Mistledale

Perhaps the most fortunate Dale of all, Mistledale is almost entirely composed of the peaceful, fertile, well-drained, prosperous farm country that the other Dales wish they had more of. Ancient elven lore tells us that eons ago a "falling star" tore a 100-mile-long, 30-mile-wide swath of open country through the heart of the elven woods, destroying the elven realm of Uvaeren. Trees have never grown over that scar, but the land is unusually fertile -and is now, as Mistledale, one of the best agricultural regions in all Faerûn. Other Dales envy Mistledale its strategic location: It is protected against the aggressive powers (such as Zhentil Keep, Sembia, and more recently, Lashan of Scardale) and orc raids out of the wilderness by other Dales, but traversed by the Moonsea Ride, an important trade road linking the Moonsea with Cormyr and thence, the west. Where the Ride crosses the River Ashaba stands the capital of Mistledale, Ashabenford; the ford is so shallow and solid that a bridge has never been built. Ashabenford is another example of a tiny hamlet that in the Dales is graced with the title of 'town" because of its local importance. Almost 500 folk dwell in Ashabenford. The next largest settlement in the Dale, Elven Crossing, is a quarter the size.
In the many years of relative peace, Mistrans have grown into prosperous folk indeed, and their farms have become truly the larder of the Dales. No other Dale has such large herds of cattle and sheep, and no other produces so much grain and hay. Potatoes, beets, parsnips, and leafy vegetables are the other major crops Mistledale's farmers sell throughout the Dragon Reach, and, via enterprising merchants, throughout the coastal lands around the Sea of Fallen Stars.
This prosperity-and the heavy road traffic that can move so quickly and easily through the Dale- has often brought thievery and the envy of others to Mistledale. Mistrans are quite conscious of the vulnerability and desirability of their land, so they have made laws and kept them, becoming a well-policed, careful, law-abiding folk, many of whom serve in the mounted, well-trained, and well-equipped, Mistledale militia in their youth. They revere their standing police force, the famous, lance-bearing, mounted Riders of Mistledale, who under their captain, Nelyssa Shendean, a paladin of Chauntea beloved of all Mistrans, patrol the Dale with vigor and diligence. Riders can arrest but not sentence, and they bring all malefactors before High Councilor Haresk Malorn in Ashabenford for sentencing. Most of these responsible and respected Riders are warriors, but some are paladins of Chauntea or rangers.
During the Time of Troubles, the Riders, bolstered by the militia, some Harpers, and the Knights of Myth Drannor, defended Mistledale against a Zhentarim-led army said by some to be over 7,000 strong! In a day-long battle that saw Tempus, Lord of Battles, himself walk the field and the death and resurrection of Captain Nelyssa, the defenders of Mistledale inflicted a stunning defeat on the Zhent army, smashing it to rabble. The Riders then turned and rode up the Mistle Trail the next day to help defend Shadowdale against another Zhent force reportedly led by the god Bane himself!1
The countryside of Mistledale looks very much the same from end to end: rich farm fields broken by the occasional lane, stream, or wood lot, and here and there a cluster of buildings or a walled abbey. Fields tend to be divided by rail fences, not hedgerows, and little blocks one's view across miles of verdant growing lands.
The Moonsea Ride runs along the spine or center of Mistledale, which has been called by one sage "a gigantic sword whose tip points to the Standing Stone." The Ride is a high-banked dirt and gravel road wide enough for three wagons to pass abreast, sloping down into large ditches on either side. The only other major roads in the Dale meet the Ride in Ashabenford. Here the Mistle Trail runs north to Elven Crossing and thence to Shadowdale (the traditional friend and sister Dale to Mistledale), the Yeven Trail winds through the deep elven woods along the eastern bank of the River Ashaba to emerge into Battledale near the Fool of Yeven, and the Dark Road meanders to Essembra through the depths of the woods. The Dark Road is little used, and travelers are advised to avoid it, for it plunges into the very heart of the Vale of Lost Voices, the ancient burial grounds of the elves where banshees wail, baelnorn hold vigil, and elven ghosts drift through the trees seeking to destroy all non-elves who disturb the sacred forest fastness. Although the Riders patrol as far as the eastern mouth of Tilver's Gap to ensure that brigands and raiding bands of orcs, hobgoblins, and bugbears do not lurk just outside the Dale awaiting bad weather or a moonless night to allow them to attack, the western end of Mistledale is considered to be Darthan's Throat, a narrow passage between the woods. Folk have never dwelt here thanks to the prevalence of monsters at the western end of the woods of Cormanthor.
A traveler taking the Moonsea Ride east would soon come to the signposted trail leading off to the foresters' hamlet of Peldan's Helm. At the sign is a pump, a horse pond, and a watchtower where a Rider usually watches for incursions into the Dale.
Western Mistledale to about as far east as Plow Creek (located roughly halfway between Peldan's Helm and the River Ashaba) is a dangerous place. Monsters and brigands roam the many abandoned freeholds, and even all the mercenaries Mistledale's gold can buy have not been able to clear the land of the monsters. They seem to breed and prowl faster than they can be slain. In fact, the numerous fell creatures that abound in the region is the reason the eastern flanks of the Thunder Peaks have never been settled.
Before reaching Plow Creek (which is just a ribbon of water, not any sort of settlement), travelers going east see a line of low, grassy hills to the south. These are the Barrowfield, a haunted area that Mistrans avoid; outlanders ought to do so, too, and the why is covered in detail in a later entry in this book. Proceeding east, one passes a hill crowned with a fire beacon for use in rousing the Dale against invasion, and the land promptly becomes more ordered, with well-kept farms, broad lanes, and a lot of activity. This area is where soil is being imported from the elven woods in an effort to get trees to grow in coppices that can be harvested regularly to yield poles and fence posts. Shortly before the Ashaba, the Holy Road, which leads to the two large abbey compounds in Mistledale, runs off from the Moonsea Ride. The Abbey of the Golden Sheaf, found just a few miles west of the River Ashaba and about the same distance north of the Ride, is sacred to Chauntea whose faith is the dominant one in the Dale. The road then winds northwest from that abbey through Oak Hollow and over Dunstar's Hill to Oakengrove Abbey, a monastic community dedicated to Silvanus, on the edge of the forest.
Going east from that abbey, travelers come to the upstream ford of the Ashaba, Elven Crossing. It is so named because it is where the elves, who shun the open land of Mistledale where the Falling Fire destroyed so many of their brethren long ages ago, still choose to cross the Ashaba in the shelter of the trees. From there, most folk take the Mistle Trail south to the lower ford at Ashabenford because, although it is hard to get really lost in long, narrow Mistledale, it is quite easy to spend days wandering along lanes that all look about the same as each other and do not go in quite the way you want to head-unless you are a Mistran and know their windings well.
About halfway between Ashabenford and the Dale's eastern end is Swords Creek, where a few battered old trees stand on the banks of a tiny, muddy rivulet that winds across the Dale. Unimpressive to view, it is an important landmark to all Mistrans. This creek's intersection with the Moonsea Ride is where, throughout the years, the folk of the Dale have traditionally taken their stands to repel invaders from the east-most recently, Lashan of Scardale and the Sword of the South Zhent army. So many folk have fallen here over the years that the priest Baergil, once captain of Mistledale's Riders, was able to raise here a mighty magic, the ring of skulls, that acts on the bodies of battle dead. His act cost him his life and won him the admiration of the war god, Tempus, who came to the field to take up Baergil's body. Tempus's appearance is an event that Mistrans still speak of in awe-for why would Tempus walk upon Toril save to claim a most faithful servant to be his own and serve him in some special way beyond death? Whatever the truth in all this, be aware that Mistrans do not take kindly to those who scoff at or belittle tales of the heroism of that day or who do not show Swords Creek the same respect they do.
Not far north of Swords Creek is the rich and progressive farm of Sharin Freehold. It is run by Ulwen Sharin, a graceful matron who is one of the Six Councilors who rule the Dale. Here the visitor can see both fantastic herb gardens sprayed by an elaborate system of water pump fountains and livestock breeding programs of great complexity that seek to make cattle hardier and give pigs wings strong enough to let them fly for short distances to avoid harm. This freehold stands in the heart of the richest, most splendid farms in Mistledale. The area is heavily patrolled by militia forces led by lone Riders in order to discourage theft and vandalism. (Rival Dales and Sembian interests have been known to hire rough folk to damage crops here to drive up prices for the sale of their rival commodities.)
East of this region and south of the Moonsea Ride sits the hardy hamlet of Glen, where travelers will probably be surprised to find a flourishing community of dwarven farmers! These doughty farmers bear the brunt of monster incursions from the south, for the elven woods in that direction are dangerous here at the eastern end of the Dale. And in the woods not far from Glen lurks the abandoned keep of Galath's Roost, known since the Zhent advance to be riddled with traps set by the Harpers.
Passing out of the Dale, travelers heading toward the nearby Standing Stone (the eastern limit of Rider patrols) encounter a tiny, ruined keep and covered well where the open land of Mistledale ends and trees draw in around the road again. This is Treesedge, and the stretch of road between it and the Stone is sometimes called Bowshot Run because folk on the straight, tree-lined road can so easily be slaughtered by archers before or behind them. In earlier days, this area had a persistent brigand problem. Keeping lawless people from using Galath's Roost as a base as they once did is one of the reasons Mistrans have made no move to clear out the Harper traps there.
So ends your whirlwind tour of Mistledale. Unless you read a guidebook like this one, it is all too easy to dismiss this pleasant land as unutterably boring.
The Mistrans Mistrans tend to be open-faced farmers who lead simple lives in tune with the weather and the ways of the land. Their wealth allows them to hire minstrels and order in books from the scriveners of Cormyr and Sembia, so do not make the mistake of thinking their simple lives have anything to do with simple wits! Nor are they craven, as the battle ballads of the Dales attest. It is generally agreed that the 5,000 or so folk who dwell openly in Mistledale as taxed, rolled citizens are good folk, blessed with a work ethic, respect for law, and lots of common sense. Elminster has called them "good friends and good folk," and I think that says it as well as anyone could.

Capital: Ashabenford Population: 27,807 (humans 87%, dwarves 5%, gnomes 3%, halflings 2%, half-elves 2%) Government: Republic Religions: Chauntea, Moradin, Silvanus, Tyr Imports: Manufactured items, oil, ores, textiles Exports: Ale, beets, cheese, grain, hay, meat, potatoes, vegetables Alignment: LG, NG, CG
Thousands of years ago, the heavens ensured Mistledale’s future prosperity when a falling star plowed a hundred-mile-long, thirtymile-wide swath through the elven woods. The trees never regrew in the scar where the star had fallen, but the land proved amazingly fertile once Dalesfolk put it to the plow. Mistledale has always been the lucky dale—blessed with fertile land, protected from foes such as the Zhentil Keep and Sembia by intervening dales or the Elven Court, and occupying excellent trade routes between larger areas like Cormyr and the Moonsea.
Life is good in Mistledale, or at least it was until the present struggle against the drow of the forest. The dale has no lord; instead, six elected Councilors serve as its governing body. The Council of Six chooses a seventh Mistran who serves as the high councilor, bears a black rod as a sign of office and commands the Riders of Mistledale. The present high councilor is Haresk Malorn (LG male human Exp6/Ftr2), a quiet merchant known more for his wisdom and compassion than his martial skill. Haresk is doing an excellent job of keeping his people calm in the face of danger, but he worries that he might have to step down to make room for a true warrior.
Mistledale is a widely spread dale. Its small settlements can see each other across the gently rolling hills, except in the mornings and evenings when mist from the river rises to fill the valley. For communication across the dale, each hamlet is equipped with special bells designed to penetrate the fog. Each bell carries different messages of alarm or inquiry. These sounds are understood by long-term residents of the dale but a mystery to outsiders.

Though sometimes overlooked by those who keep an eye on the armed strength of the Dalelands, the Mistrans are anything but soft. As recently as 1356 DR, the Riders of Mistledale (with a little help) defeated Lashan of Scardale and his army. In war, as in peace, Mistledale has had a charmed career.
In the current year, some say that Mistledale’s luck may have finally run out. Of all the Dales, Mistledale is suffering the most from pressure brought to bear by the Vhaeraunian drow in Cormanthor. It used to be that only the western side of Mistledale was subject to monstrous incursions, but now the entire dale is on edge, never knowing where the next fight with the drow may flare up.
The Riders who turned back the Zhents’ seven-thousand-strong warrior army during the Time of Troubles have had less success against the drow. Unlike the Zhents, the drow are fighting a campaign of stealth and sudden retreat. Mistledale’s defenders do not yet know that several different groups of drow live in Cormanthor, or that their principal antagonists are the drow under the command of Jezz of House Jaelre.
PLOTS AND RUMORS More than anything else, the High Councilor and the Riders under his command want to determine where the drow raiders are coming from and just how many of them there are, and then strike back. So far, efforts to locate the Vhaeraunian drow and drive them away from Mistledale have failed.
The Black Network: A Sembian merchant is killed on the Moonsea Ride by a party of drow raiders who are quickly driven off by Riders of Mistledale. On the body the Riders discover a sealed letter in code that, on translation, turns out to be a detailed description of Haresk’s efforts to bolster Ashabenford’s defenses. Apparently, a Zhent spy in Ashabenford dispatched the report with the Sembian. Who is the spy, and what else has he or she learned? Do the Zhents have plans to strike at Mistledale?

Type

Geopolitical, Republic

MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES Mistledale occupies the clear valley along both sides of the Moonsea Ride, east of Peldan’s Helm and west of the spot where the forest closes in some three miles before the Standing Stone. The River Ashaba cuts across the center of the dale, crossed by the Moonsea Ride at the excellent natural ford at Ashabenford.
Of all the Dales, Mistledale is closest to the ancient ruins of Myth Drannor. Forest trails, somewhat dangerous at times, lead to Shadowdale and to Essembra to the east.
The Barrowfields: Located at the western end of the dale, the Barrowfields earn their name from the dead warriors buried in the long lines of low, grass-covered hills throughout the area. The ancient Netherese wizard-warrior corpses here have a disturbing tendency to manifest unusually deadly undead powers.
Beast Country: The western end of Mistledale has always been dangerous, thanks to a seemingly indestructible population of bugbears, orcs, goblins, and other obnoxious creatures coming down out of the Thunder Peaks into the softer climate of the Dales. It’s a great spot for rangers and other skillful hunters, but less of an attraction to normal folk. The arrival of the House Jaelre drow has not improved the country’s reputation.