Satravah

Satravah

(City)

Titles

Vale of Honorless Graves

Nation

Ustalav

Region

Ulcazar

Size

Village

Population

68

Demographics

54 humans, 14 halflings

Government

Overlord

Alignment

Chaotic neutral

Ruler

Koslav Oris

Leader

Drevexia Vurian

Source: Horror Realms, pg(s). 46–49

Satravah, an Ustalavic village deep in the heart of Ulcazar, is better known as the Vale of Honorless Graves—site of countless secret burials in the Shining Crusade against Tar-Baphon.

History

During the Shining Crusade, fallen crusaders would be raised through vile necromantic magic to rise against their former comrades. To avert this, the crusaders took to the shameful practice of burying their dead in unmarked graves without proper rites, effectively hiding them from those seeking to raise them. The little recognition afforded to them took the form of sainthoods bestowed in their name.

Among these "honorless graves" was a tomb where the heroic crusader general Alcrion Tornavich was buried after falling to an assassin's arrow. In the years following the war, one of Alcrion's lieutenants built a small angelic shrine over a small pool in his honor; the site became the origin point for a road to the Monastery of the Veil, and a small group of settlers eventually founded Satravah at the site.

Geography

The village is about two days' walk south of Lake Kavapesta, where villagers travel to scrounge for clams and eels to supplement their meager agriculture.

Government

Satravah is nominally led both politically and spiritually by Koslav Oris, a follower of Iomedae, though he holds no official title and is not a divine priest. However, at some point during early 4716 AR, Koslav experienced a violent seizure that left him in a psychotic state and pushed the village into a state of hostility and paranoia.

He now gathers followers at night to murder travelers in the belief that they are agents of the Whispering Tyrant, then skins the victims, burns out their eyes, impales them to large trees, and fashions wings from their flayed skin. He claims to have been instructed by Ragathiel to do so, to fulfill an ancient tradition known as the Blood Reckoning and purify these purported agents' souls.

In reality, these executions were designed by newcomer Drevexia Vurian to create mohrgs, and Koslav's vision was from the geist of Alcrion Tornavich himself, whose vengeful spirit remains trapped within his tomb west of town.

People

The village's residents bear hints of both Kellid lineage and inbreeding.

Notable locations and organizations

Saint Alcrion's Shrine

At the center of Satravah stands the statue in honor of Alcrion Tornavich, which overlooks a small pool. Locals, however, believe the worn statue depicts Ragathiel, and since Koslav's turn toward violence the statue is now the site of the gallows used to hang suspected agents of Tar-Baphon. Those who pray at the shrine are also at risk of being cursed with a form of whispering madness.

Bloodletter's League

An art shop and organization that claims to specialize in obscurities, the league is in fact a front for blood trafficking in service to Ustalav's vampires. The front's face was Gidous Wurn, who is now imprisoned and tortured in the League's basement after a raid on the establishment by Koslav Oris.

Public hall

Once a common place for meals, prayer, and storytelling, the public hall now serves as courthouse for sham trials run by Koslav and Drevexia against people they claim are agents of Tar-Baphon.

References

Paizo Inc. published an article about Satravah, including a map of the village, in Horror Realms.