New Bacup

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 County Central Park. A thick, slow river cuts through the canyon called Splitrock River, due to the large rock protruding out of the river splitting it. The town was founded by a Welsh miner by the name of Griffin Bethell and his family. They came in 1085 seeking to trade on the precious metals that were exposed by the deep canyon. Once the Bethell family returned to Kingston with riches, the settlement grew exponentially as treasure hunters arrived. From 1086 to 1091 more and more precious metals were found and a well-established trade route linked New Bacup with Kingston.

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 East towards Thorsburg decided to stay and wait it out and try to survive. They continued on with their daily life, accepting casualty after casualty. Over the next 20 years of misery the attacks continued to grow and eventually the entire area was over run. In 1111 the Church decided it was no longer worth the risk of maintaining a congregation. The church abandoned the town and struck it from the records.

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. Running out of food, and cut off from the rest of the world the citizens decided to mine deeper into the canyon wall to seek safety from the hordes of horrors. It was around this time a mine shaft opened into a vast ancient underground temple. The people of New Bacup took refuge in the space, making sure never to stray too far in.

Now that they were safe from the marauding monsters, there was still a food shortage. The people started to struggle against starvation. One day, Griffin traveled deep into the temple mad with hunger. Old Man Bethell was gone for days. Most people were sure he he perished in that vast darkness. A fortnight later he finally returned carrying a load of fresh fruits and meats. He told the others that the temple took pity on him and spoke. In exchange for his undying loyalty, it would provide for him and his people. Some questioned the food and refused to eat. They thought it may be tainted or blasphemous. However, Griffin would continue deeper into the temple and always come back with food.

Eventually, the trapped and desperate citizens of New Bacup 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. As the young and infirm stopped dying Griffin revealed that the temple demanded a human sacrifice 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 the citizens of New Bacup began to sacrifice people. Now at full strength, the town decided to return to the surface and fight back the horrors that had trapped them in the mine. However, when they returned to the surface there was nothing there. The monsters that had forced them into the mines for over an entire year were gone. Now, the charismatic leader of the town, 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, his life extended by dark rituals within the bowels of the canyon mine, Griffin decided to start a church - The Church of the All-Giver. To this day, the citizens and any unfortunate soul that happens upon The Devils Anus worship The All-Giver.

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.