Grey Hollow

Named for the odd grey stone that comprises most of the fortress town's walls, Grey Hollow sits on the south west of Etera, forming the gateway across the narrower 'bridge' of land there and providing access to a largely forested area, within which the most notable feature is The Nature Tower.

Events both during and after the fall of the Verk Empire have left the land immediately south of the fortress town with a rather sinister feel with dark woods of ever-dead trees that seem to dampen sunlight and strange lights in the distance. Many believe the land is cursed, having taken in too much sorrow and strife from times past.

The northern bridge to the mainland of the continent is, thankfully, unaffected by this taint with easy travel through the Path of the Bicorn facilitated by the Bicorn in residence there.

## The Town

The town of Grey Hollow sits in the shadow of the fortress of the same name. The true purpose of the fortress' construction has been lost to time, but today it stands as a barrier across a small land bridge connecting the greater mass of the continent of Etera. Due to this location, the town was once a fairly prosperous trade hub in the past, but past troubles with the Verk Empire, the trials of The Wild Hunt and The Horseman War have thinned the population to the point where trade through the town has dried up significantly.

More recently, following The Horseman War, representatives of The Steelworks arrived to set up a small operation in and around the town, providing at least a small boost to the local economy via employment and trade.

## The Fortress

True to its name, Grey Hollow the fortress is constructed of a dark grey stone with unusual properties. Curiously, even those who are well versed in stonework struggle to understand where the materials came from, and over the years repairs have had to be done with simple stone that has merely been painted to match the existing structure, yet the majority of the fortress still has its unnatural origins. While the town itself does not have a standing army, it has been a long-standing tradition to keep the fortress fully manned by a trained military force, a tradition that the current lord has maintained even after the fall of the Verk Empire, even if only to safeguard the town from its now tainted locale. Among the garrison, the ghost of Tulsam'i has taken up residence with the fort serving as a Moral Officer.

## The Southern Paths

Either a simple run of bad luck or some sinister curse has seen Grey Hollow and the area south of it subject to tragedy after tragedy. Hordes of zombies, haunted constructs, The Wild Hunt and sinister perversions of nature are just some of the tainted land's past issues, remnants of which can be encountered even today by unfortunate travellers looking to explore the accursed woods.

In the past travel was eased through the Path of the Wolf, allowing people to reach the grove of Moonbright and Abrordale nigh instantly. Now, with the presence of The Nature Tower where the grove once stood and the general degradation of the area the Great Wolf Spirit has not been seen for nearly on a decade and the path has become dormant.

When the many rifts began appearing on Etera, Grey Hollow was not left out as a constantly replenishing formation of rock appeared not far off from one of the town's many southern pathways. After The Horseman War delegates from Naramoore Steelworks arrived to tackle the issue but ended up establishing what could loosely be called a mining operation, siphoning off the rift's seemingly limitless resources as part of a deal made with the town council and the current lord.

The area has only become marginally safer for the presence of Fort Alliance, the only major Setlaar presence on Etera, though the military personnel usually keep to themselves.

## The Northern Path of The Bicorn

The Wildlands and Forests north of Grey Hollow are watched over by a Guardian Spirit Bicorn following an old agreement to allow the people of Etera a similar instant travel within its domain as the Guardian Spirit Wolf once provided. At first this was in exchange for a monthly offering but, since the growing corruption of the southern paths, the Bicorn's boon has persisted without the need for an offering, though the reason for this is unknown at this time.

Unlike the former Path of the Wolf, the northern paths are considerably safer but not untouched. This would be a problem if not for the instantaneous travel as people have noted the slightly off feeling pervading the area just prior to arriving at their destination, the outskirts of Grey Hollow itself. The true difference is evident through the visible gloom hangs over the town upon this final approach, a stark contrast to the minor unease the Bicorn's domain instils.