Village Backdrop: Ashford

• Ashford Manor: Abandoned by its lord, Ashford Manor is thought unoccupied by the villagers. Unbeknownst to them, three plague survivors lurk within.
  
• Mill: Although the mill’s wheel still turns, Praen Alston spends most of his time protecting, his young daughter.
  
• The Wailing Hall: The village church is rarely visited now, except by a few fanatical worshippers who are led in their devotions by Waldere Elvery.
  
• The Jolly Farmer: Little cheer is to be found here. Guests are served in their rooms and almost no villagers now drink here.
  
• The Burning Tower: Home to the enchantress Janaela Fisfelond, the tower stands amid the shattered ruins of a castle thrown down after its lord rebelled against his liege.
  
• Plague Pits: While the plague savaged Ashford, the villagers dug two plague pits and dumped the dead within. Feral dogs, woodland predators and Dunn Frewin have uncovered these grizzly reminders of Ashford’s fate.

• Ailred Lewin (location 4; LN female human) Landlady of The Jolly Farmer, she is never seen without a vinegar-soaked mask about her face.
  
• Baron Aelfgar Stannard (location 1; LN male human fighter 2) Ashford’s liege lord, Aelfgar has not been seen in the village since the plague struck.
  
• Dunn Frewin (location 6; CE male ghoul cleric 2) Once one of Ashford’s priests, Dunn has returned from the grave to revenge himself upon Waldere.
  
• Janaela Fisfelond (location 5; N female half-elf wizard 5) Consumed with her magical research—and with no empathy for the villagers—Janaela rarely emerges from her tower.
  
• Praen Alston (location 2; N male human) The village miller, Praen hates Waldere—blaming him for his family’s painful death—and stymies him whenever possible
  
• Waldere Elvery (location 3; LN male human cleric 3) Radicalised by Ashford’s horrific fate, Waldere is a raging alcoholic.