Silverymoon

Silverymoon was the prime signatory state of the Confederation of the Silver Marches and therefore, viewed by many as the capital. It was ruled for centuries by High Lady Alustriel Silverhand, a powerful wizard and one of the Seven Sisters—some of the most powerful individuals on Faerûn—and also a Chosen of Mystra, the goddess of magic. Silverymoon was often dubbed "the Gem of the North", for it resembled and emulated the (formerly) lost elven city of Myth Drannor in many respects. It was one of the few civilized places in the middle of the rough and untamed wilderness that was the North of Faerûn. It had a rich cultural life and was renowned as a meeting place for all races that were morally inclined towards good. Even the occasional drow with good intentions (most notably the famous ranger Drizzt Do'Urden) could eventually find hospitality in the city of Silverymoon. Silverymoon was also famous for its pervading tradition of magic, and was home to many notable wizards, sorcerers and other mages. One of its permanent structures, the Moonbridge, was created by magic.
The city was divided into two sections, Northbank and Southbank, divided by the River Rauvin. Northbank was the older section of the city.It was shaped roughly like a half-circle and had three gates in its wall at west, north, and east. A large area known as the Market divided Northbank west and east, cutting from the wall to the Docks at the river. There were many shops around the Docks. The High Palace was located on the eastern side of Northbank, just inside the walls. Most places of worship and the houses of the nobles were also located on the eastern side. Southbank was originally an area for caravan business and warehouses, but it expanded to become nearly as large as Northbank and was known for containing most of the schools that were part of the famous Conclave of Silverymoon.The city was said to contain dwarven tunnels beneath its streets.
Silverymoon minted its own coin, the moon. It was valued at 2gp and was accepted throughout the Silver Marches.
Travel Distances from Silverymoon To Everlund - 50 miles To Nesme - 165 miles (by barge, downstream at 2 miles per hour) To Sundabar - 165 miles on the Silverymoon Pass road To Waterdeep - 600 miles (via the Evermoor Way and the Long Road) To Yartar - 320 miles (via the Evermoor Way) To Triboar - 400 miles (via the Evermoor Way)
The fighting force that protected Silverymoon was comprised of the famed Knights in Silver. In 1372 DR, they were led by a paladin named Sernius Alathar. There were also the Spellguard, an order of, primarily, wizards and sorcerers led by the half-elven wizard Jorus Azuremantle. The High Marshal of the Argent Legion, the army of the Confederation of the Silver Marches (composed of soldiers from every signatory of the confederation) also resided in Silverymoon. The current High Marshal is a half-elf fighter/wizard by the name of Methrammar Aerasumé.
Knights in Silver Named by the adventurer and bard, Mintiper Moonsilver, the Knights in Silver slowly earned their reputation as a noble and chivalrous fighting force. Although they were often found protecting the walls of Silverymoon many times they roamed the countryside around the city in a 50-mile radius with a member of the Spellguard. In 1372 DR, recruitment was overseen by Recruiting Master Mazillor Shatterstave, who scrutinized each potential applicant for suitability among their ranks. Under Mazillor's watch the Knights in Silver rose to 704 members.
Spellguard The Spellguard was established in 1255 DR as a personal bodyguard for Alustriel herself but over the intervening years grew to city-wide force, spreading their duties between the High Palace and the rest of Silverymoon. By 1372 DR the Spellguard numbered 32 members, 7 of which were Warders that oversaw the activities of the rest.
Other Defenses The Silverwatch policed Silverymoon's streets while the Moon Garrison protected the city from external threats. The High Guard, all veterans from the Knights, were responsible for the security of the palace and its environs.
The Mythal Silverymoon's Mythal was thought lost during the Spellplague, but it was merely dormant within the Moonbridge. With Mystra's Return, the mythal of Silverymoon blossomed out of the Moonbridge in all its former glory.
History Silverymoon became a city in Uktar 637 DR, when a stone wall was built around it for the first time and the first ruler of Silverymoon, High Mage Ecamane Truesilver, was elected. Prior to that it was mainly a village of wooden buildings named Silver Village. It was built at a location considered sacred to the patron deity of rangers, Mielikki, and the unicorn goddess Lurue. Since that time the settlers sought to work with nature rather than against it, a decision that is said to have compelled the aforementioned deities to bless the site.
Ecamane Truesilver was instrumental in setting the foundation to the city's enduring (and totally justified) fame of a center of lore and knowledge throughout the North (often called "Myth Drannor of the North", as it was an echo of the legendary capital of the Elven Court). Truesilver founded a library and subsequent rulers of the city pursued artistic endeavors and further consolidated Silverymoon as a place where art, culture, lore, and magic are highly valued before his death in 712 DR. Ecamane was followed by his nephew, Aglanthol the Red as the second High Mage of Silverymoon. When Myth Drannor fell in 714 DR, some prominent scholars found shelter in the city, but they were followed by the demons that destroyed their home. The then reigning High Mage, Aglanthol, perished in the ensuing fight in 719 DR. His successor, Ederan Nharimlur, by contrast, reigned for many years in peace. It was in his reign that the city almost doubled in size.
Upon Ederan's death in 784 DR, his daughter Amaara Nharimlur became the High Mage of Silverymoon. In 815 DR, Elué Dualen arrived in the city and befriended Amaara and her sister Lynx. In 821 DR, Elué and Lynx established the Lady's College, the first open school for mages in Silverymoon to take students, not apprentices, and as payment for tutelage required an equal amount of time of service in defense of the city. In 843 DR Elué and other wizards created the Moonbridge, the city's most famous landmark along with the wards of Silverymoon. Eventually Elué became High Mage in 857 DR after Amaara left for Evermeet. Elué left the post in 876 DR with Lynx. The succession of High Mages was disrupted in 876 DR, when the warlord Lashtor, then commander of the city's army, took the city by force, destroying many important buildings and killing many wizards in the process. He could not remain in power for more than a year, however, as he was deposed by Tanalanthara Mytersaal, a mage also known as Lady Wolf. Lady Wolf sacrificed herself in 882 DR while fending off a horde of orcs.
The next High Mage was chosen by the people of Silverymoon to be Tanisell the Cloaked, who during his reign strengthened the wards of the city and constructed the Vault of the Sages. In 920 DR the Keeper of the Vault of Sages, Threskaal, succeeded Tanisell. Threskaal reigned for over a hundred years in peace until his death during 1050 DR. High Mage Orjalun was the next to take up the mantle of rulership and oversaw a reign that included the emergence of many famed mages such as Ahghairon and Bowgentle. However another disaster that befell Silverymoon was a plague in the year 1150 DR. nearly half the city's inhabitants perished because of it. In 1230 DR, Orjalun appointed the next High Mage as Sepur. After two years Sepur disappeared from the city, resulting in an elected mayor ruling for the next three years. The first time that an enemy broke through the walls inside the city, though, was in 1235 DR, when the commander of the army, Khallos Shieldsunder, forcibly gained control of the city while under siege by an orc horde. The orcs, as has been stated, managed to enter the city, but the combined forces of the elves and the Harpers led by Alustriel Silverhand and her sister Storm Silverhand successfully repelled the attack.
Silverymoon - Moonbridge Silverymoon - Moonbridge, by ElmUnderleaf
Alustriel subsequently became the city's only ruler to have been unanimously chosen by the people, and the only one to have reigned for so long. Alustriel's reign was a blessing to the people of Silverymoon. Alustriel's reign officially ended in 1369 DR, when she stepped down, passing the city's supreme office to her trusted adviser Taern "Thunderspell" Hornblade. She assumed the title of High Lady of the Silver Marches in 1371 DR (the year the confederation was born) and is now the leading figure of authority in the new-found confederation. Silverymoon was involved in the destructive War of the Silver Marches between 1484 DR and 1485 DR. However the city's lacklustre efforts to help Sundabar during the war tarnished its reputation. By 1489 DR, High Mage Taern Hornblade had stepped down as ruler of the city and Methrammar Aerasumé took over as Lord of Silvermoon. Despite this, Taern still spoke for the city among the Lords' Alliance.
14th century Silverymoon was the leading city of the Confederation of the Silver Marches. The confederation was new and some difficulties existed when cooperation was needed. It was a common belief, though, that the cities in the region would fall to the many enemies that surrounded them unless they managed to somehow unite and fight together. That was exactly what Alustriel had in mind when she worked towards the creation of the confederation.Silverymoon remained allied with other cities in the North, such as Waterdeep and Neverwinter, but also had many enemies. The Arcane Brotherhood, a small group of wizards and sorcerers who controlled port city of Luskan from the Host Tower of the Arcane in the 1370's, had the ultimate goal to rule the North. In fact, the Silver Marches and Silverymoon were considered by the leaders of the brotherhood as their main target in their quest for domination.Enemies also lurked in the depths of Toril, the Underdark. In 1358 DR, an army of drow elves from the city of Menzoberranzan laid siege to Mithral Hall, a dwarven stronghold under the leadership of king Bruenor Battlehammer, and were driven back only with the combined efforts of Mithral Hall and Silverymoon.
Politics in Silverymoon When Alustriel was still in power, the politics of the city flowed smoothly. Legal disputes were delegated over in the morning with spare time left for private appointments with those who request them. In the evening, she declared any new laws or decrees, met with foreign delegations and oversaw policy debates. If these debates went on for too long, she would ask that the arguments be submitted to her in written form and then these would be copied and distributed freely to the citizenry. The public would themselves argue about the matter and then their written opinions were collected the next day and, guided by her own experience, Alustriel would cobble together the final policy. The church of Cyric was outlawed in Silverymoon.