**Type:** Fortified Village **Region:** Southern Coalviel Grassplain **Population:** ~450 **Primary Economy:** Sheep herding, stonecutting, minor trade **Historical Economy:** Coal and blackstone mining (now abandoned) **Notable Landmark:** The Blackridge --- ### **Overview** Grimhold is a weathered, fortified village on the southern fringe of the [[Deadwood Glades]]. Surrounded by open grassland and low dark hills known as **the Blackridge**, it has long been a place of hard work and grim determination. Its blackstone walls, built from the rock quarried in the Blackridge, stand as both a physical and symbolic reminder of the settlement’s resilience. Though the mining that gave Grimhold its name ended over a century ago, the village retains a stoic, wary culture shaped by the dangerous proximity of the Glade. Locals still perform old warding rites, though until recently they had never seen undead in their lifetimes. --- ### **Geography** - **The Blackridge:** A narrow band of dark, rocky hills running parallel to the southern edge of the [[Deadwood Glades]]. Exposed coal seams and veins of basaltic blackstone were mined here during Grimhold’s peak years. - **Surroundings:** Flat grasslands to the south and west, the shadowed edge of the Deadwood to the north. Old mine entrances still pockmark the ridge, many sealed with heavy iron doors. - **Water Source:** Two deep wells within the village walls, fed by underground springs. --- ### **History** - **Founding Era (c. 9,800 A.P.):** Grimhold began as a mining camp exploiting the newly exposed seams in the Blackridge. Its location allowed both extraction and transport along wagon roads to Coalviel town. - **Blackstone Boom (9,900–9,930 A.P.):** Coal and blackstone from Grimhold were used in fortifications across the region. During this period, the village built its iconic walls from the very stone it quarried. - **The Sealing (9,932 A.P.):** Following a series of cave-ins and inexplicable disappearances in the deeper tunnels near the Glade, the village council ordered all northern shafts sealed. Rumors persist that miners broke into something beneath the Glade’s roots. - **Decline and Shift:** As mining profits fell, Grimhold turned to pastoralism, sheep herding, and limited trade with neighboring villages. Its population slowly declined. - **Present Day:** With the rise of [[Anam]] and the first undead sightings in thousands of years, the old watch drills have resumed. The sealed mines have become a subject of fearful speculation. --- ### **Culture** Grimholders are plain-spoken, slow to trust outsiders, and quick to close ranks in times of trouble. Stories of the **Sealed Shafts** are told to children as cautionary tales. The village’s blackstone walls are maintained religiously — no patchwork repairs are tolerated. Warding practices include: - Hanging coal shards over doors to “absorb the dark.” - Painting mine symbols above thresholds for protection. - Keeping a small piece of Blackridge stone in one’s pocket while traveling. --- ### **Government** Led by a **Council of Elders** — five senior residents chosen by popular vote. The council oversees trade, defense, and the maintenance of the walls. --- ### **Notable Sites** - **The Sealed Shafts:** Northernmost mine entrances along the Blackridge, reinforced with riveted iron doors engraved with old warning runes. - **Stonecutters’ Square:** Central plaza where cut blackstone is stacked for local construction or shipment. - **The Old Powderhouse:** A squat stone building once used for storing blasting powder; now serves as the militia armory. --- ### **Current Hooks** - **Sealed Shaft Breach:** One of the old mine doors has been found partly ajar, the lock bent from the inside. - **Blackridge Collapse:** A section of the ridge collapsed after heavy rain, revealing a new cavern that runs toward the Glade. - **Vanished Shepherd:** A boy tending sheep near the ridge has gone missing; his flock was found scattered and bloody. ---