Neverwinter
Neverwinter, also known as the City of Skilled Hands and the Jewel of the North, was a multi-racial city-state sitting on the northwestern Sword Coast of Faerûn. Neverwinter was regarded by Volo as the most cosmopolitan and the most civilized city in all of Faerûn. The city was a member in good standing of the Lords' Alliance.
Neverwinter is a friendly city of craftsmen, who trade extensively via the great merchants of Waterdeep; their water-clocks and multi-hued lamps can be found throughout the Realms. Neverwinter gained its name from the skill of its gardeners, who contrived to keep flowers blooming throughout the months of snow -- a practice they continue with pride.
Demographics
As of 1370 DR, Neverwinter was inhabited mostly by humans, half-elves, and a minority of dwarves.
As of 1479 DR, the city became more cosmopolitan, with members of many races living alongside members of the common human and half-elven families. The rare eladrin, and even tieflings were common sights among the citizens. A sizable delegation of dragonborn mercenaries had been hired by Lord Neverember alongside the Mintarn ones.
Government
As part of his bid to create a mercantile empire in Neverwinter, Dagult Neverember created the title of "Lord Protector of Neverwinter", held by Neverember himself, in 1467 DR. However, it was questioned whether Dagult was the rightful ruler, as many factions vied for Neverwinter and the citizens were divided in loyalties. As he had to fulfill his obligations as Open Lord of Waterdeep, Lord Neverember left the day-to-day running of the city to General Sabine and Mayor Soman Galt.
Defences
As of 1372 DR, Neverwinter had a standing army, the Graycloaks, composed of 400 archers and spearmen, that doubled as a city guard and patrolled the High Road from Port Llast to Leilon. If the city's walls were threatened by orcs or Luskan attackers, the defenders could catapult explosive missiles down on the attackers. Both missiles and the specially designed catapults were devised by the best 'skilled hands' of the city's namesake. In desperate situations, Lord Nasher could call upon the wizards of the order of the Many-Starred Cloak for help.
As of 1479 DR, the army of the city, known as the Neverwinter Guard, was composed mostly by the Mintarn mercenaries hired by Lord Neverember, and a few independent militia forces assembled by the citizens also helped to protect the city in times of need. Lord Neverember also hired adventuring bands to deal with threats to the city that the Mintarn mercenaries could not handle.
Industry & Trade
Around 1370 DR, 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 craftwork, learning, and magical innovation. Merchants and crafters usually practiced their works in buildings dedicated for such tasks. Street vendors were rarely seen in Neverwinter.
With the destruction of Neverwinter in 1451 DR, trade came to a total halt in the region.
After 1461 DR, as part of the rebuilding efforts Lord Neverember focused much of his resources to restore trade and to contract crafters to help restore the city's infrastructure. Merchants from the "new" continent of Laerakond began to trade with the Faerûrian cities of the Sword Coast some years before 1479 DR. In Neverwinter, a group of traders from Tarmalune, one of the Windrise Ports of Laerakond, approached Lord Neverember in hopes to establish permanent trade routes between the two continents.
Without guilds to restrict trade or construction, those who wanted to start a business in Neverwinter could simply do so, and those traders who dealt with basic products, such as foodstuff, became wealthy just by selling their goods in the city. Likewise, there was demand for many jobs, and those who wanted to offer their services either as workers or as apprentices had plenty of options despite the high competition.
Infrastructure
As of 1370 DR, Neverwinter was a cosmopolitan and cultured city, and even merchants from Amn and Calimshan, who had a poor opinion about the cities of the North, considered Neverwinter to be a civilized place. The Neverwintans avoided conflict and controversy, and were considered to be a quiet, mannered, literate, efficient, and hard-working folk, who had great respect for deadlines, as well as for the property and happiness of others. Amid all the weird-following tolerance and variety in the city, there was a great respect for peacefulness, law, and order.
After the foundation of the Alagondar royal family in the late years of the 14th century DR, the Neverwintans became a very patriotic people, proud of their leaders and their city.
After the destruction of the city in 1451 DR, the Neverwintans showed a new facet: stubbornness and determination. Many survivors remained in the city, and ever since had demonstrated the resolution to rebuild Neverwinter to its former glory and to defend her from many dangers, both mortal and extraplanar alike.
Guilds and Factions
The many organizations that operated in Neverwinter took on a more prominent role in 1479 DR and the following years. As of 1491 DR, many of these factions still vied for control of the city.
Among the most important were:
- The Covenant, an order of wizards that operated out of Neverwinter during its earlier years.
- the Many-Starred Cloak, an order of wizards that supported the rule of Lord Nasher Alagondar in the 1370s DR.
- The Graycloaks militia that protected Neverwinter during the rule of Lord Nasher Alagondar.
- A cell of the Harpers that has operated in Neverwinter since before 1370 DR.
- The New Neverwinter movement started by Lord Neverember in 1461 DR.
- The Neverwinter Guard, the army of Neverwinter in the late years of the 15th century.
- The Wintershield Watchmen, the police force of Neverwinter in the late years of the 15th century DR.
- The dreaded Abolethic Sovereignty, that was pulling the strings from behind the shadows in Neverwinter since the eruption of Mount Hotenow.
- The Ashmadai, who had gained great renown in Neverwinter in the late years of the 15th century.
- A Thayan cell under Valindra Shadowmantle, operating in Neverwinter in the late years of the 15th century to advance Szass Tam's agenda in the region.
- The Dead Rats of Luskan, who had gained a foothold in Neverwinter in the late years of the 15th century.
- The Sons of Alagondar insurgent movement that opposed Neverember's rule, but was mostly disbanded by 1491 DR.
- A cell of Bregan D'aerthe, under the direct leadership of Jarlaxle Baenre himself.
- A cell of the Order of the Gauntlet, that became prominent in Neverwinter around 1491 DR.
Before their utter defeat in the late years of the 15th century, a cell of Shadovar agents and a tribe of orcs from Many-Arrows also operated in the city.
History
Prehistory
Thousands of years before the founding of Neverwinter, queen Morag and some of her followers built a magical device known as the Source Stone to flee to another dimension as an ice age was devastating the world and their race was all but wiped out.The Founding
The first settlement in the Savage Frontier was an elven city known as Illefarn. In time, Illefarn became a bustling nation after the time of the Crown Wars, and lasted long enough to see the founding of the dwarven nation of Delzoun, the rise of Netheril, the founding of the original Gauntlgrym, and the harnessing of the primordial Maegera the Inferno beneath its lands. Eventually, Illefarn was divided into three nations, of which Iliyanbruen was the most prominent. Iliyanbruen frequently fought with the city of Illusk, which was a legacy of the Netherese.
In the Year of Burning Glades, -10 DR, Lord Halueth Never, a sun elf hero, led the elves of Iliyanbruen to victory over Illusk. In the site of his victory he commissioned the building of Castle Never.
With the fall of Netheril, Iliyanbruen was weakened by the orc invasions known as the Orc Marches, which paved the way for human settlers from Ruathym to spread to the North. One of the first settlements founded by them, in the Year of the Hoar Frost, 87 DR, was Eigersstor, a small settlement built around Castle Never, that eventually grew in importance. Unknowingly to the founders, the city was built above the caves that housed the Source Stone. Some believe Eigersstor was founded by Lord Halueth Never himself.
A century later, in the Year of the Twisted Tree, 187 DR, the now large settlement was renamed Neverwinter, a direct translation of its Illuskan name to the Chondathan language.
The orc invasions became more dangerous over time, and Neverwinter was besieged at least twice, in the Year of the Fanged Horde, 306 DR and in the Year of the Normiir, 611 DR. Luckily for the Neverwintians, they counted with the aid of the gold dragon Palarandusk, who protected the city from the orc hordes and from raiders from the Moonshae Isles. This would not last, however, as, at some point before the Year of the Cold Claws, 940 DR, a group of adventurers attacked Palarandusk's house in Neverwinter and forced the dragon to flee from the city.
The Orcgates Affair
To put an end to the orc threat, a group of wizards known as the Covenant founded the School of Wizardry in Neverwinter, in the Year of the Unfurled Flag, 457 DR. The wizards then rallied the human nations of the North against the orcs, and were able to stem the tide for a time. However, victory against the orcs that could have ended the threat for good was stolen from the human host when, in the Year of the Telltale Candle, 955 DR, the Red Wizards of Thay transported the orc horde to lands farther south.
That event, known as the Orcgates Affair, triggered a long feud between the Covenant and Thay that erupted in Neverwinter over a century later. Red Wizards slew Aganazzar of the Covenant in the Year of the Disastrous Bauble, 1081 DR, starting a wizardwar of titanic proportions. For the next twenty years, the Red Wizards and members of the Covenant battled each other throughout the North and Thay. The conflict ended when the leaders of the Covenant either left Faerûn or went underground.
The loss of the Covenant proved deadly when the largest orc horde in history swept down from northern lands to attack settlements as far south as Waterdeep. After a long and gruesome campaign, humanity eventually won the war in the Year of the Trumpet, 1301 DR, when the allied armies of Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Port Llast retook the city of Luskan, that was in power of the orcs, crushing the horde at last. But the North had paid a heavy toll and recovery was slow.
Without the orc horde threatening its existence, Neverwinter became a center of civilization, peace and culture and was widely viewed as a marvel by visitors.
Plague and War
Around the Year of the Lost Helm, 1329 DR, the popular adventurer Nasher Alagondar became ruler of the city of Neverwinter. His rule brought prosperity to the city, and was considered uneventful until the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.
A disease known as the Wailing Death, that resisted even magical healing, killed much of the population of Neverwinter. The cure was eventually found but the casualties by that time were catastrophic. It was soon discovered that the Wailing Death was merely the precursor of war between Neverwinter and its longtime rival, the city of Luskan. Although it was the Queen Morag who sponsored the war, as part of her plot to return to Toril, rather than the Host Tower of the Arcane, the fighting (which ended in a stalemate, thanks to a plucky adventurer known only as the Hero of Neverwinter) soured the relationship between the two cities even more.
Then, in the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR, the Spellplague struck. Neverwinter was not hit as hard as other settlements in the Sword Coast, and when Lord Nasher died, his son, Bann Alagondar, founded the Alagondar royal family that ruled Neverwinter fair and well, allowing to city to prosper in the hard times after the Spellplague. Unknown to the citizens of Neverwinter, however, was the fact that a small plagueland was formed in the Underdark below the city.
The Ruining
The Alagondar line of kings and queens ruled their city fairly and well until, at some point before Year of Knowledge Unearthed, 1451 DR, the Lords of Waterdeep put Lord Hugo Babris in charge of the city.
In 1451 DR, Netherese loyalists led by Herzgo Alegni infiltrated the power structure of Neverwinter, trying to take advantage of the situation of the city to locate old Xinlenal. Although they took over the city, they didn't rule it directly, instead allowing Lord Babris to rule the Neverwinter in their stead.
A few months later, a small adventuring party rediscovered ancient Gauntlgrym beneath the nearby Mount Hotenow. The party, consisting of Dahlia Sin'felle, Korvin Dor'crae, Valindra Shadowmantle, Athrogate, and Jarlaxle Baenre, made it all the way to the legendary forges. There, the latter two were betrayed by their Thayan allies, with Athrogate hypnotically forced to activate the forge. This briefly awoke the primordial Maegera, who, in a fit of rage, released a burst of energy so powerful that it forced the eruption of the dormant volcano.
The resultant earthquake and combination of pyroclastic flow and lava destroyed much of Neverwinter. A great rift known as the Chasm ripped apart the southeastern quarter of the city, and strange ash zombies and plaguechanged horrors haunted the ruins, being released from the plagueland below Neverwinter. Thousands of citizens died during the cataclysm, including the Alagondar royal family, while many others fled to other cities, leaving only a desperate few to carve out an ill existence among the ruins.
The remaining Neverwintians were determined to survive in spite of the tragedy, however, and put a brave resistance against the plaguechanged horrors. They eventually built the Wall, using debris and other materials, sacrificing the southeastern quadrant but securing the rest of the city. The Blacklake District endured the cataclysm almost unscathed, and for a time it became the center of the city.
In the Year of the Reborn Hero, 1463 DR, Thayans and their Ashmadai allies attacked Neverwinter, hoping to cause enough deaths to fuel a Dread Ring, but their plans were foiled with the help of adventurers and some Netherese agents. Due to the help given by the Netherese, the shadovar attempted a power grab in the city but were driven out when Herzgo Alegni was defeated in combat by Artemis Entreri and Dahlia Sin'felle, which inspired the citizens to revolt against Herzgo's Netherese 'Shadow Guard' and to evict the Netherese from their city.
Around the Year of the Mages in Amber, 1466 DR, a contingent of orcs from Many-Arrows led by Vansi Bloodscar invaded the River District. Although her orders were to explore the ruined city and report back, Vansi defied Obould XVII's orders, seeing an opportunity to take power in Neverwinter as part of a future plan to annex the city to Many-Arrows. Her forces eventually were able to subjugate the entire district.
Rebirth
In the Year of Splendors Burning, 1469 DR, Lord Dagult Neverember, Open Lord of Waterdeep, seeing an opportunity to add to his financial empire, proclaimed to be a descendant of Neverwinter's former rulers and thus the rightful "Lord Protector" of the city, starting the New Neverwinter movement. Lord Neverember invested a great deal of his own personal fortune to hire workers to help to rebuild the city's infrastructure, and Mintarn mercenaries to protect it from monsters and bandits; he also began a strong campaign to buy the interest of merchants to send their caravans again to Neverwinter, and even ensured Neverwintian survivors had enough food and gold in hand. Unable to deal with the orc forces from Many-Arrows, Lord Neverember signed a peace treaty with them, declaring The Fallen Tower neutral grounds and the River District off-limits to his forces.
In the Year of the Fourth Circle, 1474 DR, the Sons of Alagondar emerged as an insurgent group that opposed the rule of Lord Neverember.
In the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, the Harpers cell in Neverwinter suffered a devastating blow. One of their high-ranking members, Cymril, was helping the Sons of Alagondar to oppose the rule of Lord Neverember. However, an ambush by Mintarn mercenaries resulted in her death, and in the revelation that she was also working for Neverember. After her treachery was revealed, the reputation of the Harpers of Nevewinter was greatly damaged in the region, at least for a time.
A cell of the Abolethic Sovereignty was also on the move, investing their efforts to thwart the New Neverwinter movement or to use it to advance their own agenda. Using the Chasm, the aboleths kidnapped many inhabitants of Neverwinter and nearby settlements for their ambitious experiments to improve the dreaded Symphony of Madness.
Likewise, merchants from the "new" continent of Laerakond began to trade with the Faerûrian cities of the Sword Coast. In Neverwinter, a group of traders from Tarmalune, one of the Windrise Ports of Laerakond, approached Lord Neverember in hopes to establish permanent trade routes between the two continents.
Despaired while seeing the evil forces surrounding Neverwinter, the goddess Selûne sent three shards to the city to warn her priesthood. Lady Jasmine, the head priestess, recognized the portents and asked a group of adventurers for help. The adventurers were able to retrieve the gems, exposing the evil forces in the city and recovering the Shard of Night in the process.
The Siege of Neverwinter
Willing to take advantage of the chaos, Valindra Shadowmantle and her forces launched an all-out attack on Neverwinter while soldiers and workers were building new grounds outside of the city as part of the rebuilding efforts. Valindra's actions sparked the Siege of Neverwinter. Several adventurers were thrust into battle as well, while trying to reach the relative safety of Neverwinter's walls, when their ship was sunk by a dracolich controlled by Valindra. The joined forces of defenders, adventurers and heroes were able to defeat Valindra's undead minions and force her to retreat.
The Lost Heir of Neverwinter
During an attack of plaguechanged creatures to the Protector's Enclave, a presumed heir of the Alagondar royal family showed up and helped the defenders of the city to deal with the creatures. However, this act caused civil unrest, as the Sons of Alagondar and those who opposed Neverember's rule wanted him to dismiss his claim to the rulership of Neverwinter in favor of the presumed heir. Lord Neverember hired a group of adventurers to track down the so-called heir and discover his true intentions. The investigation uncovered a plot devised by Seldra Tylmarande to unseat Lord Neverember. The adventurers were able to foil the plot and dealt with Seldra and the Crown of Neverwinter as they saw fit. Storm over Neverwinter
When Mordai Vell, an influential noble and a high ranking member of the Ashmadai, began to extort the wizard Elden Vargas, Elden started to kidnap people from Neverwinter in order to conduct experiments on them to find a cure for his wife, Karis, who had lost her sanity and was interned in Helm's Hold years before. At the same time, Elden tried to frame Mordai's Ashmadai for the kidnappings. When the Ashmadai identified him, they sent a team to kill him, but Elden was unexpectedly saved by an adventuring party that was investigating the kidnapping incidents.
Elden eventually found a potential cure for his wife and invaded Helm's Hold with his mind-thrall minions, including the green dragon Chartilifax, to rescue her. Elden performed a ritual on top of Helm's Cathedral in order to cure Karis, but he was tracked down and defeated by the adventurers. For their services, the adventurers were publicly declared the "heroes of Neverwinter."
Current Events
Around the Year of the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance, 1485 DR, Neverember's efforts to rebuild the city proved successful. He ordered the use of magical means to seal the Chasm, although at a huge expense to the city's coffers that other parts of the city were neglected for years. Trade with Waterdeep and other cities of the south was resumed, and Neverwinter was slowly being restored as a center of civilization in the North.
Tourism
As of 1372 DR, Neverwinter was divided in the following districts:
- The City Core, the central region of the city, where the ruling offices, and the main temples were located.
- The Peninsula District, that comprised the southwestern quadrant of the city.
- The Docks District, the main port.
- The Blacklake District, located in the northeastern quadrant.
- The Beggar's Nest, located in the southeast quadrant.
- The Arcanist Quarter, located in the southeast quadrant.
After the war with Luskan, some parts of the city were rebuilt, and the city's layout changed:
- The Merchant Quarter, located at the center of the city, and built over the remains of the City Core and the Peninsula District.
- The Blacklake and Docks Districts survived the war with Luskan almost unscathed.
With the eruption of Mount Hotenow in 1451 DR, the city was almost destroyed. When Dagult Neverember started the rebuilding project for the city, the layout was drastically changed:
Protector's Enclave, located where the City Core, the Peninsula District and the Merchant Quarter once stood.
- The Blacklake District now was considered to be the northwestern section of the city.
- The Docks District became part of the Protector's Enclave to the south, and the Blacklake District to the north.
- The Neverdeath Graveyard was built as the main graveyard of the city.
- The Arcanist Quarter and the Beggar's Nest were completely destroyed, being replaced by the Chasm. The Chasm was sealed around 1485 DR. The River District, also known as the Towers District, located at the northeastern portion of the city.
Architecture
Before the eruption of Mount Hotenow, Neverwinter was a picturesque city and boasted such sights and edifices that would be noteworthy in other cities, but were fairly common features in the Jewel of the North.
Neverwinter was usually described as being "laid out roughly in the shape of an eye," with the Neverwinter River marking a long axis roughly east and west of its waters. One end of the city was the harbor, and the other end was the Upland Rise, and beyond that the Neverwinter Wood. Four gates were located in its walls, two in the northwestern and the northeastern corners, and two in the southwestern and southeastern corners.
Among its most prominent vistas were its three spectacular, intricately carved bridges: the Dolphin, the Winged Wyvern and the Sleeping Dragon, considered the city's emblems by its inhabitants. Under these, the waters of the Neverwinter River cascaded over small, gentle waterfalls as they coursed into the city's bustling harbor. Its lamps of multi-colored glass, its precision water clocks and exquisite jewelry, and its magnificent gardens (the phrase "The City of Skilled Hands" referred to Neverwinter's accomplished gardeners) ensured the warm winters were colourful and the summers were rich with fresh fruit.
The city was full of beautiful and ingeniously designed buildings, many of which were famous in their own right, such as the House of Knowledge, Neverwinter's tall and many-windowed temple of Oghma; the Hall of Justice, the temple of Tyr and the public office for the rulers of the city; and Castle Never, the castle of the ruler of Neverwinter. In addition, the reputations of such unique taverns as the Moonstone Mask, the Shining Serpent Inn, and the Fallen Tower reached far beyond the city's walls and further added to the city's distinction.
After the Ruining, the city was almost entirely destroyed. Of the three bridges, only the Winged Wyvern remained functional. Much of the southeastern quadrant of the city collapsed into a yawning pit, known as the Chasm, that continually spawned plaguechanged horrors. Many former edifices and homes became martial garrisons to maintain the monsters at bay.
Although Neverwinter remained in ruins for almost two decades, thanks to Lord Neverember's efforts the city began to be repaired to its former glory in the late years of the 1480s DR. Inns like the Driftwood Tavern and the Beached Leviathan became pretty popular across the Sword Coast.
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