Dern's Hold

the village formerly known as Dern's Hold

Dern's Hold has been a squalid little viage on the eastern edge of the Green March. The village huddles below a small palisade on a treeless hill. Once well tended fields are starting to show signs of neglect and the villagers moved under a cloud of dread. The town is named after its leader, '''Dern Halfhand'''. This vicious Erenlander is amongst the worst of the human scum working with '''Fraag Longtusk''' army. - a slaver and sadist who takes great pleasure in tourturing his captives, especially those who have little value as slaves.
Dern's Hold was formerly an isolated farm village that thought itself safe from the war. The mercenary, Dern Halfhand, and two dozen of his followers came to the settlement in the summer of LA 98, killing any who tried to oppose them and enslaving the rest. Working with goblin slavers and scouts of Fraag Longtuck's army, Dern has attacked every human village within 40 miles, intending to clear the eastern Green March of all human refuees and Caransil spies.
On the hill's summitt, Dern claimed the village moot hall as his fortress - the eponymous hold. The surrounding woods were cleared to make it harder for the elfkin to approach unseen and to provide timber for the stout, slave-built palisade that crowns the hill.
The village and palisade could have offered a chance to infiltrate a mercenary band, spy on Fraag Longtusk's army, and potentially free a large number of slaves. Dern sought additional warriors to extend his control over the hills. Due to lack of an immediately hostile response, as Dern trained to lure in prey for ambush, Dern's Hold might have appeared to be one of the refuee villages scattered through the Green March.

A SQUALID HOLE

As the trees start to thin, Dern's Hold can be seen atop a barren hill. The hold lies within a crudely built palisade, approximately 300 feet on a side, which follows an uneven course dictated by the shape of the hill. There is no ditch or other impediment before reaching the palisade wall, just the steep sides of the hill. A wide gate is the only entrance into the enclosed compound; big enough for twho mounted men to pass through and guarded at all times by at least two to five of Dern's scruffy warriors.
The base of the small hill is occupided by a decaying farm village, consisting of scattered cottages and a single large stone building. Poorly tended fields of wheat and vegetables, some lying fallow or left to rot, run to a broad belt of blackened tree stumps that circumscribe the clearing before the dark shade of the green wood. If aproached during the day, there are typically 40 to 50 wretched-looking humans, the villagers, tending the fields. At least two armed men, trailed by half a dozen dogs, patrol the surrounds, making sure the peasants do not try to escape. Two guards man the palisade gate at all times. At night, the village falls into almsot complete darkness, the only flickering light coming from the large stone building where two of Dern's men typically stand guard by a roaring fire. The palisade gate is closed at night and remains shut until Dern orders its opening in the morning.
The Hold has enough food within to hold out for more than a week if needed.

Cottages

The village cottages are made of thatched wood, stone, and mud with moldering thatch and earthen sod roofs. Each house holds one or more families, normally four to siz adults and a similar number of children. Most of the men are either very old or show signes of being badly beaten. The women are sullen and try to avoid notice. the children appear malnourished and are easily frightened. These poor folk have nothing of real value.

• Villagers: 56 Erenlander female, 48 Erenlander men (commoners levels 1-4)
• Villagers: 24 Sarcosans female, 19 Sarcosans men (commoners levels 1-4)

Stone Building / Smithy

The singel large stone building (25' by 15') was once a storehouse designed to keep grain and other produce from spoiling or being eaten by animals. Dern had it convereted into a smithy to maintain his band's weapons and armor. Part of one wall has been broken down and a dire pit built with the stones. Cut logs and kindling are stacked in neat piles along the walls and tools of the smith's trade lie on sturdy wooden benches: iron tongs, various hammers of different sizes and weights, and simple molds for nails and rings to repair armor. A dark recess at the back of the building has been converted into a cramped bedroom for the aged smith,

• Hargen: Erenlander male (expert 6)

Animal Pen

On the edge of town, an animal pen large enough to hold more than 200 cattle or sheep stands with approximately 75 cattle/boros, 100 sheep and a few dozen hogs and chickens all milling in the dirt. A few of the village dogs are always near the pens, except in the worst of weather. These mangy currs are working dogs, used to herding, but now showing signs of abuse and neglect.

• Village Currs: 22 dogs, mutts

The Compound

The palisade surrounding the top of the hill is crudely built but still an effective defense against wild animals and small numbers of attackers. The wall varies between 12' and 15' high with the top of the logs cut into sharpened points. Each timber is almost two feet thick. Small holes in the wall are filled with daub or rocks. The sole entry is a single eight-foot-wide gate. While no ditch or other barrier prevents an attacker from reaching the wall, the inside face of the palisade has elevated fighting platfomrs every 10' to 15', from which archers can fire on an invading force. During the day two guards typically stand duty at the open gate with another on a platform overlooking the village. At night the gate is closed with 1-5 often inattentive guards on the walkway next to the gate and another few partolling the perimeter.
Inside the palisade, the crown of the hill is dominated by two large stone buildings and a wooden cage. Piles of firewood are stacked along the sides of the buildings, under the eaves to keep them dry, and empty barrels are positioned to catch the runoff from the rare rain when it comes. Near the cage, an open privy, little more than a shallow pit, reeks of human waste and does little to improve the conditions for the human chattels kept in the crudely lashed structure. By the gate, four posts are driven into the ground; at their ends, great hooks used to hang freshly killed game are routinely empty but the ground is dark with the blood of countless animals.

Slave Pen

A large wooden cage, has been built into a large square pit dug into the ground. It is used to hold slaves waiting to be sold and prisoners awaiting torture, stands against the north wall of the palisades. The pit/cage is filled nearly to the top with waste-water forcing the imprisoned to hang to the top and/or swim to stay afloat. The cage offers little protection from the elements, but most prisoners don't get the chance to sicken from exposure; goblin slavers visit frequently and dern's appetite for toture is voracious.

• Slaves: 22 Erenlander female, 43 Erenlander men (commoners 1-4)
• Slaves: 6 Sarcosans female, 9 Sarcosans men (commoners levels 1-4)
• Slaves: 17 Halflings female, 12 Halflings men (commoners levels 1-4)

Barracks

This long stone building with a thatched roof houses just over two dozen of Dern's followers. The men dislike the arrangements of not having their own bed, literally trading out as one man goes back on duty. Eight women who serve the mercenaries in fearful silence are kept shacked like dogs. The barracks has but a single room with a stone floor. Blankets have been nailed into the wooden beams to provide a small amount of privacy. Each curtained alcove has one or two small beds, a table, and boxes or chests to hold clothes and other personal items. Each mercenary keeps his own weapons on his person, not trusting his fellows or the cowed villagers.

• Dern's Soldiers 17 Erenlander male Warrior 2 / Fighter 1. Possessions: Longsword, small wooden shield, studded leather armor.
• Dern's Crossbowmen 9 Erenlander male Warrior 2 / Fighter 1. Possessions: light crossbow (40 bolts), shortsword, buckler, studded leather armor.
• Merc Collaborators 27 Erenlander male Warrior 2. Possessions: Shortsword, small wooden shield, leather armor.
• Villager Conscripts 33 Erenlander male Warrior 1. 13 Sarcosan male Warrior 1. Possessions: Various light weapons (hammers, clubs, axes, daggers), small wooden shield.

The Hold

At the center of the compound, the most impressive building of this squalid village serves as the master quaters (Dern). The old moot hall, built when the refugees escaped the Shadow-held lands of their ancestors more than 40 years ago, attests to the villagers' pride and craftmanship, now all but lost from Dern's torture, slaving and the age of time. Inside there are three rooms.

War Room: The largest is the entry room where Dern planned his attacks. The room has a large wooden table and a series of well made but mismatched chairs. On the table is a very rough map of the eastern woodlands with markings of known villages and locations of where Dern though there may be others.

Master's Room: The next largest room is the master bedroom, which has a huge bed and several chests of clothes. Dern shared this room with his woman, Lida, a solemn 16-year-old girl he took on a raid in LA 97. To the back of the bedroom is a door to the last room. In the bottom of one of the chests is a hidden hatch leading into a tight crawlspace that leads a long crawl down and out of the keep about 1/4 mile from the Palisades (this is now currently in the field where trees have been cut away, so it unfortunately offers little to no cover when sneaking out)

• Lida 16-year-old Erenlander female (commoner 1)

Storage: A small storage room, which has bits of armor, captured weapons, and other items Dern though might hold value.

Dern Halfhand

Dern has spent his adult life fighting for plunder with the Shadow's army. His injury and the deadly fighting along the Burning Line led him to the green March. He and his followers seized the village in LA 98 and have set themselves up as rulers of the woods. He liked being lord of this domain and would have done whatever was necessary to stay in control. The village gave him all he needed: food, a warm bed, and victims to torment.

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