Neverwinter
Even in safer times, the North's reputation as the Savage North was well earned. Now, times are worse and the land more savage by far. Its great cities, once bastions of light and civilization, lie crippled. The small towns that served to shelter travelers stand empty-or have been claimed by murderous tribes and hungry monsters. Roads etched into the earth with thousands of years of use are increasingly obscured by forest, bramble, and marsh. Communities now struggle alone amid the wilderness, fortunate if they see an outsider once in a generation. Neverwinter labors to breathe in the suffocating harshness of this new North, the sea its only lifeline. With few traders braving the increasingly long treks between settlements, the city's docks now provide the area's main means of import and precious little export. Gone are the days of plenty, beauty, and luxury. Today, Neverwinter struggles to break free of the forces that brought it low, still weak and surrounded by danger.
Neverwinter: The City of Skilled Hands, the Jewel of the North- many were the accolades once heaped upon this glorious city. Then, almost 50 years ago, the city nearly died in an event now known as the Cataclysm. Minor earth tremors that had plagued the region for months were the precursors of the eruption of Mount Hotenow. A portion of that volcano's peak exploded with such force that lava and super-heated ash poured across the city in an avalanche. Half of Neverwinter's population died in a heartbeat, many of the city's buildings razed. A great rift now known as the Chasm rent the surface where the shifting earth had pulled apart. A plethora of strange undead roamed the city in the aftermath, their dead flesh turned to ash by the fires that consumed the city. The 20-year campaign to reclaim the city and close the Chasm took a great toll on the eastern districts of the city. Yet the people of Neverwinter have always been resilient. After the destruction, many who had fled at the first tremors returned. Opportunists and looters arrived. People began to rebuild. The benevolent Lord Dagult Neverember, the previous Open Lord of Water deep, eventually arrived as well, along with an army of mercenaries, and banded with the Gladius family to rebuild the city. He abolished the monarchy and, today, the city struggles back to life under the watchful rule of the new Lord Protector and his council of lords. The relatively untouched buildings in the western districts still inspire awe from where they can be seen, and a number of large buildings even tower over the walls around the city. The city is now split in to 5 major districts: Protectors Enclave, the Chasm district, the Docks District, the Blacklake District, and the River District.
The bright water of the Neverwinter River that bisects the city runs warm throughout the year, a feature that helps to keep the city from being frozen in the winter months. When the cataclysm struck, dark ash choked the river for months before it began to flow from Neverwinter Wood through the city once more. Three iconic bridges once spanned the river in Neverwinter the Sleeping Dragon, the Winged Wyvern, and the Dolphin, each sculpted in the form of its name. Mercenaries in the hire of Lord Neverember patrol the city day and night, on guard to defend the city from threats while it rebuilds, both internal and external.
Blacklake District
This region of Never winter stands largely intact in the wake of the cataclysm. Credit for the survival of the Blacklake District goes mostly to the nobles of Neverwinter who dwelt here and constructed their homes with extra support, both material and magical. Many of these nobles died in the fire that swept the area after the cataclysm, but their houses remain. The district holds a large number of overgrown estates, scores of stout, defensible holdfasts, and a large park that contains the lake for which the region is named. The water was polluted by a great deal of ash and rubbish in the quake, and for many years Blacklake looked more like a midden pit of sludge than a lake. With life in Neverwinter regaining some semblance of normalcy, the remaining nobles funded a dredging project to clean the lake. Today, Blacklake is safe to swim in, but few would drink from it anymore.Castle Never
An imposing fixture of Never winter's western end, Castle Never stands as a monument to the city's former glory. The cataclysm struck it hard, toppling towers, collapsing walls, and starting fires that burned throughout the structure. The entire royal family is thought to have perished within, and the remaining servants sealed the vaults, crypts, and grounds with the hope that a worthy heir to Neverwinter would arrive one day to take his or her rightful place on the throne. On that day, it is said, the magic treasures and other resources of the castle will serve the new ruler. But the new Neverwinter seems to have no interest in a monarchy. All sorts of rumors abound: the castle is haunted by spirits, no, filled with monsters, no, it’s under some kind of curse and traps the unwary in its maze-like corridors forever. Whatever the reason, the Lord Protector has not yet moved in to the castle.Dannar's Mechanical Marvels
Run by Dannar Dunsten, Dannar's is a shop specializing in really expensive gnomish and dwarven clockwork items. These days inventory is low, but Dannar is willing to produce anything you can imagine on commission.House of a Thousand Faces
Named for the dozens of mirrors and mannequins positioned about the common room, the House of a Thousand Faces is primarily a high-end fashion boutique that also functions as high-class social club. Amid mannequins dressed in the lavish clothing, patrons lounge about the airy interior, drinking, laughing, and scheming. The proprietor, Theryis Teinithra, often uses its secret basement as a meeting spot for the Harpers.Jaesor's Fineware Porcelain Works
The finest china and porcelain creations are commissioned here. Nobles and commoners alike come to view its items through the display cases. There's barely enough room to walk between the aisles of finery, so the site of its 7-foot goliath owner, Jaesor Wisebear, nimbly navigating the store is a sight to behold.Manycoins Moneylending
Owned by the charitable female drow, Imithren Haelond, this shop is the main currency exchange and banking service for everyone in Neverwinter. It is heavily guarded by the Neverwinter Guard, but many say that they are unnecessary as Imithren has armored constructs guarding the vault. Its constant charitable donations keep both it and its proprietor in good standing with the locals.The Mute Lute
A music shop, specializing in lutes, built into the great wall in surrounding the city. The name comes from a spell its owner could cast to silence all sounds within its walls from the outside. It is run by one of the rarest races in Neverwinter, a triton named Dhulmus Dhodomath.Shining Serpent Inn
The largest and most popular guesthouse in Neverwinter. Straddling the divide between the nobles of the Blacklake District and the poor of the River District, it provides a clean and safe place to stay for all.Starshine Academy
A school for the creation and appreciation of art, herb lore, agricultural knowledge and skills and the study of wild animals. It doubles as a shop for all sorts of potions and sundries. It is rumored that the owner, Isabel Lunadream, is a skilled alchemist despite her eccentricities and constant failed experiments.Vellgard Manor
At least one noble villa in the Blacklake District houses its actual owner, but that fact is far from good news for the people of Neverwinter. The dashing Mordai Vell, holds sway over a small, well-guarded compound known as Vellgard Manor; a large, imposing and well-protected manor occupied by reclusive tieflings. The estate is an armed compound flanked by metal gates and hidden guards. An inner wall creates a killing field that could stop a small army.Chasm District
After the eruption of Mount Hotenow in 1351, much of the southeastern quadrant of the city collapsed into rubble. At the center of this wasteland yawned the Chasm a canyonlike crack in the earth that spawned all manner of twisted and deadly horrors. No one knew what lay at the bottom of the chasm, but rumors swirled about the Underdark and portals to various planes. Proximity to the Chasm caused anxiety, moodiness, and paranoia. The effects were obvious on people at the Wall, and they increased in intensity as one moved closer to the Chasm. It became difficult to think clearly, and even allies seemed to hold treachery in their hearts. Neverwinter remained in ruins for decades, but thanks to Lord Protector Neverember and the Gladius family's efforts, the city is well on its way to being repaired to its former glory and the Chasm has been sealed by powerful magic. The mental effects of the chasm waned, but those who frequent the area still show signs of abnormality. The area is still heavily patrolled by the Neverwinter Guard..Maskado's Maps & Legends
This shop is specialized in maps, records, hints and tales of the North concerned with exploration, treasure, trails, and hidden ways, but its enthusiastic owner, Seirilypsis Maskado, is always eager to discuss local myths and legends.Docks District
Much of Never winter's original wealth and influence came from its position as one of the few deep ports on the Sword Coast. The earthquakes following the eruption of Mount Hotenow were disastrous for the docks. Bridges were destroyed and the changed currents swamped whole areas. Dagult Neverember has made some progress towards rebuilding, and the area is an uneven blend of bustling commerce and the quieter dealings of smugglers and prostitutes. The Neverwinter docks are the commercial heart of the city, though in some ways that heart is infected with darkness and corruption.Beached Leviathan
The Beached Leviathan tavern caters to sailors, smugglers, pirates, slavers, merchants, and others arriving by sea. Its innkeeper, a sallow former pirate captain named Harrag Crabbers, lost a leg in a battle with sahuagin long ago. The name of the tavern honors his ship, Leviathan, which ran aground during a storm before the docks had been rebuilt. The tavern is built in and around the refurbished wreckage of the ship. Patrons also joke that the name refers to Harrag and his expanding waistline.Driftwood Tavern
An inn and tavern that caters mainly to longtime locals, the Driftwood Tavern takes pride in having kept its doors open since before the Cataclysm. When the cataclysm struck, innkeeper Rosie Banthum, a stern old half-elf woman, sheltered refugees within her walls. The Driftwood offered people a makeshift city hall and gathering place during the troubled years. Rosie and her regulars have filled the inside of the tavern with various sundries, curios, and relics of Neverwinter before its fall. The statue from a favorite fountain stands in a corner. A wine cellar’s planter boxes, filled with flowers, brighten the walls. A knob and a knocker from a noble's estate are attached to the privy door. Ornate doors pulled from the wreckage make fine tables, and unbroken panes of stained glass hang overhead as chandeliers, lit by hundreds of carefully placed candles. Though the decorations have been salvaged from all over the city, the tavern does not feel junky. Quite the opposite, the Driftwood is considered a monument to old Neverwinter, like a dusty painting of a beautiful girl hanging above the deathbed of an aged noblewoman. Prices for room and board at the tavern are high. The atmosphere is one of quiet reflection, rather than boisterous merriment.Moonstone Mask
The earth mote now known as the Moonstone floats beside the western edge of the Protector's Enclave, high over the docks below. It hangs a hundred feet above the crashing waves of the Sea of Swords, bound in place by thick chains strung to heavy anchors. A bridge that runs between the earth mote and the docks allows visitors to enter and exit the Moonstone. The inn for which the mote is named, the Moonstone Mask, offers guests lavish quarters, pleasurable company, and a hard-to-beat view, but the main draw is the all-female staff, clad in black sheer dresses and moonstone-rimmed face masks, led by the striking Liset Cheldar.Tarmalune Trade House
The rebuilt docks have attracted visitors from across the sea-members of a trade cartel from the distant city of Tarmalune. They have arrived in Neverwinter to arrange permanent trade routes between the two continents, and to outmaneuver their rivals back home, who have landed in Luskan with a similar goal. They have set up shop, run by Gavin Mournhill, in a large warehouse complex next to a set of docks that are being rebuilt. The Tarmalune Trade House is a busy area where contacts gather, deals are made, and adventurers find their services in high demand.Protector's Enclave
The Protector's Enclave stands mostly intact, and many former residents of the city have returned to live here alongside new immigrants. This is the only district of the city left relatively unscathed by the cataclysm, thanks to the staunch defense of the Wall between the Enclave and the Chasm. The architecture is both beautiful and unrivaled in the city; most buildings are made of brick or white stone, with tiled roofs above and cobbled streets below. The Enclave boasts the best-stocked market in the city, thanks to trade from Waterdeep and other cities along the Sword Coast.Hall of Justice
The great temple stands atop a seaside bluff, challenging all threats from the Sea of Swords or inland Faerun. The high walls and imposing stonework of Tyr's temple mark it as a timeless bastion of duty and honor. The temple itself is a radiant and beautiful structure, big enough inside for giants to walk comfortably or for dragons to rest in the great hall, beneath the high-domed ceiling. The trappings of the building reflect aim to reflect a new age, one dedicated to justice and temperance in all things. It is being used as an office of the Lord Protector and meeting place for the Council of Lords while Castle Never is reclaimed.House of Knowledge
At the far northeastern end of the Wall stands a flourishing temple to Oghma, god of knowledge and wisdom. An impressively tall building before the cataclysm, with many windows and an arched roof, it was badly damaged by the earthquakes, but has since been repaired by Oghmanite priests. The temple is a repository for knowledge of all sorts, but not everything survived the cataclysm and subsequent raids by the aberrations from the Chasm. Before the quake, the House of Knowledge served as a repository of chronicled learning, including maps, history, and hundreds of poems and chapbooks produced over the centuries. After the cataclysm, leadership of the reduced flock at the House of Knowledge fell to Brother Anthus, an young human interested in studying the Chasm and the horrific creatures that came from it. Anyone seeking knowledge about the world would surely start here.Neverdeath Graveyard
A cracked stone wall, patched in places with thick wood, surrounds the graveyard called Neverdeath. Consisting of two wide, roughly square areas of the city, Neverdeath is filled with rows of headstones interspersed with mausoleums and crumbling statues, often overgrown with withered grasses. Time, the cataclysm, and the war all took their toll on the graveyard, thrusting some sections higher than others, collapsing buildings, and revealing graves. Before the restoration efforts, coffins jutted from small cliffs, and tumbled bones littered the ground. The graveyard takes its name from a common blessing given over the dead. As long as the city remained in summer, it was said, the dead would never truly leave. After the Cataclysm, many think that winter may take the city's dead soon.Shining Knight Arms & Armor
Down the street from the Hall of Knowledge to the southwest, stands a shop where the best armor can be ordered. Produced speedily thanks to good dwarven contacts and a mage owner, Wyle Maycey, who has mastered some spells to reshape metal.Raven's Roost
At the southern edge of Protector's Enclave lies a large warehouse full of carts and crates with an equally large aviary attached to the roof. Most of Neverwinter's shipments, raven letters, and all other manner of mail pass through this building. Run by the bird-loving Maria Crewe.River District
Formerly known as the Tower District, the River District takes its name from the terrain feature that has saved it from being overrun- namely, the Neverwinter River, which held at bay the forces that emerged from the Chasm to the south. The river, however, was not enough to deter the orc tribes from Neverwinter Wood from pouring in through the cracks in the walls caused by the Cataclysm. The bulk of Neverwinter's merchant class once dwelt here, and the architecture shows it. The houses were sturdily built, and although they are not ostentatious, most are large enough to have held a family of six or eight plus servants. After the chaos of the Cataclysm, however, orc incursions left little and even after they were driven out by the Neverwinter Guard, the River District was not safe from terrestrial foes and became a having for bandits and cutthroats who saw numerous, recently undefended riches to be taken. Guardhouses and security walls abound, offering cover for skirmishers looking to ambush unsuspecting visitors. Long flower gardens run through the center of each street, although over the years they have gone to weeds or decay. While not as wild as it was, the still-ruined parts of the River District remain borderline lawless. Merchants and traders moved to Protector's Enclave and the Blacklake District. Only the poor remain here. The district has not yet returned - nor may it ever - to its former prosperity.The Fallen Tower
The broken base of an old wizard's tower has long been the site of a popular tavern in Neverwinter. Within the Fallen Tower, phantoms form in the air each night, seeming solid and real as they replay the moments of their deaths during the Cataclysm by appearing to fall into and through the cookfire in the middle of the tavern. The show often attracts those with a morbid curiosity, bringing more commerce in to the pockets of waiting bandits.Cloak Tower
The tower takes its name from a guild of mages called the Many-Starred Cloaks who lived and gathered there. They were well known in the city for their arcane skill and for the whimsical, colorful cloaks they wore. During the cataclysm, the tower and its occupants vanished, reappearing shortly before the Chasm was magically sealed. As a tavern tale has it, when thieves first broke into the tower several months after it first reappeared, they found empty halls and no mages (or bodies). Only the guild members' many-starred cloaks remained, hanging from pegs on the walls. Then disaster struck the thieves: The lone survivor of the group told of a horrific attack from unseen attackers, and various objects that suddenly came to life and enveloped the other bandits. He described a horrific and bloody carnage. When the gruesome tale was investigated by the Neverwinter Guard, they found the mages present with no signs of struggle and the mages claimed no knowledge of the man's tale. Since its return, the Cloak Tower is the city's repository for all mystical and arcane knowledge. Despite its location, no one dare to transgress the mages of the Cloak Tower or their leader Arkris Vepokar.Other Information
Demographics
A slight majority of human and half-elves with a plethora of most other civilized races. The most cosmopolitan city on the Sword Coast
Government
Neverwinter is ruled by Lord Protector Dagult Neverember and the Council of Lords. They work together to rebuild Neverwinter and ensure peace within the diverse city. There are no obvious signs of corruption or exploitation of the people, and the citizens overall respect the government, but many are cautiously wary as stability slowly returns to the city.
Defences
Neverwinter is surrounded by large powerful walls. There is a slight gap in the southeast wall from the cataclysm. It also has a standing army provided originally by the Gladius family and later bolstered by soldiers Dagult Neverember brought from Waterdeep. Their combined might has been able to repel the creatures from the chasm and protect the city since the cataclysm.
Industry & Trade
Before the cataclysm struck, Neverwinter controlled much of the mining trade from dwarf and gnome outposts from the nearby Underdark by using hidden ways in various warehouses in the city. It also had a large fishing economy, and did good trade in logging from the Neverwinter Wood. Neverwinter traded mostly with the nearby city of Waterdeep. However, Neverwinter's true assets were its importance as a center of craft work, learning, and magical innovation. Merchants and crafters usually practiced their works in buildings dedicated for such tasks. Street vendors were rarely seen in Neverwinter.
Since its fall after the cataclysm, Neverwinter has worked tirelessly to reclaim its place in the Sword Coast and, as of 1401 DR, has become a valuable city again. It funds the mining operations of Phandalin and reaps the rewards of the now prosperous mining town since the rediscovery of the Forge of Spells.
Guilds and Factions
Headquarters for both the Lords' Alliance and the Harpers. The Zhentarim has a foothold in parts of the city but the Lords' Alliance prevents them from gaining any control.
History
The first settlement in the Savage Frontier was an elven city known as Illefarn. Illefarn became a bustling nation after the time of the Crown Wars. Eventually, Illefarn was divided into three nations, of which Iliyanbruen was the most prominent. Iliyanbruen was weakened by orc invasions, which paved the way for Eigersstor, the first multi-racial settlement in the area, which would later be called Neverwinter. Neverwinter became a center of civilization, peace and culture and was widely viewed as a marvel by visitors. This trend lasted, seemingly unbroken since its founding until the Cataclysm struck.
Maps
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Neverwinter
Type
City
Population
25,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Neverwinteran
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
- Adrian Drake
- Arkris Vepokar
- Brother Anthus
- Dagult Neverember
- Dannar Dunsten
- Dhulmus Dhodomath
- Dorn Buckman
- Gavin Mournhill
- Harrag Crabbers
- Imithren Haelond
- Isabel Lunadream
- Jaesor Wisebear
- Julia Gladius
- Liset Cheldar
- Maria Crewe
- Mordai Vell
- Neladrie Aldarina
- Pecunia Ulfaldi
- Roman Gladius
- Rosie Banthum
- Seirilypsis Maskado
- Theryis Teinithra
- Ungrim Ironfist
- Venice Gladius
- Wyle Maycey