0xp If rewritten, I suspect that it would play out as follows:

An oppressive baron, Tersh Aliet, was shot down by a vengeful serf. This event triggered a general uprising by the local villeins, which was brutally put down by the Baron’s loyal household troops. Afterward, the remaining serfs were massacred by the Baron’s men. The castle (Aliet Manor) and its surrounding village were abandoned and allowed to fall to ruin. They acquired a reputation as being haunted by the restless spirit of the Evil Baron.

Presumably, the manor was deemed inconsequential by the Crown, or it would not have been allowed to fall into decay. It may have been constructed in an outdated design or have some other flaw that would render it easily reduced by an organized military force.

A century later, a group of bandits moved into the decaying manse. Their leader, Riryd Daros, disregarded the tales of the castle’s haunting. He should not have, as he has been possessed by the spirit of the dead baron. (In all likelihood, they have some traits in common.) Those of the bandits that retain some moral sensibility have been receiving disturbing visions of the old baron and his evil deeds. They are starting to sense that allowing their leader to leave the area in his strange “humour” would unleash some dire threat.

The Baron’s ghost gains more power with every murder his host commits. He hopes to gain enough control and power to break the ties that keep him at the site of his murder. Now a supernatural entity, he retains the cruelty and ambition that dominated him while alive.

The player characters become involved when they hear of increased predation by bandits in the area, or they may be contacted by one of the bandits, a fearful man who is having moral qualms about their leader’s ominous change of heart.