Ragnashak

**Ragnashak**

Lawful Evil Small City (East)

Corruption +1; Crime +2; Economy +4; Law +2; Lore -2; Society +1

Qualities Artifact Gatherer, Darkvision, Restrictive, Timid Citizens

Danger 5

Government Autocracy

Population 5,001-10,000 (Core or Featured)(9,000 Hobgoblin, 1000 other)

Notable NPCs

**Shattertooth** Male Hobgoblin Pyrokineticist 19

**Cracker-of-bones** Male Hobgoblin Barbarian 15

**Witherroot** Female Hobgoblin Blight Druid 10

**Fetcher** Male Hobgoblin expert 5

Marketplace

Base Value 2000 gp; Purchase Limit 25000 gp; Spellcasting 6th

Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 1d6

Otherwise known as "That Huge Hobgoblin Army Encampment". Ragnashak is a
 scourge on the area that just refuses to go away. It is actually a
permanent military camp at it's core, boasting a standing force just shy
 of 10,000, 90% of which is Hobgoblin. Everyone here fights. Without
exception. Combat is the way of things and anything short of murder or
destruction of military equipment is left for the populace to decide
with highly ritualized honor duels. Most people assume it would be a
chaotic place. They are wrong. Ragnashak is highly ordered due to
literally everyone being a member of the military in some capacity. Even
 visitors are given a kind of provisional military status upon entering.

Anything that prohibits this way of life is banned, but particularly
items of dissent. Concepts like free speech or freedom of assembly are
completely foreign to the point of not having terms of their own in the
language. There is no media except that produced by the military
command.

Warlord by Trial Shattertooth is the leader by way of killing all
challengers. He is a huge, nearly indestructible Hobgoblin who commands
the power of fire and earth to crush his foes. Next in line is Cracker-of-Bones, an even larger Hobgoblin Barbarian who crushes his
enemies the normal way, with a meteor hammer.

The lead mage is Witherroot, a Blight Druid of terrible power who is
responsible for the frequent crop failures in the area. He is fully open
 with the fact that he regularly corrupts the crops of people who refuse
 the Hobgoblin's protection schemes.

The last significant figure is the Hobgoblin Fetcher, Logistics
Extraordinaire. This Hobgoblin can do with next to nothing what most
cities employ small armies to do. It is entirely due to his efforts and
the efforts of his miniscule team that the city isn't completely overrun
 with filth and disease (a remarkable accomplishment with a Blight Druid
 in town).

The city is supplied by a mix of constant raiding, protection rackets,
extortion, and straight up robbery. They also have a population of
slaves working various fields around the city itself, though this counts
 for a relatively tiny portion of the overall economy. The slaves are
not counted in the population and are generally neglected apart from tax
 time. They also boast a massive weapons and armor trade with
practically anyone with coin to spend.

Many theories exist as to why the Hobgoblins don't just move on. Their
main challenger in the area, the Shining Legion, is a fifth of their
size and dwindling while the Hobgoblins are at their strongest in years.
 And yet they do not attack and they do not leave. Why?

The answer is politics. Woven into the highly regimented and
militaristic society of the Hobgoblins is a strong undercurrent of
perceived status and honor. Some crimes are committed just to test how
well one performs in the judicial dual that follows.

This honor has put Warlord by Trial Shattertooth in a difficult spot.
Any attempt to abandon the campaign against the Shining Legion would
produce an immediate challenge and fight to the death from his second,
Cracker-of-Bones, and Shattertooth honestly doesn't know who would come
out on top. He also knows, though he does not and will not say, that the
 legion's highly motivated and superbly trained forces could probably
defeat the Hobgoblin hordes. If that were to happen he would die either
 on an Angelic blade or under Cracker-of-Bone's meteor hammer after he
returned in defeat.

Add to that any number of high ranking officers that would gladly
initiate challenges if his hold were to waver for even a second and you
have a very precarious situation. If he stays this "camp" will slowly
run out of resources. If he goes he risks death at worst and a terrible
smear on his honor at best.