Elturel

Elturel was a city-state lying on the River Chionthar in the Western Heartlands. In the mid–14th century DR, it was a center for agriculture and trade in the region, and was renowned for its elite mounted defenders, the Hellriders. In the late 15th century DR, it was the capital of the realm of Elturgard, a theocracy of Torm the True and defended by its paladin knighthood, the Order of the Companion.

Geography

The city was situated atop a bluff or tor with a cliff dominating the River Chionthar. This was both a good defensive position and a good crossing-point, as the river below was narrow, shallow, and easily traversed by poling barges; the city was founded here for this advantage. The river linked it with Berdusk, Iriaebor, and Scornubel, and to Baldur's Gate on the Sword Coast.
In the 1360s DR, Elturel laid claim to lands along the Dusk Road northeast as far as Triel, along the Skuldask Road northwest to where it met Thundar's Ride and southeast down to Windstream Lodge, and along the Chionthar upstream to Scornubel, and downstream to Stone Eagle Lodge. The border was distinct: within, the land was farmed and settled; without, wilderness reigned, the land covered in shrubs and scrub trees. Elturel's domain was characterized by agriculture, where cattle and sheep grazed, brush was cut back, and farms fenced by hedges and stone walls studded the landscape.

The Companion

The second sun that sits directly above Elturel burns night and day. This orb is commonly called The Companion, but some ascribe it to one deity or another. Where the natural sun journeys across the sky and disappears at night, the Companion is steady and loyal, ever preventing creatures of darkness from assaulting the city. This second sun provides daytime illumination to the people of Elturel at all hours, and its illumination is as harmful to creatures vulnerable to sunlight as the sun is. This constant daylight lessens the farther one travels from Elturel, casting a sort of wan dawn light for fifty or so miles around the city. Beyond that, the orb is visible as a bright beacon in the sky. It ~an be seen clearly at night from as far away as Boareskyr Bridge and Berdusk, looking like an unmoving star low on the horizon. It might be fa irly said that every land touched by its light is now under “Elturel’s Shield,” but such claims raise hackles among Elturgard’s neighbors

Government

By 1356 DR, the city was ruled by its High Rider, Lord Dhelt, a paladin of Helm and former leader of the Hellriders. He remained in power through 1367 DR and past 1372 DR. His focus was on maintaining Elturel as the most efficient, secure, and well-policed city in the region, with interests in farming and trade. The Hellriders helped Elturel establish and maintain civilization in these harsh lands. His reign went unquestioned, but was seen as just and fair and wise and competent. He was vigilant on defense and preventing crime, and in keeping the city clean and lawful. He was known to be respectable and tolerant, as a leader who actively promoted trade while letting merchants getting on with business with minimum interference.
In the late 1400s DR, the city and Elturgard as a whole were ruled by the High Observer of Torm, a priest named Thavius Kreeg. Aided by a paladin knighthood, the High Observer made certain that order was maintained in the city and the realm, with the aim of bringing righteous judgment to all the Realms and "setting Faerûn aright". As in the past, they ensured the city and countryside remained safe and well-policed and that trade and agriculture were run efficiently. It was believed by some that Thavius ruled wisely and well for decades, yet he presided over harsh and rigid laws, intolerant attitudes, and inquisitions circa 1479 DR.

Relations

While it remained an independent city, it was a firm member of the Lords' Alliance in the mid–14th century DR.
In the late 1400s DR, Elturel was the capital of Elturgard, the Kingdom of the Two Suns, a realm that included Berdusk, Iriaebor, Scornubel, Soubar, and Triel, as well as many farms and villages along the roads of the Western Heartlands that were claimed and protected. Its chief rival now was Baldur's Gate, a completely contrasting city situated downriver. Elturel regarded Baldur's Gate as lawless and corrupt, and disapproved of its religious tolerance. Baldur's Gate started the feud by taking goods and coin from ships going to and from Elturel. Whenever Baldur's Gate attempted to claim more territory than Elturgard could accept, it imposed high taxes on shipments downriver. There was much animosity between them, but while Elturgard expected to have to deal with Baldur's Gate one day, neither was looking forward to an armed conflict.

Defenses

The city was surrounded by a stout stone wall, shielding all but the southern river side. There were two gates, on the northwest and northeast sides. Inside the eastern wall, a canal served as a partial moat.
Elturel's main defense in the 14th and 15th centuries DR was the Hellriders, a 2000-strong elite unit of well-equipped, loyal, and close-knit mounted troops. For a city guard, they outmatched the armies of whole realms. They were not only the guards and police of the city, they also patrolled the River Chionthar and surrounding roads, and escorted caravans from Waterdeep to Iriaebor. They maintained guardhouses in the Fields of the Dead and warning beacons in the surrounding farmlands. As well as significant raids, expeditions, and punitive assaults on aggressive demihumans were commanded by Lord Dhelt, the High Rider, or by the High Watcher of Helm Berelduin Shondar. All Hellriders were required to give a tenth of their earnings to Elturel's coffers.
In the late 15th century, they were joined by the Order of the Companion, a well-armored mounted knighthood of paladins who defended the city and wider Elturgard, swore oaths to the realm and shared its goals, even if the members did not all share faith in Torm. Courageous, righteous, and zealous, they were proud of their dedication to the cause of good, their clear morals, even their intolerance. They were identified by the blazing insignia of the Companion that they wore. Many of the Hellriders now aspired to join the Companions. Both followed the Creed Resolute, swearing to serve the High Observer and the greater good, uphold Elturgard's law, and permit no difference in faith to come between them, nor to attribute the Companion to one god or another.

Law & Order

Well policed by the Hellriders in the mid-1300s DR, Elturel was a very safe city for travelers. Its dockside areas were among the safest in Faerûn, thanks to their organization, the loyalty of the handlers guild, and the alert Hellrider patrols. The main threat was theft by pickpockets, not mugging by thugs. Otherwise, there were no Elturian thieves' guilds—Lord Dhelt would not allow it. Just rumoring about a possible band of thieves was enough to see one interrogated by zealous Hellriders.
In the late 1400s DR, the city was much stricter and even bad language and irreverent humor could draw the ire of authorities. Elturgard's laws were rigid, intolerant, and persecuted evil with inquisitorial zeal, leading to a host of problems. Those who broke the law three times were sent to the Dungeon of the Inquisitor. Here, they were punished and set to work mining new tunnels. The inmate population was always being replenished. Nevertheless, it remained the safest city in the land.

Trade

In the 1300s DR, Elturel was the farming center of the Fields of the Dead and thrived on the trade that passed through its domain. It was commonly rated as the second-most economically powerful city in the Western Heartlands after Scornubel3 and it was quite wealthy. Linking overland caravan and river barge trades, it also served as a market for farms on fertile Fields of the Dead and Chionthar banks. Thousands of cattle and sheep were assembled in Elturel every year for trade across Faerûn. Traders greatly appreciated the protection afforded them by the Hellriders; caravans and convoys of riverboats chose routes through Elturel's zone of control so they could relax their own security, if only for a day or two. Summer saw the peak of trade through the city.
Its primary exports were livestock and the products of them, namely meat, cheese, leatherwork, wool, and glues rendered from hooves and horns. Equipment shops in the city had moderate availability of goods. Elturel supplied fabric and leather to Aurora's Emporium, which traded clothing and shoes. Elturian Grey was the premier cheese of Elturel, and was also sold through Aurora's Emporium, though counterfeits under similar names were produced.
After the founding of Elturgard, the port officials who handled trade in the city circa 1479 DR were overly righteous and handed exorbitant taxes and penalties to traders who showed even the slightest impiety, even banning them from setting foot inside the city. The caravans and riverboat convoys now feared to pass through there. Despite this, by 1489 DR, travelers were once again relieved to set foot inside Elturgard and relax their guard for a time.

Culture & Society

In the 14th century, it was said that every boy and girl of Elturel and the lands around dreamed of being a Hellrider some day, even those whose talents lay in the intellectual more than the martial arts. To call such a child a "hellion" was not an insult but a compliment, marking one as having the courage and drive to ride the Hellriders' destriers. Though they didn't all get special training, Elturians were practically raised in the saddle, learning how to ride and growing familiar with how horses behaved in any situation, even those that never became Hellriders. The downside was that, rightly or wrongly, some folk thought Elturians always smelled of horse.
In turn, all true warriors of Elturel were most likely Hellriders. Those who resigned were stripped of their gear, exiled from the city, and named a heretic in the eyes of Helm for abandoning their post. In the mid-1360s DR, there were no living ex-members of the Hellriders—too many had died in battle.
Elturian wizards, meanwhile, were safer in the saddle, being skilled at attacking from their mounts. They were much more capable of avoiding or resisting attacks while mounted than they on foot, being less able to react fast enough.
Often overlooked in the city's commercial success, Elturian rogues were themselves merchants and traders. They were charismatic, talented in subtle negotiations and driving slick bargains, and skilled in appraising items. However, fighting was bad for business, and Elturian rogues made poor and less-resilient combatants.
In the late 15th century, Elturian citizens still often dreamed of joining Elturgard's paladin knighthood. This time, many succeeded. Inspired by the Hellriders and the Companions, the folk of Elturgard were typically devout in both their faith and the pursuit of justice. Both troops were loved and respected by the people. Elturel was known as a holy city.'
Under the eternal day of the second sun in the 1400s DR, Elturians depending on bells tolling in the High Hall to know the beginning and ending of each workday. The constant light reduced typical nighttime activities; there was little brawling and muggings, while thieves were perforce extra cautious and cunning. It was especially hard for newcomers to adjust to life here. Inns and boarding houses covered windows with thick curtains to let patrons sleep.

Description

The city was split into two districts: an upper city known as the High District and a lower city known as the Dock District. The High District spread over the slopes of a rising, defensible hill with a rocky cliff on its south side, where it met the Chionthar. In this crowded space, the buildings were constructed of stone, with tall narrow houses topped with spires and bedecked with balconies and windows, and the cobbled streets were narrow, steep, and winding. Their cellars were dug out of the solid rock. This area was home to the city's nobility. Atop the cliff overlooking the river was the High Hall, marked by its soaring turrets and its walls encircling the summit. This was where the High Rider and later the High Observer lived, government was based, bureaucracy was managed, political and religious leaders were housed, and large commercial meetings were held.4 On the northeastern flank of the hill was a ravine, crossed by two bridges in the late 1400s DR: the Torm's Reach in the north and the Torm's Blade south of it, each 20 feet and consecrated in the name of Torm by runes carved into them, and warded against fiends and undead.
The Dock District, meanwhile, covered the flatlands around. It was home to markets, stockyards, and warehouses, as well as wagon-makers and yards and officers of other trades associated with caravans. It was dirty, disorderly, and smelly, with buildings designed only for function and business. In the east side, it was known for hovels and warehouses clustered around the docks. In the west side there were tidier and more well-off homes and shops, and in the 1360s the area was more often being called Westerly to distinguish it as cleaner and more prosperous than the east side. Those in the east thought those in the west were lazy, soft, arrogant, and pretentious. In any case, by the late 1400s, houses in the lower town were for the most part of the same design as those on the hill.
In the late 1400s, the city's official faith was in Torm the True, the state religion of Elturgard, and it was ruled by its high priest, the High Observer of Torm. However, the people commonly worshiped Torm, Helm, Lathander, Amaunator, and Tyr. The "grand cemetery" lay in the westernmost past of the city, within the walls. Surrounded by a brass fence and gate 10 feet , it held gravestones, statues, monuments, and mausoleums for the departed; a ossuary below ground; and a chapel dedicated to Lathander, Torm, Helm, and Tyr. It was a beautiful place, being filled with grass and flowers.
Lord Dhelt decreed that inns and taverns could not operate under the same roof, nor could inns serve drinks, so in Elturel these were distinctly different businesses. The better inns stood in the High District, but were simply converted houses and often several neighboring houses linked into one. Those in the Dock District were simpler, not to mention noisier, but were usually the only accommodations available in summer during the trade season. Inns and taverns were generally good in quality. A Pair of Black Antlers was the best-known tavern, and a favorite of adventurers.
Shiarra's Market was held within a town square (actually more of an egg-shape) in the eastern Dock District. It was known for crammed stalls. There were a number of farmers' markets.

Maps

• 

  Elturel - Before

Type

City