New Shepford

The village of New Shepford is known throughout Jorvikshire as the cursed remains of a failed hundred in the Pigeon Hills to the West.

Location: Pigeon Hills Hundred
Approximate Population: Twenty families
Heritage: English and German.

New Shepford is located West of Grey’s Abbey, the farthest settlement of the Earl’s West Hundred. It includes a small order of monks who scrape out a living farming and herding goats. The next closest settlement is Thomas’ Village which is over twelve miles to the East of New Shepford.

New Shepford is the site of a lot of open space, appropriate for herding sheep. There is a thick tributary of the Rapid Creek running along the Western border of the settlement good for watering livestock. Locals call this southern tributary just “South Creek.” An ancient, overgrown forest along this tributary is a source of concern, but the flat areas to the West along the tributary make for good pasture and farmland.

Over the past five years, there has been talk of the settlement being cursed and the population of this seed of a new hundred began to dwindle as the Gladfelter family rapidly lost wealth and fell into poverty. The ruins of the old Shepford settlement still stands across the South Creek. The village is made up of about twenty families. Another ten homesteads lay unused in the village, and there are more slowly falling into ruin across the creek.

Thick flocks of Squidpigeons have made life difficult. Before their arrival, the settlement was known for its thick flocks of sheep. However, since the pigeons began to flock five years ago they have slain entire flocks. Now, the village only raises livestock that it can move into cover when the Squidpigeons swarm.

Near the forest to the Northeast away from the village is a cemetery thick with those settlers who died much too early.

This settlement would be located where New Oxford is in our world.

The large open space to the northeast of the village is the old sheep grazing area.

The building north of the well in New Shepford is the open pavilion village hall.

The marketplace consists of open-air sheds.

To the left of this is the church and to the north a blacksmith.

Widow Ludwig's pub is to the south of the well.

There are several notable citizens of New Shepford listed below.

• Elder Bolton - Despite having one mauled and sightless eye, Elder Bolton's luxurious, fair locks are thick and wavy. He is the official representative of this settlement.
• Patch Tancred - This farmer is always angry, and his crimson red eyepatch covers more than just an empty eyesocket.
• Brother Otto Stauffer, Scion of Mainz - Unofficial spokesman, this man of God has managed to elude the curse thus far and does his level best to keep the citizens of this cursed place from slipping further into despair.
• Widow Ludwig - This good-natured widow is one of the few hospitable citizens of the village. Her blind daughter Sibyl is thoughtful and kind, while sighted son Gosse is angry and vindictive for having to do all the work.
• Father Alaric - Blind parish priest of New Shepford, led by a one-eyed nine year old girl named Brigid.
• Ferdinand the Cyclops - Unlike many of the blinded folk of New Shepford, young Ferdinand was born with only one eye. He is the most accomplished hunter and tracker of the village.

• The Goblin Well - A large lair of Imps located beneath Old Shepford.
• Shrine of the Oracle
• The Eyesocket
• The Goblin Hills - Three “installations” of Imps located between New Shepford and Abbot's Town.