Introduction
I, Jilean Alexi McKellister, Scribe of the Noble Lord James Leyton of North Chesterton hereby wish to bring light to the horrible tragedies that befell our once safe town of North Chesterton through this document. I document this not only for posterity, but I extend this writing in the hopes that this recanting can perhaps aid anyone reading this in preventing such a series of tragedies from happening to their home and people.
Furthermore, I assure you in good faith and sound mind that the following information is nothing but the whole and complete truth.
In the mid-spring of the year of Tymora 613, the Noble Lord Thorvald Keelson founded the town of North Chesterton which at the time had been wild plains and fertile farmlands. With him he had brought three hundred of his men and women in the hopes of finding new land to expand his influence and wealth away from the prying eyes of the less than cooperative noble lords and ladies in the city of Anlona on the other side of the rapidly expanding Late King James Haleson's territory.
Upon settling atop the lands, The village was quickly built, and construction was well ahead of time. Upon the beginning of the tilling and raising of land and crops, the lord was delighted to find that the land was more than he ever could have hoped to be true. Everything had fallen into place neatly and comfortably. The seasonal crops and animal rearing and husbandry was only the beginning. Word had it that there were many valuable ore deposits in a nearby untouched cave that just so happened to be safe for excavation.
Not wanting to let such a wonderful opportunity squander itself, Lord Thorvald gathered the few miners and excavators that he had brought with him, and sent them along with a small security attachment to investigate the cave in the hopes that it was as good a boon as he was originally told. Much to his pleasure, the veins had turned out rich and unmolested by man or beast.
From what I have read of his personal writings, he had considered this a blessing from the gods above, and as such did not investigate further than when the miners and excavators cleared the cave as safe to begin mining in. However, that was not to say he hadn't become increasingly suspicious as time went on, as things seemed to be going almost too well for him.
I will not speculate on his thoughts and heart, but he quite clearly found it harder and harder to stay relaxed as he grew older. His writings became unusual upon his fiftieth birthday, and he had gone into a secluded study within his Keep, only ever coming out for food and the occasional meeting with his advisors.
Reports on his conduct agree that he was clearly very uneasy, going so far as to strike down anyone that interrupted him. This was further exacerbated by his status, both physical and his Noble heritage. He was an ox of a man, with a long head of red hair and a well maintained split red beard, and pale thick skin that barely contained his hulking form.
He was succeeded by his son, Thorvald Keelson II who at the tender age of fourteen had already become a learned leader and speaker. Lord Thorvald appreciated his son's ability to not only speak, but control with force if need be, and he took him under his right arm and brought him to his study in Thorvald Keep on his sixteenth birthday. The young man did not leave the study for well over three days as the Lord was teaching him what we knew now was dark secrets and magic, due to artefacts recovered many years later and the testimony of multiple witnesses over the decades.
On his son's twenty sixth year, Lord Thorvald had passed down his title and land to his son. Coincidentally, two days later, the grisly murder in the night of Thorvald's wife, and mother of Thorvald II, Ashley Lawton by what was only assumed to be Lord Thorvald who was caught red handed by a servant, who made a daring escape before telling every and anyone who would believe him.
The next morning, a large contingency of the townsmen assailed the Keep, aided and abetted by the Lord's former guards. They lynched the Lord and his son, but not before the Lord put up one hell of a resistance. His last words were that of a curse upon the land and the bloodlines of those that were to execute him. The son tried fleeing, but was quickly apprehended and hung with his father.
Later depictions of this event state that there was an unnatural fury among the townsmen who had acted upon their base urges and violent retribution. The voracity of such claims is unable to be proven or disproven, due to the source of this claim being a washlady who had only gotten a brief view of the event before returning home in distress and partially misremembering what exactly happened.
Over the next four decades, the lands became dry, and the ores that were still supposedly plentiful all but disappeared, along with the cattle and horses becoming lame and feeble.
The town fell on hard times as odd folks began turning up at queer times, and rumors of bandits in the area surrounding the town made any workman worried of leaving the town without an armed comrade or two with him.
Three new Lords were appointed, but each had died of suspicious and unnatural circumstances.
This all came to a head when a royal Tax collector, accompanied by a host of well armed, well prepared soldiers, along with thee court wizards arrived to collect the owed taxes.
The King had found the town, and he came to collect the rightfully owed taxes that this town had not paid for a long time. The backlog was immense, almost three fifths of the town's remaining treasury.
Calling a meeting, the townsfolk where whipped up in an unnatural fervor, and assailed the tax collector, killing him in a sneak attack before his entourage could protect him. This led to the wizards and guards to retaliate, and many died that night to both sword and magic.
thankfully for the townsmen, they cornered the wizards indoors with the guards, and after a hard fought skirmish, the townsfolk won, turning them into outlaws and enemies of the crown.
The curse of the first lord was in full effect, and many had died because of it.
