Eaveton Hold is the official seat of power for the surrounding area, a small duchy numbering some 50 villages on the eastern shore of Ralan-Gul. The duchy's position, being roughly a months travel by horse form the next major settlement, and on the southern third of the coast, means that it has been left to flounder for over 700 years. Many of the original villages that comprised the duchy have been abandoned, leaving large tracks of wilderness as those villages have been reclaimed by nature, but building a hardiness in the people of the few scattered villages that remain.
The castle itself is situated on a lake in the low mountains that dominate the area. Access to the castle is currently impossible due to blockades and defenses put in place to prevent travel to the mountain fortress. It is said, centuries ago, the local lord could get troops anywhere seemingly by magic, but in modern times no one living has ever been there to substantiate those rumors.
Economically the duchy is technically part of the vassals of the city state of Qamond to the west, but in practice the duchy is independent. The villages are supposed to pay taxes to Eaveton Hold, as tenants, and the duchy sends some on to the city state. However, 723 years ago a catastrophic event eliminated the entire staff and occupants of the castle, seemingly overnight, and over a very short time most of the local villages were abandoned due to frequent
attacks by unknown monsters. Over the following years several expeditions were sent by Qamond, only for none to ever return. With only rare attacks to the villages further out, and no information for such large loss of life, the city state essentially wrote the whole area off. They do not send tax collectors, but do not offer aid or enforce law either, and on the rare occasion the matter is brought before the legislature, it is usually ignored as being to costly for meager profit.
The closest structure to the castle that is still safe to reach is a temple once dedicated to Gothrik, the patron God of service. Gothrik devotees dedicate their lives to helping others as best they can. The monks who once lived there were the final line of defense against the monsters that still occasionally raid from the castle, and that proved to be their undoing. Almost 200 years ago, the monks were responsible for most of the difficulty in getting to and from the castle, setting up blocks and patrolling to protect travelers, having spent the better part of 5 centuries working to protect the local villages. unfortunately, the monks were taken by surprise by a larger, better motivated force of enemies, and were almost completely wiped out.
Currently, the largest and best protected village in the area is Rosecairn, so named for the large cairn on a hill overlooking the town, decorated with carvings of roses, and actually covered with real rose vines. Rosecairn has a population of about 500 people, with a very small inn named The Peppered Rose being the primary business. It is owned by the mayor, a half-orc named Atrinod Lighthide, a kind man who nevertheless will not hesitate to defend what he holds dear.