffered no priests, many of their learned became
sorcerers of wondrous power.
The God Emperors of Aenoch ruled the world for many years.
In time their power waned and they ran afoul of the Val
Eahrakun who played into the destruction of their Empire so
that it fell into ruin. But even though their realm was reduced,
and the over-lordship of the world returned to one of over-
lordship of the Vale of Al Liosh alone, their power remained
and the dream of their lost position proved a drug that few
could shake off. So it was that one of their numbers rose to
power and through sorceries vile and machinations beyond his
understanding brought Unklar the Horned God to the world.
Risen from the Undeeps beyond the Great Empty, Unklar was
of the highest order of the Val Eahrakun and his power was fresh
and unspent. He came to Al Liosh through a magical gate and
the Aenochians, at last, learned the deceits of Imbrisius and
they knew that the gods were powerful indeed.
The tale of Unklar is told in many stories but suffice it to say
that he overthrew the Aenochains and laid waste to all of Al
Liosh, turning whole swaths of the verdant valleys into desert or
swamp and barren country. The High Lords rose against Unklar
but were thrown down and their power destroyed. Many flocked
to his banners then, for he promised them everlasting life. And
so he slew them and raised them again in death. And these
princes and princesses of a once proud and noble people came
to rule as undead lords, over a land wasted and ruined.
Though those years are past, and Unklar thrown down, the
Vale of Al Liosh never recovered. The land was poisoned,
flooded and turned to desert or swamp. It was used up so
that the once verdant valleys were barren, wretched places.
Everywhere are the ruins of the old world, the palaces and
manor houses, the castles, keeps and towers, a testament to
the wealth and power of a people long ruined. This is most
notable in the heart of the Vale, in the land between the two
rivers, the Grausumland, or Gray Swamps. But it is no less so
in the Blighted Screed and the Toten Fields.
INHABITANTS OF THE REGION
There is no one power that rules the Vale, or the Environs of
Aufstrag. Most of it is a wilderness; however, two kingdoms
dominate the border regions, and several smaller independent
towns lie in the environs. These realms and towns have little
to do with one another as large distances stand between them.
Beyond these towns, there are only tribes of humanoids and
men, monsters and other creatures that find no solace in
civilized dwellings.
Of note are New Aenoch, the Hlobane realm, free towns and
Aufstrag.
NEW AENOCH
Upon the southern borders of the Vale is the realm of New
Aenoch. Founded after the fall of Unklar, New Aenoch extends
from the Blacktooth Ridge and the Blighted Screed to the Sea.
It consists of seven powerful political entities who all support a
semi-independent Empress. The realm is torn by many divisions
and constant fighting that occur between the Empress and
nobles. Upon the very edge of the realm stand the twin towns of
Botkinberg and Ludensheim, both serve as gateways to the Vale
and the wilderness. New Aenoch is home to the Crusade. The
Empress called for all free peoples to come to Aenoch, join and
serve her in reconquering the Vale. This has brought a host of
freebooters, mercenaries and adventurers to New Aenoch. They
feed north into the Screed and Blacktooth Ridge attempting to
carve out holdings for themselves. Those few who succeed are
given title of land by the Empress and made landed gentry. See
more below.
HLOBANE REALM
Southwest of the Vale stands the Red Hills. These stark hills
are ruled by the Hlobane orcs. These orcs are well known for
they served as the rank and file of Unklar’s armies. They are
well organized, serving a hierarchy established by Unklar long
ago. They cherish his memory, worship the Horned God and
actively work toward his return. To this end, their lords are
often involved in the inner workings of what remains of the
over-lordship of Aufstrag. The Hlobane are often encountered
throughout the Vale of Al Liosh.
FREE TOWNS
The towns of Grafika, Hul, Jamburgand, Magdeburg are all free
towns that lay in the Vale or just beyond it. They do not serve
any overlord and are ruled by various factions or guilds.
AUFSTRAG
Since Unklar’s fall there has been no overlord in Auftrag as
multiple powers vie for control of the tower, Unklar’s armies,
riches and the peoples around. The most notable lord is Coburg
the Undying. For more on Aufstrag, see Dungeons of Aufstrag
and follow-on books.
ROADS
Little remains of the roads of the Aenochians. Most were pulled
up to make fortifications, however, there remain three major
roads in and around Auftrag.
FICHLUM WAY
The Fichlum Way is the oldest remaining intact road in the east.
Construction dates back to the realm of the God Emperors,
though clearly it has been repaired multiple times. The road was
well constructed. Set on leveled ground it consisted of several
layers. The first layer of small stones was covered by the second
layer of gravel and lime. A bed of kernel was laid on top of that
and then the cobbles placed on the kernel. Edge stones marked
the sides of the road. The cobbles were shaped and angled to
allow water to drain through the edge stones and into drainage
ditches set on the sides of the road. The ditches were paved as
well. All this was bound with rune magic which allowed the
road to survive weathering and time.
The Fichlum is 40 feet wide and a foot or more above the ground.
In its day it was the main north-south road that leads from Al
Liosh to the northern reaches of the realm. Today it takes up that
role but officially begins at the Wasting Way, for the southern
reaches of the Fichlum are lost in the Grausumlands. Though
the Fichlum is not maintained, it remains in decent shape. The
Fichlum extends from the Wasting Way in the south, crosses the
Withing Oaks through the Pass Of Nomenek, then winds its
way through the northern plains of Achrothos, along the eastern
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 3
borders of the Grossewald until it comes to the town of Gund.
From there it skirts the Black Hills, continues on to Ivangorad,
the Ashen Flats, and on to the town of Maerg. It is patrolled
between Gund and Maerg by the men of Punj. Beyond that, to
the south, in the lands of the Vale of Aenoch and Aufsrag, it is a
lonely road that winds through a lonelier wilderness.
Old abandoned way stations, in the guise of small keeps, flank the
Fichlum, every 20 - 40 miles. The conditions of the way stations
vary wildly, from foundation stones to fully occupied keeps.
URSAL ROAD (RUINS)
The Ursal Road is an east-west road, extending from Grafika in
the east to Brajag Bridge and beyond in the west. It served the
armies of Unklar for many centuries as they tramped into the
west on their way to war. Made much like the Fichlum Way, the
Ursal sported a broad cobbled, thoroughfare raised several feet
off the ground, flanked with drainage ditches and bound with
rune magic. It too was 40 feet wide.
The Ursal has not, however, survived intact. In the west,
where the road crosses the Luneberg, much of it was pulled
up during the Winter Dark Wars by Kain the Godless, one
of Unklar’s mercenary captains. He laid waste to the entire
Luneberg, burning cities, massacring populations, torching
crops, poisoning wells and destroying the road. Despite this,
it remains in some places, meandering through the wasteland
for several miles before vanishing again. There was no order
to Kain’s destruction. In the east, where the Toten Fields lie,
it fared better, and much of the road is intact all the way to
Grafika. However, its proximity to the Grausumland has led to
a great deal of structural damage and in places, it is little more
than a sunken roadbed.
The bridge over the Udunilay was destroyed long ago during the
Battle of Turegfell (see Toten Fields below), but the pylons still
remain, allowing enterprising travelers the opportunity to cross
that mighty river in stages, by crossing from one pylon to the
next. The bridge over the Uphrates remains intact.
The Ursal intersects the Fichlum just north of the Wasting Way.
WASTING WAY
The Wasting Way is a causeway and connects the dry land to
the north of the Gray Pools, with Aufstrag. The Causeway passes
over the swamps of the Grausumland for many miles before it
ends at the stone dike that lies before Aufstrag’s gate.
In centuries past, giants bound to the Horned God and guided
by dwarven masters constructed the causeway. With hammers
as large as trees they pounded great stone pylons into the marshy
ground. Bracing their shoulders against the stone, one held the
stone while two drove it into the loamy earth. The sound of the
hammer blows echoed throughout the swamp as the causeway
took shape. More giants worked upon the bridge itself, spanning
the distance between the pylons with long tree trunks cut
square, each over 40 feet long and designed to overlap between
the 30-foot bridge spans. These beams were hardened with fire
and covered in sap to seal them. Master smiths crossed over the
4 CASTLES & CRUSADES
beams, etching sorcery into them to give them strength against
water, fire and time. Once set, granite flagstones were cut to
squares and rectangles and set upon the beams, covering the
bridge in stone.
Construction began in the north, on a large rise of land upon
the shores of the Gray Pools. The rise overlooked a shallow lake
of murky pools and sucking mud, later called the Sump. They
built the causeway over the lake, where it entered the deeps
of the swamps. Where the lake ended and the swamps began,
they constructed a large two-towered gatehouse, so that any
who journeyed to Aufstrag had to cross over the Sump (see
below) before they arrived at the first of the gates (see A11 The
Wasting Way).
Beyond the first gatehouse, (or barbican), the causeway inched
its way across the Gray Pools. After 16 miles they constructed
a second set of gates. They built a third 18 miles further on, a
fourth 15 miles after that, a fifth gate they set 14 miles beyond
that. The fifth gate stands 17 miles from the Dike, Portico and
the gates of Aufstrag (see A12 The Paladin’s Lament).
The causeway covered over 75 miles of swamp. Built 30 feet
above the marsh and 45 feet wide, it offered safe travel to any
who traveled to Aufstrag. In the days of its glory, patrols walked
its length keeping travelers, merchants, supplicants, nobles,
vans of wagons, and all manner of folk safe from the dangers of
the swamp.
Despite all this, dangers persisted and creatures crawled from
the muck to terrorize those who dared its passage, particularly
at night. Creatures that haunted the Gray Swamps learned fast
that creatures passing down the causeway were exposed and
vulnerable, making the Causeway prime hunting ground. In a
strange twist of roles, merchants found themselves protected by
armored orcs fighting beasts out of a nightmare, providing their
caravans safety as they traveled to Aufsrag. Travelers found true
safety only in the gatehouses, where they could recoup, rest, eat
and drink, and plan the next stage of their journey. Few parties
could boast that they began the journey at the first Gatehouse
and arrived at the end of the road without casualties. Thus, the
causeway became known as the Wasting Way.
Today the Causeway is still intact but none guard its gates.
All the gatehouses stand abandoned by the lords of Aufstrag,
though it is not to say that other creatures haven’t crawled up
from the swamps and made their lair.
Few travel the road now, for it leads to Aufstrag, a hellish tower
of madness and evil. Few go there and even those that do, find
the gates closed to them.
For more on the Wasting Way and adventures across the
Causeway see the adventure module A11 The Wasting Way.
A NOTE ON ORGANIZATION
All entries are listed in alphabetical order regardless of terrain or
site. They are alphabetized as they appear on the map published
in the Codex of Aihrde. So for instance, Bowbon Lake is under
Bowbon and Lake of Hul is under Lake. Some of the material
appears in the Codex of Aihrde and other sources such as A1
Assault on Blacktooth Ridge and is either copied in whole or
expanded.
THE ENVIRONS
The Environs of Aufstrag consist of several major geographic
locations. These comprise what was once the heart of the
Aenochian Empire and the Vale of Al Liosh. Before the coming
of Unklar, these lands were densely populated, extensively
farmed, and connected through an elaborate series of roads,
canals, and bridges. An unbelievable amount of wealth lay
concentrated in these regions.
The modern world reflects only a shadow of that wealth and
power, for all is laid waste and only ruins remain, connected
now by only two roads.
ANS RIVER
The Ans begins its life in the Grausumland, in a lowland marsh
called the Moors. It wanders south of Utring Akt, entering the
Blighted Screed. Here it broadens as it snakes slowly through
that dry land. It ranges a hundred feet or so wide, with a depth
of 4-8 feet. It is easy enough to cross. As it leaves the Screed it
enters the Northern Marches. There it picks up speed from a
host of small feeder streams, and other rivers such as the Leita.
It broadens to 150-200 feet wide and ranges in depths up to
20 feet. Where the Gunz River joins, the Ans becomes even
larger and deeper. These mighty waters feed into Lake Asfral
before it wanders on to the coast in a massive stream 300 feet
wide and in places 50 feet deep. It, at last, spills its water into
the Gulf of Barachia.
The Ans is used by the people of New Aenoch from the coast to
the Gunz. Beyond that, it sees little traffic, though some use it in
carrying goods to and from the town of Jamburg. In the Screed,
it is a lonely river with no traffic. It does, however, attract all
manner of creatures seeking water and refuge.
ANTULE MOUNTAINS
These dense mountains overlook the plains of central Aenoch,
from the Toten Fields to the Aenochian Forest. The Antule
consists of a host of small mountains and broad ridgelines often
cut by deep, narrow valleys. They are squat, solid mountains,
higher in the north of the Antule. In the south the mountains
are ground down, stand lower, and enjoy a higher rainfall. The
runoff has created deep valleys and steep cliffs where only the
hardiest of trees gain a foothold. The valleys are verdant, many
sporting small lakes and streams, and play host to a wide variety
of fauna and flora. The tree line ends at roughly 6,000 feet.
Above that the country is wide and open, the cliffs and ledges
make climbing difficult but possible. During winter, many of
the creeks pour-over rough falls into cascading valleys before
dumping their muddy waters into the Galen and feeding the
Fromia and Nostian Rivers.
Narrow tracks wind through them but are little more than game
trails and the like.
It snows heavily in the Antule Mountains during the winter
months and is dry but cool during the summer. Such weather
attracted many of the early Aenochians who built lodges and
manors in the mountains and valleys.
Mount Aenoch dominates the range. At 11,000 feet, one can see
distant Aufstrag as a finger on the horizon. Here the emperors
of old enjoyed a pleasure house hollowed into the mountain
fastness, but where it lies none now can say. The mountain feeds
the Buzial River, which in turns feeds the Gray Swamp to the
east. The Vale of Skadi (see below) lies at the feet of Mount
Aenoch.
The furthest peak in the south and the second-highest mountain
of the Antule is Mount Brainbridge, a huge mountain of some
9,500 feet. Twin Peaks to the north have long been the favored
breeding ground for copper dragons. Though rare in these latter
days, it is not unheard of to see one of the dragons flying high
over the range, calling for its mate.
AUFSTRAG
The history of Aufsrag is covered extensively in many sources,
but suffice it to say that Unklar, the Horned God, when he came
to the city of Al Liosh laid waste to it. He threw down its towers
and dammed the rivers to flood much of the Vale of Al Liosh,
drowning its many inhabitants and their homes beneath the
filth of his marshes. Unklar then set about building himself a
citadel. What followed was Aufstrag.
The city of Aufstrag consists of one large tower complex at the
confluence of the Udunilay and Uphrates Rivers at heart of
the Grausumland. It is 3,260 feet tall and roughly 2,000 feet
in diameter. The city is shaped like a great tree, shorn of all
its branches but three. These three crown its roof, hanging out
and over the marsh. The city itself consists of wards, levels, and
domains.
There are four recognizable wards in Aufstrag: The Trenches,
Klarglich, The Halls, and the Citadel. The wards consist of a
variety of levels but are not wholly distinct as they interconnect
and weave together through ramps, split-level rooms, stairs,
halls, etc. The tower itself is not divided up into even levels
like a traditional dungeon; each level is different than the
next; each level is roughly 100-200 feet high. There are 21
distinguishable levels. These levels are connected through a
variety of halls, stairs, ramps, elevators, dumbwaiters, shafts,
ladders and chimneys (called “the stacks”).
The tower is further divided up into domains; these domains
are either wild and uncontrolled or they are controlled by some
power or group. A domain may cover several levels on the same
ward or on more than one. They need not be contiguous either.
A domain may be part of level 4 and level 17, depending on who
and how the creature that controls the domain rules it.
The most recognizable aspect of Aufstrag is the multitude of
chimneys found throughout the whole citadel. Called the
Stacks, these chimneys were designed to vent all the extreme
heat generated on the various levels and wards by the manifold
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 5
magical and mundane fires that burnt within. The chimneys
range in size from very small to very large and because they
often bypass whole levels, they became roads for the clever and
agile denizens of Aufstrag. One could travel great distances,
unimpeded, in a short amount of time by using these chimneys.
The risk that a fire might be lit and the heat of it floods the
chimney is slight, particularly after time saw many of the
chimneys interconnect with each other. Since Unklar’s fall,
these roads have become home to many creatures, who now
dwell in their relative safety and enjoy the security of rapid
movement up and down the towering structure.
For more on Aufstrag see The Dungeons of Aufstrag box set.
BEARCOAT ROUGHS
The Roughs lie in the southern Luneberg, between that wasteland
and the Toten Fields. They consist of broken, steep hills and
deep gulches. This low range of hills is dominated by one large
mountain, Mount Pendlton and a second, Mount Erasum that
overlooks the town of Magdeburg. Both these mountains are
part of a series of steep cliffs that border the Bearcoat Roughs
and the Luneberg, creating something of a fence between the
wasteland and the mountains. These cliffs climb step-like up
into the Roughs, ranging in height from 50 to several hundred
feet. Entering the Bearcoat Roughs from the north is extremely
challenging. Crossing south the terrain does not get much easier
as it is marked by high peaks and stark, deep valleys. The rock
is porous, making travel even more difficult as it often crumbles
beneath too much weight or suffers constant weathering. Only
hearty creatures dwell here, those apt at mountain climbing
and living in stark environments. Griffons, some lammasu and
sphinx are known to aerie here, high up, far from the threats
of the terrestrial world. Furthermore, they are home to a host
of creatures who hunt the surrounding plains. Dangerous and
unfriendly, the country is avoided by most except the die-hard
In the southern flank of the Bearcoat, that range of hills that
lies south of Lake Radlbey the country softens and the hills are
less steep. Here the roughs are marked by low, rounded hills
and ridges, surrounding broad, shallow valleys. In the spring the
region is flush with mountain grasses which draw all manner of
creatures.
There was some settlement in this southern range, but most
of those have been abandoned, leaving only a few stout willed
communities of humans and some dwarves. These people are
generally standoffish, avoiding other people.
The Runoff from the Roughs feeds both Lake Radlbey and the
Fromia River.
BLACKTOOTH RIDGE
The Blacktooth Ridge is a rocky outcrop dotted with
innumerable fracture caverns and deep natural caves on the
western edge of the Plains of Achrothos. The escarpment above
and to the east of the Blacktooth Ridge is forested with scrub
oaks and evergreens and is littered with huge boulders, detritus
of glacial contraction. For ages beyond count, the caverns of the
Blacktooth Ridge have attracted orcs, ogres, goblins, giants, and
6 CASTLES & CRUSADES
other even more evil and malignant creatures who prefer the
dark depths to the open sun. There are several trails that lead
over the ridge and into the Ornlaw Valley.
After the coming of the Horned One, the Blacktooth Ridge
became a significant source of creatures with which to people
his armies. Eventually, guard posts, fortresses, treasuries, and
barracks were built in the caverns beneath the ridges and
huge hosts of troops were housed here under the command of
powerful lieutenants and captains. After his fall, many of these
were abandoned and left uninhabited for many years. Now it
boasts many renegade elements of that ancient and most foul
evil as the ridge offers safe hiding and deep holes -- easy defense
from those who seek to kill them.
The history of the Blacktooth Ridge begins with the Ineng Tree.
In the Days before Days, this tree wandered the earth; twisted
with evil, it took the shape of a troll, indeed it was the first of the
trolls, and wreaked havoc on the world at large. In time, Ineng
grew weary of his struggles and settled upon a small patch of earth
along a ridgeline overlooking a river. The river tumbled in slow
gyrations to the east before it turned south. Here, Ineng settled
into his new home. The roots of his evil grew deep, spreading
through the ridge, cutting tunnels that became caves, breaking
rocks and opening fissures deep beneath the ridge. The ground
rose until the depth of his evil pushed the ridge up, breaking the
earth into many gulches, banks, crags, and escarpments. Ineng
did not pass into stone but melded with the earth and the magic
of his being fed the whole region, attracting many creatures who
knew not its source, nor its evil. So, the jutting finger of broken
hills that men later called the Blacktooth Ridge became more
than a landmark.
The land changed. The ridge now dominated the area; high
and barren, it pushed the river south and flooded the lowlands,
making the land fertile and ripe. Many small rivers and creeks
crisscrossed the area, as did ponds and lakes. A forest took root
and grew, birch and oak mostly, but also a generous amount of
sycamore and broad-leafed popular trees.
Wild tribes of Aenochians settled in the forest, which they
called the Saelic Forest, but most did not stay, for they deemed
it an evil land, and they moved further south to the fertile
coastlines. But the elves came and made the forests their home.
The ridge called to them and they knew it possessed great
magic. They named the place the Avishean Ridge, that is in
their own tongue, the “Wellspring” and the forest and river they
called the Hruesen River Valley, though later the forest took on
the more sinister name of the Barren Wood. They made peace
with those wild men who remained and they did not fear the fey
that came and settled in this enchanted country. So, they lived
for many long years.
But the world’s ages turned, and so with them the fortunes of
those who lived along the Blacktooth Ridge.
Long ago, beyond the memory of most that now live in the
Hruesen River Valley, the region came under the rule of the
Kings of Men, the Lords of Aenoch; and they ruled from their
city of Al Liosh for many long centuries. When the Winter Dark
began, the men and elves fought the Horned God, but that long
and bitter war ended in their defeat and the ridge and lands
south of it became a wilderness. Only after Unklar’s fall did men
return and begin resettling the lands. Dark and dangerous and
wild, many fell and others fled, but those who stayed began to
carve holdings out of the river valley, all in the shadow of the
Blacktooth Ridge.
BOTKINBURG
Botkinburg is located deep in the Barren Wood on a rise
overlooking a bend in the Hruesen River. Much of the land
surrounding the town has been cleared of trees and now
serves as pasture and farmland for row crops. A road leads to
Botkinburg from the south, and another less-traveled road heads
off to the north. The town consists of small wooden and stone
houses with thatched and shingled roofs. These are clumped
together around a large stone keep located on the highest point
of the rise. Botkinburg is mostly inhabited by humans but has a
sizable halfling population who live close to one another around
several large hills on the west side of the village. They interact
freely with the rest of Botkinburg’s population, though they are
viewed with caution and circumspection by some of the human
members of the community.
Botkinburg is not a wealthy community. Its inhabitants are
mostly farmers or fishermen, with a few skilled tradesmen
amongst them. It is self-sufficient, though it trades with other
communities for rare foodstuffs or manufactured goods in
exchange for salted fish, lumber, and dairy products. Every
month during the summer an open market is held at the Oak
Grove, a sacred place near the town’s square. This usually
attracts several outsiders pawning their wares. Other than this,
most commerce and trade is conducted between families and
individuals and is generally in the form of barter rather than
with coin. The closest Botkinburg has to a store is the Bent
Hook, a local tavern. The proprietor stocks a small number of
items imported from the wealthier communities to the south
and north which the locals may find useful.
The days of most in Botkinburg are spent in the pastures, on the
river, or in gardens with the crops. The pastures have a mixture
of sheep and dairy cattle grazing in them during the day. These
are brought in every evening and taken out every morning to
the cacophonous sound of cow and sheep bells, bleating sheep,
mewing cows, barking herd dogs, and the calls of herdsmen. Crops
are plentiful and cheaply purchased, as most have full larders.
Most in the community worship at the Chancel, a temple
devoted to the many deities who watch over the lands of man
and halfling; fertility, herding, or harvest, and the Hruesen
River in particular. Rituals and devotionals to the deities are
held on numerous occasions and are often accompanied by large
communal gatherings during which beer and food are plentiful
and served freely. On other occasions, fasting and abstinence
are called for. Most of the farmers and fishermen, as well as the
halflings, also worship at the Oak Grove, a shrine serving the
deities of the sun and moon, plentitude and harvest, and the
fairy queen. There are many rituals the people of Botkinburg
follow on a daily basis to keep the evil spirits away and to mollify
the various fey that still reside in the surrounding forests.
There are roughly 300 people living in Botkinburg, with an
additional 50 halflings. Unless noted otherwise, all the human
inhabitants of Botkinburg are treated as humans. In times of
conflict, a militia can be called up. It consists of nearly 30
adult humans.
Total Population: 300
Human: 250
Orc: 0 +/-
Hobgoblin: 0 +/-
Gnome: 20 +/-
Halfling: 50 +/-
Dwarf: 0 +/-
Elf: 0 +/-
Government: The town is loosely run by the Botkin family.
The family was the first to settle the region and founded the
town. They occupy the keep. Some style the head of the family,
Volkmar, a Baron, but it is not clear whether he ever earned the
title from the Empress to the south.
Military: The town can raise a small troop of lightly armed
militia that numbers about 30 with 5-10 halfling archers and
slingers. Additionally, the Botkin family can field up to 10 men-
at-arms as well as several members of the household.
Economy: Botkinberg has a Tier One economy, producing little
but agricultural goods. It imports manufactured goods from the
south or Ludensheim. It is largely a trading center.
Religion: There are no specific gods worshipped here, but two
major holy sites, the Chanel and the Oak Grove. Many sacrifice
to Ore Tsar as well as the Faerie Queen.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken here.
Major Guilds: No guilds operate houses here.
BLASTED HEATH
See Great Morass below.
BLIGHTED SCREED
The Blighted Screed is a wretched stretch of forsaken land
stretching from the Blacktooth Ridge and Ludensheim all the
way to the Grausumland in the west and the Eastern Opens to
the north. It is dry, reaping little rain from the Ursal Wind that
so heavily waters the Opens and the swamps.
Blasted by the icy cold during Unklar’s reign and the massive
run-off which occurred after the sudden melting of the various
snowfields and mini-glaciers to the north, it has yet to recover
and grow to its naturally lush state. It is a horrible land where
only the thorniest brush and weed can wrangle a living. Naught
but ragged stone, cracked rock, brittle chat, and razor-sharp
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 7
obsidian await those who cross this land. Its tangle of ridges,
ravines, cracked and broken earth are all a monument to the
many who have, by fire and sword, died in battles that have
raged across the Screed from time immemorial. It is a skeletal
land; dead and soulless.
Three rivers flow through the Screed, but they are slow-moving,
shallow in their course. They do not enrich the soil and little
vegetation grows on their banks. This is true throughout the
Screed where only small scrub oaks, cedars, scrub brush, and
weeds grow and those primarily near springs and the few small
lakes found in the region.
Not much lives here – or can live here. Ground squirrels,
moles, chipmunks, rabbits and the like can be found. There are
grey deer, small antelope, and wild sheep, though in no great
numbers. Occasional bobcats and mountain lions adapted to
the region hunt along its periphery. Wolves are found in its
interior, and rarely, bears that have wandered in from other
lands in search of greener pastures. None of these pose dangers
as all are wary of man, humanoid and demi-human. Even the
least of them can sense the coming of death and make to hide
or run away. Catching food here is no small feat, as the region is
overhunted by the inhabitants of the fortress.
There are dangers though. The Blighted Screed is infested with
the most horrible creatures that Aufstrag has vomited forth
over the years. Chimera find the Screed a good home, its dry
earth a comfort to the beast. The gorgon is known to haunt
these wastes. Other monsters of a similar bent dwell here as
well. The orcs, ogres, kobolds, goblins and other more grotesque
beasts wander this land waylaying and consuming all they can.
Some wander freely across the lands, others have holed up in
one of the many hundreds of abandoned camps, forts, palaces,
treasure houses, guardhouses, dungeons, castles and caves
dotting the land. This was once, one must know, a staging
area for the countless legions that poured out of Aufstrag that
headed to war in the south and east and lands beyond. For many
centuries it served this purpose alone.
There is little reason for anyone to enter the Screed unless one
simply wanted to die beneath a scorching sun at the hands of
the brutish servants of that long-dead god, Unklar.
BOWBON LAKE
Bowbon Lake is a broad wetland valley fed by the Udunilay
River. The river passes through the valley on its way south,
flooding the entire region. At its widest it is a dozen miles from
east to west, and roughly 25 miles long. Aside from the deep
channel in the middle, where the river itself flows, which ranges
up to 100 feet deep and about 200 - 300 feet wide, the lake is
relatively shallow, often not more than a few feet deep. This has
allowed all manner of grasses, reeds, and shrubs to grow far out
into the water. It has also become the perfect environment for
cypress trees, which grow along both banks of the lake.
In the rainy season, the valley floods more and the water
deepens, but usually not for long.
8 CASTLES & CRUSADES
The shallow waters draw all manner of creatures to the area.
Alligators in large numbers dwell here, hunting the small deer,
wild boar and smaller game that come to drink. Wolves hunt the
shores as do smaller predatory canines, such as fox and coyotes.
The waters are teeming with fish which draw all manner of
predatory birds, the large bald eagle and osprey being the most
common. Bears to come to hunt the shallow water. But it is not
just wildlife that plunders this deciduous forest. It is a favored
hunting ground for the catoblepas, bogtilts, and beaked dragon.
BUZIAL RIVER
This small river runs from the Antule Mountains to the
Grausumland. Once, long ago it fed fertile valleys of farmland,
but now it feeds only the Pete Bogs. The river itself begins in
the high peaks of the Antule Mountains, fed by the glaciers that
form there. The mountain water is pure and cool and believed
to possess healing qualities. If nothing else it offers a momentary
respite in a land battered by the depredations of evil.
It has a swift current in the mountains but slows markedly after
it enters the plains, where it widens. It is not more than 150 feet
at its widest. It is generally shallow and except during spring,
easy to cross. The river is fed by several feeder streams before
it reaches the bogs in the east. There it broadens into a slow-
moving, torpid stream.
EASTERN OPENS
Called the Opens by most who pass through there, the wide, rich
grasslands are a spur of the Plains of Achrothos. Well-watered
by storms brought south by the Ursal winds, they are home to
wild horses and bison herds. They are the common hunting
ground for the easterners, Madriu (see Codex of Aihrde) who
enjoy hunting men as much as wild game.
ESTANG FOREST
The Estang lies between the Blacktooth Ridge and the Blighted
Screed. It is a small wood comprising a host of elm, locust and
hickory trees. Gnarled black-jack oaks grow in the southern
reaches of the wood. In the east, the forest is well watered by
the Hruesen River. Here the trees grow thick and tall. Travel is
easier and there are hosts of noticeable trails. In the west the
forest thins out, the trees become smaller and tangle with huge
patches of briars, sometimes several acres wide. Travel is a little
more difficult here and often requires circumnavigating the
bramble. The Estang attracts all manner of beasts. Colonies of
stirges hunt the wood as well as boalisk and kamadan.
FESTUNG AKT
Festung Akt was constructed ages ago during the early Winter
Dark when Unklar reigned over the world. Originally a way
station that marked the final drainage of the great system of
canals that sprawled out from the roots of Aufstrag, Festung Akt
only later became the tower and fortress it is today.
It was built in order to watch over the canals that channeled the
filth of Aufstrag. Here the wastes of Aufstrag slowed to a crawl
and emptied onto the fertile plains, the source of their original
blight. The distance from the city being as great as it is, the
flushed filth only arrived in a slow-moving slag. After a while,
the canal (along with its many sister canals) became clogged
and its upkeep was forgotten. Festung Akt became a forgotten
post with no purpose.
In time, the lords of Aufstrag tore down the small way station
and built a fort in its place. The new masters of the tower forgot
the canals if indeed they ever knew of them. At first, Festung Akt
served as little more than an outpost overlooking the Avishean
Ridge (the Blacktooth), but as Unklar’s empire expanded ever
outward, it became an administrative center for much of the
Blighted Screed. Eventually, its utility as such declined and it
has been used variously as a prison, military headquarters, and
other similar mundane purposes.
In the last century of the long Winter’s Dark, Festung Akt had
become a prison where criminals, traitors, suspected traitors,
those who had fallen out of favor and others were bound,
tortured, interrogated, and then killed. The fortress earned a
new name from its Ungern commanders, Iggth Nag Teerg, the
Torture Gardens.
In the declining decades of Unklar’s rule, Festung Akt received
little attention as other wars and battles distracted him. The
post languished, troops and administrators dispersed or were
withdrawn to other realms and few were left to watch over
the fortress and the country. The minor lords who concerned
themselves with the management of Unklar’s vast Empire
sought a mere lieutenant who might manage the region without
much assistance, for there were few aides to spare in these latter
years as the wars to the north and west were costly. Festung
Akt’s new lord would need knowledge of the very lands and
animals to serve his needs and make the fortress a realm of
its own. A druid of dutiful mind, Deuranimus the Crow, was
ordered to Festung Akt and told to manage the affairs, the
castle, and the region. Deuranimus took his post shortly before
the final collapse of Unklar’s realm.
Deuranimus had served as a minor assistant to a troop in the
Blighted Screed for a number of years and his assignment to
Festung Akt surprised him as much as his immediate superiors.
Perhaps it was a sign of the decline of Unklar; a portent really,
for such a person as Deuranimus would never have been offered
a position like this in times past or perhaps a more spiritually
influential Unklar would have kept Deuranimus’ one small
personality defect in check. Deuranimus, it must be known,
had a conscience and was capable of feeling guilt. For many
long years, he buried these emotions and acted faithfully to
the cause which bound him. Once in charge of Festung Akt
however, the sheer volume of his heinous deeds got the better
of him. Remorse, guilt and an effort at repentance guided his
actions over time.
For years Deuranimus had been torturing people for information
and executing them for the slightest of wrongs. After a time, he
quit ‘completely executing’ the prisoners and he saved many
whom he felt were not deserving of such a punishment. He even
began seeing that the goodly-minded men of the world might do
a better job at ruling than had Unklar. To that end, he began to
harvest their souls and bind them to him. The nightmare that
had been Festung Akt, became a little more twisted.
Total Population: 50 +/-
Ungern: 50 +/-
Orc: 10 +/-
Ogres/Giants: 50 +/-
Trolls: 50 +/-
Government: Deuranimus the Crow, a powerful druid, rules
here. He holds an edict from Aufsrag, but it is outdated. He has
a very loose allegiance to Coburg the Undying.
Military: There is a permanent garrison of 40-50 Ungern here
with half a dozen ogres and some orc scouts.
Economy: None
Religion: Unklar.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken here.
Major Guilds: None
FORTRESS OF HUL
During the early days of the Winter Dark, the Hlobane were
but one of many tribes of orcs. Unklar, however, saw in them
a power greater than the rest. He beguiled them and brought
them to Aufstrag. There he remade them and brought them to
the fore of his armies. They soon proved their fighting prowess
and became the rank and file of his armies. He granted them
lands in the Red Hills, lands they could call their own. There
they tunneled beneath the earth and built small keeps above it.
Soon their towns and castles dotted the southern flank of the
Red Hills.
Greatest of all their houses was the Fortress of Hul. Here the
clans gathered to debate what courses to take. They trained
their young at Hul and taught their chiefs the intricacies of the
art of war. In short order, Hul became the center of the Hlobane
Nation. Trade from the north and south passed through Hul and
enriched it, allowing the orcs to build ever greater fortifications.
During the Winter Dark Wars, Hul avoided the devastation
dealt to much of Unklar’s realms. However, the Hlobane
were slaughtered in great numbers. So great was the loss that
many abandoned their towns and castles and moved to Hul. It
was during those days that the Council of Elders, made up of
warriors tried and true, was formed. The fortress has stood ever
since, lingering on the edge of the civilized world, unmolested,
and slowly rebuilding its strength.
Hul consists of a massive network of fortifications that occupy
5 hills and the valleys between. It stands upon on the southern
flanks of the Red Hills. The fortress is well watered with several
springs that begin in the stronghold before they wander south to
join the Dobra River. The fortifications are well organized and
highly defensible, with each hill post being accessible from the
other four. They also possess interior fortifications so that if one
is taken, the other four are not compromised.
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 9
Hul has a peculiar look to it as it is fashioned from the rust-
red brick of the Red Hills. The walls and keeps are made of
red stone, cut from the mountain itself by an army of masons.
Tall towers connected by walls with battlements give the orcs a
commanding view of the entire region.
There are few aside from orcs who dwell in Hul. Some who
serve the Paths of Umbra and assassins from the Crna Ruk
dwell therein sparse numbers. Merchants to come up from
the Confederation of Torrich, trading with the orcs for raw
materials and some manufactured goods. The orcs are passable
smiths and make wheel hubs, barrel hoops, and chains as well as
weapons and armor. But more sought after is the pottery, shaped
of the red clays of the hills, the orcs are skilled artisans when
designing bowls, cups and the like. These merchants live within
the city fortress in a small district set aside for them.
For more on the Hlobane see Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde.
Total Population: 16,000 (includes villages around Hul)
Human: 250
Orc: 16,000 +/-
Government: Hul is governed by a Sanjak, a title that roughly
equates to General, one they picked up long ago during their
service to Unklar the Horned God. Hul also contains the
Council of Elders that govern the whole Hlobane Nation that
dwells in the Red Hills.
Military: Hul is a large fortification, encompassing several
large hills, and the valleys between them. This is the heart of
the Hlobane Nation and there is a standing garrison of 1,200
orcs in the castle proper. In the deep warrens beneath the castle,
warrens that fan out into a dozen different communities beneath
and above the Red Hills are another 7,000 warriors that can be
transported to the castle with ease.
Economy: Hul itself is a large fortress but is connected to an
underground series of roads that lead to other villages, as such,
it is able to produce manufactured goods for use or trade. This
makes Hul a Tier 3 economy.
Religion: No religion but the worship of Unklar is permitted in
Hul. To speak another god’s name is to invite being drawn and
quartered.
Language: Hlobane, and the Vulgate, the common tongue, is
spoken here.
Major Guilds: There are no guilds here, however the Crna
Ruk have a presence as do the Paths of Umbra.
FROMIA RIVER
This muddy river tumbles out of the northern Antule Mountains
into the lowlands of Aenoch where it wanders for many
hundreds of miles until it reaches the sea. It is a muddy affair in
its early courses, cutting down through steep valleys and over
precarious falls, pulling dirt, soil, and clays along with it. Where
the Olgdon spills into it, it clears and widens, consuming that
massive volume of water and pushing it all down to the sea.
10 CASTLES & CRUSADES
The upper courses of the river and many feeder creeks attract
prospectors of all kinds, as it is rumored that out of this region
of the Antule Mountains come their only precious metal - silver.
In truth, it must be said that few dwarves or gnomes ever bother
with the region, indicating the lack of veracity behind this claim.
Where the river spills into the sea lies the Formian Ostiary, a
wide wetland.
GRAFIKA
Grafika is not so much a city or town, rather it is a safe haven
for bandits, outlaws, murderers, thieves, necromancers, traitors,
and similar people. The place is, by all accounts, a brutish den.
It was not always such a place.
During the reign of Unklar, Grafika was a large town, the last
stop on the way to Aufstrag. Sitting only a score of miles from
the Great Causeway, it was a safe haven. Wealth poured into the
town. Coin from traveling merchants, smiths, and other skilled
laborers and plunder from the outlands came on the backs of
ox and horse. Wild beasts captured for the pits of Aufstrag and
wealth in tributes paved its roads. Its halls grew, and its citizens
lorded over men. Many lived there in comfort, relatively safe
from the malignant evil of Aufstrag and far from the constant
wars that fueled the Empire. The town prospered and grew as
such gateway towns are wont to do.
But in the end, the wars came to Grafika. The armies of Aufstrag
marched forth but never returned, devoured by the Princes of
the west. The horned god fell, his might cast down by sword
and sorcery. In the end, the Princes came to the Causeway, the
bridge that crossed the great swamps to Auftrag. Grafika stood
too close and the city that had known a thousand years of peace
was sacked and burned. Many of its inhabitants were put to
death. The smoking ruin then stood abandoned for many years.
Grafika is a shadow of its former self. Most of the buildings have
fallen into ruin. Those that remain are almost never repaired
or when they are, they are done so in the laziest and minimalist
manner. The streets are awash with dirt, debris, and trash
becoming muddy rivers during the frequent rains. Most of the
cobbles that once lined the main streets of Grafika have been
pulled up and are now used to shore up falling buildings. Most of
the remaining buildings are made of stone, as the wooden ones
have burned, rotted or fallen into a state of disrepair.
There is no city government. There are essentially five factions/
groups which ‘run’ Grafika. Each faction has some control
over an area of the ruins. The central portion of the town
is controlled by Idius Branfeeter, the owner of the Impaled
Griffon. He and his cohort of thugs maintain a semblance of
order in this part of town. The northern portion of Grafika is
held under the sway of a massive ogre, Gudgerot his tribe and
associates control the Cudgel. Hirten von Dirbild and his band
have taken up residence in a keep just outside of Grafika
and maintain influence in the Dirbild, by both strength in
numbers and location. The Old Man and his cohorts invest
a small keep in the southern portion of Grafika and control
that area; people call it Old Town. A relative newcomer to
Grafika is a powerful priest, Linderin of Grausamland. He
has built a wall around several buildings in the west side of
town and is attracting an ever-growing number of followers
and slowly expanding his ‘keep,’ affectionately called Little
Aufstrag.
The areas in between these districts are veritable no man’s
land where mendicants, homeless, brigands, drifters and
monsters roam.
There are no laws in Grafiak, but there are understandings and
traditions. As a general rule, each of the factions leave one
another alone and pay little attention to one another. Disputes
occur, however. These are, as often as not, settled with blood
rather than agreements or arrangements. Few pay much heed
to newcomers.
The town, being on the northern terminus of the great swamp
and the southern terminus of those hills called the Withing
Oaks receives a lot of rainfall throughout the year.
During downpours, the town is essentially separated into five
parts that generally equate to spheres of influence for the
various factions mentioned above. These rains rarely turn
to snow in winter but become a slushy frozen mess. In spring
and summer, rivers of mud and debris wash around the town
eventually draining off to the south and are the only thing
keeping the place half-way habitable.
Total Population: 9,375 +/-
Human: 4,700 +/-
Gnome: 270 +/-
Halfling: 190 +/-
Dwarf: 475 +/-
Elf: 300 +/-
Ungern: 400 +/-
Orc: 2,350 +/-
Hobgoblin: 510 +/-
Ogres/Giants: 130 +/-
Trolls: 50 +/-
Government: There are five separate governments in Grafika.
The Hub is ruled by Idius Branfeeter and his edicts enforced by
his massive mace called Long Arm. Gudgerot the Ogre rules
the Cudgel like a tyrant. Castle Dirbild is ruled by Hirten von
Dirbild. Old Town is ruled by Old Man and his Council of 5.
The High Priest rules in Little Aufstrag but they have a clear
chain of command beyond him.
Military: Idius commands an army of 50 battle-hardened
mercenaries and an auxiliary force of about 200 lightly armed
individuals. In the Cudgel, Gudgerot commands 50 ogres and
300 or so orcs. Hirten commands a force of some 320 archers,
spearman and warriors, and 25 heavily armed fighters called the
Irontops. The Old Man commands 67 knights and archers, all
hardened with years of battle. And the Priest can put together
some 3000 orcs and other humanoids, most lightly armed.
Economy: The economy of Grafika is mixed as certain areas have
little or nothing. But for the most part, it is a Tier One economy,
needing outside trade for most of its manufactured goods.
Religion: Mixed with a heavy component of Cult of the Swords
and Unklar.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken here.
Major Guilds: The Crna Ruk are embedded in the Hubb. The
Tinkers Guild is powerful in the Cudgel. Beyond that only the
Baldheads in Castle Dirbild offer any organization.
For more details on the town and all its personages see to A10
The Last Respite adventure module.
GREAT MORASS
At the mouth of the Hruesen River lies a deep, verdant flood
plain. The plain yielded an abundance of crops during the height
of the Aenochian reign, making many families rich beyond
imagining. Crops of wheat, soya, cotton, and tobacco flowed
from the region. The inhabitants built an elaborate system of
roads that wound their way to the capital Al Liosh. Their manor
houses and palaces dotted the countryside as did small towns
that housed craftsmen, merchants, freemen, and serfs mostly
gathered from the lands of the Ethrum to the west. A sprawling
trade town, Menentak, with a massive castle, was built on the
east bank of the Hruesen as well. It served as the cultural and
economic center for the river valley.
All that ended with the coming of Unklar. The lords and ladies
of Menentak stood against Unklar and were destroyed. Few
survived the slaughter that followed. They did, in the end,
declare Menentak an open city and called upon the mercy of
Unklar soldiers to not destroy it. They agreed, leaving the city
intact but carted its inhabitants off to the slave pits of Aufstrag.
Some few eked out a living in the aftermath of the wars and
tried to rebuild but it proved fruitless. The many dikes and
canals became impediments to the waters flow and the land
suffered from a series of floods that wreaked havoc on everyone
and everything. When the Winter Dark came, the land froze
over and yielded no more crops. Those who remained fled. They
cursed their homeland, calling it the Great Morass, Blasted
Heath and other such names.
Few dwell there now. It is wild, open country. Ironically, the
town of Menentak remains, largely intact, left as it was during
those wars long ago. Frozen in time during the Winter Dark it
was thought to be a haunted place. The modern era has not
seen that diminished as not a few of the Aenochian High Lords,
undead creatures of unspeakable horror, have returned from
their long bondage to the city of yesterday, occupied, no doubt,
with dreams of their youth.
GRAUSUMLAND
The Grausumland, the Gray Pools, is a mire of stinking, fetid,
rotting swamps. The swamps are dark, cast in thick fogs and
smokes. Unklar created this grotesque bog to protect Aufstrag.
He churned the land with his malice, and vomited the filth of
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 11
Aufstrag upon it, creating a wasteland twisted and foul. Into this
he drained waters from the Uphrates and Udunilay rivers, flooding
the whole region. The waters carried the filth to the fore turning
the morass black and releasing foul vapors that ever hang over
the swamp. Nearer to Aufstrag the swamps become a dangerous
mire, for there, sprawling out for miles around the mighty fortress
lay the ruins of Al-Liosh, buried now, lost to the corruption of
the Gray Pools. But beneath the waters lies a world of ancient
houses, palaces and the armies of ancient Aenoch, where streets
are roofed in the mire, and the dead wander in hopelessness.
The ground swells and bubbles, spewing sulfurous odors and red
mud. The land abounds in sinkholes, mud slicks, quicksand,
and slimy pits that suck down anything that happens to step
upon them. Huge skeletal remains of long-dead trees crowd the
lower reaches, as time and water wear them to nothing. The
stench from the Gray Swamps is overwhelming, knocking lesser
men to their knees; the smell carries far beyond the swamps so
that even those who travel on the plains to the north, west, and
east, or the Blighted Screed to the south must travel beneath
the depressing blanket of its stench.
The Gray Swamps are home to great hulking trees, many
hundreds of feet tall. Called by the locals the Grunlere Trees,
the “arms of the earth.” Their roots are like gnarled beasts; their
branches, both high and low, droop with curtains of green moss
and drapes of yellow lichen, bark thick and gray, constantly
peeling and falling to the muck below to slap the water, the
echoes of which carry far and wide. The high branches leaf
out, narrow, thin leaves as thick as a wasp swarm crowning
the whole. Other trees grow in the shadows of these monsters,
cypress, prickly ash, and swamp willows. And plants grow in
abundance. Flesh-cutting saw grass, eelgrass, horse-tail, sedge,
and cane crown knolls of mud and line the trails that meander
the swamps. Mixed with the swamp’s grasses are arrowhead
weeds, devil’s thorn, knotweed, and skunk cabbage. Hosts of
other plants crowd the swamp, from chokeberry to greasewood,
milkwort to bridal wreath.
This place is crowded with denizens of one’s nightmares.
Unklar’s breath lingers, and the life he gave to many a foul
creature echoes in the cruel and wretched beings that stalk the
waters. There are many and more besides, most hidden from the
eyes of the world and left to find their way in these swamps, who
stop any would-be interlopers. There are great blood-drinking
bats, mud-breathing lizards, and flying snakes. Dragons are said
to be here, as well as ungern in great numbers, and orcs and
goblins from old.
The plunder from a thousand years is stored in deep holes and
massive treasuries in these swamps. Arcane magic is found and
weapons from the wars at the beginning of time. The swamp
rests upon the ruins of ancient, and Al Liosh, the wonder of the
world, and all the treasure contained therein.
GROSSEWALD (SOUTHERN)
This is an old forest. Its birth stretches back to the dawn of time
and it has grown, inexorably, ever since. The trees are neither
massive nor awe-inspiring in their beauty, but they are as hardy as
12 CASTLES & CRUSADES
the goblins who reside, to this day, beneath their eaves. They are
as gnarled and knuckled as a pit fighter, with thick gray and ocher
barks, and bent and twisting limbs creeping towards the earth.
They are green trees whose broad-lobed leaves never brown or
yellow with the season, but withstand the encroachments of age
and time, perhaps without dignity, but with great fortitude. These
peculiar abilities allowed the forest to thrive during the Winter
Dark. The forest is friendly to the sun, allowing it to shine hither
and yon into verdant green glades.
It was upon the northern flanks of the Grossewald that the
Aenochians first settled, and through its long trails that
Baetan hunted the stag (see “The Andanuth”) that guided
the Aenochian lord to his consort Imbrisius, there to snare his
people ever after.
The forest spreads wide, dominating central Aenochia, from
the Hammers Wood to the Minden Deeps. The great rivers
Udunilay and Ordavar flow mightily beneath the limbs of
these trees. There, within the forest, creatures never seem to
die, for ‘tis told that eldritch goblins, the sorcerers of old, still
move about in freedom. All manner of beast is found within,
the remains of the All Father’s imaginings, as well as those cast
aside by Unklar. After the reign of that unholy lord, many a
minion fled into these uncharted wildernesses, biding their time
in dark anticipation for his return.
Along its frontiers, though, dwell clans upon clans of halflings,
the only untainted ones in all Aihrde willing to brave both the
forest and its horrible minions. They are led by the battle lord,
Witterkind, he who bears a Font of Narrheit upon his belt (see
Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde). These stout folk lives both
in laagers of wagons and villages built into the hills, valleys, and
forests.
HRUESEN RIVER
This river spills out of the Great Morass or Blasted Heath far to
the north and lazily makes its way through the Eastern Opens
until it abuts the Blacktooth Ridge. It has many feeder streams
along its width and breadth. Its course narrows and becomes
tumultuous some 50 miles north of Botkinburg as it enters the
rougher hilly lands of the region. Beyond the ridge, it tumbles
on south until it spills into and passes through Lake Elweth
before it wanders its way to the Gulf of Barachia.
The river is plentiful with fish and offers a wealth of food to
settlers, bears, and others who depend upon fish for food. But
this also attracts fell creatures of all sorts and makes travel
along the river perilous in that upper river, far away from
the settlements of man. Further south the river plays host to
small skiffs, boats, and barges as fisherman ply its waters and
merchants carry goods up and down the river.
Many a strange and ancient creature can be seen in its blue
waters.
IAOLEMETA RIVER
This small river originates in one of the ancient canals of the
Aenochians. The canal itself was built to connect a market valley
with the Kasda River and Udunilay River beyond. During the early
days of Unklar’s reign, the people here built a large dike to keep
out the waters of the inundation. It flanked the northern edge of
the canal. It works for some time until soldiers in Unklar’s employ
broke it in several places and flooded the land and the canal. Since
those days the canal has served to drain the swamps into the Kasda
and it has become something of a natural waterway.
The Iaolemeta is a slow-moving river, at times almost standing
still. Only when it reaches the Blighted Screed does it pick up
steam. It is only 20-30 feet wide in its beginning, but within a
few miles broadens beyond the original canal and ranges up to
50 feet wide. It can be very deep in places, up to 30 feet. In the
Screed, it is roughly 100 feet wide but shallow. Travel up the
Iaolemeta is relatively easy as the current is almost nonexistent.
Though weathered, the dike remains. It serves many travelers
in the swamps as a landmark, for it stands high above the water
and the river/canal. It is visible for miles around, easy to travel
up or down and broad enough to camp on. It is roughly 20 feet
wide at the top.
JAMBURG
The years after the fall of Unklar were hard years. The great
wars had ended, but countless battles continued to be fought
by small armies attempting to carve a living out from the new
world. Such an army, numbering about a thousand disaffected
soldiers of Aufstrag, ruffians, drifters, and others, rode into the
Northern Marches of New Aenoch not long after the Winter
Dark Wars ended. They lay waste to several small holdings before
they brought the wrath of the young Empress down upon them.
Pursued, they fled north to the borders of the Blighted Screed
where her army, at last, overtook them. Pinned against the Ans
River they occupied a high bluff overlooking the river. There they
dug in, constructing a network of trenches and redoubts to hold
off the knights and their men at arms. A siege soon developed.
For over a year the Aenochians besieged the encampment.
Their army, however, was never large enough to encircle it, so
that raiders could easily obtain food and water from the Ans. At
last, they quit the field and left the raiders to their own devices.
From this little battle the town of Jamburg was born, for a year
dwelling in the bluffs allowed the raiders to dig in, building
underground bunkers, trenches to connect them, fortify mounds
of earth and carve out caves to allow them to fish and use the
river as needed. When the knights retired, the raiders remained
and slowly the rough-cut fortifications took on the shape of a
town. The trenches and the connecting trenches became paths,
soon paved with wood and later stone. Homes were carved
into the bluff, half underground, half above. Houses sprang up
between the trenches and more solid, stone houses on the bluff
above. Eventually, the whole was walled in with a semi-circular
wall that stretched around the bluff and lay anchored on the
river both above the town and below it. One large gate emitted
people to the strange town on the river.
Jamburg is a free town, ruled by a Mayor and his council, all
are members of the city guard or prominent members of the
town itself. It attracts a host of undesirables, people who have
drifted up from New Aenoch, leaving that realm for whatever
reason, or who have come down from the north. The town is
only loosely governed, and its citizens a very rough and in many
cases, vile sort of people.
Jamburg is poorly maintained and its “streets”, many of which
still resemble the trenches they were during the siege, barely
paved and in many places only covered with wood planks.
During the rainy seasons, it becomes a mud pit, and winter sees
these same streets blocked by untended snowdrifts. Some of
the buildings are in decent shape, most little more than wood
cabins. The main tavern and inn, the Butternut, is a stone
building with a wooden second floor, overlooking the river.
Other taverns are not so well made. The permanent citizens
are an unruly lot, well-armed and prone to violence. Strangers,
however, are rarely bothered, almost never questioned and find
it easy to blend in. For this reason, it is something of a haven for
those on the run or seeking amenity.
Jamburg is a center for trade in stolen and acquired goods. Many
adventurers come here to purchase items or sell plunder they’ve
taken in the Screed or Grausumland, or from the Aenochians.
Total Population: 4,000
Human: 3,000
Gnome: 500 +/-
Halfling: 300 +/-
Dwarf: 200 +/-
Elf: 70 +/-
Government: Jamburg is only loosely run by the Mayor,
presently one called Fletcher. He commands a small armed
guard, but these serve as little more than bodyguards and gate
wardens. They do exact a toll from all entering the town.
Military: Fletcher can call on the town militia, a rough and
tumble crew of up to 300 individuals. In times of dire need, that
number breaks a thousand as all able-bodied are pressed into
service.
Economy: Jamburg is a Tier One economy.
Religion: All the gods are worshipped here. A temple to
Narrheit, unusual in any city, stands on the bluff, not far from
the Butternut.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken here.
Major Guilds: Muddles Inc., as well as the Rat’s Den, have a
presence here. They are often at odds with each other. Beyond
that, only the Cult of the Swords has made itself openly known.
KASDA RIVER
The slow-moving Kasda originates in the heart of what is now the
Blighted Screed. Long ago it was a rich river valley that sported a
dozen large manor houses and palaces, homes to the Aenochians
who dwelt there, and several small towns. Now it carries the sand
and waste of the Blight west toward the Udunilay.
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 13
In its early courses, it is a shallow, narrow river roughly 60-80
feet wide. After the Iaolmeta River joins it the Kasda broadens
to several hundred feet but does not pick up much speed,
meandering its way to the larger river in the west. The river
is easy to navigate, both up and downstream, as the current is
never terribly strong.
It runs a rusty yellow-brown for much of its course and where
the river spills into the Udunilay the water of that river becomes
cloudy. But that effect lasts for only a few hundred yards as the
volume of water coming down from the north breaks it up.
LAKE OF UL
The huge sprawling Lake of Ul lies in the Grausumland and
is fed by the Udunilay River. The lake was created by one of
the God Emperors who sought to replicate the Amber Sea in
the South. He loved to sail, and he loved boats so he set his
might toward excavating a vast area of the Vale and channeling
the river’s waters into it. Huge dikes were built to contain it
and several islands left in its course. The region flooded and
became a place of wonder and beauty in the days of its glory.
The Emperor called it the Waters of Laemonoth, after his wife.
Floating palaces were built upon the waters and large sailboats
passed between them. Barges too, elaborately outfitted were put
in the water and all the wealth of Aenoch enjoyed the inner sea
and the beauty of tame water.
But all that ended when the Empire fell and Aenoch came to
ruin. The cost of maintaining the lake became too great and the
floating palaces were abandoned. Like much of the glory of old, it
lost its luster with time. When the Darkness came, the lake was
filled with evil creatures that hunted its shores and slaughtered all
they found. Foul demons and devils from the underworld settled
into its deeps and it was renamed the Lake of Ul.
Today it is a foul place and dangerous. It is deep in places, over
300 feet. Where the river runs the current is swift, pushing
through the lake, but elsewhere it is slow and lethargic. The ruins
of Al Liosh remain in the water and out of it, plain for all to see.
LAKE RADLEBY
This large inland lake lies within two arms of the Bearcoat
Roughs. It is fed by melting glaciers that lie on the high slopes of
Mount Pendlton. Lake Radlbey avoided most of the devastation
of the Winter Dark Wars. The Lake layout of the path of Kain
the Duke of Altengrund when he lay waste to the Luneberg
Plains. And they were just far enough removed from the Toten
Fields when those areas were devastated by several armies.
The lake is generally placid, her calm waters inviting sailors
and fisherman. However, this is subject to violent changes as
the Ursal Wind coils around the great Plains of Achrothos
and thunder across the Grausumland. Here the wind picks up
moisture and violent storms evolve. The Ursal Wind drives these
storms into the Roughs, and the two arms of the mountains
channel them across the lake. At such times the waters become
extremely hazardous, large waves whipped up to thunder across
the open water. The storms develop suddenly and as suddenly
spend themselves.
14 CASTLES & CRUSADES
The lake is a source of pure, cool, freshwater and attracts all
manner of creatures. There are several aquatic beasts that hunt
the lake, and not a few monsters who dwell along its shore.
There are fish in great abundance, though few fish its waters
unless they come from the Fromian River Valley. It is said that
the fish in Radleby grow as large as a wagon.
The ruins of a score of palaces of the Aenochians, long
abandoned, remain on the banks of the lake. It was here that
the Princess Nem-et-Uhl ruled in her gold and topaz palace. A
powerful sorceress born at the height of the Aenochian Empire.
She came to embody the great spirit of that people and their
unknowing cruelty, for in her court lesser men were slain for
a pittance. She saw this as a favor, a goodness given to her
subjects, for who, indeed would lead the life of lesser men. The
Princess disappeared in her youth, leaving her sprawling palace,
vast wealth and magics behind. Such was the fear of her that
her domains remained untouched during all the long years of
the Winter Dark.
LUDENSHEIM
Ludensheim was once called Geerdes Gag and ruled by evil
princes who served Unklar. Geerdes Gag, when initially
designed, consisted of little more than a bridge over the Hruesen
River and several towers to guard that crossing. Many giants
and trolls labored long and hard to make the bridge and towers
to the exacting specifications of Unklar’s engineers. Their work
was a wonder then and is even now. So well were they made,
they stand undiminished 1000 years later.
Geerdes Gag changed in size and scope over the centuries.
After the armies of orc and ungern poured over the Hruesen,
the Captain Kings of Aufstrag decided to make Geerdes Gag
a fortress to oversee the nearby lands and barrack the many
troops needed to keep the region under their dominion as well
as those moving through the area. A keep was raised, walls
wrapped around it and a labyrinth built beneath it.
After the banishment of Unklar, Geerdes Gag was forsaken by
all but the most stalwart of Unklar’s soldiery. The crusaders of
New Aenochia eventually made their way to Geerdes Gag and
laid waste to it killing all its inhabitants and pulling the keep
and portions of the walls down, though leaving the bridge and
towers beside it intact. Thereafter, Geerdes Gag was named
Ludensheim after Prince Luden, the commander of the army
which brought the orcs of Geerdes Gag to their knees, after he
decided to occupy the towers. A slow trickle of people moving to
Ludensheim quickly became a flood once gold was discovered in
the Hruesen River and the place has grown into a walled town
yet again. Thus, the Barony of Ludensheim was born.
The gold has since given out and fewer and fewer crusaders
make their way here as internal strife in Aenochia is beginning
to consume their time and efforts. As a result, the power
structure of the town has changed and those knights and their
orders have diminished greatly in power.
The town is ruled by a descendant of Prince Luden, Dietbold
Heimer and his family. It vies with Botkinburg to the east for
the Crusader traffic coming up from New Aenoch. It is a larger
town than Botkinburg, but less hospitable, leaning toward the
tyrannical. The Baron commands both the royal guard in the
keep and the city guard.
Ludensheim is a vibrant trade center, offering much more than
its neighboring town. It is often the recipient of traffic from the
west but also suffers from raids coming down from that region
and the Blighted Screed.
Total Population: 2,500
Human: 2,300 +/-
Gnome: 100 +/-
Halfling: 50 +/-
Dwarf: 25 +/-
Elf: 10 +/-
Government: The Baron holds hereditary rights to Ludensheim
and the surrounding areas. He rules with little direction from
the Empress in far off New Aenoch.
Military: The Baron can call up to 60 men at arms, half a
dozen clerics, 20 odd mercenaries and about 200 individually
armed militia in times of need.
Economy: Ludensheim has a Tier Two economy.
Religion: All the gods are worshiped here, but Ore Tsar is the
most common.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken.
Guilds: There are several trade guilds active here as well as
Muddles Inc.
MAGDEBURG
During the Winter Dark Wars Kain, the Godless was set by his
master, Unklar, to destroy the enemy. He crossed from Aufstrag
into the Luneberg Plains, a region in which the Council of
Light, Augsberg and her other allies hotly contested. Kain
lay waste to it all. He burned cities and towns, putting their
populations to death. He pulled up the Ursal Road. Burned
crops and polluted the fields. Forests were cut down and
burned out. Wells, lakes, and ponds were poisoned. The
Devastation of Kain is known in book and song throughout all
the Lands of Ursal (see Codex of Aihrde).
But as in any apocalypse, some survive. In the Luneberg, only
two towns did so, Unspt and Madgeburg.
Located in the southern plains near the Bearcoat Roughs, built
upon the ruins of an old city, Magdeburg is essentially two
towns. Within her, thick wood and stone walls are a wedge of
stone houses and buildings, shops and the like. The streets are
paved and in places well lit. This is considered the inner city
where Mayor the Lord Enternich rules. A mercenary by trade,
he settled in the town after overstaying his welcome in the
Rhuneland. Through muscle, he has taken control of most of
the burg but continues to vie for control with the Thieves Pit,
a motley collection of rouges, brigands, prostitutes, and thieves.
The Thieves Pit exists “beyond the walls” as the outer town is
called. Here, the town quality declines rapidly; rickety houses
of wood and slate jumble in a cacophony of architectural noise.
Dirt streets, hardly more than alleys, snake and twist between
buildings which sport shops, taverns, opium dens, and brothels.
Magdeburg is a dangerous place where weapons are borne
openly. The city guard has authority only in the inner city.
“Beyond the walls” belongs to the Thieves Pit.
Total Population: 5,350 +/-
Human: 4,000 +/-
Gnome: 500 +/-
Halfling: 300 +/-
Dwarf: 100 +/-
Elf: 50 +/-
Government: Mabdeburg has two active governments. Lord
Enternich rules as Mayor, though one with absolute power, in
the Inner City. The Thieves Pit, an extraordinarily violent and
rapacious thieves guild, rules Beyond the Walls.
Military: Enternich can field a mercenary army of roughly 200
warriors. He has a house mage that travels with him as well.
Economy: It is a Tier One economy.
Religion: All the gods are worshipped here.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken.
Guilds: There are several trade guilds here. The Cult of the
Swords has a strong presence, particularly with Enternich. The
Thieves Pit keeps all other guilds from taking root.
MOORS
The moors extend from the Blighted Screed on either bank of
the Iaolmeta River in the south for some 75-90 miles into the
north, flanking the south-eastern edge of the Grausumland.
They consist of broad plains of thick sphagnum moss, peat and
saw grass, broken up by countless small pools and lakes and
sandbars. The ground throughout the Moors is damp, almost
sponge-like and makes travel here difficult. There are hidden
sinkholes and quicksand spread generously throughout the
whole region.
Small stream links ponds and open water, as do some ancient
canals. Town streets from the ancient Aenochians often serve
this purpose. But all are narrow and emit only small boats,
canoes and skiffs.
The land is hot, hunted by large vultures and wyverns who nest
on the flanks of Aufstrag and hunt the Moors for carrion or prey
as suits them. It is a favored hunting ground for a small breed
of wolf as well, large predatory cats and other such creatures.
Few live in the Moors. It is an inhospitable land that grows little
and yields less. Even so, some have settled in the deeps of the
place, building small houses or shacks and carving a living out
of the wilderness. It is a favored haunt of naga, the witches who
breed them, will-o-wisps, and other fey.
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 15
MOUNT UTRING
Across the broken and ragged ground of the Blighted Screed,
one massive outcrop of rock and slag thrusts up from the
tundra. This 2000-foot-tall hill dominates the landscape. But
the hill itself is dominated by a mass of huge dark clouds that
seem to cling to its flanks, dumping huge amounts of snow or
frozen rain across the crags, ledges, into the ravines and crevices
and all across its surface. Even when the season is warm these
thunderous clouds dump snow across Mount Utring’s flanks.
Though the mountain itself is locked in winter’s embrace, the
land around is not. Here lies the lacerated landscape of the
Blighted Screed, where temperatures vary with the season, but
where it is never as cold as Mount Utring. The weather that
comes from the Screed causes a constant melt-off upon the
slopes of the mountain so that many small rivulets of water run
down the ravines, pass beneath the snowpack or in underground
caves to collect in shallow basins and creeks at the base of the
mountain. For the most part, the waters from the melting snow
and ice are absorbed by the parched earth around the mountain
and several fertile and well-watered areas now exist there. There
is one creek, on the east side of the mountain, which trails off to
the south and east to another larger Ans River.
There are three villages located at the base of the mountain.
Mount Utring houses the fortress Utring Akt (refer to Utring
Akt below).
MURLIEN AKT
Murlien Akt was built during the Winter Dark and served as a
small station for messengers. It consisted of a motte and bailey
castle upon a hill overlooking the edge of the Grausumland. From
its height, the Udunilay River was east to see. It was occupied by a
small garrison commanded by Bule, an ungern chieftain.
After Unklar’s fall, Bule remained at his post, and though many
around him sought to flee to Aufstrag to join in the fight, he
refused. Knowing his master was banished he husbanded his
strength. In those early days, Murlien became a haven for those
fleeing the turmoil of war. Bule welcomed them and began to style
himself a lord. He recast Murlien as a refuge and holy ground
and set about building it anew. Employing many dispossessed he
raised a new wall and added several keeps. He built a temple on
a rise nearby and made sacrifices to Unkar. More flocked to his
banner and he built ever greater fortifications until the castle of
Murlien Akt commanded all the country about.
He gave refuge to all who fled the chaos from the west, allowing
the construction of villages and farmsteads. Enlisting soldiers of
Unklar’s old army he fleshed out his ranks until he commanded
an army of some size. In time he raided the river as far south
East Branch River and into the west, even so far as the shores
of Lake Bas in the Confederation of Torrich. Many men, great
and small fell to his blade. More flocked to him until at last, he
crowned himself King Bule Man Slayer.
His kingdom extends from the Kasda River in the south to the
banks of Udunilay in the west. He claims all the land north to
the borders of the Moors and some of the Moors besides. A
16 CASTLES & CRUSADES
dozen small villages of orcs and ungern lie within his domain.
He aims to conquer all of the Screed and the northern forests of
the Kellerwald as well.
Total Population: 1,400*
Human: 100
Orc: 1,000 +/-
Ungern: 300 +/-
*This is the population within the fortress city of Mulien Akt,
not the total population of Bule’s Kingdom.
Government: Murlien Akt is ruled by the self-styled King Bule
Man Slayer, an ungern warlord from Aufstrag. He rules as an
absolute monarch in his fortress and the kingdom around.
Military: The fortress is garrisoned by some 300 ungern and
houses, in the dungeons beneath another thousand orcs. He
can raise a further 500 ungern and another two thousand or
so orcs from the lands about. There are a smattering of other
creatures that King Bule can call upon, including wizards of the
Paths of Umbra and assassin of the Crna Ruk.
Economy: Murlien Akt itself is but a fortress, but the economy
of the small kingdom around it is a Tier One economy, as they
derive most of their wealth from raids or tribute.
Religion: The only temple here is to Unklar. Worship of all
other gods is prohibited.
Language: Ungern is spoken here. It is forbidden to speak
any other language in Murlien, except for ancient Aenochian.
Anyone using any language aside from those two is fined, those
heard using Ethrum are put to death.
Guilds: The Crna Ruk and Paths of Umbra both have
representation in Murlien Akt.
NEW AENOCH
Aesperdi, Barachia, Dundador, Kourland, and Meteira, as well
as the cities of Vilshofen and Heimstat, rebelled against the
tumbling might of Unklar’s Empire in 1030md. These cities
lived under the shadow of Aufstrag for a thousand years. They
grew wealthy through control of the overseas trade routes and
they suffered little from the hand of Unklar. In consequence,
a powerful, educated merchant class came to rule these cities.
When war came to the Empire, the lords of Aenoch banded
together in a loose confederation and prepared to rebel.
Pryzmira, the last daughter of the House of the Old Empire of
Aenoch, came to them and promised the wealth and power
of the Council if they would support her claim to the ancient
lineage. She bore the dagger mark on her shoulder, the sign of
the ruling family. and they believed her. They agreed to league
with Pryzmira under the stipulation that each of the seven
lands, the Duchies of Aesperdi, Barachia, Dundador, Kourland
and Meteira and the city-states of Heimstat and Vilshofen, be
given the rights to elect the Empress and her heirs to the throne.
In turn, she demanded that their borders be permanently fixed,
that they give her the city of Ascalon to rule from, and that they
grant her wide privileges of taxation and expansion. In 1040md,
the 30-year-old Pryzmira became Empress of Aenoch.
The Empress then turned to the western lands and called for
a crusade promising land and wealth. The summons generated
wide enthusiasm in the west and hosts of adventurers came to
carve holdings for themselves. Though the coming years saw
many victories and some expansion, the Empire failed to expand
much beyond its original borders. The worship of Ore Tsar,
however, came with the crusaders and the seven lands became
powerful supporters of the new religion. Heimstat is ruled by a
Bishop in the church of Ore Tsar.
Pryzmira still rules in Aenoch. She is the last of the rulers who
emerged from the wars of the Winter Dark. The last two decades
of her rule have seen little in the way of military expansion. She
struggles with increasing the commercial power of Ascalon in
the face of the seven lands, maintaining the worship of the elder
gods in the face of the church of Ore Tsar, and ensuring her
daughter Neratite’s elevation to the throne.
Aenoch promises high adventure and quick wealth. The
political and religious unrest cause constant feuds between the
seven lands and the Empress, between the old and new gods.
The continuous calls for crusaders to rid the lands to the north
of wild orcs and remnants of the horrors of Aufstrag make
Aenoch a beacon for would-be glory hunters.
ORNLAW VALLEY
The lush grass-covered valley lies between the Stone Ridge
and Blacktooth Ridge. It was once farmland but has long since
returned to the wild and now plays host to two small herds of
bison. The remnants of old stone farmhouses dot the valley,
offering shelter to those who pass through. Water is plentiful as
is small game. Its wealth in wildlife makes it a favored hunting
ground for very large wargs who come from the Blighted Screed
to hunt. They are a danger to any who pass through the valley.
PETE BOGS
The swamps of the Gruasumland give way in the south to a
series of broad, flat bogs. Beginning at the edge of the Toten
Fields, these bogs extended 15-20 miles into the swamps around
Aufstrag and from the Buzial River in the north, down to the
Serit River in the south. They are shallow, roughly one to 4
feet deep. These bogs formed after the fall of Unklar. When the
Winter Dark ended the marsh, shallow here, attracted a host
of shrubs, mosses, and grasses. These in turn died and settled
beneath the water, creating a thick, clinging mud. The water
remained; the sphagnum moss continued to grow until the
whole region became an impassable quagmire.
Travel here is slow, movement rates cut in half and the risk of
sinking into mud too deep to escape is prevalent everywhere.
Many fey have settled in this region as well, will o wisps and
witches, boggarts and bog hags, cearbs, spriggans and the like.
The bogs come by their peculiar name for a knight of Kayomar
fell here during the final battles of the Winter Dark Wars.
Peter of Lansdale led a troop of his house knights into the bogs
pursuing part of the host of Aufstrag. He became lodged in the
mud and was slain there. The fey who came to dwelt in the
bogs, took up his lifeless form and made a marker of it. They
mocked it and his ghost. To this day it has not been retrieved
and appears to haunt those who cross the bogs. It has led to the
strange name for all-around call the bogs the Pete Bogs, Pete
Marsh, or Peter’s Water and similar names.
PLAINS OF ACHROTHOS
The vast grasslands of Achrothos dominate all the land east of
Aufstrag. They are hemmed in by the Black Hills in the north,
the Grausumland Swamps and the Grossewald forest in the
west, and the Blacktooth Ridge in the south. Marked by long
hot, summers and cold winters, the grasslands are hard on those
who live there. Home to herds of bison, wild horses, and other
herbivores, the plains attract wolves of all stripes, large brown
bears and other predators.
Few humanoids except gnolls make their home on the plains.
The gnolls travel in small bands of 20-50, though these are
usually part of a larger tribe. At times they gather under one
leader and raid the lands to the west, south or north. The gnolls
contend with the horsemen of the Maduan tribes, humans, and
fierce warriors whose mounted skills are unmatched but for
the greatest of the knights in the west. The Maduan travel the
plains in bands that range from very small to very large. They
have a tribal organization but are very sophisticated people who
trade with both New Aenoch, Grafika and Punj to the north.
They are the traditional enemies of the Aenochians.
Lesser dragons hunt Achrothos as well, feasting on the rich
variety of herd animals. Griffons, roosting in the south also hunt
the plains. Other creatures come to the plains seeking prey and
often lair up in the many ruins that dot the countryside. These
ruins are the remnants of the old Empire, consisting of manors,
palaces, castles, and keeps. It is rumored that vast wealth lies
abandoned in the Plains of Achrothos as Unklar’s people left
the area largely intact.
RED HILLS
The Red Hills are part of the southern chain of the Antule
Mountains. In the south, they rise gradually out of the Illumbrian
Plains and overlook the Toten Fields in the north. These hills
and valleys undulate for many miles, increasing in height and
depth the further into the mountains one travels. The northern
reaches of the mountains become steeper though they are not
topped with the jagged peaks and steep cliffs found throughout
much of the Antule Mountains. The upper slopes are sparsely
forested with a mixture of aspen and stunted junipers while
wispy grasses grow over much of the remainder.
The southern slopes are usually dry, being washed only by
gentle winter rains and summer showers. During the winter, the
runoff forms small creeks and streams that pour down into the
plains to the south, filling its many lakes and ponds. These rains
have also cut into the deep red and black clays that form the
lower slopes of the mountains. These clays are highly prized for
making pottery and many a village depends on their export and
processing for their livelihood. The upper reaches are poorly
explored and little used, but the grasses do offer summer fodder
for small herds of bovine, elk, deer, and other grazers.
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 17
The southern portion of these mountains is dominated by the
Hlobane orcs of Fortress Hul. These highly organized orcs were
the pride of Unklar during the Winter’s Dark, and have not
forgotten it. They worship the Horned God still and slay any
who transgress in their lands (see Fortress of Hul above).
SERIT RIVER
The Serit’s origins lie in the Pete Bogs to the north. It’s a small
river, 60-100 feet wide and 20 feet deep. It meanders its way
through the marsh until it breaks out into the grasslands south of
the swamp. It does not stay there long however; within a few miles,
it spills into the Udunilay River. The river is small, overgrown
with reeds and brush and difficult to navigate. It is easy to hide
in, however, and many a bandit, raider or adventurers has found
refuge in the crowded banks of the little Serit.
THE STONE RIDGE
The spur of the Blacktooth Ridge is roughly 30 miles long
and half as wide. The Stone Ridge is stark, consisting of
staggered cliffs that climb 5-600 feet above the plains, to a
narrow ridgeline before they climb back down on the north
face. There is one trail, Tailors Walk Road, that leads up to the
top of the Ridge and down again. It is narrow and steep. The
ridge itself is only a few hundred feet wide. The inaccessibility
of the ridge top made this an attractive place to build. During
the Winter Dark, several towers were built here. They lie in
ruins now but are home to several marauders and it is said a
wizard of some repute.
SUMP
The Sump is a broad lake on the northern edge of the
Grausumland and at the mouth of the Wasting Way. Anyone
who wishes to travel the Wasting Way must first cross the Sump.
The Sump is a deadly dangerous place to find oneself in. The
ground here is utterly saturated, the water turning the clay-
filled earth into a vast patch of thick, clinging mud. The water
is rarely over a few inches high, even during the rainy season.
What water the ground cannot drink runs off in rivulets to the
south. This makes boat travel impossible.
The ground itself is broken and pockmarked. Some areas are
relatively flat, with the earth just beneath the surface of the
water. However, the water does cover deep holes and gulches
filled with a murky, muddy liquid. Falling in one of these holes
is dangerous, as mud lines them from their bottoms to the top
edges. Falling in means getting stuck, and getting out is not as
easy as going in.
Some paths exist through the lake, but these only lead to the
swamp and are known by only a few rangers and animals.
Otherwise, entering the mud is dangerous. The mud is thick,
clinging to boots, feet, legs, cloaks and anything else it touches.
The weight of the thick, clingy mud serves to drag one into the
Sump where one is likely to remain until the Gonfod, the end
of days.
See A11 The Wasting Way for more.
18 CASTLES & CRUSADES
TOTEN FIELDS
The Fields of Alpa were once fertile lands where people lived
out their lives in the relative peace of the Winter Dark. Villages
and farmsteads dotted the landscape, and so close were they
to Aufstrag that few molested them even during the height of
the Winter Dark Wars. This changed in 1137md when the final
battle between the dark and the Young Kingdoms was fought.
For months, humans, dwarves, and elves gathered in the
wilds of the Luneburg, and in the high summer of 1137md,
the allied host crossed the Udunilay River to attack Aufstrag.
But the imperial forces had not been idle. They had gathered
the flower of the empire and called on those dragons who still
lived, devils and wild fiends of the pit. Several of the foul mogrl
joined them, as did many wizards. All the hosts of the west met
them in battle, the flower of Anglamay, Kayomar, Augsberg,
Grundliche-Hohle, and Norgorad Kam as well as many other
diverse nations. The battle waged far and wide across the plans
and was called the Turegfell, the Battle of the Tree. Turegfell
shook the land to its foundations and left the whole land west
of the swamps a desolate wasteland. Many of both hosts fell,
including such lords as King Morgan of Kayomar and Princess
Elisa. Coburg too, lord of the tower died as well. So great was the
carnage that men left their brothers on the field, and even the
dwarves’ stout hearts failed to pull the fallen from the calamity
and ruin of the war. Mounds of dead lay where they fell. The
magic of the magi blasted the earth beyond healing, charging
the very air with arcane power. Even the druids failed to break
the horror which hung over the fields of Alpa.
In time, the place became a stinking morass of silted pools and
poisoned earth. The Plains of Alpa were renamed then, called
the Dead Lands, or the Toten Fields.
The earth eventually swallowed up the dead and the land
healed some little, but the lands of the Toten Fields were ever
after haunted places, plagued by the howls of the dead and
damned. It is said that on warm days the goodly Princess Elisa
(see the Codex of Aihrde, Aachen) can be seen calling for her
lords and her father to come to her and find her. Untold wealth
and magic lie buried in the Toten Fields, sunk deep into the
earth, but the ghosts of the fallen wander the hills, calling out
their pain. Necromancers thus frequent the land in search of
the power of the dead.
The only thing of value in the whole land is a small worm that,
when coaxed right, produces the finest silks in the world. A yard
of the silk can easily sell for 20gp in Anglamay. Reputed to be
used only by the Horned God himself in times past, the silk is
now available only rarely, for few brave the wasteland to cull it
from the stricken earth.
UDUNILAY RIVER
A mighty river, perhaps the most fearful of all rivers upon
Aihrde, the Udunilay begins high up Mount Ud, deep in the
Grundliche Mountains near the Hohle of the same name. It
is said that the water flows from the eye of the All Father, so
clean and pure is its beginning. It is called the River of Eternal
Life, for, like many things in this part of the world, it seems
indomitable and endless.
It tumbles and careens over falls and mountains, fed by an
ever-increasing number of streams, spring melt, and glaciers
until it dumps a mighty gush of water onto the broad plains of
Aenochia. From thence it flows through the Grossewald, the
Grausumland, and the Kellerwald before arriving at the Amber
Sea. It is fed by the Ondovar and the Uphrates, making the
river’s southern courses a league or more in width.
So powerful is its flow, the Grausumland could not absorb it,
though Unklar bent much of his will towards taming it, and it
filled all the ruins of Al-Liosh.
The Udunilay stood as the main avenue of traffic for centuries,
until the creation of the Grausumland, carrying goods north
and south. It fertilizes all the central plain, watered the people
of Al-Liosh and later Aufstrag. It is here that the first of the
Aenochians dwelt.
UPHRATES RIVERS
This major river begins in the well-watered Plains of Achrothos.
Fed by hosts of small streams and rivers it broadens very quickly
so that by the time it reaches Three Bends, about a hundred
miles into its course, it is a large body of water. South of Three
Bends the river is a good 300-400 feet wide, moves at a slow,
almost languished pace as it flows south of the Withing Oaks.
After the Withing, the Uphrates widens to roughly 500-600
feet. Here the fish are plentiful and men ply those waters all year
long, plucking a harvest from the waters that once fed all the
Vale of Al Liosh. Beyond the lake the river tightens its course,
passes beneath the Great Bridge of Aremin and onto the south,
feeding the fertile plains, or what was once the fertile plains, of
central Aenoch, before it enters its sister river, the Udunilay.
The water of the Uphrates was always seen as pure and cleansed
the souls of those who partook of it.
The Uphrates was worshipped by many of the ancient
Aenochians. Its peaceful journey, broad watered plains,
bountiful harvests of fish, all served to enrich the lives of those
who lived near its banks. Sacrifices were routine as people
dropped foodstuffs into the slow-moving water. In later years,
temples were built on the banks and homage paid to the river.
The sacrifices became more extravagant as did the wealth of the
inhabitants. Some of the most powerful Aenochians lived along
its banks, and the ruins of their houses mark it still.
The Winter Dark ended that as the lands were despoiled and
the inhabitants enlisted in the Horned Gods service or were put
to death or bound in chains. The river itself was left unchanged
but it no longer watered the fertile plains, but spilled into the
Gray Swamps, the moat of Aufstrag. Then the waters grew foul,
poisoned with the reek of Unklar’s thought. Despite this, its
course is unaltered, and though no one travels it any longer, its
waters, even in the Grausumland can heal the weary and bring
strength to those struggling in the swamps.
UTRING AKT
Utring Akt refers to the fortress that lies within Mount Utring.
It is the home of the Frost Lord, a powerful elemental lord, and
member of the order of Val Eahrakun who came to the world
in the Days before Days. The Frost Lord served Unklar for
many years. In those years he fortified Mount Utring against all
enemies, both mortal and otherwise. Within the mountain, he
lorded over those realms Unkar doled out to him, accumulated
mountains of treasure and built an army of frost ogres.
There he remained, even after the fall of Unklar.
The mountain itself is difficult to climb and has only one path
that leads up its flanks. This path circumnavigates the mountain,
however, to use it one must first pass through a fortified
gatehouse. Once through the gatehouse, the path offers seven
different entries to Utrink Akt beneath. Each entry is guarded
by a tower. Breaching a tower leads one to the underground
dungeons that are the Frost Lord’s lair.
Each of the seven dungeons is interconnected through a central
hub, which itself is multi-layered. Here, it is rumored, the Frost
Lord dwells.
Total Population: 60
Naga: 5
Orc: 0
Frost Ogre: 40 +/-
Goblin: 15 +/-
Government: The Frost Naga Queen rules in Utring Akt. The
Frost Lord takes no active role in Utring Akt.
Military: If called upon the Naga Queen can gather 40 frost
ogres, half a dozen goblins and 3-4 naga. They obey her every
command, however, the frost ogres are not apt at listening.
Economy: There is no economic development here.
Religion: Unklar is worshiped by all but for the Frost Lord
himself.
Language: The Vulgate, the common tongue, is spoken.
Guilds: There are no guilds here.
For more on Utring Akt and the Frost Lord see the adventure
module A7 Beneath the Despairing Stone.
VALE OF SKADI
In the mountains, nestled between the Nostian and Fromia
rivers and south of the Toten Fields, rests a small and forgotten
valley referred in local legends as the Vale of Skadi. In this valley,
a large and prosperous town named Brunhille once existed. Its
citizens dwelt under the dominion of Aufstrag. With access to
mines, the town grew in power and wealth through trade and
commerce. Unfortunately, Brunhille tried to remain neutral
when Unklar’s powers waned and the Winter Dark Wars began.
It was under the rulership of Aurion the Black that Brunhille refused
the increased demand for resources which Aufstrag mandated.
THE ENVIRONS OF AUFSTRAG 19
Retribution was swift as many of the townspeople were rounded
up and put to death as sympathizers to the newly formed Council
of Light from the west. Brunhille rose up and rebelled against the
imperium, but as the forces of light closed in on Unklar’s seat of
power, armies of darkness were closing on the valley.
In desperation, Brunhille called for aid and, according to stories,
giants came from the mountains and hills, whereas gnomes rose
from hidden places in the earth and came to fight the invaders.
Rumors say that an unknown renegade archmage summoned
demons to do his bidding and fend off the enemy. Other tales
tell of a warrior, carried on a dragon mount, that led the charge
against Aufstrag’s folk.
But it was to no avail. By the time the reign of Unklar came to
an end, so ended the existence of Brunhille. It is believed the
very mountains came down and crushed much of the invaders
and the town itself was destroyed, leaving nothing but ruins
and abandoned buildings. It was a massacre and meant to be an
example for any others thinking of rising up against Aufstrag.
Some survivors remained and settled a small village on the
outskirts of the ruins, but in the years that followed, the fate
of Brunhille, the village, and its stories were mostly forgotten.
But whispers remain. Whispers of a fortress belonging to giants
up in those mountains. Whispers of a warrior’s tomb and
the dragon that guards it. Whispers of a wizard tower at the
center or a town in ruins. And whispers of untold wealth lying
unclaimed in the ruins and the mines not far off.
20 CASTLES & CRUSADES
WITHING OAKS
Called the Wall of the North by the Aenochians the Withing
Oaks are a low range of hills that lie some 30-60 miles north of the
Gruasumland. They extend from the Uphrates to the eves of the
Grossewald, giving out some 10-15 miles from that mighty forest.
The Oaks rise from the grasslands quite precipitously, climbing in
a series of hills and valleys to several hundreds of feet. Travel here
is relatively easy, as the hills are broad and round. Gulches can be
deep and climbing out sometimes difficult, but even then, it is in
the shade of tall White Oaks or the hills themselves.
The Withing Oaks plays host to tall-growing white oak trees
that range up to 100 feet high. Their narrow canopies allow the
trees to grow relatively close to each other. They prefer the well-
watered valleys as opposed to the high, hot hilltops and mostly
grow there. They are a strong tree and have long since choked
out underbrush and scrub, making for a pristine old-growth wood.
Their absence on the hilltops however does allow quite a few
smaller oaks, red maple and hickory to grow. Though the soil on
the tops of the Withing is dry and rocky, affording enough ground
for only a few of these trees. For this reason, it is not uncommon
to spy a red maple, alone atop a hill, her brilliant red leaves a dash
of color in the green and browns of the Withing.
The Fichlum Way passes through the Oaks at the Pass of
Nomenek, but beyond that, there are no roads in the Oaks,
only animal paths and trails cut by rangers.
There are only a few hardy people who live in the Oaks, hunters
and some woodsmen who seek to be far from the paved roads of
cities and towns.