Ashabenford

The most important town in Mistledale, Ashabenford is a growing marketplace and trade stop located on the Moonsea Ride - the road from Cormyr to Hillsfar. It is the center of the Dale, and in the summertime people from all corners of the land meet here to trade.
The capital of Mistledale is a pleasant, informal cluster of homes, rustic cottages, and trees located primarily on the east bank of the Ashaba - though the White Hart inn is sited on the west bank hard by the ford. Most of the services a traveler might need are found along the Moonsea Ride, but one will search Ashabenford in vain for a large open market. Farmers coming here stop their carts in the yards and drive lanes of friends or those they have hired space from and sell produce directly from the tailboards. A merchant in search of a wagonload of something may well have to tour the back streets of Ashabenford - not that this is an unpleasant prospect.
Ashabenford is one of those places where folk too old or tired to do more gardening or farmwork for the time being go out for a stroll to chat or sit on their covered porches and hail passersby, They are open and friendly, and the wayfarer who does not appear too nosy can learn all about whatever news has come to Ashabenford in fairly short order. The smell of fresh manure may be strong here from time to time, but Ashabenford is a town that is easy on the eye - if not quite so easy on the purse. The inns here charge prices akin to Cormyr and Sembia, not the bargains found in the more rustic Dales.

(Small Town, 1,869):
Ashabenford is the largest town in Mistledale, the market center for its widespread farmers, and as generally pleasant a place as anyone could hope to visit. The House Jaelre drow of Cormanthor have begun a campaign of fast raids and skirmishing to weaken the folk of Ashabenford and distract them from the new drow strongholds rising in the Elven Court. The cottages, homes, and businesses along the east bank of the River Ashaba weren’t built for defense—and defense is what Ashabenford needs most now.

Known as a quiet, orderly land of sturdy farmers and good rulers, Mistledale is counted with Deepingdale and Shadowdale as a leader of the good Dalelands. The people are friendly and open, and are free of the problems that trouble many other Dales. Adventurers often find Mistledale to be a somewhat boring place.
The Dale covers a vast expanse of land, stretching more than 100 miles east to west and averaging 30 miles in width. It is very flat compared to its neighbors, and its rolling plains are broken only by the occasional copse or thicket. The folk of Mistledale never cleared this land; even in the days of ancient Cormanthor this was a region of open grassland.
The Tilverton-Hillsfar road, or Moonsea Ride, runs through the center of the Dale and accounts for most of the passers-by. Mistledale is isolated to the north and south by the dense elven woods. A well-marked trail leads north to Shadowdale along the banks of the Ashaba, and another south to Battledale by Yeven. There is a dangerous path through the Vale of Lost Voices that cuts straight to Essembra, but the locals warn travelers away from it.
There are a number of small hamlets in the Dale, including Elvencrossing, Glen, and Peldan's Helm. The largest and most important of the villages is Ashabenford, a town of about 500 people. The Council of Six meets in Ashabenford once a season, and the High Councillor remains here to administer affairs all year long.

Type

Town