The Old Skull
The Old Skull is a granite promontory that crouches overlooking the community from the north, nested between the town proper and the River Ashaba. Compared with the fertile region around it, the Old Skull is a spur of gnarled volcanic rock covered with lichen and thick tufts of grass that find purchase in the many cracks and fissures along its surface. The hill's whitish rock (visible in most locations), sparsely-covered nature, and dome-like quality account for its name.
The Old Skull is used as a sheep pasture, a laundry drying area, and an occasional trysting ground - it has little use as anything else. Its most notable contributions are in giving its name to the local inn in town and being blessed with the presence of Elminster the Sage, who moved into an abandoned windmill on its south flank. The only other building on the Old Skull was a hut on the north side used as shelter by the shepherds. This hut has since caved in.
Also located atop the Old Skull is the tomb of Joadath, the stiff-necked ruler of the land from a century ago. The tomb is said to be solid rock worked by magic to encase his body, and is located somewhere in the southwest quadrant of the area. Joadath was entombed unmourned with nothing of value to tempt tomb-robbers using Aumry's magic, and as such has been undisturbed since that time. Most natives of Shadowdale would be hard pressed to point out the exact location of the tomb, save for a shallow depression at its location and a lichen-cover inscription listing (as briefly as possible) the major happenings of the community during his reign.