Key Places in Ustalav

During a recent Pathfinder campaign, I used several key locations. Here's a few of them for use in your own campaign.

Neplyuev Stones

The Neplyuev Stones is a small circle of stones located in the the Shudderwood border marshes at the eastern edge of Vieland County. The massive stones bear a number of strange, seemingly unintelligible, markings, leaving some to speculate about the monument, it’s builders, and their purpose.

The Stones sit in a clearing, approximately 30 feet across. They are overgrown with moss and lichen. Sunlight rarely reaches the ground here, leaving the earth soft and muddy, particularly after a rainstorm. The Stones themselves, eight in number, are arranged in a circle, 20 feet in diameter (measured from the outside edges). The megaliths are roughly spire shaped, approximately 15 feet tall and 5 feet wide at the base.

Game Master Information

The Neplyuev Stones were once a center of worship for The Order of the Dreaming Dark and is now one of three links in the chains that bind Bulav the Dark Dreamer, venerated Old One of The Order.

Those who defeated the Old Ones turned the followers’ power against their deity and sealed her away. The Order of the Dreaming Dark continues to search for a way to break the chains which bind Bulav and awaken her.

Using a copy of The Book of the Dreaming Dark made by a blasphemous former member, Petr Kirov uncovered the Stones’ ties to the the Order, prompting the cult’s local leadership to order his murder before the information could be made public.

University of Lepidstadt

See Rule of Fear, from Paizo Publishing for complete details about the University.

The Ghoul's Jawbone

A neighborhood tavern in Lepidstadt frequented by locals and transients alike. The owner is a former adventurer, Lev Mokashev, native to Vieland who retired early. The tavern’s namesake, and a twisted one at that, sits (mystically preserved) in a glass jar behind the bar. Lev is all too happy to take it out and tell the tale of how he and his companions destroyed a nest of the vile creatures, taking the jawbone of the ghoul chieftain as a price.

The Magic Maidenhead

This tavern is found near the docks in Lepidstadt. It stands out from the others of the district because it is far less rambunctious than the others as it is frequented by customs inspectors, traveling merchants, and ships officers rather than the enlisted crew.

The Magic Maidenhead was built from a decommissioned merchant riverboat, the Dragon’s Maiden. The original owner, a retired and now deceased merchant captain (and Varisian wanderer) retired from a life traversing the rivers and after meeting the woman who would become his wife. He built the tavern using the wood from his riverboat, placing the figurehead in honor above the bar. It is said that the figurehead is enchanted and instills a sense of calm in the tavern’s patrons, but most dismiss it as hogwash and folktales.

When the original owner died, it was purchased by Kir Gratcheva, an adventurer and sometimes treasure hunter (some would say grave robber). He operated the tavern for years, apprenticing his daughter, Calina Gratcheva, and teaching her the business. Kir was killed recently on a treasure hunt into the Shudderwood border marshes east of Lepidstadt, leaving Calina to run the tavern.