The hall was once a long wooden building, similar to a longhall, with a thatch roof and thick wooden tree trunk holding the ceiling aloft. It was built in a glen at the foot of one of the taller peaks, beside a small river. However, over time the Hall was covered with layer upon layer of earth – purposely, in tiers for farming and cultivation of fruit trees. In one later incident, a landslide from further up the ridge sent earth and rocks over the Hall, further burying it past recovery. Over time, the foliage above grew wild, and the Hall was forgotten.

The entrance to the Hall is around a hundred yards uphill from the road, a narrow crevice that appears to be naturally occurring in the hillside. There is a small decoy cave that the goblins use to turn away unwanted visitors, and the door is disguised to look like a part of the cave wall.

The Hall retains stone walls up to about eight feet, and the ceiling consists of wooden rafters holding the earth above out of the cavity.

The Current Inhabitants

Beneath Gladsvain Ridge is the hall which gave the region its name. Once the seat of Lord Gladsvain, the hall has been abandoned for centuries, first abandoned after the end of the Gladsvain line and then buried beneath a landslide. But more recently, the hall has been found by a warren of goblins carving out a dwelling for themselves in the soil, and they stumbled upon the riches interred there when it was abandoned.

The goblins have several defenses set in place in order to deter potential intruders, accustomed as they are to suspicion and scorn by humans. The first defense is a disguise: their entrance seems only to lead into a shallow cave – a handy, natural shelter from the storm. The refuse of a small camp of goblins adds to this disguise. But past the hidden door that blends into the rock, the goblins have excavated the majority of the hall, rescuing it from the clay. Their village has been built on the stone floor, their king reclines in the throne at its head, and they display their acquired riches as spoil.

When they emptied out the cave to build the hall, they came across an ogre, which they captured and have been attempting to train into a feral weapon. The ogre is kept in a special cavern at the front of the hall, and has been given weapons and armour. While the entrance into the cage is not large enough for the ogre to escape by, it can be enlarged swiftly by pulling on specially-placed chains.

The Forgotten Hall

Lord Gladsvain’s Hall, though forgotten by most, still bears the weight of its storied past. Built in an era when stone and wood were prized not just for their durability but for their aesthetic value, the Hall was as much a place of governance as it was a symbol of Lord Gladsvain's dominion over the region. The carved stone floor, inlaid with copper and ancient symbols of power, is said to have been designed to channel the energy of the land itself, blessing those who governed wisely. These marks remain visible today, though dulled by time and tarnish, their meaning now a mystery even to scholars.

The goblins who inhabit the Hall now have little interest in its history, but they unknowingly preserve its structure through their own industriousness. The petrified beams, once mighty tree trunks hewn from the surrounding forests, still hold firm under the immense weight of the earth above. The goblins have added their own flair to the Hall’s design, carving out nooks and alcoves where they store their treasures or mount makeshift defenses. Their tents and shelters, stretched between the pillars, create a patchwork community within the Hall. Smoke from their fire pits mingles with the scent of damp stone and earth, giving the air a heavy, oppressive quality.

Legends of Gladsvain Ridge

Legends surrounding the Hall persist in whispers among the villagers who live at the base of Gladsvain Ridge. Some speak of a secret treasure hoard left behind by Lord Gladsvain, buried with him when his line ended abruptly. Others warn of the curse that befell the Hall, dooming it to obscurity beneath layers of soil and rock. This curse, they say, is what drove the final heir of Gladsvain to madness, leaving the Hall abandoned to its fate. It is no wonder that the goblins, with their inherent superstition, tread cautiously around certain parts of the Hall, avoiding the deepest corners where the shadows seem to gather and linger unnaturally.

The History of the Hall

Lord Gladsvain’s Hall was a shining beacon of civilization during the Bronze Age, standing as a seat of power, trade, and culture for the region. Built in a strategic glen near vital waterways, the Hall flourished as a hub for both local governance and interregional trade. It was said that the Hall’s wealth was unmatched, with bronze weapons, tools, and ornaments flowing in and out of its stores. Yet, the prosperity of Gladsvain’s Hall also made it a target during the tumultuous wars with the Ssthessic Vrasa — a reptilian empire that sought to dominate the fertile lands of the north. The Vrasa, renowned for their cunning and mastery of warfare, ravaged the settlements in the region, sparing no rival in their path.

The Fall of Gladsvain’s Line

The fall of Gladsvain’s Hall is often attributed to the betrayal of its allies during the Wars of the Bronze Tide, when the Ssthessic Vrasa made a bold push into the heart of the kingdom. Isolated and outnumbered, Lord Gladsvain gathered his forces and held the Hall against the advancing Ssthessic for three harrowing months. The battle’s turning point came not from brute force but from starvation and desperation. Cut off from supplies, the defenders eventually broke under the strain. What remained of the Gladsvain line scattered into the wilderness, unable to reclaim their heritage as the reptilian invaders dismantled the Hall’s defenses. Yet, the Ssthessic did not stay. After their empire’s eventual decline, they abandoned the region, leaving behind ruins and scorched fields.

A Legacy Buried in Time

After the wars, Gladsvain’s Hall lingered as a ruin—a grim reminder of a once-prosperous age. Villagers avoided the area, fearing both curses and the scattered remnants of the Ssthessic magic, which some claimed still lingered in the stones. Over centuries, the glen reclaimed the Hall, with earth and vegetation swallowing the remnants. Occasional expeditions sought to uncover the Hall’s treasures, but the combined dangers of landslides and local superstition always curtailed these attempts. Eventually, the exact location of the Hall was forgotten, lost beneath the layers of time. When the goblins rediscovered it, they found not only the remnants of the Hall’s grandeur but also fragments of the Ssthessic conquest — serpentine carvings, strange weapons, and artefacts imbued with an unsettling aura.