Revision as of 21:30, 11 October 2015

Outside of High Reaches, Torica, and New Halmor, human settlements are few and far between. However in the past four decades, they have begun to sprout up across the continent after the events of The Sundering, as some have come to prefer the wild frontier, where anything they achieve is created by their own hands.

Sparsely-populated, these hamlets, villages, and towns require constant vigilance, both to obtain enough food to survive, and against roving bands of bandits, monsters, and worse. Living out in the middle of nowhere is not for the faint-hearted, but by working together, many of these small settlements have survived, and a few of them, even thrive.

Below are but a few of these small towns and villages that travelers might come across:

Willow's Hollow

One of the oldest standing human settlements outside of Torica or High Reaches, Willow's Hollow was founded by those who were unable to secure employment within High Reaches, and did not feel comfortable among the Lakoi of Torica. Much of the population was made up of Halmorian poor, with little job skills, and very scarce resources. For much of its early days Willow's Hollow was a rough place to live, disenfranchised, and forced to scrounge together enough food to feed the inhabitants, it attracted the worst sort of leadership, and bred a hard group of people. Its only saving grace being its location, a remote ravine, not often traveled and easy to defend. With High Reaches such a rich and obvious target, the people of Willow's Hollow lived outside the purview of most of Eramere's coming and goings.

Willow's Hollow was the first to come under the protection of what has in recent years become known as the Croulous, or Crimson Crusade. It began when a woman of middle age, some say fitting the description of a notorious bandit, came to the town, declaring it under her protection. Few took such a boast seriously until an entire Karr raiding party, a rare but dangerous sight, was slaughtered in the night before they reached the outer farms. Several less impressive incidents, as well as a few altercations with some of the rougher elements of Willow's Hollow, began to give people hope that times were changing for Willow's Hollow. Those hopes were truly realized when the war hero Bertrand Croulous arrived with a small but well trained group of men, to act as a legitimate guard and militia force. Willow's Hollow has since become a small but relatively wealthy town, one of the few whose population remains predominately human, and of Halmorian descent to boot.

Pilgrim's Rest

Located along the River Ardena, Pilgrim's Rest was founded shortly after the end of the last war with the Blackspear. The spot was chosen because of an ancient shrine to Lilianthe, which was found during a scouting mission during the war. The shrine is rumored to have powerful healing properties, and has become a popular spot for members of the Lilianthe's faithful to come and visit.

The town itself is small boasting a population of just over a hundred or so villagers and farmers, who use the river to irrigate their farms. The village has a singe tavern named The Anchor, which is often filled to capacity with outside visitors during the spring.

Devon's Reach

Devon's Reach is technically the oldest surviving human settlement on Eramere. Founded nearly as soon as immigrants were allowed to come over from the mainland, Devon's Reach became the haven for those who found themselves at contest with imperial law. Devon's Reach is located at the base of the Frostbeard Mountains, just east of where the Blackspear nation ends. That being said, the small town has had quite a number of run-ins with the Blackspear, being subjugated by them during each of the Horde Wars.