The Town of Daggerford

Dagger Island

Although almost no one thinks of it as such, the town of Daggerford lies atop an island between two channels of the River Delimbiyr. Dagger Island, as it is known, is demarked by two hills: a larger, granite plug to the east (upstream), known as Dagger Hill, and a smaller, earthen hill to the west (downstream), known as Tanners’ Hill.
The southern border of Dagger Island is formed by the main channel of the River Delimbiyr, and connected to the Open Marches to the south by (downstream) the Shining Bridge and (upstream) Dagger Ford (for which the town is named). The northern border of Dagger Island is a normally a small creek-like flow, known as Dagger Creek, that wraps around the northern side of Dagger Hill and Tanners’ Hill. During the spring floods, Dagger Creek floods the low-lying farmland to the north, broadening into a knee-deep, sluggish flow, usually much wider than the main channel of the River Delimbiyr at the same point.
Atop the summit of Dagger Hill lie the ruins of Morlin Castle (#T22), now thought to be haunted and largely avoided, except for a small observation post and garrison of the duke’s soldiers. Any access to the dungeons of Morlin Castle from these ruins was collapsed long ago, although rumors speak of access into the dungeons from the catacombs beneath Castle Daggerford (#T10).
The town of Daggerford, including Castle Daggerford, lies on the western flank of Dagger Hill, as detailed below. After Daggerford was rebuilt in the Year of the Black Horde (1235 DR), a small, roughly north-south channel was carved from Dagger Creek to the main channel of the River Delimbiyr to serve as a moat along the northern and western walls of the town. This moat is also sometimes called Dagger Creek, which causes some confusion.
The Tannery (#T21) lies on the southeast flank of Tanners’ Hill, and its wastewater runs down the southern flank of Tanners’ Hill, into the River Delimbiyr.
From the north, the Trade Way runs across Dagger Creek (which is easily waded, even during the spring floods) between Dagger Hill and Tanners’ Hill (closer to Dagger Hill and the town of Daggerford) and then across the Shining Bridge (or the Dagger Ford) to the Open Marches to the south. The sandy plain between Tanners’ Hill and Dagger Hill (west of the Trade Way) is known as the Caravan Grounds (#T20), and is less prone to flooding than the farmlands to the north of Dagger Creek.
The Shining Trail leads north from the Farmer’s Gate on the northern wall of the town of Daggerford, across another easily waded part of Dagger Creek and into the rich farmlands and rolling foothills to the north and east, eventually petering out near the western edge of the Laughing Hollow.

The Town of Daggerford

Heraldry: Heraldry of Daggerford 
The town of Daggerford is the largest stop on the Trade Way between Waterdeep and Soubar. This busy trading town is home to human craftfolk, a few halflings, and a handful of folk of other races.
The town huddles in the lee of a hill crowned by Daggerford Castle, which is surrounded by a grassy commons, where horses and cattle graze in times of siege and when the river floods the lowlands around the castle. A wall surrounds both the town and Daggerford Castle, protecting both from predators, besieging armies, and the annual flooding.
Generally, most of the buildings in the town are made of wood and thatch. However, since the Stout Folk of Clan Ironaxe brought their stoneworking skills to Daggerford a century ago, a number of people have built in stone. The duke replaced the last wood in his castle with stone, the wall towers were rebuilt in stone, and several important town buildings have been built or rebuilt in stone. Placement of wood and thatch buildings is sometimes rearranged due to the occasional fire. Fortunately, close proximity to the river allows the Water Carrier’s Guild to quench fires quickly. As much of Daggerford is built in a flood plain, basements are rare. Most wooden buildings are built on piers above a low, walled-in crawlspace. Such crawlspaces are designed to flood during rainstorms, and so are not used for storage (except for small treasures stashed in waterproof containers, often placed there by persons other than the building owner).

Type

Town