Elturel

Elturel (pronounced: /ˈɛltɜːrˌɛl/ ELL-tur-ELL[13]) was a city-state lying on the River Chionthar in the Western Heartlands. In the mid–14th century DR, it was a center for agriculture and trade in the region, and was renowned for its elite mounted defenders, the Hellriders.[13][8][9][10][2] In the late 15th century DR, it was the capital of the realm of Elturgard, a theocracy of Torm the True and defended by its paladin knighthood, the Order of the Companion.[1][14][15]

Demographics

In 1358 DR, Elturel had a registered population of 26,778 citizens, but the real population fluctuated from 29,000 in winter to 33,000 in summer.[8] Much of this population was transient, being traders and travelers just passing through.[10][15] In event of war, plague, or orc horde, farmers of the Fields of the Dead could take refuge in the city; the warehouses and cellars could briefly shelter over 400,000 people.[8] In 1372 DR, the official population was given as 22,671.[2] In 1479 DR, it had a population of around 17,000.[1]
The Elturians were mostly Heartlanders,[5] namely Chondathans and Calishites.[6] A few Gurs also settled in Elturel.[40]

Government

By 1356 DR, the city was ruled by its High Rider, Lord Dhelt, a paladin of Helm and former leader of the Hellriders.[13][8][9][10] He remained in power through 1367 DR[9] and past 1372 DR. His focus was on maintaining Elturel as the most efficient, secure, and well-policed city in the region, with interests in farming and trade. The Hellriders helped Elturel establish and maintain civilization in these harsh lands.[2] His reign went unquestioned, but was seen as just and fair[8] and wise and competent. He was vigilant on defense and preventing crime, and in keeping the city clean and lawful.[10] He was known to be respectable and tolerant, as a leader who actively promoted trade while letting merchants getting on with business with minimum interference.[8][9]
The Herald of the city was titled Ironflower.[26][27]
In the late 1400s DR, the city and Elturgard as a whole were ruled by the High Observer of Torm, a priest named Thavus Kreeg.[1][25] Aided by a paladin knighthood, the High Observer made certain that order was maintained in the city and the realm, with the aim of bringing righteous judgment to all the Realms and "setting Faerûn aright". As in the past, they ensured the city and countryside remained safe and well-policed and that trade and agriculture were run efficiently.[1] It was believed by some that Thavus ruled wisely and well for decades,[25] yet he presided over harsh and rigid laws, intolerant attitudes, and inquisitions circa 1479 DR.[1][28][note 5]

Defences

The city was surrounded by a stout stone wall, shielding all but the southern river side. There were two gates, on the northwest and northeast sides. Inside the eastern wall, a canal served as a partial moat.[8]
Elturel's main defense in the 14th and 15th centuries DR was the Hellriders, a 2000-strong elite unit of well-equipped, loyal, and close-knit mounted troops.[13][8][9][10][2] For a city guard, they outmatched the armies of whole realms.[10] They were not only the guards and police of the city, they also patrolled the River Chionthar and surrounding roads, and escorted caravans from Waterdeep to Iriaebor.[13][8][9][10][14] They maintained guardhouses in the Fields of the Dead and warning beacons in the surrounding farmlands.[8][10] As well as significant raids, expeditions, and punitive assaults on aggressive demihumans were commanded by Lord Dhelt, the High Rider, or by the High Watcher of Helm Berelduin Shondar.[9] All Hellriders were required to give a tenth of their earnings to Elturel's coffers.[13][9][37]

In the late 15th century, they were joined by the Order of the Companion, a well-armored mounted knighthood of paladins who defended the city and wider Elturgard, swore oaths to the realm and shared its goals, even if the members did not all share faith in Torm. Courageous, righteous, and zealous, they were proud of their dedication to the cause of good, their clear morals, even their intolerance. They were identified by the blazing insignia of the Companion that they wore.[1][25] Many of the Hellriders now aspired to join the Companions.[25] Both followed the Creed Resolute, swearing to serve the High Observer and the greater good, uphold Elturgard's law, and permit no difference in faith to come between them, nor to attribute the Companion to one god or another.[14]

Industry & Trade

In the 1300s DR, Elturel was the farming center of the Fields of the Dead and thrived on the trade that passed through its domain.[10] It was commonly rated as the second-most economically powerful city in the Western Heartlands after Scornubel[36] and it was quite wealthy.[10] Linking overland caravan and river barge trades,[8][10] it also served as a market for farms on fertile Fields of the Dead and Chionthar banks. Thousands of cattle and sheep were assembled in Elturel every year for trade across Faerûn.[8] Traders greatly appreciated the protection afforded them by the Hellriders; caravans and convoys of riverboats chose routes through Elturel's zone of control so they could relax their own security, if only for a day or two.[2] Summer saw the peak of trade through the city.[8]
Elturian grey-2e Elturian Grey, Elturel's favorite cheese. Accept no imitations.
Its primary exports were livestock and the products of them, namely meat, cheese, leatherwork, wool, and glues rendered from hooves and horns. Equipment shops in the city had moderate availability of goods.[8] Elturel supplied fabric and leather to Aurora's Emporium, which traded clothing and shoes.[39] Elturian Grey was the premier cheese of Elturel, and was also sold through Aurora's Emporium, though counterfeits under similar names were produced.[39]
There was a guild of handlers who took care of loading and unloading goods, both on the wagons and on the docks. They were faithful and assisted the costers.[10]
After the founding of Elturgard, the port officials who handled trade in the city circa 1479 DR were overly righteous and handed exorbitant taxes and penalties to traders who showed even the slightest impiety, even banning them from setting foot inside the city. The caravans and riverboat convoys now feared to pass through there.[1] Despite this, by 1489 DR, travelers were once again relieved to set foot inside Elturgard and relax their guard for a time.[25]

Infrastructure

The city was split into two districts: an upper city known as the High District and a lower city known as the Dock District.[13][9][10] The High District spread over the slopes of a rising, defensible hill with a rocky cliff on its south side, where it met the Chionthar. 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, and large commercial meetings were held.[8][10][14]
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.[8][10] 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 1360s 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.[10] In any case, by the late 1400s, houses in the lower town were for the most part of the same design as those on the hill.[14]
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.[8][10][14] The wealthiest citizens of the High District had their houses nearest the Garden.[14]
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.[8][14] The canal was crossed by Maiden's Bridge just north of the cascades.[38][note 6]
In the mid-1300s DR, Elturel was home to two major temples: Helm's Shieldhall and the High Harvest Home. Thanks to Lord Dhelt's patronage, the fortress-like Shieldhall was both the most influential temple in the city and one of the strongest temples of Helm, God of Guardians, in the North. High Watcher Berelduin Shondar ruled it with an iron fist and was aggressive in defense of the Helmite faith. The High Harvest Home, meanwhile, was dedicated to Chauntea, the Grain Goddess, and was managed by Raulauvin Oregh. Both provided aid and shelter to the faithful.[8][9][10] Another was the Temple of the Morninglord, dedicated to Lathander,[11] and the secret Temple of the Beast of Malar, which was eradicated in 1281 DR.[19] There were also a few shrines, to Ilmater, the Crying God; Tempus, Lord of Battles (the Hand That Swings the Sword[42] Tymora, Lady Luck; and Waukeen, the Merchant's Friend, which was rededicated to Lliira, the Joybringer, by 1367 DR after Waukeen's absence in 1358 DR.[8][9][10] In the late 1400s, the city's official faith was in Torm the True, the state religion of Elturgard, and it was ruled by its high priest, the High Observer of Torm.[1]
Lord Dhelt decreed that 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 neighboring 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.[8] Inns and taverns were generally good in quality.[10] A Pair of Black Antlers was the best-known tavern, and a favorite of adventurers.[8][38]
Shiarra's Market was held within a town square (actually more of an egg-shape) in the eastern Dock District. It was known for crammed stalls.[8][10] There were a number of farmers' markets.[15]
The Dragoneye Dealing Coster had a way-base in Elturel around 1356 DR.[8][10][43][9][44] This was a large warehousing and shipyard area in the eastern Dock District beside the Chionthar, close to the docks.[8][10]
A six-wagon ferry crossed the Chionthar south of Elturel, linking it to Skuldask Road and taking travelers into the heart of the city.[8][10]
The Dungeon of the Inquisitor, where lawbreakers were sent in the 1400s, was a maze-like subterranean complex lying beneath Elturel. It covered excavated passages and natural caverns.[28]

Assets

Government Buildings High Hall • Dungeon of the Inquisitor Temples & Shrines Helm's Shieldhall • High Harvest Home • Temple of the Beast • Temple of the Morninglord • Hand That Swings the Sword Inns Black Gryphon • Dwarf's Pot Inn • Gallowgar's Inn • Hondakar's House • Phontyr's Unicorn • Oar and Wagonwheel Inn • Symbril's House Taverns A Pair of Black Antlers • The Bent Helm • The Glowing Goblet Roads Maidensbridge Street: turns westward to cross Maiden's Bridge, running around the northern central heights to Westerly[38][8] Baerth Lane[45]

History

A natural stronghold, this site had long been one of the few defensible locations between the Sword Coast and where the Chionthar met the River Reaching. 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 humans, 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 human settlers.[8][10][note 1]

Culture & Society

In the 14th century, it was said that every boy and girl of Elturel and the lands around dreamed of being a Hellrider some day, even those whose talents lay in the intellectual more than the martial arts. To call such a child a "hellion" was not an insult but a compliment, marking one as having the courage and drive to ride the Hellriders' destriers.[41] Though they didn't all get special training, Elturians were practically raised in the saddle, learning how to ride and growing familiar with how horses behaved in any situation, even those that never became Hellriders.[41][36] The downside was that, rightly or wrongly, some folk thought Elturians always smelled of horse.[41]
In turn, all true warriors of Elturel were most likely Hellriders. Those who resigned were stripped of their gear, exiled from the city, and named a heretic in the eyes of Helm for abandoning their post. In the mid-1360s DR, there were no living ex-members of the Hellriders—too many had died in battle.[37]
Elturian wizards, meanwhile, were safer in the saddle, being skilled at attacking from their mounts. They were much more capable of avoiding or resisting attacks while mounted than they on foot, being less able to react fast enough.[41]
Often overlooked in the city's commercial success, Elturian rogues were themselves merchants and traders. They were charismatic, talented in subtle negotiations and driving slick bargains, and skilled in appraising items. However, fighting was bad for business, and Elturian rogues made poor and less-resilient combatants.[36]
Instead, as a legal outlet for the poor, desperate, unruly, maladjusted, or just violent citizens, there was the High Moor Heroes' Guild. This adventuring band made regular expeditions to the High Moor "scouring" whatever they found. They also tutored each other and other adventurers.[8]
In the late 15th century, Elturian citizens still often dreamed of joining Elturgard's paladin knighthood. This time, many succeeded.[1][25] Inspired by the Hellriders and the Companions, the folk of Elturgard were typically devout in both their faith and the pursuit of justice.[25] Both troops were loved and respected by the people.[14]
Under the eternal day of the second sun in the 1400s DR, Elturians depending on bells tolling in the High Hall to know the beginning and ending of each workday. The constant light reduced typical nighttime activities; there was little brawling and muggings, while thieves were perforce extra cautious and cunning. It was especially hard for newcomers to adjust to life here. Inns and boarding houses covered windows with thick curtains to let patrons sleep.[14]
Great battles were once fought on the neighboring Fields of the Dead, and the folk of Elturel and their Riders stayed armed and vigilant, patrolling and protecting the farms.[8]
In the Year of Slaughter, 1090 DR, 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 High Moor. They clashed and all were massacred in the infamous Battle of Bones.[18]
In the Year of the Cold Soul, 1281 DR, a beast-cult of Malar 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 Malarites were themselves hunted down in revenge. Captured Malarites, 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.[19]
The city was well-established by the mid–14th century DR.[13][13][9][2]
Shandril Shessair, future spellfire wielder, was born in Elturel circa 1341 DR to Garthond and Dammasae. They lived there quietly for a brief time, waiting eight more months for the babe to be old enough to travel before leaving again.[20][21][22]
One night in the mid-1360s DR,[note 2] Lord Dhelt and local mage Baranta Chansil were attacked in his bedroom by a supposed assassin, who instead stole Dhelt's holy symbol of Helm. Key de Effer, of Dhelt's personal guard, responded immediately and, together with Beatrice, pursued the assassin to the woods.[note 3] Confronting and slaying the wounded assassin, they a note explaining he was seeking the "Holy Symbol of Ravenkind" to destroy Strahd von Zarovich of Ravenloft. Before the heroes could return, they were spirited to Barovia, in the Demiplane of Dread. They would not return for a very long time.[23]
Some time after, the city was visited by a mysterious magical veil, stretching from the land to the sky, so Lord Dhelt sent a couple of Hellriders to investigate. Meeting the captain of the Hellriders, they peered through and saw a desert land, but as they ventured in, Elturel disappeared behind them and they were trapped in Har'Akir, once again in the Demiplane of Dread.[23]
The famed travelogue writer Volothamp Geddarm visited Elturel and wrote of it in his Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast around 1366 DR.[10]
In the Year of Three Streams Blooded, 1384 DR, divine conflict saw Helm, God of Guardians, slain by Tyr, God of Justice,[24] leaving the Hellriders, the High Rider, and Elturel itself without their favored god.[note 4] The following year, catastrophe struck Toril in the form of the Spellplague.[24]
By the late 1430s DR, through a variety of excuses, Elturel had laid claim to the lands of its neighbors, placing them within "Elturel's Guard" as they called it, making itself a petty regional power. Then, shockingly, the High Rider himself was discovered to be a vampire, with a vast network of vampire spawn, charmed minions, undead allies, and sycophantic collaborators that surprised even the Hellriders. Now exposed, the undead infested Elturel, and whatever victories the Hellriders won during the days, they lost sorely in the nights. It was said the Elturians prayed to the gods each night just for the dawn to come sooner. Then, one night so devastating it felt like the end, it did. A second sun appeared in the sky, turning night to day, and blasting the vampire lord and his spawn to ashes while the remaining undead cowered from its light. Elturel was swiftly liberated from their dead grip.[25]
The Companion, as it became known, remained where it was, for days and years after. Over time, the miracle brought pilgrims: the sick, the curious, and the devout of many faiths, including many paladins.[25] After them came hundreds of people who'd fled the menace of undead of one kind or another, who came to Elturel for protection and settled there.[1] The best of the paladins was appointed ruler of Elturel, titled the High Observer. The High Observer then established the Order of the Companion and the Creed Resolute to keep the paladins of different faiths in order.[25][14] Some years later, after a crisis of leadership and the disappearance of the likely successor Tamal Thent, the post of High Observer fell to a priest of Torm, Thavus Kreeg.[25][12]
By the late 15th century DR, Elturel served as the capital of the realm now known as Elturgard.[1]
In the 1480s DR, Leosin Erlanthar and adventurers working with him traveled to Elturel to meet with Ontharr Frume, a paladin of Torm and representative of the Order of the Gauntlet, to discuss recent actions of the Cult of the Dragon.[15][15]
Around 1489 DR, Thavus Kreeg was aging and another leadership transition was expected soon.[25]

Population

29,000