Brightfalls

The hamlet of Brightfalls was a fiefdom gifted to the Lady Knight Dilandau. It was a poor settlement set within a valley in a mountain range, and was not noteworthy at all so it never made it onto any maps of value. It was a peaceful village though, until one day quakes started and the nearby mountain started spewing smoke. Many rushed to the altar of Palor located in the hamlet, and prayed to him to save their village. The priest of Palor told the townspeople that they were in Palor's hands, and thus safe. So the townspeople went back to milling about thier everyday lives.

A week later disaster struck, and the citizens were horrified to see that the mountain had erupted, spewing molten lava towards their quaint little town. Knowing they could not flee in time, they knelt down in unison and began to pray to anyone who would save their homes.
As luck would have it for the people, a merciful Demi-fiend was staying at the town's inn. He saw the plight of the villagers and felt sympathy for them. He mutered words of magic which diverted the flow of lava creating a moat of fire around the village, and created a single bridge accross the river. The people rejoiced until they soon discovered that the heat given off from the lava was still enough to catch thier homes on fire. In answer to this new dilemna, the Demi-fiend cast another spell, this one petrified the wood and other materials which made up the homes. As stone buildings they were now impervious to the head of the lava.

Impressed by the generocity by the demi-fiend, whom the church of Palor always had taught were evil by nature, and feeling betrayed by the god she had put her faith in. She pledged her loyalty to him and took her first steps down the path of a Blackguard. He gave her gifts in return for her loyalty, including a Nightmare to serve as her mount. Upon walking this new path, she order that they shrine to Palor be destroyed, and the clerics put to immediate death. She told the people that since the god abandoned them, they should in turn abandon the god.

Then the Demi-fiend gave her a mission of great importance, she was to travel to another small town by the name of Gutler, and told her to observe the city and then return. Simple enough she thought, and while she is there she might as well go on a drinking binge.

After her first day in the small town, she woke up next to a strange looking Tiefling, startled and with a massive headache, she left him two copper pieces. What she didn't count on was the Tiefling looking for her, while she was walking down the street he confronted and openly attacked her. She swiftly dealt with him, knocking him unconscious, but the comotion had called upon the town's guard. Taking him hostage she escaped.

When she returned to the town, she took the prisoner to the gaol, and made sure that he would not be able to use any method to break out. Over the next several days she had thought about the Teifling she had abducted. Confused by her emotions she went to her master for advice. When he learned of what she had done he grew furious. He order that she have him released, and then thought for a moment. Concocting a better course of action he told her to impart some peice of knowledge unto him, that which would alter the Teifling to better suite his needs.

Now faced with the order to free him, she finally understood her feelings for the captive, she was in love with him. But she knew her orders had to superceed her feelings. So she order her cook staff to make a feast such as they never had, it had to be perfect under penalty for death. For if she had to let him go, she would give him ample reason to return to her. She returned to her chambers and picked out her most seductive dress.

When preparations where completed she order her personal guards to escort the prisoner to the dining hall. She asked the Tiefling to dine with her. She enjoyed watching him gorge on the food she had specially prepared for him. But was caught off guard when he speak with food in his mouth and said that he was relieved she was a woman, at first he had thought he had slept with another man. Feeling red in the face she motioned to end her embaracement, and changed the subject to what she had been told to tell him.

He liked the idea of preforming the ritual, she did not so much as it meant he had to love another, for she didn't want to be part of it, she wanted to live with him not die for him. Then he asked her who it was that had told her that, all she would tell him was her master and that she would not elaborate, not yet. She then mounted her Nightmare with the Tiefling, and flew him back to Gutler, bidding him farewell.

It was not till years later she went back to Gutler, back to the Teifling she dreamed of nightly, though he was a Teifling no more. She fought in the Ethereal War, and after the was she went back to Brightfalls with her Half-demon lover in toe. There they ruled over the community of Brightfalls and had children. When she died, the Half-demon departed from Brightfalls, for he himself had a promise to keep, and that promise also included the return of the woman he grew to love.

After the death of his master, the Nightmare stayed in the mountains around Brightfalls, waiting for the day when someone worthy would find him, and enjoying the exctasy of slaying those who foolishly tried.

Brightfalls is a Hamlet LE aligned
Population 110 GPlimit 100 GP Total 550
Ruled by a single noble descended from Dilandou
Isolated Community with little trade composed of 96% humans, 2% dwarves, 1% halfling, and 1% others.

Max class level npc
Adept lvl 3
Aristrocrat lvl 1
Barbarian lvl 2
Bard lvl 2
Commoner lvl 9
Druid lvl 2
Expert lvl 4
Fighter lvl 5
Rogue lvl 6
Warrior lvl 4
Non-existent classes: Cleric, Monk, Paladin, Range, Sorcerror, and Wizard.

Brightfalls is a desolate city filled with oppressed people usually covered in soot. It is a hard and rugged place to live with the active volcano. Once peaceful it is now a hive for mercenarys looking to make a few easy silver, though is often avoided by trade caravans due to the high taxes imposed upon citizen and traveler alike. Those who travel to Brightfalls do so out of neccesity and never stay long as long as they can help it. But with a high exit tax, few are allowed to do so. The strict rule of the noble can be seen in the strict enforcement of the laws, for the penalty for breaking a law is usually enslavement or death.