Bazzoxan

Population: 2,610 (81% dark elves, 8% goblinoids, 11% other races)
Government: Martial law is enforced by Taskhand Verin Thelyss and maintained by the local military.
Defense: The Aurora Watch defends the town and keeps the demonic incursions at bay. The few citizens learn combat skills out of necessity.
Commerce: Very basic supplies are available, if scarce, due to the dangerous circumstances surrounding the town. Most trade involves provisions and goods for survival and defense.
Organizations: There are a number of partially destroyed temples and a handful of small ones that are still intact.

Bazzoxan was once a dark temple instrumental in the machinations of the Betrayer Gods during the Calamity, but the remaining ruin was left to gather dust like many relics of those terrible times. After Ghor Dranas was claimed by the Kryn, settlers roamed north through the Barbed Fields to discover this site with hopes of renovating it as well. A community began to flourish within
the ruins of Bazzoxan over a few generations, building the foundations of a new city around the looming stone structures of the abandoned sanctum-until demonic forces from within the old temple threw the burgeoning society into chaos. Bazzoxan is now perpetually locked in a stalemate between the dynasty's forces and the abyssal incursion from within the temple. This unholy site is the subject of constant research and of growing worry for the dynasty.

Never left alone

About forty years ago, a group of curious local dungeoneers uncovered a long-dormant gateway to the Abyss. Its demonic influence drove them mad, and they accidentally reactivated the gateway of Bazzoxan-an immense rift between the Abyss and Exandria. This enabled demonic forces to pour out into the ruins and surrounding city. The incursion was eventually stifled,
though at a great loss of life. The civilians that remain in Bazzoxan support the warriors who keep the forces of the Abyss at bay, as well as the arcanists who work to reseal the rift and reclaim the city.

Government

The town is under martial law, with Aurora Watch soldiers keeping the peace under the current governance of Taskhand Verin Thelyss. The taskhand's lieutenants serve as minor officials and bureaucrats, and even the civilians who continue to stay are trained to defend themselves and fall into rank if malevolent forces rise from beneath their home.

Crime

With the tension of living in constant fear of demonic threat, the focus on survival in Bazzoxan leaves little room to break the law for personal gain. Even so, the rare grifter sometimes profits from gouging the price of provisions or swindling the fearful. Criminals who are caught by the Watch are sent south to Rosohna for punishment or simply executed, depending on the severity of their crimes.

Geography

The towering ruined temple sits against the rocky southern base of the Penumbra Range, carved directly from the natural stone of the mountains. The ominous onyx doors that lead into the heart of the temple remain barred and under constant watch. Surrounding the temple are over a hundred abodes and structures, as well as a partially reconstructed town square. Construction equipment lies abandoned in the streets, and vacant homes sit untouched since their denizens were slain or forced to flee. Makeshift Aurora Watch barracks are continuously expanded to make room for the reinforcements sent to push back the fiends that assail the city from beneath.