One thing I have learned while writing Shadowsfall is that no two people have the same idea what the Plane of Shadows should be like. So I am going to be describing some aspect of Shadowsfall atleast once per week here on my website. Today, I want to talk about Strongholds.
Strongholds are essentially city states. They are a section of land that is under the protection of the city government in the middle. They range in size from about 5 square miles to about 200 square miles. The quality of that protection varies greatly from stronghold to stronghold, but none of them are perfect. Protection generally comes in the form of an adventurer or a group of adventurers tasked with the protection of a village or outpost. But most of the strongholds have an army or a militia or something to stop gigantic hordes of undead decimating everything.
Every stronghold is different. The newest is Blackbat. The city of Blackbat is made up of every kind of living race (and even a few undead races) imaginable. It is positioned where it is because it has easy access to food and other resources, namely mushroom fields, mines and zombie slave labor. The diverse citizens (from humans, fetchlings, elves, drow and orcs to umbral kobolds, dhampirs, wanderers, and any more exotic races) work together to keep the city protected, even if they would kill each other in other circumstances.
Compare that with Vole’s Deep. This stronghold has been dying ever since the land surrounding it was moved far away, depleting it of a stable food source. A number of warlords now fight each other for the scarce food still present.
King’s Grave is the one with the least to fear from the undead hordes because they fear the golems that once protected this stronghold. The city itself is now devoid of life, however the area around the city is teaming with life as the citizens hide from the creations their ancestors made to keep them safe.
Next time I’ll tell more about the other three strongholds. Enjoy.
Jon Brazer Enterprises 
Nicely done. I like that the land can move away from a Stronghold.
I have some quibbles of course, but first…The Whores! (Because I can’t resist an opportunity to use a Kids in the Hall line.)
Okay,Quibble Time: Either Strongholds are mostly protected by militia or armies or mostly by adventurers. Which is it? Maybe it is me, but to me generally and mostly equate the majority of said object or subject. I is confused.
Also, “King’s Grave is the one with the least to fear from the undead hordes because they fear from the golems that once protected this stronghold.” I would kill the second “from” and have this: “King’s Grave is the one with the least to fear from the undead hordes because they fear the golems that once protected this stronghold.”
Quibble Time Over.
As usual, keep up the good work and I am looking forward to more.
Army or militia or adventurers? Depends on the individual stronghold. The city themselves, is either a militia or an army. The area “protected” by a stronghold: while the army/militia may do a little here and here, adventurers are 9 times out of 10 it.
From: fixed.
Okay. Thanks for clearing that up.