The rise of Elemental Evil in Faerun begins in the Dessarin Valley, a lightly settled region of caravan towns, isolated homesteads, and uninhabited wilderness just a weeks journey from Waterdeep. Nothing of note to the wider world has happened here for hundreds of years. The frontier long ago receded farther northward, leaving behind a quiet backwater littered with ruins. These days, the Dessarin Valley has little in common with the popular conception of the Savage Frontier. Winters are hard here, but the hordes of orcs and other hungry monsters are a long way off from these parts.
If the Dessarin Valley isn’t quite as wild and lawless as it once was, it’s still lightly settled territory that serves as a route to distant lands. Residents in places such as Red Larch or Triboar boast that their humble settlements are “the Gateway to the North.” Through these lands pass hundreds of caravans and keelboats each year, linking the great ports of Waterdeep and Neverwinter with places such as Everlund, Mirabar, or Silverymoon. The steady caravan traffic breathes life into the towns of this area, supporting businesses in the settlements along the Long Road. Inns cater to travelers anxious to sleep safely within sturdy walls and enjoy good food by a warm fire instead of camping by the side of the road.
In addition to catering to caravans and travelers heading to or from the far North, the Dessarin Valley is a breadbasket for the hungry populations of Waterdeep and Neverwinter. The farms and pastures of the area produce grain, livestock, poultry, apples, and hops, then ship them downriver (or drive them down the Long Road) to the coast. Few people become rich from farming, but farmers in the region do well for themselves provided the weather cooperates. (That’s one reason why the unusual weather lately has been a concern.)
History
Most people who live in the Dessarin Valley have no idea of its long history. Old-timers nodding sagely by the hearths of the local taprooms sometimes observe, “These lands, they have old bones.” Most locals have no idea of how right they are.
While some truly ancient ruins in this area go back to the days of the first great elf kingdoms, none of these figure into the story of this adventure. The earliest realm that does is the shield dwarf kingdom of Besilmer, which was founded nearly six thousand years ago in -4420 DR. Its existence is so far back in the mists of history that only a handful of non-dwarf sages have even heard of it. Most people of the Dessarin Valley don’t know Besilmer at all, but they are familiar with two of its works: the engineering marvel known as the Stone Bridge (described later in this chapter) and the crumbling ruins known as the Halls of the Hunting Axe.
The realm of Besilmer was something rare: a dwarven kingdom built on the surface, with its strength measured in fields and pastures. It prospered for a time but was plagued by trolls and giants. The dwarves were obliged to build a stronghold underground, carving out the fortress-city of Tyar-Besil a century after Besilmers founding. Unfortunately for the dwarves, the realm collapsed after its king and founder died in battle. Most of the surviving dwarves sought safer lands. The dwarven city beneath the Sumber Hills was abandoned by -4160 DR and then forgotten.
Tyar-Besil slumbered in darkness for many long centuries, occasionally discovered and occupied by monsters or ambitious miners, only to be abandoned again. It came to light again in 893 DR, when a group of adventurers who called themselves the Knights of the Silver Horn discovered the ruins. Over the next six years they returned again and again, eventually founding strongholds of their own to safeguard the hidden entrances to the sprawling dungeon.
The knights had some success in clearing small domains in the wild Sumber Hills, but only a few years later the powerful orc realm of Uruth Ukrypt arose nearby, and the Dessarin Valley became a battlefield. Trouble followed on trouble: the Orcfastings War, the First and Second Trollwars, and finally a series of vicious drow raids. By the year 942 DR, human settlements in the Dessarin Valley had been all but wiped out, and the Knights of the Silver Horn were no more. Their strongholds crumbled into ruin and became known in later years as the Haunted Keeps. Eventually, no one remembered who built them or why.
The current wave of settlement in and around the Dessarin Valley began after 1000 DR, coinciding with Waterdeeps growth from a warlords stronghold into a major city. The first small outposts that would grow into places such as Red Larch and Triboar were carved out of a wild and untamed land. People resettling the Dessarin Valley found the remains of “kingdoms of old” scattered here and there throughout the area.
Time in the Realms
The people of the Forgotten Realms number the years by the Dalereckoning calendar, which is abbreviated “DR.” Years are also given names, which are drawn from the writings of a great seer from long ago. The adventure is set in 1491 DR, the Year of the Scarlet Witch.
Each month consists of three ten-day long weeks called tendays. People refer to tendays the way people in other worlds refer to weeks.
Current Events
Minor issues are nothing unusual in the Dessarin Valley. Bands of savage humanoids from the Sword Mountains or the Evermoors occasionally raid here. Human barbarians known as the Uthgardt roam these lands, and the more aggressive tribes can be very dangerous. Bandits sometimes gather in the lonelier parts of the vale to waylay caravans traveling the Long Road or the Kheldell Path. Every now and then reckless or unlucky adventurers manage to stir up some ancient curse in the ruins scattered around the area. Constables of valley settlements are usually up to the task of restoring the peace.
Six months ago, an insidious new threat began to grow in the area, unsuspected by the locals or any passing adventurers. Dreams and visions drew four elemental prophets, one by one, to the Fane of the Eye beneath the Sumber Hills. Each prophet began to gather like-minded followers. Strangers trickled into the Dessarin Valley in ones or twos. Some were already cultists of Elemental Evil, eager to build a place where they could openly practice their vile rites. Others were brutal thugs, power-hungry dabblers in forbidden magic, or fanatics lured by the call of evil. At first the cultists valued secrecy above all else, but as their numbers grew and they established their strongholds, they turned their attention to expanding their hold on the Dessarin Valley.
The presence of so many malefactors has caused a spate of banditry, kidnappings, murders, and raids. The cultists have also upset the weather in the region. All of these occurrences continue to worsen over the course of the adventure until the characters locate and clean out the four elemental cults in the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Red Larch
Maps
Red Larch has been an important stop on the Long Road for two centuries now. Named for a distinctive stand of red larch trees that were cut down when the hamlet was founded, Red Larch became a settlement in the first place thanks to a drinkable spring that fed a sizable pond ideal for watering horses, oxen, and pack mules.
An east-west trail meets the Long Road at the pond, running west to the logging community of Kheldell and east to Bargewright Inn and eventually Secomber. Another trail leads to quarries in the Sumber Hills and to ruins of stone keeps long ago left to monsters and outlaws (the Haunted Keeps).
In recent years, new quarries have been opened on the northwestern edge of town. So far these have yielded up great slabs of marble much prized in Waterdeep for facing large new buildings and repairing older edifices. Red Larch is also a center for stonecutters quarrying slate on the fringes of the Sumber Hills.
While Red Larch remains prosperous, dark omens are appearing. The heart of the Sumber Hills has become far more dangerous, with monsters lurking seemingly everywhere (no one goes into the hills berry-picking or hare-hunting these days, though Red Larcher children traditionally did so daily in summer and fall). Banditry is on the rise, and the weather seems to be getting more severe and more unpredictable. Several Red Larcher shepherds have seen strange figures watching them from distant hillsides in the wild fields east of town where they have traditionally grazed their flocks. Quarry workers used to cut by torchlight when orders were backing up but do so no longer, shunning the pits by night. They are spooked by rumors of dark-robed figures in stone masks lurking in the darkness beyond the torchlight. The townsfolk fear that dangerous times are at hand, but no one seems to know what to do about it.
Important Red Larchers
The inhabitants of Red Larch have become so frightened by the recent “dark doings” that rather than showing typical frontier reticence, they helpfully babble about everything they’ve seen and heard. Most hope to convince adventurers to investigate and put an end to the current troubles.
Important Red Larchers include the following NPCs:
- Eldras Tantur is the local blacksmith (area 9). He’s an opinion setter in town.
- Endrith Vallivoe is a merchant who sells all sorts of goods from his shop (area 22). He is a Harper contact.
- Haeleeya Hanadroum is the owner of the bathhouse (area 15). She is an Emerald Enclave contact.
- Helvur and Maegla Tarnlar are clothiers (area 7). Both are Lords' Alliance contacts.
- Harburk Tuthmarillar is the Constable of Red Larch, a stern, honest guard commander and judge. He lives and works in area 11.
- Imdarr Relvaunder is a priest of Tempus in the Allfaiths Shrine (area 1). He is a contact for the Order of the Gauntlet.
- Kaylessa Irkell is the proprietor of the Swinging Sword inn (area 2). She hears much from her fellow Red Larchers and shares it.
- Mangobarl Lorren is the towns baker (area 8). He is a Zhentarim contact.
- Marlandro Gaelkur is an unsavory local barber (and counterfeiter) who runs a useful secondhand shop (area 17) where Red Larchers gather to gossip.
The Believers
A dozen of the Red Larch town elders have a secret: They belong to a secret society that calls itself “the Believers.” It isn’t quite a cult, although it has special ceremonies and rites passed down for generations. It isn’t quite a civic organization, despite the fact that some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Red Larch are members. The members of the Believers use their secret association to guide town affairs, plot against business competitors, and sometimes take care of people who cause problems when it becomes clear that “something must be done” for the good of the town.
The Believers formed years ago when local miners discovered a secret underground chamber beneath the town. Strange things happened in the chamber, such as heavy stones levitating and moving about when no one was around (this is described in chapter 6, in the “Tomb of Moving Stones” adventure). The miners began using the chamber to honor those who died in quarry accidents and to appease Beshaba, goddess of misfortune and accidents. The Believers gather secretly at the tomb once every nine nights to see if any stones have moved-and if any have, they covertly meet the next night to discuss what the movements mean, and what is to be done. They keep the tomb and its strange secret to themselves.
The Believers have no knowledge of Elemental Evil. However, the Cult of the Black Earth discovered their secret and became interested. A Black Earth priest named Larrakh came to Red Larch to steer the group toward the worship of elemental earth. The cultists intend to take over Red Larch through the Believers, but there are other, more important tasks beneath the Sumber Hills that are keeping them busy. The time is not yet right.
Adventure in Red Larch
Red Larch serves as the starting point for two different adventure narratives in this book. The clues and rumors provided by the NPCs in Red Larch depend on which phase of the adventure you are currently running. If you prefer to start the adventurers at 3rd level and dive into the Elemental Evil plot immediately, begin with the “Rumors of Evil” clues. If you wish to start the adventurers at 1st level, begin with the “Trouble in Red Larch” rumors. When the party finishes the “Trouble in Red Larch” adventures, they reach 3rd level, and they’re ready to move on to the “Rumors of Evil” clues and events.
Trouble in Red Larch
When the characters arrive in Red Larch, a few minutes of conversation with any NPC reveals that the townsfolk are concerned about strange events. Asking around about whats going on in town or points the party toward the following NPCs:
- Outlaws are lurking out on the Cairn Road, but Constable Harburk (area 11) hasnt found anything.
- Minthra Mhandyvvers granddaughter Pell (area 13) saw a ghost by an old tomb not far from town.
- The Tarnlar children (area 7) are telling wild tales about plague out by Lance Rock.
- Kaylessa Irkell, the owner of the Swinging Sword Inn (area 2), thinks the towns troubles might have a common source.
- Quarry workers at Mellikho Stoneworks (area 18) say that mysterious figures wearing stone masks watch them when they work at night. The workers now refuse to stay in the quarry after dark.
- Workers at Waelvurs Wagonworks (area 16) have been talking about suspicious activity around the workshop. They can be found drinking in the Helm at Highsun (area 3) most evenings.
Speaking with the NPCs involved in these rumors provides the characters with several leads to adventure opportunities in Red Larch. These adventures are presented in chapter 6. “Into the Wilderness” describes several encounters located near town. “Lance Rock” describes an adventure site near the distinctive landmark a few miles outside of town; an insane necromancer who styles himself a “lord” has taken up residence there. Finally, “The Tomb of Moving Stones” presents an old dungeon-like mine chamber underlying part of Red Larch. This is the secret guarded by the Believers, although it has also attracted the attention of the Cult of the Black Earth.
The Sinkhole
If the adventurers find their way to the Tomb of Moving Stones on their own, allow them to explore the site whenever they find it. If the adventurers don’t find the tomb or explore other sites nearby first, the tombs secret is revealed by the appearance of a large sinkhole in town. The sinkhole opens up shortly after the characters return to Red Larch from Lance Rock or other explorations in the area; see the adventure in chapter 6 for more details.
Elemental Cult Spies
The spies for the elemental cults in Red Larch (Justran Daehl, Ghileeda, and Iraun Thelder) aren’t formidable combatants and are unwilling to fight adventurers. They pass information by slipping notes to or arranging brief conversations with cult messengers passing through town. Most of these messengers are human bandits from the local gangs of cult marauders, dressed in unmarked garments.
If confronted, the cult spies deny involvement in any wrongdoing and try to bluff their way out of trouble.
A spy caught red-handed weeps and begs for mercy. Some might claim to have been under a spell, hoping to gain sympathy. Caught spies reveal only whats necessary to save their own skins.
Rumors of Evil
Red Larch is full of rumors about the missing delegation from Mirabar. It was a large, well-armed party, and the fact that it seems to have come to grief is quite newsworthy. When the characters sift through idle speculation and gossip to find credible leads, they turn up the following possibilities:
- Brother Eardon, a priest of Lathander staying in the Swinging Sword (area 2), says the Mirabarans passed through Beliard.
- A caravan guard in the Helm at Highsun (area 3) says the Mirabarans passed through Beliard.
- Endrith Vallivoe (area 22) recently came by a beautiful book in Dwarvish and has been showing it off. It looks old and important.
- Larmon Greenboot, a shepherd, says he found strange new graves out in the Sumber Hills. He hangs around Gaelkurs store (area 17).
- When the characters return to Red Larch after leaving to investigate one of the other leads, they hear that Thorsk Thelorn, the wagonmaker (area 5), has had some strange new customers lately.
To find out how these NPCs know what they know, the adventurers must question the key characters. These conversations should suggest several ways to begin the search for the delegation from Mirabar. Continue with the “Early Investigations” encounters in chapter 3 when the adventurers decide which lead to follow.
Red Larch Locations
Maps
Here follow brief descriptions of important locations in town. Buildings shown on the map that don’t have a number and a description are houses, sheds, or outbuildings. They belong to farmers who till plots close to town, shepherds who keep herds in nearby pastures, and workers or servants employed by the larger businesses.
Many of the locations in town feature information about the “Trouble in Red Larch” storyline (for 1st-level characters) or the “Rumors of Evil” storyline (for characters ready to investigate the cult of Elemental Evil). Just ignore the leads and clues that aren’t relevant to the part of the adventure youre running now. You can assume that the Believers decide to keep a low profile as long as adventurers are asking questions about the missing delegation from Mirabar, or that the delegation hasnt arrived in the area yet if the adventurers begin with the local troubles.
Crumblecake
To the average citizen of Waterdeep, Red Larch is known only for crumblecake, a local specialty. This much-maligned but hearty food is useful on the trail: baked loaves of turkey and wildfowl scraps, nuts, and chopped roots and greens, mixed in a chickpea mash. It is bland at the best of times, but badly made crumblecake tastes terrible.
1. Allfaiths Shrine
On the west side of the Long Road, just south of the inns stable yard, stands what looks like a grand stone mansion. Two wide wooden doors painted with the symbols of many gods stand open day and night. Inside is a plain chapel with a stone altar.
The Allfaiths Shrine is a wayside shrine used by many faiths and owned by none. Priests shuttle out from Waterdeep in pairs for month-long stays. Each pairing includes priests of two different faiths arranged by Waterdhavian temples. The most frequent combinations are Sune and Selune, Tymora and Lathander, and Tempus and Oghma. The visiting priests dwell in two simple stone rooms at the back of the temple. They bring their own vestments and holy items and take them away again when their duties end.
Key NPCs
Right now, Imdarr Relvaunder (male Damaran human priest), a follower of Tempus, and Lymmura Auldarhk (female Tethyrian human acolyte), a devotee of Sune, are serving at the shrine. Imdarr is a stern man who is keenly interested in news and rumors and visitors. He’s also an ally of the Order of the Gauntlet, occasionally passing messages and sending reports on local events to the order. Lymmura is a sympathetic ear and guide to all. She has been coming to the shrine for decades, has officiated at the marriages of many couples, and is widely loved and trusted in Red Larch.
2. The Swinging Sword
One door north of the Allfaiths Shrine stands the Swinging Sword. The inn is a three-story stone structure, crowned by a steep slate roof that bristles with many chimneys. A signboard juts out over the door, hanging from chains. Its a ten-foot-long carved wooden scimitar emblazoned with the inns name in red paint on both sides. An inn yard with stables and outbuildings lies behind the building.
The Swinging Sword is welcoming and luxurious by the areas rustic standards. Each room boasts a hearth, warm draperies and tapestries, and running water (provided by rooftop cisterns). Now run by the Irkell family from Waterdeep, the inn has become a popular stopover for wayfarers in the Dessarin Valley. The topmost guest floor is given over to dormitories where travelers can “sleep cheap” in rooms shared with up to six guests, but the lower floors are divided into pleasant suites of guest rooms, each with its own garderobe. Theres also a dining room on the ground floor.
The Sword has one recurring problem: kitchen fires. The one-story kitchen annex at the back of the inn, currently out of commission, was initially built with poorly drawing chimneys. Right now, cooking is rudimentary and done out in the yard, on grills flanking the bread ovens. The dining room is mainly used for drinking, with “the Helm” (the tavern across the road) currently providing the best meals in town travelers can easily buy.
While the Helm at Highsun is the place to hear Red Larchers unwind, the Swinging Sword is the polite social hub and neutral meeting ground of Red Larch.
Key NPCs
The proprietor of the Swinging Sword is Kaylessa Irkell (female Illuskan human commoner). She is the fortyish matriarch of her family and a pleasant, sturdy woman. She is increasingly worried about “whats gathering in the dark” in Red Larch and brings up her concerns with any likely adventurers who stop by (see “Kaylessas Tale,” below).
Kaylessas staff are uniformly attentive and good at their work. However, two have secret masters. Ghileeda (female Tethyrian human commoner), a maid, secretly reports to Justran Daehl at the Helm for the Cult of the Crushing Wave. The one-eyed stablemaster Iraun Thelder (male Tethyrian human guard), a onetime mercenary warrior, is a spy for the Cult of the Howling Hatred. Iraun is entirely passive; he just reports what his normal duties show him.
NPC Links
Kaylessas Tale
Kaylessa is friendly to any adventurer who seems likely to tarry in the vicinity, because she believes every monster that is slain makes Red Larch that much safer. If the characters don’t approach her, Kaylessa tells them of recent disturbances near Red Larch. She’s heard many tales about fogs that persist in the Sumber Hills even in bright sunlight, and sudden gusts of hot wind sweeping west out of the hills where breezes have always been cold. There have been more violent sights, too, such as sudden bolts of lightning stabbing up from the hills into a clear sky. “Fell magic,” Kaylessa terms it, though she admits this was an opinion shared with her, and she’s seen none of this herself.
Kaylessa has also noticed some Red Larchers looking both frightened and furtive, and tersely turning aside innocent queries. If pressed, she names Mellikho the stonecutter (area 18) and Luruth the tanner (area 19).
Rumors of Evil
Among the guests at the Swinging Sword is Brother Eardon (male half-elf acolyte), a follower of Lathander, god of the dawn. Brother Eardon roams across the small towns of the North, serving as a messenger and itinerant priest. He recently came from Beliard by way of Westbridge, and he can confirm that the delegation from Mirabar was in Beliard two tendays ago when he left. He is surprised by the fact that the dwarves have not turned up yet, since he thought they intended to stop in Red Larch soon.
Trouble in Red Larch
Kaylessa has a theory about the source of Red Larchs recent troubles: its all related to an evil presence at Lance Rock. She says neither the constable nor the town elders have helped her, so she offers the characters 50 gp to investigate Lance Rock and make sure no sinister forces are lurking there. (See “Lance Rock” in chapter 6.)
Quest: Investigate Lance Rock
Kaylessa has a theory about the source of Red Larchs recent troubles: its all related to an evil presence at Lance Rock. She says neither the constable nor the town elders have helped her, so she offers the characters 50 gp to investigate Lance Rock and make sure no sinister forces are lurking there.
3. The Helm at Highsun
Right across the Long Road from the Swinging Sword Inn stands a ramshackle two-story tavern. Rusty metal grills cover its small, dirty windows. The taverns name is very clearly printed in large, simple letters on both sides of a jutting wooden sign. Atop the sign is a rusting, oversized adornment: a warriors bucket helm with two eye slits (actually an upside-down washtub).
Inside is a large, dimly lit, wood-paneled taproom. An open-tread wooden staircase climbs to the upper floor, which is just as dim and darkly paneled as the taproom. Across the back of the taproom is a long bar with three copper candle-lanterns hanging over it, and a stair leading down to the cellars.
The Helm at Highsun is where locals relax, gossip, flirt, tell jests and “war stories” of their working days, and get drunk. Its not a place for refined dining. A dozen servers work shifts at the Helm; most nights, two cover the ground floor and one waits on guests on the upper floor. The staff at the Helm don’t gossip, but they direct anyone who questions them to other patrons they think might talk about a particular subject. A gift of a drink loosens most tongues.
The Helm gets rowdy from time to time, but the staff is ready for ordinary drunken fisticuffs. Behind the bar are three stout and well-used cudgels, and an old cloak used as an improvised stretcher to lug drunks outside (and sometimes thrown over the heads of brawlers so they can be clubbed down).
Key NPCs
The Helm is run by the jovial but grasping Garlen Harlathurl (male Tethyrian human commoner). He is a cynic bitter from failed Waterdhavian mercantile ventures, but he has turned out to be an attentive tavern-keeper. He has two partners: one has retired to Waterdeep, and the other is the cellarer of the Helm, the gruff and rotund Justran Daehl (male Tethyrian human bandit). Justran is secretly a spy for the Cult of the Crushing Wave.
NPC Links
Rumors of Evil
One of the tavern denizens is a very drunk and argumentative caravan guard named Zomith (female half-orc guard). She recently quit a caravan that came from Beliard through Westbridge, arriving in Red Larch two days ago. The caravan continued south without Zomith, but she can confirm that she brawled with Mirabaran guards from the missing delegation about fifteen days ago. She couldnt care less what happened to them, but she had nothing to do with their disappearance.
Trouble in Red Larch
Stannor Thistlehair (male lightfoot halfling commoner) is a carpenter who works at Waelvurs Wagonworks (area 16). Stannor is a sneaky and unpleasant fellow, but if bribed to talk (10 gp would do the job), he tells the characters that he’s seen his boss Ilmeth Waelvur disappear into a hidden tunnel in the back of the work yard. He’s also seen other people sneak in after dark and follow Ilmeth to wherever they go, although everyone else shows up hooded or masked.
4. Mother Yalanthas
This three-story, dilapidated boarding house has many balconies and outside staircases. Inside, the place is a warren of narrow, creaky-floored passages that snake around small rooms made of flimsy partition walls. However, the atmosphere is cheerful, if generally noisy.
Key NPCs
The boarding house is the home of its owner and proprietor, the rail-thin, pipe-smoking “Mother” Yalantha Dreen (female Tethyrian human commoner). Mother Yalantha lives in a cramped ground-floor room at the very back, and most of the other twenty rooms are occupied by transient laborers. However, there are usually four or five rooms that can provide an overflow for the inn if the need arises.
All of the residents have seen (or claim to have seen, at any rate) “brigands” lurking around Red Larch at night, not to mention monsters ranging from snake-headed rats to ghostly dragons that faded away when approached. (If youre looking for NPCs to deliver more fanciful and outrageous rumors, the denizens of Mother Yalanthas boarding house are perfect.)
Trouble in Red Larch
Six of the guests staying here are watchers for the Cult of the Black Earth (equivalent to bandits). They are the stone-masked folk who have been watching over the quarry by night, and the so-called Bringers of Woe who appear in area T7 of the Tomb of Moving Stones (they rush down to the tunnels when they hear that adventurers have discovered the hidden chambers). They don’t admit any involvement and aren’t foolish enough to hide their masks at the boarding house.
5. Thelorns Safe Journeys
Three huge sheds stand here in a triangle, surrounded by sturdy wooden wagons at all stages of assembly. The first is a workshop full of busy woodworkers, the second is a storage area for parts such as wheels and axles, and the third houses a dozen finished wagons for sale. The foremost wagonmaker in this region, Thelorns is now run by two grandsons of the founder. It is a busy, always-bustling place that works day and night (three shifts of workers) because making wagons of top quality takes time. The quality of Thelorns wagons is well known throughout the region, with the result that workers here have to toil flat-out to keep up Thelorns long-decreed “dozen spare wagons in stock, ready to go.”
No one here is interested in gossiping during shift time. There is a no-nonsense, pride-in-craft atmosphere, and many of the workers are experts who can do top-notch work with astonishing speed. Watchful children armed with skillets to bang as alarms guard the sheds every moment of the clock.
Key NPCs
The burly Thorsk Thelorn and the taller but thinner Asdan Thelorn (both male Illuskan human commoners) are the bosses here. They are fair, hard-working men who pay well to keep good workers.
NPC Links
Rumors of Evil
If the characters ask Thorsk about strange customers, the busy wagonmaker recalls an Amnian merchant heading north on the Long Road who stopped for a wagon repair. His goods were marked by a strange symbol, like a bowl. The Amnian merchant paid Thorsk well and talked about a big gathering of druids he was heading to, hoping to sell kegs of beer and various trinkets. Characters who question Thorsk can get directions to Scarlet Moon Hall (see chapter 3).
6. Chansyrl Fine Harness
The pungent smell of tanned and oiled leather fills this crowded workshop, and the walls display leather saddles, reins, yokes, and harnesses for working beasts of all sizes. Stylish leather jackets, longcoats, caps, boots, leggings, bracers, belts, baldrics, and full leather armor are also in stock in all sizes.
Owned by its founders granddaughter, who oversees a skilled staff of three full-timers and two part-timers, Chansyrls is considered the best Red Larch harness-maker by caravan merchants. For some, its the reason they come to Red Larch. Chansyrls is a steady supplier for many a settlement up and down the Long Road.
Key NPCs
Phaendra Chansyrl (female Tethyrian human scout) wears carved and stamped leather armor of her own making as a sort of walking advertisement. With the sharp knives, awls, and punches she wears in custom sheaths at her belt and strapped to her arms and legs, she looks like an adventurer. She has idle dreams of traveling the North and slaying dragons, but she is far more interested in building a mercantile empire and outgrowing Red Larch someday.
Phaendra has heard many tales of brigands and monster sightings and mysterious stone-masked watchers by night, but she ignores them, attending to her work. She sharply advises others to do so, too.
7. Helvur Tarnlar, Clothier
Tarnlars is the only place to buy quality clothing for a hundred miles around. The square two-story building stands at the intersection of the Long Road and the Cairn Road. Its signboard is painted with the images of a well-dressed lord and lady, one on each side of the board. Ornate scrollwork iron bars protect the windows.
The Tarnlars used to be wagonmakers, but due to competition, the family changed trades two generations ago. The Tarnlars reinvented themselves as vendors of sturdy but fashionable clothing to appeal to the merchants and travelers making use of the Long Road. After all, cloaks and boots wear out just like wagon wheels, and anyone trudging for tendays on the road in raw spring weather or bitter winter cold soon comes to value warm garments very highly indeed.
The clothing, boots, and accessories are all fine, warm, and sturdy, even though few Red Larchers can afford to buy them for everyday wear. The Tarnlars live in a comfortable apartment above their garment shop.
Key NPCs
Helvur Tarnlar (male Tethyrian human commoner) is a snob by the standards of Red Larch. He puts on airs of gentility, haughtily explaining to customers that “This is how aristocrats wear their boots in Neverwinter,” or “Hats such as this are all the rage in Silverymoon,” even though he has never been to those places. He refuses to speculate about local events, saying, “Tarnlars do not deal in gossip!” However, Helvur puts aside his pretentiousness and unwillingness to share information for any member of the Lords' Alliance. He directs most inquiries to his wife Maegla.
Maegla (female Tethyrian human commoner) is the true talent in the family. She is a sharp businesswoman who has an eye for good merchandise. She is also the mother of four bold and adventurous children. She also helps those who serve the interests of the Lords' Alliance.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
The Tarnlar children (two boys and two girls, aged seven to ten) are eager to befriend and follow adventurers as a possible escape from their everyday chores. A couple of tendays ago, the Tarnlar children were out berry-picking in the direction of Lance Rock when they met a grizzled dwarf prospector who warned them away from Lance Rock “because theres plague there.” Maegla has no idea what they’re talking about, but the children can provide directions to the ravine the dwarf warned them about (see “Lance Rock” in chapter 6).
8. Lorrens Bakery
This aromatic, tidy buildings ovens and mixing bowls are in use day and night. The bakery has a hanging sign consisting of a carved and painted wooden round loaf the size of a small cart.
The bakery always has fresh round loaves and buns for sale. Its specialty is cheese-topped buns with melted mushroom cheese from outlying local farms.
Key NPC
The thin, energetic proprietor, Mangobarl Lorren (male Chondathan human thug), thrives on gossip and can spin many wild tales. Few are true, and none of the secrets are his own. He is a staunch, discreet ally of the Zhentarim and a useful source of no-questions-asked aid to anyone of that faction. Lorren doesn’t volunteer this information, but some of his distant relatives have Zhentarim connections, and he’s always willing to help the Black Network.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
Mangobarl heard about Pell Mhandyvvers scare at the Haunted Tomb (see the “Haunted Tomb” encounter in chapter 6) and went to look for himself. He saw a goblin near the spot, and figured that a gang of the creatures had moved in and rigged a “haunt” to scare off intruders. He tells any Zhentarim character that it might be worthwhile to talk to Minthra Mhandyvver (area 14)-treasure could be hidden in the tomb, and it shouldnt be left to a band of goblins.
9. Tantur Smithy
Both ends of this soot-stained building are massive stone blocks that rise into tall, wide chimneys. The din of forge hammers rings out late into most nights.
Eldras Tantur (male Turami human thug) has been Red Larchs blacksmith for a decade and a half and has taken only a handful of days off work in all that time. Eldras and his children-a strapping son and two strong daughters-are skilled smiths who can make almost anything that requires no specialized alloys or treatments. They can temper swords and reinforce armor, and they often repair tools and weapons.
The Tanturs rarely emerge from their smithy. They work all day long every day filling endless orders for hasps, hinges, locks, and chains, plus hardware for wagons such as cotter pins, bolt rings, wheel rims, and wheel hubs.
Key NPCs
Eldras is a plain-dealing sort who knows almost nothing of the current mood and troubles in Red Larch, since he’s so rarely away from his forge.
His wife Laefra, who orders metals via the merchants she deals with, hears much of the troubles, but she tells Eldras and their children none of it. Life is better undarkened by such matters, she figures.
10. Drouth Fine Poultry
This largest of the two Red Larch poultry shops is ever-bustling thanks to thriving local farms and the endless appetite of communities along the Long Road. Two or three wagonloads of skewered capons in casks of oil depart this establishment daily, to be finished over far-off hearths.
The one-story building is long, narrow, and nondescript on the outside, but the name of the business is painted above the double entry doors (wide enough for a wagon). Inside, feathers drift in the air. Cages and casks sit at the street end of the building, followed by two brick cooking-hearths, long and bloodstained cutting tables, and a plucking area in the back. The feathers are heaped in open handcarts that are taken away for washing and eventual sale as pillow stuffing.
Key NPC
The proprietor and owner, Nahaeliya Drouth (female Tethyrian human commoner), has built up her business by becoming a trusted supplier to inns across the valley. She prefers not to know about “the dangers of the wilderlands” and “such nonsense as dark magic.” Nahaeliya inherited the business from her father, who was a respected town elder, but she hasnt yet been approached for membership in the Believers.
11. Jalessa Ornra, Butcher
Next door to Drouths Fine Poultry stand four identical single-story stone buildings, running back from the street in a line. The front building has a painted sign of a ham being carved by a cleaver, accompanied by no words.
This is the workplace and shop of Jalessa Ornra (female Illuskan human commoner), Red Larchs butcher. The second building is her smokehouse, joined to the shop by an underground cold-cellar where meats are stored. The third building often has wash hanging by clothesline outside, and is the home Jalessa shares with the towns constable, Harburk Tuthmarillar (male Tethyrian human veteran).
Red Larch doesn’t have a jail or court. The shop is the closest thing. Harburk employs four trusties, who bunk in the fourth building. The trusties are assistant constables (human guards) who also work for Jalessa as cutters and preservers, brining and salting meat, then sealing it into small kegs for shipment or storage.
Harburk and his trusties discuss matters of law enforcement and peacekeeping while butchering. Theyve also been known to hang drunks by their belts from meat hooks to sober up.
Key NPCs
Harburk and his trusties are some of the busiest people in Red Larch, because they work as butchers in addition to shifts keeping the peace in the town. Harburk is known for napping instead of taking a full nights sleep.
Harburk hasnt quite figured out that he has four elemental cults on his doorstep. He knows there are evil and secretive groups in the Sumber Hills-the rumors cant all be false-but he isn’t sure just what is out there. Adventurers who could go investigating where he dares not would be a godsend.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
Harburk has heard tales of banditry on the Cairn Road south of town, and he knows of several potential hideouts. He doesn’t have the time to wander around the countryside on what he thinks is a wild goose chase, but he provides eager new adventurers with directions to one or two likely spots. See the “Bears and Bows” encounter in chapter 6.
12. Dornen Finestone
This plain square building is always coated in a gray-white shroud of rock dust. Its the business office of the busy Dornen quarry, run by Elak Dornen (male Tethyrian human noble). The office displays samples of cut stone as well as “raw” samples from the quarry.
Records of orders and old employment rolls are neatly sorted in cabinets behind a wooden counter. Dornen is a hard master to some twenty workers, and he insists on keeping careful records.
Key NPC
The Believers have no formal leader, but if they did, Dornen would be it. He is a longstanding member who serves as the deciding vote on questions about who to induct into the secret group and how to use their collective influence to arrange business in Red Larch. He is a stern and inflexible man, and he enjoys the power he gains from bending other Believers to his side.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
Dornan is an eager convert to the message of the Black Earth priest Larrakh. He sees a day coming soon when he and the other Believers openly take power. If bothered by nosy adventurers, Dornan tells them he’s heard stories of a lost treasure and mysterious villains lurking in Tricklerock Cave (see the “Bloody Treasure” encounter in chapter 6).
13. Ironhead Arms
Three years ago, an old sellsword and caravan guard by the name of Feng Ironhead decided to settle in Red Larch and open a shop dealing in arms and armor, both new and used. Over a long career of shepherding caravans and pack trains from one end of the North to the other, Ironhead (male half-orc veteran) decided that there was money to be made by keeping guards-for-hire and mercenaries supplied with decent, affordable gear.
Key NPCs
Ironhead is a surprisingly genial half-orc. He has a little skill at weapon and armor repair and sometimes fixes up used gear for resale. His true talent is a keen eye for ordinary weapons and armor that can stand up to hard use and bad weather. Ask him which of his battleaxes is best, and Ironhead offers an honest (and accurate) answer. He isn’t a very good businessman and barely breaks even, but he doesn’t seem to care.
14. Mhandyvvers Poultry
This wooden building grew haphazardly for many years, shooting out single-story wings and annexes untidily in all directions. The interior looks like a barn or attic, with exposed beams and posts. Pens with live chickens fill most of the odd corners and halls of the building, leaving only a narrow aisle down to the back, where the Mhandyvvers live. Their rooms are separated from the chicken pens by a workroom with cutting benches and a central hearth.
Mhandyvvers is the less impressive of the two local poulterers, but is a favorite with Red Larchers. Kindly old Minthra “Minny” Mhandyvver (female Tethyrian human commoner) and her three grown children sell chickens live or roasted and preserved in oil, pickled chicken livers, and eggs both fresh and pickled.
Key NPC
Minny has the demeanor of a kindly old dodderer, but she is sharper than she appears. Among other things, she knows that a group of town elders (including Elak Dornen, Ilmeth Waelvur, and Albaeri Mellikho) belong to a secret club and pull many strings in town. She thinks that the Believers are harmless, but shares what she knows if adventurers she comes to trust ask for her advice.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
Recently, Minnys adventurous young granddaughter Pell had a frightening encounter with a “ghost” near a long-forgotten tomb a short distance outside of town. Minny has ordered the girl to stay away, but she wonders what Pell saw, and she thinks that someone ought to “make sure its safe.” The directions Pell provides lead to the “Haunted Tomb” encounter in chapter 6.
15. Haeleeyas
Originally from Amn, Haeleeya Hanadroum (female human Tethyrian commoner) operates a bathhouse and dress shop in her large, well-appointed home.
Half-barrels planted with aromatic herbs and flowers flank the entrance, and the windows are decorated with flower-filled window boxes. Inside is a tidy room that functions as a dressmakers shop and fitting room. Beyond two sets of doors are bathing chambers that emanate pleasant smells and warm dampness.
Unlike Tarnlars down the street, Haeleeyas caters to local women seeking dresses for special occasions; she makes few garments for men. The bathhouse is a steadier business, since many of the older women of Red Larch visit the baths regularly to trade gossip.
Key NPC
Haeleeya hears all the gossip shared in the baths, but she keeps her own counsel, unless the inquirer is affiliated with the Emerald Enclave. When Haeleeya was young, she became lost in the wilderness. An Emerald Enclave ranger rescued her, and she’s been a friend to faction members ever since.
16. Waelvurs Wagonworks
Ilmeth Waelvur (male Tethyrian human bandit) operates a cheaper alternative to Thelorns Safe Journeys, making and selling replacement wheels and axles for wagons.
The workshop is a cluttered, untidy shed surrounded by dozens of wagons shrouded in worn canvas tarpaulins. A crudely hand-lettered sign over the wide main door proclaims this to be “Waelvurs Wagonworks.”
Ilmeth spends most of his time repairing wagons and making heavy-duty wagons and sledges for the local quarries.
Inside, half a dozen wagons stand in various stages of assembly, surrounded by stools, ladders, and benches. Wooden pillars support a loft that is an open latticework of boards, serving as home to some birds and storage for scores of wooden wagon wheels.
Ilmeth employs half a dozen laborers who drink heavily as they work. Everything here is far messier but far cheaper than Thelorns.
Key NPCs
Ilmeth is a hard-drinking, sullen man who cares nothing for the troubles of others. He is one of the Believers, and he hopes to use the groups influence to run the Thelorns (his hated rivals) out of business. An old cellar door in the back of his cluttered work yard actually covers a tunnel leading to area T9 in the Tomb of Moving Stones (see chapter 6).
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
The halfling Stannor Thistlehair, one of the workers here, has spotted Ilmeth and the other Believers sneaking in and out when no one is supposed to be around, but Stannor is unwilling to say anything if questioned here for fear that Ilmeth might overhear him.
17. Gaelkurs
This seedy wooden building serves as Red Larchs used tools and goods shop, its barber, and an unofficial second tavern for locals.
Inside is a cluttered shop full of lounging customers-most of them men in no particular hurry to be waited on-with old hair clippings trodden underfoot on the sagging board floor.
Marlandro Gaelkur (male Tethyrian human commoner) is the shopkeeper and barber. In addition to providing grooming, he deals in used (and sometimes shady) items with no questions asked.
Gaelkurs true trade is unsuspected by other Red Larchers. He runs the shop as a front for his counterfeiting business. Gaelkur coats cheap coins (or simple iron plugs) in thin plating of more valuable metals, then marks them appropriately with stamps and dies of his own making.
Key NPC
Marlandro is a skilled engraver and was once a jewelers assistant in Baldurs Gate, making mountings for stones and entire rings. He counterfeits only when the shop is shut up and he’s alone, but most days and much of every night, Red Larchers drop by to talk. Lately every wild tale of odd and suspicious things that have been seen locally seems to come up for discussion.
NPC Links
Rumors of Evil
Larmon Greenboot (male Tethyrian human commoner), a local shepherd, can be found at Gaelkurs. He has been telling and retelling the story of finding mysterious freshly dug graves in the Sumber Hills (see “Rumors in Red Larch” in chapter 3).
18. Mellikho Stoneworks
A sign set on two posts in a scrap of weedy lawn out front of this small house reads “Mellikho Stoneworks.”
The quarry pit begins just behind the house, which serves as the business office and the home of the quarry owner, Albaeri Mellikho (female Tethyrian human commoner). Mellikho herself oversees the work in the quarry, cajoling and cursing the sweating stonecutters here.
A hidden tunnel in the quarry pit leads to area T1 in the Tomb of Moving Stones (see chapter 6). Mellikho and the other Believers know about the secret entrance in the quarry, but the stonecutters working here do not (its well disguised as a “collapsed” and abandoned storage tunnel).
Key NPC
Albaeri, a pot-bellied and usually jovial whirlwind of a woman, is one of the Believers. She is worried about the moving stones in the hidden chambers below Red Larch being more active lately, but she is reluctant to share her concerns with strangers.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
When orders for her stone are backed up, Mellikho usually has her stonecutters work a night shift by torchlight. Over the last month or two, they’ve been scared off by mysterious dark-robed figures wearing stone masks, who watch them from the shadows.
The masked watchers are actually members of the Black Earth cult who work as laborers in the towns harness shops or warehouses; they are staying in Mother Yalanthas boarding house. Mellikho is in on the plan to scare off her own stonecutters; the Believers use the quarry to meet with Larrakh, the Black Earth priest hiding out in the Tomb of Moving Stones.
If the characters visit the quarry and begin asking questions, Albaeri Mellikho claims that rumors of strange watchers are overblown. She then suggests that if the characters are looking for something to test their mettle, there is a legendary treasure that is said to be hidden in Tricklerock Cave, and provides directions. (This leads to the “Bloody Treasure” encounter in chapter 6.) She knows the cave is dangerous and hopes that the characters get themselves killed there, putting an end to awkward questions, but tries to pass off her suggestion as a “helpful” rumor.
Quest: Recover Treasure of Tricklerock Cave
Albaeri Mellikho claims that rumors of strange watchers are overblown. She then suggests that if the characters are looking for something to test their mettle, there is a legendary treasure that is said to be hidden in Tricklerock Cave, and provides directions.
19. Luruths Tannery
This former warehouse reeks with an eye-watering, throat-closing stench that obliterates all other smells within a bowshot of the place. Inside are stretching racks, cutting tables with sharp knives and scraps of tanned hide, a back room of finished leather ready for sale, and six huge, open-topped vats containing various foul-smelling, caustic liquids used in tanning.
The proprietor is Ulhro Luruth (male Chondathan human commoner). He cant smell a thing, thanks to years of working in tanneries. He and his five loyal, terse assistants live and work here.
Key NPC
Luruth is one of the Believers. He knows he’s not supposed to talk with outsiders about the secret society, but he’s not too bright and might assume that questioners know more than they do.
20. Bethendurs Storage
Four identical, well-built warehouses stand here in ground covered in raked gravel and cinders. The moment anyone sets foot past the sign that says “Bethendurs Storage/Rent Space by tenday, month, or year,” a tall, smiling man emerges to meet them.
This is Aerego Bethendur (male Tethyrian human noble). He is assisted by three burly clerks and porters, who are former mercenary thugs.
Aerego asks no questions, so anything can be stored here. Stored items that don’t move or burst out of their containers are left strictly alone, though crates that begin to smell of death are taken out back and opened. If they contain dead bodies (rare, but it happens), Aerego burns them without a word to the constable or anyone else.
Key NPCs
Aerego is a Believer, although his attendance is spotty and he is beginning to wonder what exactly the mysterious priest Larrakh (see “The Tomb of Moving Stones” in chapter 6) has in mind for Red Larch.
21. The Market
This muddy, well-used field is ringed with outhouses and rings of stones that have obviously been used as cook-fires or trash burn sites many times in the past. Once a tenday, its crowded with wagons from nearby farms. Farmers drive in from homesteads miles away to sell all manner of in-season produce, cheese, cider and cider vinegar, and last years pickled beets in jugs.
On the other nine days of the tenday, only one Red Larcher is here, a half-orc named Grund. Grund (male half-orc thug) is the village simpleton. He ekes out a living by making pickles in vats at the end of the field.
Key NPC
Grund is a happy, dim-witted sort. The other vendors all pilfer from his open pickling vats, and he cheerfully lets them. He’s easy comic relief when encountered here, but the adventurers meet him in more unpleasant circumstances in area T3 of the Tomb of Moving Stones (see chapter 6).
22. Vallivoes Sundries
Aside from the bewildering profusion of doors, barrels, rotting old furniture, and tools leaning against its outside walls, this building looks like a private home. A small, faded sign on the front door reads “Vallivoes Sundries.” Rooms are crammed to the rafters with new wares and used items of all sorts.
Endrith Vallivoe (male Tethyrian human commoner) is a retired caravan merchant who sells new and used goods: furniture, lamps, carpets, mirrors, weapons, shields, helms, and a little bit of everything else. Almost anything might be available to buy here, buried under heaps of other stuff, and Vallivoe carries a good running inventory in his head. He’s the only vendor in town selling blank books and parchment.
Key NPC
Endrith is a shy, scuttling little man who employs a small army of local children. He’s heard most of the rumors and monster sightings, but doesn’t know-and doesn’t want to know-whats really going on. However, he watches and listens attentively. He is friendly toward the Harpers and shares all of what he sees and hears with any Harper who asks. He is a useful, loyal informant and contact, though he’s not really cut out for any derring-do.
NPC Links
Trouble in Red Larch
If one or more characters seem interested in helping the town with its recent troubles, Endrith says, “I don’t know if its relevant, but I overheard someone say that they saw a skull pinned to a tree with a black arrow, like some kind of dire warning or ill omen. It was a half days walk along the Larch Path, then about four miles east into the hills.” If the characters investigate this lead, run “The Last Laugh” encounter in chapter 6.
Quest: Investigate Skull Pinned to Tree
If one or more characters seem interested in helping the town with its recent troubles, Endrith says,
Endrith
“I dont know if its relevant, but I overheard someone say that they saw a skull pinned to a tree with a black arrow, like some kind of dire warning or ill omen. It was a half days walk along the Larch Path, then about four miles east into the hills.”
Rumors of Evil
Endrith bought a strange old book from a passing merchant just a couple of days ago. The book is a beautifully illuminated manuscript written in Dwarvish. Endrith doesn’t read Dwarvish, so he doesn’t know what is in it; a character who can read the words can tell that its a genealogical history of the dwarf clans of Mirabar. If asked how he got it, Endrith explains that he bought it from a peddler passing through town. The peddler told Endrith that he bought it from a shady keelboat skipper in Womford, who had somehow come by a dozen similar books. (If the characters investigate, this leads to the “Womford Rats” encounter in chapter 3.) Endrith is willing to sell the tome for 50 gp, although he lets a Harper have it for 25 gp.
Scandal and Rebuilding
If you run the “Tomb of Moving Stones” adventure in chapter 6, the exposure of the Believers leads to some big changes. Even if the Believers can avoid a murder investigation, the folk of Red Larch are scandalized to learn that many of their most respected fellow citizens were part of a secret cabal. This discovery launches a whirlwind of gossip, innuendo, and recrimination.
The other citizens of Red Larch shun the Believers for the next several months, and the Believers turn against one another. Many retreat into seclusion. Leadership of Red Larch passes to Harburk, but he’s too busy as constable. After a month, Jalessa Ornra becomes Red Larchs mayor. She’s liked and known for common sense, so the townsfolk rally around her.
The townsfolk pitch in to cover the sinkhole and shore up walls and ceilings against future cave-ins.
Exploring the Valley
At the beginning of the adventure, the player characters know they are up against a mysterious threat. Something isn’t right in the Dessarin Valley. To find out what exactly threatens these lands, they must leave Red Larch and venture out into the wider vale. Much of the early action of the adventure involves visiting different sites in and around the valley, solving problems and digging up clues that can lead the party to the Haunted Keeps-and then on to their confrontation with the elemental cults and the discovery of the temple complex below the Sumber Hills.
Travel
It can take a full tenday for a slow-moving group-say, a merchant caravan-to trudge from Red Larch to Triboar. The Dessarin River is an obstacle to any group without a boat, since no crossing can be found between Ironford and the Stone Bridge.
When the player characters set out to travel to another location, they either know how to get there or they don’t. All settlements are known sites-it takes only a few minutes of asking around to get sufficient directions to another town. Likewise, the Dessarin River and Stone Bridge are well-known landmarks. Feathergale Spire is known to anyone in Red Larch. Rivergard Keep is known to some people in Bargewright Inn and Womford. Summit Hall is known to anyone in Beliard and Womford. The Halls of the Hunting Axe site is known to anyone in Beliard. Characters from the area or drawn here by a particular hook might know these locations.
All other sites are unknown, so the characters need to find such locations. For more on wilderness travel, see chapter 5, “Adventure Environments,” of the Dungeon Masters Guide.
Random Encounters
Most of the Dessarin Valley is wilderness in which wildlife is abundant and monsters common.
Frequency
Check for a random encounter in the morning, afternoon, evening, and midnight. Roll
Range
Place an encounter at a range that fits the story you want. Every encounter need not be a confrontation. Some encounters can foreshadow their onset or allow the characters to choose to avoid them.
Difficulty
During chapters 3 and 4, use the “Early Travels” random encounter table. During chapter 5, use the “Later Travels” table. At any point during travel on or very near the Dessarin River, use the “River Travels” table. Roll
Asterisks
Encounters marked with an asterisk have explanations that appear after the tables.
2.10 Early Travels
| d8+d12 | Day Encounter | Night Encounter |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Arakocra Scouts* | |
| 3 | Knights of Samular* | Pilgrims* |
| 4 | Pilgrims* | |
| 5 | Elk tribe hunters* | Elk tribe hunters* |
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | ||
| 9 | Dwarf miners* | Air cult scouts* |
| 10 | Caravan* | Water cult marauders* |
| 11 | Homestead* | Earth cult robbers* |
| 12 | Air cult scouts* | Fire cult raiders* |
| 13 | Water cult marauders* | |
| 14 | Earth cult robbers* | |
| 15 | Fire cult raiders* | |
| 16 | ||
| 17 | Shepherds* | |
| 18 | ||
| 19 | ||
| 20 | The Watchful Knight* |
2.10 River Travels
| d8+d12 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Arakocra Scouts* |
| 4-5 | Air cult scouts* |
| 6-9 | River pirates* |
| 10-14 | Keelboat* |
| 15-16 | |
| 17-18 | |
| 19-20 | 1 water elemental |
2.10 Later Travels
| d8+d12 | Day Encounter | Night Encounter |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aarakocra warband* | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | Elk tribe hunters* | Elk tribe hunters* |
| 6 | Knights of Samular* | |
| 7 | Homestead* | |
| 8 | ||
| 9 | Air cult skyriders* | Air cult skyriders* |
| 10 | Water cult raiders* | Water cult raiders* |
| 11 | ||
| 12 | Fire cult warband* | Fire cult warband* |
| 13 | Earth cult marauders* | Earth cult marauders* |
| 14 | ||
| 15 | Caravan* | |
| 16 | ||
| 17 | Dwarf miners* | |
| 18 | ||
| 19 | 1 bulette | 1 bulette |
| 20 |
Aarakocra Scouts
These
Aarakocra War Band
A war band consists of
Air Cult Scouts
A group of scouts for the air cult consists of
Air Cult Skyriders
One Feathergale knight leads
Caravan
A caravan consists of a merchant and his or her entourage heading for the nearest settlement. The group consists of
Dwarf Miners
A band of dwarf miners consists of
Earth Cult Marauders
A band of marauders for the earth cult consists of
Earth Cult Robbers
These earth cult robbers stake out spots to waylay Passersby. The group consists of
Elementals
A small group of elementals wanders freely. Roll a
Elk Tribe Hunters
This group includes a berserker and
Fire Cult Raiders
The fire cult sends out raiders that include
Fire Cult War Band
A war band of the fire cult consists of
Homestead
The party discovers a homestead. Roll a
Keelboat
A river trader’s
Knights of Samular
This armed patrol consists of
Mephits
Several mephits travel in a pack. Roll a
Pilgrims
A group of pilgrims includes
River Pirates
A
Shepherds
A group of shepherds watch over herd animals. Roll a
The Watchful Knight
Once, this helmed horror stood watch in the common room of the Inn of the Watchful Knight in Beliard. It chooses one character at random, advances to within 5 feet, then studies the target for several seconds. If attacked, it fights back, retreating after it loses half its hit points. Otherwise, it follows the chosen character for
Water Cult Marauders
A marauder gang of the water cult consists of
Water Cult Raiders
A group of raiders from the water cult includes
Valley Sites
The Dessarin Valley has been a well-used highway into the heart of the Sword Coast North for an age upon an age, and it has seen the ravages of many orc hordes, the rise and fall of a dwarven kingdom, frequent bands of brigands, and much more. Adventurers exploring the Sumber Hills and vicinity might visit many sites of interest as they trek across the valley.
Dessarin Valley Sites
Amphail
Amphail lies on the Long Road, about three days ride north of Waterdeep. The town is named after Amphail the Just, one of Waterdeeps early warlords, who is said to haunt the surrounding hills in spirit form, frightening away monsters. Horses are bred and trained here, rich Waterdhavians maintain secluded estates in the hills, and farmland is plentiful. Stands of dark duskwood and spruce trees are everywhere.
In one corner of the town square stands the Great Shalarn, a black stone statue of a famous war stallion bred in Amphail long ago. Gelded by a prankster, the rearing horse is often painted bright colors by high-spirited locals. Children are allowed to hurl stones at birds perched on the statue, to keep it free of droppings. The children often climb it themselves and cling precariously to the high, tilted saddle, waving their arms and commanding imaginary armies into battle. Within spitting distance of the statue is the Stag-Horned Flagon, a cozy tavern.
Reason to Visit
Great Shalarn is a popular place to leave cryptic messages, either tucked under the statues hind hooves or slid between the sculpted curls of its tail.
Bargewright Inn
Once a hilltop wayside inn, this site has become a walled community of ramshackle, often-rebuilt wooden towers and buildings now entirely cloaking a hill that overlooks the village of Womford across the river.
Bargewright Inn reeks of manure and filthy mud. It houses blacksmiths, dealers who buy and sell horses, mules, and oxen, wheelwrights, coopers, and wagonmakers. It has inns, stables, and warehouses, and two concentric rings of high protective walls with gates that are firmly closed and barred by night. (Individuals can pay stiff fees to be raised and lowered after sunset on rope-slung chairs, but nothing beyond what they can carry can pass.)
Bargewright Inn fell under Zhentarim influence a few years ago. Any member or ally of that faction can find a discreet welcome (and few or low fees) within its walls. The Zhentarim spy on everyone, even each other (or as one merchant put it, “especially each other”). Bargewright Inn is ruled by a plutocracy of business owners, most of whom are in the pockets of the Zhentarim. The unofficial leader is Chalaska Muruin (female Damaran human veteran), the terse, cold-eyed “Senior Sword” and master of the gate guards.
The largest inn, The Old Bargewright, was recently rebuilt as a substantial stone structure with thick walls, secret passages, and private chambers separated from nearby rooms by sealed-off passages. Innkeeper Nalaskur Thaelond (male half-elf spy) keeps careful watch over who comes and goes from his inn; its where Zhentarim meet to broker deals in commerce illicit in Waterdeep, such as smuggled goods, poisons, and certain magic.
Reason to Visit
Thaelond is the local leader among the Zhentarim and a key contact for characters with a connection to that faction. Its also where two side treks, “The Long Road” and “New Management,” start (see chapter 6).
Beliard
One of the more pleasant-looking villages in the Dessarin Valley thanks to its many trees, Beliard is a market-moot for local cattle drovers. It surrounds the intersection of the Dessarin Road with the Stone Trail.
Beliard is home to many cattle ranchers whose herds roam the hills around it, particularly to the east. The village offers a public well, as well as a pond where harnessed horses or oxen can be driven through the water to bathe them, drive off flies, and let them drink. Its also home to a tanner, a smith, some horse dealers and trainers who keep extensive stables, and an inn: the venerable, popular, and several-times-expanded Watchful Knight. The inn was originally named for an inoperative helmed horror that stood in the common room, but the creature mysteriously vanished years ago. The innkeeper went missing shortly thereafter.
In recent years, bodyguards and mercenaries formerly active in Waterdeep and along the Heartlands trade routes retired to Beliard, and their presence makes nearby brigands reluctant to raid the village directly. Because so many big-city folk settled here, rumors persist of cached treasure buried or otherwise hidden all over Beliard, but aside from a sack of gold coins found walled away behind stones in a chimney, nothing has yet been found-nothing that has become public knowledge, at least.
Reason to Visit
Beliard was the last place anyone saw the missing delegation from Mirabar (described in chapter 3).
Cult Encampments
Two cult encampments are marked in specific positions on the regional map. These play a part in the events and cult reactions of the adventure.
Haayons Camp
This is the camp of Haayon the Punisher, described in the “Wrath of the Elements” section of chapter 5. The camp is here only after the characters have defeated the air prophet and water prophet, or forced them to retreat from their respective temples.
Reaver Ambush
This is the camp of water cult reavers, described in the “Early Investigations” section of chapter 3. The camp is here only until the characters defeat Jolliver Grimjaw (chapter 3) or Gar Shatterkeel (chapter 4).
Goldenfields
Goldenfields is a huge walled temple-farm dedicated to Chauntea, the goddess of agriculture. Called “the granary of the North,” its the only reason many Northerners ever taste soft-fleshed fruit larger than bush berries. Waterdeep, Secomber, Yartar, and points beyond consume the temples reliable output: carefully husbanded grains and dried, oil-packed, or salted foodstuffs preserved in vast storage cellars, vats, ricks, and squat stone grain-towers.
Now run by Abbot Ellardin Darovik (male Tethyrian human priest), Goldenfields is a stronghold of the Emerald Enclave. Members of that faction are as welcome here as clergy of Chauntea; many of them stay for months at a time to help with the work and the vigilant defense of the farm against insects and blights, as well as would-be vandals and plunderers. Hired adventurers patrol the walls and the land immediately around them, watching for anyone approaching. More than five thousand people live and work in Goldenfields year round, farming more than twenty square miles of tillage in gangs of hard-working gardeners.
No guest at Goldenfields ever leaves hungry, and the farmer-priests expect that everyone should leave with “food for a tenday or more on the road, and seeds for the future beyond that.”
Reason to Visit
Darovik is a useful contact for characters with a connection to the Emerald Enclave. Goldenfields is also an intended destination of the missing delegation, though they obviously never arrived.
Halls of the Hunting Axe
These monster-haunted ruins were once a grand and important city in the shield dwarf kingdom of Besilmer. The old city was a small forest of stone roundhouses, interlaced with gardens and joined by walls into one vast and sprawling building. It was surrounded by a moat fed by underground springs; splendid stone statues of heroic dwarves stood on high pedestals wherever one turned. All trace of the gigantic building is gone now except the foundations of its thickest, highest walls, which jut like lines of stone teeth from thickets of trees and creeping vines. For centuries, shards from magnificent windows of stained glass that once adorned the Halls have found their way into beautiful and distinctive glass bottles blown locally.
Stories in nearby Beliard warn of predatory creatures lurking in the extensive ruins. Despite forays by adventuring bands and dwarves determined to reclaim and explore the ruins, the halls rarely stay empty for long. As a result, travelers usually give the Halls of the Hunting Axe a wide berth.
Many dwarves and most local Harpers believe King Torhild Flametongue, the founder of Besilmer, lies entombed with his legendary greataxe somewhere beneath the Halls. (The rumor is true.) Some dwarven legends go further, saying the royal tomb was long deliberately sealed off by dwarves and that a fearsome curse befalls anyone who disturbs Torhilds rest.
Reason to Visit
Characters have a chance to explore Torhilds tomb in the “Halls of the Hunting Axe” side trek in chapter 6.
Haunted Keeps
In the southwestern Sumber Hills stand four ruined keeps built centuries ago by a band of adventurers, the Knights of the Silver Horn. According to most locals, these crumbling stone castles are haunted by ghosts and prowling monsters. Sensible valley dwellers avoid them.
In recent years, four elemental cults have taken over the keeps. The cultists are careful to keep the curious outside their walls-or to make sure visitors who learn the truth either join the cult or never return from their visit.
Reason to Visit
These four sites are central to the adventure (see chapter 3) and places where characters confront the Elemental Evil cults directly.
Feathergale Spire
Home to the flamboyant Feathergale Society, this tall stone tower stands on a height commanding splendid views across the Sumber Hills. It can be seen from afar by anyone traversing the hills and is used as a private retreat by an elite hippogriff flying club comprised of rich Waterdhavians calling themselves the Feathergale Knights. These “knights” affect a dashing image and are given to drinking, singing, wearing fashionable clothing, and general revelry. The club is a cover for the Cult of the Howling Hatred. Cult warriors watch the surrounding area but leave travelers close to the spire alone. They want to avoid drawing attention to their activities for now.
Sacred Stone Monastery
This “keep” is actually an old stone temple built in a rocky vale at the southern edge of the Sumber Hills. It was recently reborn as the Sacred Stone Monastery, home to reclusive monks dedicated to a mysterious “Way of the Sacred Stone,” which sages across Faerun have never heard of because its merely a cover for the Cult of the Black Earth.
The monastery is the surface stronghold of the earth cult, and it functions as the guarded entrance to the Temple of the Black Earth beneath it. All of the monks are earth cultists who are well aware of the true nature of the monastery.
Scarlet Moon Hall
Deep in the wild heart of the Sumber Hills stands Scarlet Moon Hall, the abode of the druids of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. To folk of the Dessarin Valley, this is the most mysterious of the Haunted Keeps. It stands deep in the Sumber Hills “where the worst monsters are”-and as a result local hunters, prospectors, herbalists, and woodcutters rarely go near the place.
Scarlet Moon Hall is secretly the stronghold of the Cult of the Eternal Flame, elemental fire cultists posing as druids while they seek new adherents.
Rivergard Keep
This stout castle stands on the banks of the Dessarin River. It consists of a stone keep and gatehouse linked by a curtain wall to a river tower and dock.
Rivergard is home to a mercenary band led by “Lord of the Castle” Jolliver Grimjaw (see chapter 7). The band is repairing the old castle, and reroofing is their current major task. They claim their intention is to make Rivergard Keep their base for protecting river-borne trade from monsters and bandits. In truth, Grimjaw and his followers are themselves the bandits, and Rivergard Keep is secretly the stronghold of the Cult of the Crushing Wave.
Helvenblade House
Northwest of Westbridge, on the forests edge, stands Helvenblade House, the principal country estate of the Silmerhelve noble house of Waterdeep. It consists of a fortified manor, stables, a guest lodge, and two outlying hunting lodges connected by grass paths that enclose a food and herb garden and a small lawn. A large, lightly wooded hunting preserve extends for several miles from the manor.
The Silmerhelves visit perhaps six times a year, and the rest of the time the sleepy estate is left to the live-in staff. Helvenblade has never been overrun by bandits or otherwise put to ruin; the servants ascribe this to its protection by the “family ghost.” In reality, a secretive dragon named Umsheryoth (adult male bronze dragon) guards the house and has been a friend to the Silmerhelves for generations.
Reason to Visit
Helvenblade House offers a respite from the machinations of the elemental cults, and the “family ghost” could prove an unusual but potent ally.
High Forest
Although much shrunken from its ancient boundaries, the High Forest is still vast and mysterious. Larger than some kingdoms, its big enough to encompass mountains within its depths. It is home to treants of gigantic size, stags with antlers as wide across as a wagon, brown bears bigger than large sheds, owlbears, wolves, and unicorns. Woodcutters and even outlaws on the run dare visit only the verges of the High Forest. As everyone knows, those who venture too deep are seldom seen again.
In the northwestern High Forest stands Shadowtop Cathedral, a stand of towering shadowtop trees that is an important meeting-place for the Emerald Enclave. Foes of the enclave have to fight to reach it, but members can readily find aid, healing, and advice in the grove.
Reason to Visit
Shadowtop Cathedral is a key base for the Emerald Enclave. Also, characters from the Tree Ghost Uthgardt tribe call the High Forest home.
Homesteads
Scores of isolated homesteads are scattered across the Dessarin Valley, but only a few that are featured in the adventures side treks are shown on the regional map. Additional homesteads appear on the Random Encounters tables earlier in this chapter. Not even lifelong residents of the Dessarin Valley know exactly where all the outlying farms and ranches lie, and characters traveling cross country might stumble across lonely farmhouses or outlying ranches anywhere.
Since homesteads are permanent structures, make a note on the regional map when the characters discover one at random. It should be in the same place if the party passes through again.
A homestead usually consists of a farmhouse with thick shutters for the windows and a bar for the door, a barn or two containing livestock, a feed crib, and crops or pastures nearby. Most homesteaders are human or halfling commoners. They gladly welcome travelers (especially adventurers who look like they’re trying to chase away outlaws and monsters) and are eager for news. Homesteaders can usually point the way to the nearest town or neighboring homesteads (there is usually another homestead within one or two hexes).
Reason to Visit
If the characters speak with homesteaders in the area east of the Sumber Hills, they learn that raiders in brown cloaks sacked a few farms and dragged off their inhabitants. (These captives are currently held in the slave pens beneath Sacred Stone Monastery.) In addition, three homesteads-Anderil Farm, Dellmon Ranch, and Nettlebee Ranch-are featured in side treks and shown on the regional map.
Kryptgarden Forest
Kryptgarden Forest hides many old dwarven ruins and the extensive underground city now known as Southkrypt. For centuries, this forest has been the home and hunting ground of the ancient female green dragon Claugiyliamatar, better known to many as “Old Gnawbone.” She earned her nickname by her habit of gnawing on old kills, and is often seen with a mangled corpse hanging from her mouth. Other dragons rarely remain in Kryptgarden Forest for long because Claugiyliamatar drives them out.
Hunters from Westbridge used to cautiously seek game along the easternmost verges of Kryptgarden but dare not do so now, after several hunting parties disappeared. Small game remains plentiful, but larger beasts are seldom seen. Presumably, such beasts have fallen prey to Old Gnawbone.
Lance Rock
A prominent landmark near Red Larch, Lance Rock is a slender stone monolith that juts up out of the plains a few miles west of the Long Road. It stands only about 25 feet high, but the land nearby is flat and open, so it can be seen from miles away on a clear day. Lance Rock is made of granite that doesn’t match any other stone nearby, and looks like it was dropped from the sky-which it was. Long ago, Claugiyliamatar, the ancient green dragon known as “Old Gnawbone,” took the enormous stone from the Sword Mountains and dropped it on a rival red dragon. The red dragons bones are long gone, and few but Claugiyliamatar know the origin of the stone.
Reason to Visit
Characters who investigate rumors of plague near Lance Rock might discover the lair of a necromancer nearby (see “Lance Rock” in chapter 6).
Neverwinter
The city of Neverwinter lies on the Sword Coast, west and north from the Dessarin Valley. Once known as the Jewel of the North, Neverwinter was badly damaged when nearby Mount Hotenow erupted about fifty years ago. The City of Skilled Hands works furiously to rebuild itself as a wealthy trading city known for its clocks and other superbly made local items. Neverwinter’s reconstruction is far from complete, however. Entire sections of the city still lie in rubble, plagued by brigands and monsters, and sinister factions scheme to take over the place.
Neverwinter is part of the league of city-states known as the Lords' Alliance. Lord Dagult Neverember rules over the city, even though he isn’t the true heir to Neverwinter’s crown. He supports the alliances efforts to establish civilization throughout the North, although his primary concern is to rebuild the city and its economy.
The most direct route to Neverwinter from the Dessarin Valley is to head west along the trail from Triboar to the tiny town of Phandalin (about 140 miles), then north another 110 miles or so along the coastal road. Riders who know the way, travel light, and push hardy mounts can make the trip in as little as eight or nine days.
Reason to Visit
If the characters need the services and commerce of a big city and Waterdeep doesn’t do for some reason, then Neverwinter is the next best choice.
Rundreth Manor
Atop a hill overlooking the Long Road less than a days travel northeast of Amphail stands ruined Rundreth Manor. This large stone mansion, now roofless and overgrown, is home to a mysterious and terrifying figure known far and wide as “the Dark Lady.” Locals warn everyone to stay well away from the ruins.
The truth of the tale is that the “Dark Lady” is a female adult black shadow dragon named Nurvureem, who has established her lair in the caverns beneath the manor. Her favorite shape is a beautiful female drow. In this form, Nurvureem lures adventurers into the manor and stalks them. She sometimes poses as a drow captive of a dragon, desperate to avoid being eaten and willing to pay with her treasure to be rescued. The Harpers have learned her secret, and do their best to spread stories of the Dark Lady to scare off curious or foolhardy adventurers. They warn fellow members to approach Nurvureem with extreme caution.
In recent months, Nurvureem has been pestered by elemental cultists looking for potential bases. By leaving their shredded corpses on the road for all to see, she hopes to make it clear to the cultists that they should leave Rundreth Manor alone.
Reason to Visit
A side trek in chapter 6 takes place at Rundreth Manor, and the characters have a chance to confront the Dark Lady and perhaps find common cause against the cults.
Stone Bridge
This gigantic stone archway (two miles long and four hundred feet high) comfortably spans the widest spring flood of the Dessarin River. It is a sacred site of pilgrimage for many dwarves. Long ago, the dwarf god Moradin appeared atop the Stone Bridge to rally dwarves of the Ironstar clan against a horde of orcs. The founder of Besilmer, King Torhild Flametongue, died fighting a hill giant atop the Stone Bridge. (He is entombed within the Halls of the Hunting Axe.)
Built to connect those parts of the dwarven realm of Besilmer on both the western and eastern banks of the Dessarin, the Stone Bridge is made of smooth, fused hard granite. It is only six paces wide and lacks railings or barriers, so anyone atop it is at the mercy of the wind, particularly in winter.
Reason to Visit
The Stone Bridge is the only crossing of the Dessarin River between Ironford and Yartar; travelers and caravans frequently use it (with care).
Sumber Hills
The Sumber Hills are windswept badlands sparsely covered in dry grass. Many of the hills have exposed rock faces or steep escarpments. While the hills are dry, countless tiny streams rise from hidden springs (usually clean and drinkable), then flow down to join the Dessarin River, which bisects the hills.
Most locals only think of the wilder, higher hills west of the river when they hear “Sumber Hills,” because its there that once had rich quarries and good hunting. Some hunting lodges and keeps owned by wealthy Waterdhavians or adventurers remain-and in recent times have become homes to bandits and monsters. Those who quarry the Sumber Hills for building stones and gravel often trade tales of finding gemstones and rich veins of ore in the hills-but for the most part, these persistent tales have never been more than talk.
In the last few years, the infamous “Haunted Keeps” in the western Sumber Hills have all been reoccupied. Sightings of strange beasts and menacing figures have increased, too.
Reason to Visit
The characters likely traipse all over the Sumber Hills in chapter 3 of the adventure as they seek out the Haunted Keeps.
Summit Hall
Summit Hall was established long ago as a fortified monastery by the Knights of Samular, an order dedicated to Tyr, god of justice. A paladin of Tyr named Samular Caradoon founded the order and its monastery. A tomb within the monastery contains Samulars remains as well as the phylactery of his brother, Renwick Caradoon, who dwells in the Sacred Stone Monastery (see “Haunted Keeps” above) as a lich.
Lady Ushien Stormbanner (female Tethyrian human knight of Tyr) oversees Summit Hall. Veterans, many of them scarred and grim, train novices and instruct them in the moral “Rule of the Knights” (an extensive series of “in this situation, a knight shall do this” guidelines). Life here is very regimented. The occupants of Summit Hall grow their own food and keep perpetual watch over nearby lands. They are always ready for battle, and fully armed and armored if encountered outside their walls.
Reason to Visit
Characters who track the Mirabar delegation from Beliard find that the delegation never reached Summit Hall. The site where elemental cultists attacked the delegation lies only a few miles away. Later in the adventure, characters affiliated with the Order of the Gauntlet can turn to the Knights of Samular to recruit guards for locations they’ve cleared or other “off camera” needs for low-level soldiers.
Triboar
The town of Triboar stands where the Long Road meets the Evermoor Way, a well-used caravan road that runs east to the city of Yartar. Triboar is the chief rival to Yartar, and the two communities compete for the trade of the Dessarin Valley.
The current lord protector is a good-natured Harper and ex-adventurer named Darathra Shendrel (female Tethyrian human knight), known for the excellent wine she makes. Darathra enacts and modifies local laws (known as “The Lords' Decree”), which are then enforced by “The Twelve,” a dozen mounted veterans drawn from the militia to serve in a tenday cycle.
Triboar is a horse-market for a dozen nearby ranches that turn out trained draft horses, riding mounts and ponies, and pack mules. Blacksmiths, harnessmakers, and wagonworks flourish in town. In addition, a number of guides operate from Triboar. They take merchants and other travelers all over the Sword Coast North (typically for stiff fees). Many of these guides are retired adventurers who know the North well.
A half-elf adventurer named Gervor and his companions went missing recently. The adventurers were staying in town, and locals expected them to return tendays ago. In addition, two important merchants from Waterdeep, Kharloss and Jarlee, are overdue. (Gervor is currently a prisoner in area B14 of the Temple of the Black Earth, while the two Waterdhavians were captured by fire cultists on the Long Road. They are currently held in area W6 of the Weeping Colossus.)
Reason to Visit
Any Harper can readily find refuge and aid in the Home of the Boars, a lodge on the outskirts of the town. Darathra is a key contact for characters affiliated with the Harpers. The Zhentarim has spies in the town as well, and its agents might contact the characters in the course of “The Long Road” side trek in chapter 6.
Vale of Dancing Waters
Called Tynrrin Wurlur in Dwarvish, this narrow gorge carries a trio of creeks down to the Dessarin River in cascades of water. The vale is on the west side of the river and found at the end of a secret trail leading south from the Stone Bridge.
Long ago, the vale was the site of the summer palace of King Torhild Flametongue of the dwarven kingdom of Besilmer. In time, it became a sacred place where dwarves come to worship their gods. Some legends among the Stout Folk say the cellars of the ancient palace hide riches of the royal treasury of Besilmer. (Actually, the palace collapsed long ago, but the shrine survives.) Recent sightings of monsters and roving bands of marauders in the Sumber Hills have alarmed the shield dwarf priests who tend the shrine. They worry that enemies might find the way to the hidden vale.
Reason to Visit
The Order of the Gauntlet has allies among the dwarves here, and the characters might be asked to check on them in the “Vale of Dancing Waters” side trek (see chapter 6).
Waterdeep
The City of Splendors is a bustling city on the Sword Coast. A rider from Red Larch can reach Waterdeep in seven days, three if he or she changes horses often and dares to ride by night. Some merchants have termed Waterdeep “the best supply center in the world,” with the largest collection of superb craft workers, experts, useful contacts, and potential hirelings to be found anywhere. Others warn that it represents a huge army of potential enemies for those who aren’t careful-and everyone agrees that its busy streets are full of spies.
Waterdhavian noble families and guilds hold tremendous political and economic sway up and down the Sword Coast, but within the city itself, true power lies with the Masked Lords' of Waterdeep-individuals who convene secretly and whose identities are largely unknown. The public face of this ruling body is the Open Lord of Waterdeep. The current Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand, has held the position for only a few months, and many of the citys nobles and guildmasters are vying for her attention and conspiring to wrest power away from her office, while taking advantage of the transition to dispose of unwanted rivals. This kind of political chaos is “business as usual” for most city residents.
Reason to Visit
Characters who need rare items, sage advice, or other services found only in large cities might say “were going to Waterdeep.”
Westbridge
A village strung out along the Long Road between Red Larch and Triboar, Westbridge is home to the Harvest Inn, which stands on the west side of the Long Road facing the wagon road from the Stone Bridge. The inn is run by the affable Herivin Dardragon (male halfling commoner), a curly-haired collector and reseller of paintings and statuettes of questionable taste.
The town is full of rumors about the disappearance of Oric and Lathna, siblings who were abducted by raiders from a homestead a short distance outside of town. (They are currently serving in the kitchens of Rivergard Keep.) Herivin Dardragon is also worried about one of his regulars, a female shield dwarf prospector named Wulgreda. She has not stopped by in a long time (and is a prisoner in the Temple of the Black Earth).
Reason to Visit
Westbridge is a target when the cultists take revenge for the characters actions. The characters probably come to Westbridge in the aftermath of the “Dire Tidings” counterattack in chapter 4, or after the “Counsel of Despair” event in chapter 5.
Westwood
A tangled and varied forest cloaking the eastern foothills of the Sword Mountains, these woods are home to a shrine to Mielikki, several woodcutters camps that are often taken over forcibly for a season or a few months at a time by bandits, and a few overgrown ruins of the ancient elven kingdom of Rilithar.
Recently, a roving band of Elk tribe barbarians (see “The Uthgardt Tribes” below) have come to Westwood. They forcibly evicted bandits from the innermost woodcutters camps, then camped there themselves to explore and hunt in Westwood.
Reason to Visit
The Elk tribe and the adventurers have common enemies: the elemental cults. Although characters will be hard-pressed to win the barbarians trust, they can pry useful information out of them. The Elk hunters know the Sumber Hills well and can provide simple, landmark-based directions to two cult strongholds: Rivergard Keep and Scarlet Moon Hall (though they don’t know the names of these locations).
Womford
This tiny village has a dock on the Dessarin River for shipping the grain from its grist mill. It is also the local supply and market for the surrounding farms from which the grain comes. Aside from the mill, the village consists of a handful of granaries and a larger handful of cottages, several of which house tiny local shops. According to old tales, the village was known as Ironford until a dragon was slain nearby. Passers-by began to call the settlement “Wyrm Ford,” a name subsequently corrupted, thanks to the thick local accent, into “Womford.”
Womford is a center of thinly disguised cult activity thanks to its location on the Dessarin. River pirates and smugglers allied to the water cult frequently put in at the towns dock. Ruffians and thugs seem to take over the village whenever a keelboat is tied up at the dock. In fact, some locals have thrown in with the smugglers-three young neer-do-wells named Gorm, Herek, and Shadnil sailed off a month ago to join up. (They are now servants in the kitchens of Rivergard Keep.)
Womforders lock and bar their doors and shutter their windows at night, for fear of the “Womford Bat,” a nocturnal predator that snatches folk it can catch outside after dark. One villager named Darreth vanished only steps from his own front door a tenday ago. (He was actually abducted by water cultists, and is now a captive in area F21 of the Fane of the Eye.)
Reason to Visit
Characters who try to trace the origin of the mysterious book during their investigations into the missing delegation might come to Womford and deal with the Womford Rats, as described in chapter 3.
Yartar
This fortified city commands the most northerly wagon bridge over the Dessarin River. A walled citadel on the west bank of the river connects to a bridge wide enough to accommodate two wagons with room to spare, connecting the Evermoor Way into and through Yartar. The road leads east to Everlund and Silverymoon, and west to Triboar and eventually Waterdeep via the Long Road.
Yartar is prosperous and increasingly crowded, so buildings have been torn down and taller ones built-four stories high in some instances.
A Waterbaron who rules for life leads Yartar. The current Waterbaron is the shrewd, farseeing Nestra Ruthiol (female Tethyrian human noble). Yartar is part of the Lords' Alliance, and Ruthiol considers that membership vital for its survival and prosperity. She knows that Harpers and Zhentarim are well established in the city, but her path only crosses with theirs when the wellbeing of Yartarrans is at stake.
The elemental cults have begun abducting Yartarrans who wont be missed-poor people and drunkards, mostly-and smuggling them out of the city. These missing Yartarrans are currently being held in area A12 of the Temple of Howling Hatred (see chapter 4).
Reason to Visit
The “Dark Dealings in Yartar” side trek (chapter 6) brings the characters here. More broadly, characters affiliated with the Lords' Alliance can readily receive support in Yartar, and Harpers and Zhentarim can get aid, too, if they’re discreet and know how to contact an agent in town.
The Uthgardt Tribes
Most of the human barbarians in the vicinity of the Dessarin Valley belong to the various Uthgardt tribes. They take their name from Uthgar, a great hero-chief who conquered much of the North many centuries ago before ascending to godhood. Each tribe venerates its own particular totem animal and protects its own sacred sites, known as ancestral mounds. Some Uthgardt are relatively settled and trade with the civilized folk of the area, while others are aggressive raiders who pillage any caravan or homestead they come across.
The major tribes in the vicinity of the Dessarin Valley include the Elk, Gray Wolf, Griffon, and Tree Ghost. The Gray Wolf and Griffon tribesfolk are known as fierce warriors, but they rarely wander as far south as the Sumber Hills. The Tree Ghosts are a reclusive band that roams the High Forest; the barbarians are sometimes seen in the vales between the Sumber Hills and the edge of the forest, but they are among the more peaceful tribes and rarely trouble settlers or travelers in this area.
Uthgardt of the Elk tribe regard most of the Dessarin Valley as their territory. Small bands of Elk warriors roam the Westwood, the Sumber Hills, and the hilly land around the Dessarin and Surbrin rivers. Because they are relatively few in number, the Elk barbarians stay well away from the cities and towns in the area. However, they often attack weakly defended caravans on remote trails that are far from help. The tribesfolk generally don’t harass poor working folk such as homesteaders and shepherds, although they sometimes steal sheep or other livestock if the opportunity presents itself.