Friday, October 13, 2017

The Curse of Shaville

Far to the western edge of Resta, close to the forests of Tanis, there was once a village that was saturated with a quaint, unassuming feel.  Here, the idyllic backdrops of woodlands to the west and the Restan prairie to the east combined with a friendly community to conceal a host of dark secrets.

Travelers to Shaville would first notice something unusual in the behavior of its constable, Bolreck Green. As imposing as this man is, he always seems to be terrified. He couldn't speak the full truth of the village's danger, but his first words to any visitors were always "Go back to where you came from. There is nothing here that's worth staying for."

Of course, it was easy to ignore the constable's warnings when the rest of the villagers seem so happy. The locals will advise the traveler not to take them seriously. "He's just having a laugh since he always has so little to do" some would say, while others claimed, more harshly, "He is just trying to scare people because he's losing control over his own life." Whatever the story, travelers always recovered quickly from the constable's dire warnings and put them out of mind.

After this encounter, travelers would get a taste of what some call Shaville's true charm. The lustful villagers, the almost-constantly flowing beer taps, and the raucous entertainment venues gave Shaville a reputation for being the most fun destination in the entire kingdom. But all of these things that made Shaville such a desirable place are also the bait and trigger for its sinister trap: once you are there, you never want to leave.

By the end of their first week there, the more adventurous visitors begin to notice some changes in their body. Those who partook in the sexual appetites of the villagers would feel their skin getting softer, their lust and their lust growing to insatiable levels, while those who basked in the savagery of the fight pit would feel their bodies growing harder and their hatred deepening. For some people, this is a firm sign that something is wrong with Shaville, but it seemed impossible to put these fears into words--almost as if something unseen was actively preventing them from speaking of it.

Those who are smart enough to flee the village when they noticed these changes would often free themselves from their mental corruption through prayer and therapy eventually, though the physical changes seemed to be permanent. Those who remained, however, would only have another week of rapidly progressing changes until the true nature of Shaville became revealed to them.

Shaville's leaders--witches and warlocks all-- controlled this explosion of corruption for the purpose of turning mortals into demon slaves. Those who experienced their dark magic through wanton lust would become succubi, while those who tasted blood in the fight pits would become wrathar. As demons, these former villagers and travelers would go on to serve their masters in secret or be traded to other practitioners of dark magic for favors.

The truth of Shaville was a well-kept secret for many decades, but thankfully, word of the town's evil reached the outside world near the end of the Second Age. It started with the spellwarriors that the constable summoned to help him restore order to the increasing chaos that dominated the lives of the villagers. They were accompanied by a templar acquaintance named Asha, who was repulsed by everything that lied on the surface of the village. This led her to dig deeper than anyone was ever willing to go to learn the truth.

As a result, the full force of the Blackstone Order mustered for the first time in centuries to destroy the entire village. Although many innocent people died in this purge, the templars were honored for cleaning this singular taint on the Holy Land. Shaville now remains only as an embarrassing mark on Resta's vaunted history of relative purity, but it is important to remember so that Restans will be on guard should they ever again find a similar place that seems too good to be true.


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