Elturel
Elturel was a city-state lying west of the elven mountains in the west. In the mid–74th century, it was a centre for agriculture and trade in the region outside of the city of Yerentil. It and was renowned for its elite mounted defenders, the Hellriders, who protected the elves. In the late 75th century, it was still the largest settlement and centre of power of the Yerentil kingdom outside of the capital, and it became, a theocracy of Raziel and defended by its paladin knighthood, the Order of the Companion.
The city was situated atop a bluff or tor with a cliff dominating the nearby river. 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.
Elturel in 8008
Once a holy city whose folk venerated Corellon and Lathander, Elturel is now a site of doom and despair tethered some five hundred feet above the River Styx. Eight great chains bind the city to jagged posts of infernal iron, which stick up out of the ground like gargantuan spikes. The bottoms of those spikes are guarded by scores of devils, making escaping the city by climbing down an arduous task. The Companion, the second sun that provided so much solace and protection to the city for years, now glares down on Elturel like a baleful eye—a black void crackling with lightning. One circumstance has saved the city from being overrun by devils: a massive surge of demons attacking the devils' positions on the ground. Forced to fend off these demonic hordes, the devils must bide their time until they have the resources to send troops to subjugate the remaining citizens of Elturel. Even so, random demons, devils, and other creatures have infiltrated the city. The characters have time to learn about Elturel's situation and enact a way to save the city before it is lost. Even as the characters get their bearings, they hear a cacophonous tumult taking place far beneath the city. An endless stream of demons crawls forth from the murky waters of the River Styx, to be met by the ordered forces of Avernus attempting to drive them back.Early History
A natural stronghold, this site had long been one of the more defensible locations in the Yerentil heartland. At one time, it was occupied by trolls, with a stronghold on the hill home to a troll lord. They were later driven out by ogres, and their chieftain ruled from a crude stone fortress. At one point, it was also held by orcs. The ogres were in turn replaced by high elves, who settled and built a castle here to guard against the trolls, ogres, and others. Over time, it became the possession of one lordling after another but remained as a refuge for elven settlers. Great battles were once fought on the neighbouring Fields of the Dead, and the folk of Elturel and their Riders stayed armed and vigilant, patrolling and protecting the farms. In 1090, Elturel was among the many communities and realms that contributed forces to the alliance against the massive exodus of goblins and orcs that had left the drought-stricken moors. They clashed and all were massacred in the infamous Battle of Bones. In 1281, a beast-cult of Anani smuggled caged monsters into Elturel and unleashed them in the streets one night. Then they launched a Wild Hunt, hunting and killing the monsters, common folk, and Officers of the Watch alike. The next day, the Ananites were themselves hunted down in revenge. Captured Ananites, living and dead, were examined with magic to locate their lair: the Temple of the Beast, in a secret under-cellar in the city. It took several days of bloody fighting to eliminate the cultists. As authorities finally reached the unholy altar, the high priest—with the Book of Fangs and Talons in hand—escaped with a blood teleport powered by the lives of sacrificial victims. The justiciaries were left frustrated.14th Century
Elturel's modern history is tied with that of its famous Hellriders, though there are different accounts of their founding. In all, it was said that a company of Riders had once ridden into the Hells themselves—namely Avernus, the first layer—and from this story, the Hellriders were named. The earliest known version told that it was to rescue one of their own, such was their great loyalty to each other. A later version said that they rode through a gate to hunt down and slay devils that had been harassing the good people of Elturel. A third account expanded on this. Fiends roamed the Fields of the Dead north and west of Elturel, stripping fields bare, slaying livestock, burning houses, and dragging folk away to an unknown yet horrible doom. As people lived in fear, Elturel's cavalry fought the fiends, riding wherever they must and enduring great casualties, but the fiends kept appearing in greater number. The High Rider of Elturel implored the people to pray to the gods for help. Surprisingly, help came—the rogue angel Zariel (desiring to destroy devils and demons and to have a mortal army to fight for her in the Blood War) came to Elturel the next day, declaring she'd found the gate in the Fields of the Dead west of Elturel through which the devils were pouring, and that she would lead the cavalry through to defeat them where they mustered. She rallied and trained an army of thousands, among them Yael, Haruman, Olanthius, and Jander Sunstar. One early battle was to relieve nearby towns from attack by Yeenoghu, gnolls, and demons. When she thought them ready, in 1354, Zariel, riding her golden mastodon Lulu, led them out of the city, with the cheers and good wishes of the Elturians behind them, and embarked on the Ride, a glorious mounted charge through the gate into Avernus. Only a very few returned, sealing the portal behind them. Grief-stricken, they told that Zariel and her army had been defeated, but they were all glorified as the Hellriders.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 river. 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. 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 7360s 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, in the late 7400s, houses in the lower town were for the most part of the same design as those on the hill. The city was not all utilitarian. The Garden, also known as "the Winter Garden" in local songs and stories, ran right through the middle of the city along the ridge of the hill, long, straight, and narrow "like the blade of a naked sword", in the words of Elminster. It began at the High Hall, where a powerful freshwater spring rose in the cellars and fed a stream that wound through the Garden and guaranteed the city's water supply, before spilling over a cliff in the north called Maiden's Leap, forming cascades that joined the canal. The Garden was an open space of woods and flowers, crossed by paths and arched bridges but keeping a wild beauty in wintertime. Elturians enjoyed meeting one another here. The wealthiest citizens of the High District had their houses nearest the Garden. The canal began at Maiden's Leap in the north and ran east and south within the walls before joining the Chionthar. It formed a partial moat for defense and a passage for barges servicing the eastern Dock District. Four bridges crossed it. The canal was crossed by Maiden's Bridge just north of the cascades. Elturel was home to a Temple of the Morninglord, dedicated to Lathander, and the secret Temple of the Beast of Anani, which was eradicated in 7781. However, the people commonly worshipped Corellon. The "grand cemetery" lay in the westernmost part of the city, within the walls. Surrounded by a brass fence and 10-foot tall gate, 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. 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 neighbouring 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 favourite 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 cramped stalls. There were a number of farmers' markets. The Dungeon of the Inquisitor, where lawbreakers were sent, was a maze-like subterranean complex lying beneath Elturel. It covered excavated passages and natural caverns.The Fall of Elturel
In 7833, the city was dragged down into the Nine Hells—wiped off the map. Among those fleeing Elturgard were several Hellriders—paladins who had sworn oaths to defend Elturel. Those warriors escaped the city's fate only because they weren't in Elturel when it fell, and the Leonin had taken to arresting them on sight, lest they try to stir up trouble in Baldur's Gate. The Hellriders were not going quietly, however, leading to violence and bloodshed. The Circle of the Cross, an organisation set up by the Darkonian Knights, tried to stand for Elturel after discovering the disaster and the connection to their long time enemy Zariel. However, the Circle were unsuccessful, with the Yerentil empire refusing to cooperate or give any further information.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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