Everlund
Situated on the banks of the Rauvin River, Everlund is one of the North’s most active mercantile communities. A thick stone wall encloses the city, pierced by gates in five places. Like the spokes of a wheel, broad, straight avenues lead from each gate to the Bell Market at the city’s center. The streets are clean and wide enough to accommodate large caravan vehicles. Soldiers of the city’s army make a show of patrolling the walls, reassuring citizens and visitors and discouraging attack. The buildings of Everlund are stately and well maintained, with steeply pitched rooftops and tall spires that sport colorful banners. Though ready to withstand attack, it is nonetheless a beautiful community that does not look like a city of war. Everlund’s buildings are constructed mainly of stone and timber, and they show clear influence of both elf and dwarf architectural styles. Buildings are arranged in discrete sections separated by green spaces. Trees, hedges, bowers, gardens, and flowerbeds are common sights in all parts of the city. The result is an impression of calm and tranquility that belies the many dangers lurking just beyond the city’s walls.
Two bridges span the river, which has parks and trees along its shores. Each of the five gates is open from dawn to dusk and shut at other times. Inns and taverns cater to those who prefer to camp outside the walls rather than endure the tedious searches required to pass through the gates before dawn.
The population of the city numbers above 21,000, making it one of the largest cities in the North. Humans comprise close to half of the population, all manner of elves about a quarter, with shield dwarves, lightfoot halflings, and half-elves making up most of the rest.
Until recently, Everlund was a member of the Lords’ Alliance. The five leaders who currently comprise the city’s Council of Elders voted three to two in favor of separation and, in a symbolic show of support for Sundabar, condemned the alliance for its failure to come to Sundabar’s aid during the War of the Silver Marches. The decision was touted as an opportunity for Everlund to chart its own course, but more educated citizens believe the vote was orchestrated by the Zoar family, a group of influential nobles that moved to Everlund from Waterdeep over a century ago amid some scandal. The Zoars have gained considerable political influence in Everlund, to the extent that they now have a representative on the Council of Elders.
History
Like Silverymoon fifty miles to the north, Everlund was in its beginning a simple crossing-place over the Rauvin. During the last centuries of the dwarf kingdom of Delzoun, trade from the elf realm of Illefarn sometimes passed this way, particularly when monsters or bad weather made the river-passage up the Surbrin to the Rauvin unusually difficult or dangerous.
As the only crossing place for several days’ travel in either direction, the Rauvin crossing here often attracted the attention of orcs, barbarians, and other raiders, who would lie in wait to ambush caravans. Around –334 DR the dwarves of Delzoun responded by raising a small keep overlooking the river crossing and garrisoned the outpost with vigilant guards to protect the crossing. Under the protection of the keep, a tiny hamlet grew up to cater to travelers seeking the chance to rest and refit in safety.
The dwarf keep was abandoned in –104 DR as the onslaught against Delzoun grew too great to allocate soldiers to the protection of a distant river crossing. The first town on the site of Everlund was quietly abandoned over the years as trade ceased along this route. Wood elves roaming the eaves of Eaerlann sometimes came here, camping in the forests along the south bank of the river, but otherwise the site was empty.
Everlund rose again in 515 DR, as the folk of Ascalhorn decided to refurbish the dwarf-keep and establish a permanent garrison here. The city’s growth had brought a new wave of settlement in the Rauvin Vale, and the princes of Ascalhorn found that the people living near the Rauvin’s bend required protection against trolls from the Evermoors and goblinoids from the Nether Mountains. The lords of Eaerlann agreed to share in this duty, and elves of the Forest Kingdom joined the human knights of Ascalhorn in guarding this corner of the High Forest. Once again, a small town grew up around the keep, this time a town of human traders and elf merchants eager to find markets for Eaerlann’s goods in the burgeoning cities of the Sword Coast.
The fall of Ascalhorn in 882 DR, and the subsequent collapse of Eaerlann, left the small settlement at Everlund without a country. By the vagaries of campaigns and battles, Everlund had survived the terrible onslaught of the Year of the Curse virtually unharmed, although many of its human knights and elf archers had perished in distant battles. Many hundreds of refugees from Ascalhorn flooded into the area and took shelter in the town. Here they rebuilt. In the absence of the lord of the town (a prince of Ascalhorn killed fighting there), the people raised a council of six wise commanders and leaders to govern the town’s affairs until something better could be arranged. Over time, the Council of Elders became the true rulers of the city.Maps
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Everlund - Player's Map
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