Stormhall
Stormhall, located in Hammer Cove, is the newest City-State of the Lord's Alliance. This charming port-city also happens to be my home! Founded by Doernor Deephammer only 40 years ago, this growing coastal city bustles with industry. Doernor, earned a small fortune from mining out precious gems and minerals in the Southern Sword Mountains and used that fortune to create a new port city. According to Doernor, one particularly nasty Winter, he was chased by a Goblin pack, a very hungry griffon, and a "dragon bigger than Bahamut." After losing the goblin pack in a blizzard, Doernor stumbled into what today is known as Hammer Cove. Gazing out upon a beautiful natural harbor, Doernor decided right then to found a city and dedicate it to the Watcher over Wanderers, Marthammor Duin.
Today, the city is known to most foreigners as Shadow Gate. During the city's founding, Doernor decided that he wanted to be able to hide his fledgling city. After all, still in its youth, dangers like dragons, pirates, and orc bands pose a very serious threat. Thus, Doernor spared no expense in the construction of the city and harbor gates. The city's harbor can be completely hidden behind massive stone doors, which move on ingenious hinges, and the city's gate has a special enchantment cast over it that blots out all light shining out from the front gate. This allows Stormhall to post guards, and illuminate any approach to the city, while not giving off any light to those at a distance, hence the name. If you have never been to Stormhall before, and you don't have a map, you are very unlikely to find it, as it looks like any other inlet along the coast from a great distance.
While carving out the new halls, Doernor's crew quickly discovered that the cliffs they were digging into have galena deposits from which lead, silver, and pyrite can be processed. Additionally, upon digging deeper, the dwarves found peridot with an unusual blueness to it. Alchemists in Waterdeep have studied these unique crystals and seem convinced that they have some sort of magic connection to the sea. Today, the city is focused heavily on expanding its merchant fleets. Any and all seasoned shipmakers, captains, and sailors are welcome to bring their knowledge to the city! If you haven't visited yet, you should, all guests to the city are given a free night's board at the Stone Hall Tavern.
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