Helm's Hold

Geography

Helm's Hold was located around 20 mi (32 km) southeast of the city of Neverwinter, not far from the edge of Neverwinter Wood. A stretch of the forest full of wild magic known as the Watcher's Forest was named for the fact it was tended by some residents of Helm's Hold.

Government

The Hold was originally led by its founder, First Guardian Dumal Erard. His title was a position that could only be passed on to another by means of martial combat. Eventually a democratically elected City Council was chosen from among the city's populace. This council was composed of 'Speakers' that often resorted to ostentatious and self-serving behavior and at times even intimidation against their fellow members in order to pass legislation. The Chief Speaker led this forum and had final say on policy-making decisions.
When the Ashmadai revealed themselves within the city in the 1470's DR, their leader known as The Prophet temporarily became the de facto ruler. She held control over the Hold until she showed her true colors and was forced to flee underground into the city's crypts.
As of the late 1480s DR, the Chief Speaker was Amarandine Wanderfoot.

Defenses

For the first 40 or so years of the Hold's existence, local priests and paladins of Helm patrolled the Watcher's Forest and the perimeter of the Neverwinter Wood. A high wall was erected around the Hold when expanded to the size of a true city in the Year of the Arch, 1353 DR.
One hundred men and women served as Helm's Hundred, a fighting force consisting of magic-users, warriors and even thieves.

Notable Locations

Inns & Taverns

• Hungry Flame, a run-down tavern that catered to the spellscarred residents of the city.
• Venturer's Rest, another battered inn that was once known as the Old Dirty Dwarf.

Landmarks

• Town Hall, the city's official council chambers that was once a former inn.
• Heartward, the city's central marketplace.

Temples

• Heartward Hall, a temple of Sune that formed from a smalls shrine located on the edge of the marketplace.
• Helm's Cathedral, the grand Helmite cathedral around which the city formed.
• Sanatorium, the underground asylum located immediately beneath Helm's cathedral.

Underground

• Crypts of the Vigilant Eye, the labyrinthine network of crypts that long predated the Hold itself.
• The Warrens, an incomplete drainage system located underneath Scar Alley.

Population

700

Location under

Swords Coast