Location:Ashland

Ashland is a small american town located on the east coast near the border of Maine and Canada, with a population of roughly 1,200 people. It is a small rural community located in a large dense forest. On the surface Ashland appears to be a simple logging town, however it is actually home to the fanatically religious group known as The Carmondies.

The culture, population, and economy of Ashland heavily revolve around the town's numerous churches. These churches appear as typical places of worship to outsiders, however they practice a slightly modified version of catholism, wherein they revere various individuals who are not officially canonized by the Vatican as Saints, with Saint Carmondie herself being the most prominent.

The town's population is not entirely informed of the Carmondies' actions, however they support them wholly and unquestioningly, and treat the high ranking members, and by extension, the Crusaders with great respect.

## History

Founded in the 1750s by a group of Catholic worshipers that traveled north to be away from Lutherans and other such protestants that had traveled to the new world. The town of Ashland pre-dated the establishment of the United States. Immediately upon it's settling the people of Ashland were beset by incredibly hardships, many of them seeming to be supernatural in nature. Years of famine, strangely short days, horrible storms, and the disappearances of people year after year quickly turned the majority of Ashland's colonists into a paranoid and superstitious people.

At some point later, in 1809 the town's strange events culminated in a supernatural darkness, which hung over the town, blocking out the sun and dimming even the brightest flame. With this darkness all manner of horrible creatures, demonic and otherwise, stalked the citizens of Ashland. However one particular group, hiding in the small farmer's marketplace, held out. Safeguarding this group was Constance Carmondie. A deeply devout and god-fearing woman, Carmondie believe that God was merciless and demanding of mankind, and that the constant looming threat of supernatural terrors that cursed the town were sent by Him to test their faith and mettle. While trapped within the marketplace, Constance preach her beliefs in God to the people there, convincing them that the evil that settled over the town could only be held back by sheer faith in God.

Miraculously, Constance proved to be right, and through faith and constant prayer, she seemed capable of pushing back the miasmic night that gripped the town for over three days. On the night of the third day, Carmondie claimed that a vision of heaven had been sent to her, and that her unfaltering fear and belief in the almighty would be rewarded with the grace of God. Manifesting a pair of black longswords that burned with a golden iridescence, she left the marketplace and waded into the unnatural darkness, alone, and pushed back the powers of hell itself.

As Carmondie returned to the marketplace to retrieve her flock, the dawning sun returned with her. The people of the town immediately venerated her as their savior, turning the entire town to devote followers of God, who believe in her merciless view of wrong-doers and evil. Roughly forty years after this miraculous event, Carmondie gathered the elders of the families that were most devout during their three days within the marketplace. She gave them various secrets and knowledge on how to combat the occult and drive out demons, before she herself seemingly vanished, never to be seen again.

In modern day these same families still run Ashland as the heads of political and religious venues, such as priests, mayors, sheriffs, and prominent business owners. In secret these same families seek out and train people to become soldiers of their small army, using them to fight everything they deem as evil. The high-standing elite of these soldiers are the Crusaders, who are hosts to Archangels and wield various superhuman powers.

Strangely enough, most of the Crusaders are daughters of the town's families who founded the Carmondies. Whether this is a continued reward for their devotion, dumb luck, or simply divine providence, is currently unknown.