Yuggnod is walled port town at the mouth of the Pearl River. The town is home to a dwindling population of 20,000 goblins and less than 1,000 hobgoblins. The townsfolk have been leaving by the dozens due to the town’s leadership. Yuggnod is ruled by a cabal of ten barghests. Each barghest demands a sentient being to eat once a month. These sacrifices come from outside the city if possible, but if no outsider is available the barghests choose from among the town’s residents. The overt risk of being a citizen of Yuggnod has led to a mass exodus as the people flee their oppressive overlords.
The city took a hard hit eighteen years ago when the barghests seized control. After defeating the town’s leadership and strongest defenders, the barghests went on a cannibalistic rampage in the artisan quarter of Yuggnod. The neighborhood was devastated by the attack. Worse, the unholy destruction caused the victims to rise again as monstrous undead, jealous of the living that still drew breath. The barghests ordered the artisan’s quarter walled up. The neighborhood is now known as the Locked Quarter. Crossing the wall is a death sentence. Undead still occasionally slip through the barrier to kill a few people before the town guard kills the beast.
The elimination of the artisan’s quarter ruined Yuggnod’s cultural scene. Almost all of the town’s annual festivals and holidays relied on artisans to be successful. The only holiday to survive the barghest attack was the New Year’s celebration in honor of the Fish. The town comes together and honors the fisherman and oyster farmers that provide food for the city. In a grim twist of fate, the barghests ordered new holidays to commemorate themselves. One for each barghest and a final eleventh holiday to mark the day of their ascension, the same day that the residents annual mourn the massacre of the artisan’s quarter. The citizens are forced to enact these celebrations. Any refusal may attract the appetite of the barghests.
Yuggnod’s main production industry is clam farming, but their main source of income is trade. The town is a conduit for goods flowing between India and not only the Hobgoblin Lands, but all of Cimmeria. Despite the barghests’ occupation, trade continues. Commodities come from Cimmeria along the trade route of Jipangu, Tomak’nax, and then Yuggnod as they go in reverse from India. Yuggnod’s own exports are meager, but include clams, fish, leather and cheese from their cattle, as well as wheat and beer.
