Insidious Tendrils

It is the year of our lord Twelve Hundred and Thirty.  It is a dark time, and strange things walk the land.

Nothing is different in the Hungarian City of Mostar.  With a population of over one and a half thousand people, Mostar is one of the largest cities west of the mountains.  But that is not what makes Mostar so important.

Across those mountains, to the east, the mighty empire of Hungary thrives, and strives against itself for political power.  War, both covert and obvious, reigns … and the Church fights its own battle against the Bogomil Heresy.

Mostar is of crucial importance in these wars, as it holds the western end of the only real pass through the mountains.  For the sake of trade, commerce and military need, the great powers in the east need this mountain pass to remain open … at least to them.  Mostar is the linchpin between their growing power and the great sources across the Aegean Sea.

Under the shrouds of night it is into this city that the war has now crept … 
Those Kindred who once held this city, and held it against the wishes of the warring lords in the East, have been removed. 
Under the shroud of the Bogomil Heresy, the forces that move the church have taken the city of Mostar. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The previous vampiric residents:
Up until just recently, the “Prince” Eszes Krystyna, of the Clan Lasombra, held the Domain of Mostar.  She was a hard woman, possibly of the 7th or 8th Generation, who had forged her right here early in the 11 century.

Her apparently loyal childer, Istvan Laszlofi and Tamas Vadas aided Eszes Krystyna (meaning “Krystyna the Wise”.   Both were considers powerful and competent young kindred in their own rights.

The Tremere, Emma Basset and her right hand Averil of Karnain supported Krystyna’s reign, being otherwise left to their own devices.

The only other notable kindred persona within the Domain was the Follower of Set known as Artaeth.  A reclusive sort, but at least openly, stubbornly and aggressively loyal to Krystyna.

The City of Mostar:
Nestled in the lower foothills, Mostar is the gateway to the east.  It sits at the entrance to the only real pass through the mountains, with its little brother, Sarajevo sitting halfway though that pass.  

Trade has made the city large, but the mineral wealth of the area cannot be denied either.  The land around Mostar is riddled with old mines … and many of Mostar’s satellite towns are based around these prosperous locations.  
In summery, its location and its resources make Mostar one of the largest and most prominent cities between the coast and the mountain range.

With a population of over 1500 citizens, Mostar is far from being a quaint village.  The walls of the city barely hold its teeming masses any longer.  The streets are filled with the unfortunate and homeless, while trade and nobility hold most of the city.  In the outlying lands, farms stretch for miles, some in use, some abandoned.
The meager city watch (of barely 80 men) does its best to maintain law and order within the city, if not necessarily the safety of its occupants.

The small river that runs through the center of the city flows out of the mountains in to the city clean and pleasant, but leaves the city somewhat murkier, carrying the waste and garbage of the city with it.

Near the center of the city stands Castle Peteu, where the lords of Mostar have lived for generations.  Standing impressively, it looms over much of the surrounding city, and its armed guard makes it clear who rules both the Castle and the city itself.

While the city has several local church cemeteries, these are small and somewhat reserved for the clergy that serve the church.  By far, the most extensive cemetery in Mostar is the communal site just outside the north gates of the city.  The graveyard stretches for no less than a kilometer, and holds all manner of graves … from barely marked mounds, to opulent crypts purchased by nobility and traders.

The only operational hospital can be found on the outskirts of the city. It holds most of the cities dying and undesirable populous hidden behind its mortar walls… so the cities ‘healthy and whole’ inhabitants can get on with their lives without being reminded of these ‘unfortunates’ whom they have turned their back on.

The Bishop Miklos out of the St. Gyorgy Cathedral runs the local Catholic establishment  … a somewhat unimpressive structure in the eastern quarter of the city.  The church maintains barely much else in the way of buildings within the city, and spends most of its time preaching to the city's citizenry rather than helping it.

Satellite towns … Banja, Jasenjani, Ragusa and others … dot the land.  Some are as close as close as four kilometers away while others (like Brod and Cetinja) are as up to 20 or so Kilometers.  Each holds between 300 to 900 residents, and is governed by its own Boyar.

Immediately to the east lies the Dinaric Alps, the massive mountain range that runs down the western coast of Hungary.  It is nearly 100 Kilometers from the city of Mostar, through the Dinaric Alps, into Hungary proper.  The only other major cities this side of the mountain range are the coastal/port cities of Zara (100 kilometers to the northeast) and Aspathalos (nearly as far to the southeast).

Ranging leagues to the south, between the Dinaric Alps and the road south to Ragusa, extends the Darkkin Woods.  This thick wooded region (some may call is forest) has a nasty reputation among the locals as haunted and living woodlands.  It is said that to enter those woods for any extended length of time, or to be there after dark, is to invite its wrath upon you.  The locals say that the woods even come alive at times to defend themselves.  Those who survive such an experience are apparently left as mental cripples.

To the south of Mostar, overlooking the small town of Jasenjani is the castle “Tar Munz”.  This old, uninviting and rundown structure stands as a grim reminder to the villagers nearby that their lords no longer protect them.