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- Town Name: New Bacup
- Location: Monster Country
- Approximate Population: 150ish, 10 years ago
- Heritage: Primarily Welsh with a smattering of other heritages.
New Bacup is located at the bottom of a large canyon nicknamed The Devil's Anus, which is located in what would be our Lancaster Central Park, the Conestoga River also runs through this canyon. The town was founded by a Welsh miner by the name of Griffin Bethell and his family on the theory that there was precious metals located in canyon roughly 25 years ago. The town was an up and coming mining town with trade routes being established and a booming but yet somewhat small local economy as many of them worked there to be able to send money back to their families wherever they might be. The town grew exponential in popularity from between 1086 and 1091 as more and more precious metals were found, however as the town grew it drew more of the local wildlife, monsters, and fiends to the area. The attacks grew more frequent and deadlier, however the citizens of New Bacup not having either the means to provide for their family nor the ability to travel north towards what would be our Philadelphia or East across the river decided to stay and wait it out and try to survive. They continued on with their daily life over the next 20 years learning how to defend themselves, and accepting casualty after casualty. Over the next 20 years of misery the attacks continued to grow and eventually the entire area was over run. At this point in 1111 the Church decided it was no longer worth the risk of continuing a trade route, forsake the town and struck it from the records as to many caravans were being destroyed and to many lives where being lost.
Most of what transpired between 1111 and 1130 is shrouded in mystery, however there have been numerous rumors and stories. The most popular story being this.
That while running out of food, and cut off from the rest of the world the citizens with no where to run too decided to mine deeper into the canyon wall to seek safety from the hordes of creature at their doorsteps. It was around this time they stumbled upon an vast ancient temple, which they took refugee in, making sure never to stray to far in. While in the temple people started to die of starvation as their entire food stores were ran dry. One day though Griffin traveled deep into the temple mad with hunger, he was gone for days, people were sure he he perished as well until one day he came back carrying a load of fresh fruits and meats. Apparently according to the rumors the Temple took pity on him and in exchange for his undying loyalty would provide for him and his people. People began to question where the food came from and refused to eat. However, everyday Griffin would walk deeper into the dungeon and always come back with food and eat his share. Eventually with more people dying, people stopped caring and started to eat. Griffin did not tell the whole story though, he knew that the temple demanded a sacrifice in order to produce the bounty they received. He wasn't sure how often, but he knew as long as people to continued to die within the temple walls everything would be okay. Eventually when the people regained their strength and people stopped dying he told them what the temple required in order for it to continue to provide. At this point scared of losing their only means of food and knowing the Church abandoned them they started to sacrifice people. The citizens now at full strength, decided to fight back the hordes outside of their tunnels and reclaim their town. However, when they returned to the surface there was nothing there, no fiends, no monsters, nothing. Griffin proclaimed it was the will of the temple that their town should be spared. They started to call the temple as a whole The All-Giver. Cut-off and angry Griffin decided to start a church, Church of the All-Giver. To this day, the citizens and any unfortunate soul that happens upon The Devils Anus worship The All-Giver.
The Canyon has been nicknamed The Devil's Anus.
King Harold Godwinson, the defeated King of England, arrived with a refugee fleet in the New World in late 1066 AD. He was aiming for the Icelandic settlement in Vinland, but was blown off course, entering King Harold's Bay (what we know as the Chesapeake Bay). The fleet made landfall and the King declared the foundation of a new kingdom on December 31, 1066. The kingdom was dubbed Nessex (much as Wessex means West Saxons, Sussex means South Saxons, Nessex means New Saxons, i.e., New World Saxons).
So, the present day in our campaign is 1130, about eighty years after that. Let's say that the Catholic Church gave up on this town about twenty years ago around 1111. Did it have a proper name before it was renamed “The Devil's Anus?” Maybe New Bacup after the borough in Lancashire, England?
Does the canyon have what would be the Connestoga River at the bottom of it? Maybe the actual canyon is where our Lancaster County Central Park is?
I like the “Devil's Anus” because of the Osculum Infame and its connotations. All those who still live here are just witches. It is literally witch-ville.
Let's say that corruptor demons have taken hold of a lot of these people, and so they've taken to just living off the food and water delivered by the charismatic sociopathic leader(s) are able to enter and leave the ruins safely.