Cragyard
Cragyard is a rugged, wind-swept village perched on the edge of jagged cliffs overlooking a sprawling ravine. It clings to the rocky rise like a stubborn weed, half-carved into the dark stone that gives it its name. Life here is tough, the land is stingy, and the forests to the north (the Ahldian Woods) are said to whisper at night.
The people of Cragyard are known for their bluntness, independence, and suspicion of outsiders. Though technically under Scaeloran rule, they rely far more on trade with dwarves from Dhil Ahldur than on decrees from Wyrmthrone. While unassuming at first glance, Cragyard stands at a quiet crossroads. Rumors among its inhabitants are abundant, be it about strange happenings in the forest, abandoned shrines in the hills, and recent tremors deep beneath the cliffs.
Government
The village is governed by a Council of Elders, composed of three rotating senior villagers elected every ten years. Decisions are made by majority vote, with traditions and oral history playing a major role in governance. Cragyard is one of the few places in the kingdom without a direct gverning link to the Draconic Electorate, although agents from the provicial Legate-Governor are often sent to the village to monitor its governence.
Assets
Wyrmbone Wares: A general goods store run by Brelga Twinstep, an eccentric female gnome. A cluttered shop packed with goods, rations, rope, pitons, handmade potions (of dubious quality), and obscure curios from the woods.
Rime & Resin: Owned and run by the apothecary and herbalist Tassa Fenwright. An half-elf “listener of trees.” She ventures into the Ahldian Woods despite local warnings and claims something old is waking beneath the roots. She offers herbal concoctions, poultices, and minor magical remedies. Tends to incorporate obscure Ahldian rituals in her blends. Tassa is known to offer specialized potions in exchange for rare plants found only deep in the Ahldian Woods.
The Brazen Chisel: A smithy owned and run by Gortan Duvik. A dwarf with a fiery temper. He is a blacksmith and stonemason who supplies tools to the quarry and shoes to traveling caravans. Can also repair arms and armor.
Gortan is furious that his apprentice has gone missing and he wants answers.
Inns and Taverns:
- The Broken Pick: A rickety tavern run by a gruff one-armed dwarf named Thramli Chalkchewer. He's the village's unofficial information broker and sells Dhil Ahldur spirits under the table.
- Old Haunt Inn & Baths: The only inn in town, with an attached stone bathhouse using diverted geothermal water from the cliffs. Run by Marla Osk, a human widow known to be real nosy. Guests regularly report hearing voices in the baths, but Marla shrugs it off, but one former guest fled in the night babbling about “eyes in the steam."
Guilds and Factions
- The Stoneweaver’s Lodge: A Mason's Guild. A formal but dwindling chapter of the masons' guild, nominally connected to Wyrmthrone but practically independent. They are led by the dwarf Mardin Elthook. They are very protective of quarry knowledge. They may know about hidden passageways, buried ruins, or ancient dwarven engineering secrets that predate the village itself.
- The Hollow Pact: An underground (literally and figuratively) group of villagers who believe the Watcher in the Stone is an imprisoned guardian spirit not a relic. They are led by, Brother Ralcen, though he denies the cult's existence.
- The Verdant Bind: A rarely seen circle of druids, known to operate in the Ahldian Woods. Cragyard occasionally sees lone druids or forest-speakers pass through. Their only known representative is Vaen Rhialla, a druid who only speaks Sylvan and Common when necessary.
- Dhil Ahldur Trade Delegation: A small group of dwarves under Envoy Threk Bronzewell, based in the area to monitor border activity and scout new mineral veins. Threk believes the quarry is “sitting on a vault” left sealed by the Ahldurian Stone Sovereigns. He constantly offers the masons coin for access and secrets.
Points of interest
- Shrine of the Watcher in the Stone: An ancient standing stone at the village’s edge. Local legend says it listens to the dreams of villagers. Some claim it has recently begun whispering back.
- Mossfen Trail: A partially collapsed stone path leading into the Ahldian Woods. Used to be a trade route with elven settlements deeper in the forest. Locals avoid it now because of “too many eyes.”
- Highhorn Quarry: Cragyard’s economic backbone, where generations of villagers have mined dark granite. Lately, the quarrymen report “breathing sounds” from deeper tunnels.
Maps
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Cragyard
Population
320
Inhabitant Demonym
Yarders
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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