Borough Bound

Hauthell 05 - Ruin

Added 2025-03-31 20:54:58 +0000 UTC

Achim's dream is just rubble and blood

You all voted to say you wanted more Hauthell, so here's more Hauthell! 13 years have passed since our last update, and things have not gone well for the hamlet-turned-fort. This release marks the end of "era 1" of Hauthell. We'll return to this setting again in the future to see what happens much further down the road... I'm not saying we're jumping all the way to cyberpunk Hauthell, but we're going to jump quite a few years forward for era 2.

We'll be releasing a Definitive Edition of this first era of Hauthell in May. Stay tuned!

Borough Guide

This guide explains the fall of Hauthell. We leave the specifics of how and why the fort crumbled a bit vague so that you can fill in the blanks, but we also provide plenty of options to pick from if you're running a "canonical" version of the setting. Next, villager updates! Some died, some fled, and some... well, we'll leave that for the guide. There's still plenty to see and do in Hauthell: ruins to explore, deserters to confront, and mysteries to unravel. This guide should give you plenty of reason to GM a postlude for your Hauthell adventures.

Maps

Our main map this week is Hauthell in ruins. Towers and walls have crumbled, thatched roofs have burned, and overgrowth has reclaimed what's left. This is, quite honestly, the perfect map for some sleuthing or for a big epic battle. If you want to tweak this to fit your campaign, we provide 3 seasonal variants (Spring, Autumn, and Winter), 2 weather-specific variants (Rainy and Misty), plus 2 regional variants (Tropical and Lakeside).

Our Chief Courier tier patrons get a load of interiors for this one: new versions of the inn and the barracks (post-destruction!) and 3 options for a secret basement only revealed after the collapse. Is there a confidential Inquisition base here? A witch's hideaway? Or a cozy home for the mysterious Cloaked Lady?

Music

Our track this week is Moss Swallows Stone, an appropriately melancholy fantasy tune. This track is wistful; it certainly evokes the hope for what Hauthell could have been, but it's also sad and meditative. For the right bittersweet scene, it has the potential to be quite emotionally resonant. You can also just use it for any old fantasy overworld travel or calm roleplaying scene. The Ambient mix is particularly great for neutral underscore.