Noble Lands of Auldwood & The South

Thirty years ago the civil war began breaking the third empire into seven warring kingdoms. The north has been in decline, ignored and civilisation has retreated. The so-called noble lands were a quiet retreat where nobles rested. Though outside those towns are in the great Auldwood. An ancient forest where strange things happen and spirits haunt the dreams of humanity. Many small knightly keeps dot the forest, all isolated by old families many with strange secrets, local hauntings and curses. Weird things happen here and old fairy tales come to life. So I'm reinventing this region to be more horrible which seems to work as a method.

http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2018/10/improved-timeline-and-mythic-genesis.html
http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2017/04/sour-hill-sandbox-setting-ideas.html

Main Themes
Visiting various places in a haunted forest and cursed manours
Class system is obnoxious and adventurers are ambiguous and don't fit in
-only nobles may ride horses or freely trade in magic items
-knights are better than you and unlikely to let you in the nice places
-commoners resent upper class or rich who ignore injustice
-rich when isolated get up to terrible vices and blasphemous frolics
-if swear an oath to nobility and granted land and title only way to join the nobility
Cults, criminal magicians, evil priests, dark faerie powers from beyond
Return of prehistoric powers and the old religion as state crumbling
Faerie tale reality and dreamland powers are spreading

The Three Big Towns of the Noble Lands
Ironton - mining, smelting, weapons and arms made for the great civil war, garrison
Seaton - port with many exotic goods and magicians live
Silverton - local capital, a centre of nobility, vice, churches and trade

Three Littles Villages (with a royal coach house)
Bogton - swampy village of inbred degenerates and cults
Hoboskull Pass - once a murder hobo camp, now a small fortified town
Wulfton - where the forest brotherhood patrols the Auldwood roads
Marshton - sleepy decaying seaside town partly sinking into the sea
Turnipton - sleepy village of commoners steeped in odd local customs

Knightly Castles
Small castle = pop 40-100 Large Castle = Pop 200-500.
Knightly combat sports, slavery and invitations to far off wars common but they prevent local fights. Lots of knightly clans here players could be related to. Knights roam about lots and broke knights become robber knights.

The Dale Lands
Swamp Castle - protects and controls Bogton and fighting Robber knights
Red Castle - built on fort of the old faith destroyed in bloody battle, home of the red order
Moon Castle - haunted ruin where a cult was vanquished
Lake Castle - misty fort built to stop lake monsters migrating and smugglers
Moor Castle - built to watch over eerie moorlands and protect from bandits
Mandrake castle - protects and controls Turnipton

Auldwood
Castle Night - isolated secretive noble visited by strangers mysterious parties
Castle Black - ruined haunted keep where a supernatural lord rules a court of monsters
Forest Castle - great castle on a forested hillfort where old woodland cults flourish
Castle Blue - dynasty of cursed lecherous murderers rule like tyrants over the area
Castle Grey - haunted castle where shadows and robed black templars have been seen

Highway 
Castle White - holy order watches over the undead from the dwarven ruins
Castle Bright -  order of paladins from here search for lost holy relics
Yellow Castle - sulphur deposit makes it popular with alchemists but very smelly
Wolf Castle - protects and controls Wulfton and is headquarters of forest brotherhood
Marsh Castle - protects and controls Marshton and patrols versus smugglers

Coast
Castle Azure - charming coastal fort where some see sea faeries & sprites
Snake Castle - ruined when lord let old faith savages to take over decades ago

Lead Castle - fortified mining outpost controlling mountain pass and coast
Cliff Castle - bleak castle on a huge cliff watching the sea rude to visitors 
Sea Castle - a bustling seaside castle with of thriving shops and inns
Castle Green - a ruined estate that has been reclaimed by the woods and some curseCastle Rock - ugly rude castle built by goblins and taken by humans

Ruins
Dwarf Ruin - a ruined underground dwarf city which occasionally discharges undead
Castle Strange - ruined fort of prehuman alien creatures vanished here long ago
Witch Castle - the stronghold of ancient faith destroyed long abo but faerie haunted still

Tables 
Generate minor estates and manours
Local curses or weird events
Courtly stuff for knights
Spirits to meet on the road
Cults and factions