Ghost Holds

The Ghost Holds consisted of some forty ruined castles and mansions spread through the forest in Battledale.

Description
It was an outlaw town ruled unofficially by a long-dead past ruler referred to by some as the King of Ghosts. The Ghost Holds were a meeting place for pirates and where mercenaries could find work. Many things were traded for gold and gems, including spells and caged monsters.

Rule
The King of Ghosts was bound to this region he once ruled and had no real political motivations. He helped or hindered by whim and prevented anyone who came to the Ghost Holds from mustering an army. He did this for his own entertainment and so wanted to keep it as interesting as possible by encouraging monsters, outlaws, and hunters of others. It was a meeting place for smugglers and ne'er-do-wells.

Fantastical creatures roamed the area, particularly at night. The King of Ghosts used direhelms, undead created from the spirits of dead warriors, to enforce his interests. Travelers who encountered the King of Ghosts might be tasked with spreading word of the Ghost Holds to other parts of the Realms to attract new outlaws and outcasts.