With the eminent release of Shadowsfall: Shadow Plane Player’s Companion we are looking at the setting itself in more detail. Yesterday we looked at the overall setting itself, answering a number of question people have had about the setting. Today we are looking one of the locations in the setting in more detail: the stronghold of Blackbat.

Blackbat, as a stronghold, possesses a city with about 100-200 miles in any direciton of farmland, mining towns, forested land and other areas of low population. The city was founded when an alliance of fetchlings, humans, elves and others came to a peaceful agreement with the hobgoblins, orcs, and drow to build a city for the mutual defense against the dangers of Shadowsfall. To this day, mistrust and struggles still plague the city, but they will stand shoulder to shoulder each time a horde of skeletons or zombies comes to tear down the city walls.

The city itself is made up of three districts. Darktown is North of the river that flows through the center of town. Fetchlings, umbral kobolods, drow, dhampir, hobgoblins, orcs and half orcs are the main inhabitants of this side of town. Castle Blackbat, several temples and the main market are the main points of interest in Darktown. Besides these, houses and tenants of those that brave the nearby Shivering Forest are mostly located here. Light sources here are nearly non-existent since light hurts the eyes of some of the residents. Fireside is right across the river. This district is home to the magical academy and a number of crafters and artisans. As its name implies, this section of town is well lit because it is home to humans, elves, halflings, and gnomes that do not see as well in the dark. The last district, just to the west of Fireside is Withering Rose. This undead-filled seciton of town is something of an oddity in Shadowsfall. While making deals with vampires to assist with the stronghold’s protection is not unusual, keeping about 3000 zombies at any point in time is highly unusual. The zombies are caught by the hunters of Darktown and sold to the vampires. From there, the zombies are sold off to slavers that operate the mines to the west of the city. This mutually beneficial relationship keeps living from working the unstable mines while still allowing the crafters to have the material they need to create weapons and armor.

Unlike other strongholds, the area surrounding the city has little in the way of warning outposts and retreat fortifications. This is because the stronghold was established less than 100 years ago and the frequent attacks on the city keep the defenders always playing catch up. No one knows exactly where the hordes keep coming from nor why they constantly target the city. Unless brave adventurers put an end to these attacks and soon, all that might remain of this outpost of civilization is a pile of rubble and a new horde of undead.

Preorder your copy of Shadowsfall: Shadow Plane Player’s Companion today. Get more character options, no matter what race you play with Shadowsfall: Favored Class Options. Get a print copy of the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane and discover their deadly secrets with your free PDF. Live the adventure with a half-vampire fighting to help the living with Shadowsfall Legends: Pawn, Deception, and Sacrifice, by Mur Lafferty. And don’t stop with that story. Read about an umbral kobold in the stronghold of Blackbat in Shadowsfall Legends: The Gem That Caught Fire by Ed Greenwood.