Berdusk

A large population of artisans drives the activity in the city of Berdusk. Its native nobility, the so-called "First Folk of Berdusk," have made a great show of their piety since the founding of Elturgard, and a great many of the high-ranking priests hail from their families. Over the years a few bad apples in their midst have given Berduskans a reputation for the sin of "false piety"—pretending to a stronger faith than one actually possesses. Though this attitude is disapproved of by the Creed, it has given rise in other parts of Elturgard to the expression "as holy as a Berduskan priest"—which is to say, not very.

The Jewel of the Vale occupies a fortuitous position astride both the Uldoon Trail from Amn and the River Chionthar. The city has an age-old reputation as a place for trade and for peace parleys, a status encouraged by its current administrator, the High Lady Lashantha Duarn. She takes advice from the Harpers, whose most powerful base, Twilight Hall, stands beside the town's temple to Deneir. The Harpers use Berdusk as their base of operations in the West and the North.

Demographics

Berdusk remains a Harper base, and under their protection generations of artisans have flourished, making the city a stronghold of skilled carpentry, smithing, and crafting; throughout the 1400s it has exported a lot of useful furniture, tools, housewares (pottery, hinges, locks and hasps, pots and pans and cutlery), draperies, and decorative statuettes, lanterns, and small wall paintings. This makes it a popular caravan stop, as Berduskan will always buy food, and sell well-made and stylish items (tinder boxes, locks with sets of keys, ‘strongbox’ coffers, tools and cutlery) that merchants can readily resell elsewhere.
Over the past century, a local nobility (the wealthy who wisely sponsored others, and became even more wealthy and able to go on sponsoring others, plus enriching themselves by building granaries and warehouses all can rent space in) has grown up in Berdusk. These ‘First Folk’ consist of twenty or so families (some large, some small), who appoint a ruling High Lord or High Lady from among their number.
Perennially most influential among these noble families are the houses of Calanthal, Hardomeir, Myrmrast, Qarlagast (notorious locally for madness in the family, a reputation that began when the Spellplague hit and several mages in the family went spectacularly, energetically insane and destroyed many buildings in the city until slain; much of the family today are believed to be skilled wielders of the Art), and Spaeruthal. House Calanthal are proud, prickly, and have a family tradition of training to become deadly swordwielders (duelists). House Spaeruthal is just as proud, and perhaps the wealthiest of all. The current ruler of Berdusk is High Lady Lashantha Duarn, who takes—and heeds—advice in secret from the Harpers, and so rules far more wisely than most First Folk would be likely to. As a result, she’s increasingly unpopular and mistrusted by her fellow nobles, but more and more popular and trusted by other Berduskans.
Right now, Berdusk is dominated by squabbles (not quite open feuds, but trade disputes through proxies) between rival nobles, who unite on one issue: preventing the formation of local guilds (or breaking up those that do form, before they can wield any useful power). In this they’ve thus far succeeded, but their worst excesses have been sharply curbed by merchant costers using the city as a way-base, and by the Harpers of Twilight Hall.
High Lady Cylyria Dragonbreast was increasingly afflicted by the periodic mania that beset her throughout her life, and vanished circa 1396 DR; her fate is unknown. The Harpers informed Berdusk that she’d perished in the fall of that year, but they never spoke of her death to fellow Harpers, and city rumor has her going mad, taking another name, and wandering off across Faerûn, or seeking refuge in Evereska or Evermeet. But then, city rumors have Harpers doing many, many wild and odd things. In 1397 Dr, Berdusk’s First Folk selected Ingaram Caunter as High Lord, and he ruled capably for two decades.

Volo's Guide, 1368DR

Berdusk is sometimes called the Jewel of the Vale. This is not a term that pleases residents of the rival neighboring city of Iriaebor, though the two cities are firm allies in matters of trade and defense. The Uldoon Trail crosses the upper Chionthar at Berdusk. Three bridges actually span the river here, two making use of a fortified island to shorten their leaping spans. This spot's usefulness as a landmark and parley place plus the rising of a spring (the River Sulduskoon) to join the Chionthar here and the presence of rapids (the Breaking Steps) in the Chionthar just upstream of this spot have combined to ensure that there's been some sort of settlement at this site since the dawn days: first the elven moot of Clearspring; then a human fishing village, Sulduskoon; and finally the city known today The current city is named for Berdusk Orcslayer, a local human warrior whose energetic patrols drove orcs from the area, making it safe to farm and opening the Vale for human settlement.
Today, Berdusk is an important trading center, much involved in the shipment of goods. High-sided local waybarges are winched carefully through the rapids, which have been known to smash normal rafts and barges, sending crew and cargo to the freshwater kelpies below. Businesses in the city also make many wagons (considered fair to poor by most merchants) and excellent barges, and do extensive wagon repairs. Their wheels are very fine.
Woolen mills in the city serve farmers from all over the southern Vale, many of whom go to Asbravn for its large shearing market, selling the wool there to Berduskan millers. Dozens of caravans entirely of baled wool leave Berdusk for elsewhere in Faerûn at the height of shearing season.
Berdusk also produces a highly favored sweet wine, Berduskan dark, which is like very dark amber sherry, heavy and burning to the tongue. It fetches 6 gp per bottle or more and travels well. Folk are apt to find it in taverns and eateries all over Faerûn.
All of this prosperity is guarded by a city guard of 600 well-trained and equipped warriors of both sexes and all races, assisted by seven roving gauntlets (who raid Zhent and brigand holds, and escort caravans and travelers on the roads around the city) and by the famous Harpers. Not all Harpers look like merry minstrel rogues, but many do, and some can always be seen on the city streets.
The ruler of Berdusk, High Lady Cylyria Dragonbreast, is one of the leaders of Those Who Harp. Their most powerful base, Twilight Hall, stands in Berdusk, and many of the shieldmasters (officers) in the city guard are Harpers.
High Lady Cylyria keeps Berdusk firmly in the Lords' Alliance, and the city welcomes all demihuman races. The Silent Lady loves music and poetry, and the city attracts the best traveling minstrels and musicians, increasingly joined by noted bookbinders, limners, and sculptors.
This thriving, growing community of artisans has begun to rival Waterdeep in hauteur if not in numbers or quality, and has begun to attract patrons, thieves, and wild romantic tales about its doings. Most tales center around one of two things: sculpted ladies so lifelike that they came to life or artists who've decided to expand their studios or rebuild the interiors of their abodes to please their aesthetic sensibilities. The statue stories are often based on real-life wizards' pranks. The remodeling tales usually go on to say how the artists uncovered pirate treasure brought up the river and hidden here long ago that has made them rich.
Certain sages who've not led me wrong before say there is a lot of pirate treasure in the city, both hoarded and invested. Discreet inquiries in many inns, taverns, and shops can lead the needy to a dinner meeting with agents representing high-coin moneylenders (sponsors dealing in large amounts). Adventurers are warned that such folk like to see tangible assets before laying out coins. Such assets include keeps in strategic locations, city land holding for a caravan company, warehouses within the walls of a city will do and large fleets of cogs, caravels, or other seaworthy cargo ships. The lenders are unlikely to sponsor forays underground or into ruins in search of legendary treasure. On the other hand, if adventurers make such trips on their own and return with heaps of gems they don't know what to do with, these professionals can invest such wealth wisely. Some respected names among them: Thoront of the Gilded Hand, Than Tassalar, Orn Manycoins Beldarm, and Aulimann the Patient.
My explorations of fair Berdusk were hampered by my unfortunate reputation. Many Harpers seem convinced I'm some sort of Zhentarim agent, just as members of that organization believe I'm a Harper. Their surveillance and other tactics prevented me spending much time in the Jewel of the Vale. As a result, I can give the traveler only an overview of the city's features and establishments. Some areas in Berdusk are rumored to be Harper warded. Look for tokens like the one shown at lower right.

Landmarks

Berdusk, I should mention, is a city of tall, steep-roofed stone houses that crowd close together, overhanging the cobbled streets that run between. Sewer gratings are everywhere, feeding into a river-flushed system that is intended to keep ice and snow from burying Berdusk in the winter, but serves to keep the city clean and stench free in warmer months. The city guard has regular (and surprise) street patrols, and this, plus the presence of Harpers, keeps street crime to a minimum. Visitors who need a place to camp outside the city walls should report to the city guard this ensures you of a pleasant welcome, patrol visits from the guard throughout the night, and the prevention of rude awakenings caused by the city guard wanting to know who you are or trying to settle a newly arrived caravan on top of you in their night encampment. Moondown Isle is held by the guard as a practice area and patrol stableyard. Don't expect to camp there.
Berdusk stands within a rough oval of high-girt stone walls that are pierced by six gates. Three of the gates welcome roads carried by bridges across the Chionthar. The most downstream. or westerly of these three gates is Bellowbar's Gate, named for the city's first innkeeper, He perished with his inn in a fiery explosion caused by an angry wizard called Shalgar the Masked. The next two are Shortarrow Gate (so named because it's a short arrow's flight from it to the island to the south) and Riverroad Gate. East of these is Drovers' Gate. A road from it runs along the banks of the river, leading to many paddocks, stockyards, and caravan compounds.
The next gate, to the northeast, is Vale Gate, and the road running from it is also lined with inns, paddocks, and stockyards. This road is the Uldoon Trail, and runs to Asbravn in the heart of Sunset Vale.
The last city gate, on the northern face of the walls, is Woods Gate. It gives access to the east bank of the Chionthar downstream of the city, and is used mostly by hunters and woodcutters active in the Reaching Woods.
Within the walls, the city is nearly bisected by the Clearspring, also known as the River Sulduskoonthough it's a river you can see from one end of to the other. It rises on one face of a tree-girt, rocky height, Clearspring Tor, and runs southwest to meet the Chionthar.
West of the Tor is the Inner Chamber, the local temple of Deneir. This is actually a sanctum within Twilight Hall, but the Harper stronghold doesn't officially exist. Those Who Harp pretend that the entire complex of buildings is only the temple of the Lord of All Glyphs and Images, and they use the wards of the temple as additional defenses of their own. I've found a few ward tokens associated with the Hall, but warn travelers that these must be used in particular ways with passwords at particular places to avoid attracting the attention of helmed horrors, spectral Harpists, dread, and other guardians. I have heard tales of Zhentarim-hired thieves and brigands raiding Twilight Hall when some ruse had drawn powerful resident Harpers away. They charged in force, only to be cut apart within a few strides.
Southwest and south of the temple of Deneir are shrines to Lathander and Azuth, respectively. The temple to Helm stands also to the southwest of the Inner Chamber, but it is sited farther south than Roseportal House, Lathander's shrine. A shrine to Leira lies south and slightly east of the Inner Chamber of Deneir. The shrine of Leira is a troubled place these days. Its worshipers are unsure of anything and prone to see danger over every shoulder. Travelers should beware.
Shrines to Lliira and Tempus are situated northwest of Clearspring Tor. A shrine to Waukeen right off the Tor to its northwest has become the House of the Hungry Merchant, where down-on-their-luck traders can get a warm bed and a meal thanks to donations by Berduskan merchants.
Clearspring Tor has been left as a park where folk often stroll, meet, eat meals bought from street vendors, or listen to minstrels. A favorite Berduskan snack, typically sold for 1 cp, is the goldenstar: a triangular eggbread loaf stuffed with sausage, chopped tubers, and chicken sauce.
Northwest of the temple to Deneirstands a larger rocky knoll, known as Castle Hill. Its tree-clad slopes are crowned by the High Lady's Castle, seat of city government and a working fortress, home to most of the city guard. Other guards dwell in the gates' guardtowers. The boundaries of Castle Hill are adorned by rows of small but very exclusive high-towered homes. These are the most desirable addresses in Berdusk, and are all claimed by citizens so rich that they can leave open commerce behind and pretend to be fun-loving nobility while they really keep cold, sharp eyes on the careful investments that support them.
Among the most prominent family names in the self-styled nobles or first folk, as they call themselves are Athalankeir, Bellanbram, Caunter, Charthoon, Danallbur, Felannlilt, Gort, Halabart, Jalarghar, Lothkarr, Mreen, Oyindle, Parstin, and Uthgolabar. These folk throw parties, play elaborate games of capping each other's boasts, deeds, and displays of wealth, and pursue faddish hobbiessponsoring falconers one season, dragon tamers the next, all-female adventurer bands the third, and so on. No one else in Berdusk except these folk considers that the city has a nobility Most sneer at the first folk for being lazy play-pretties.
Facing the high houses of the first folk across the cobbled streets around Castle Hill are the houses of the wealthiest merchants, known as tall houses for their third- and fourthstory apartments. Among these tall houses stand the Running Stag (a good inn and tavern), the Flourished Flagon (a good tavern), the Heralds' Rest (a superior festhall), and the Ruby Shawl (a bad festhall). All of these can readily be found by their signboards, enchanted with continual faerie fire spells so as to glow every night. The Heralds' Rest is denoted by a ring of shields with a trumpet in the center, and all the other signs resemble the names they bear.
Also nestled amid the tall houses of the wealthier merchants are temples to Milil and Oghma (and the previously mentioned temple to Helm) and the Dawn of Any Day, a shop specializing in musical instruments and other items that bear minor enchantments. There's a persistent rumor that the various feather tokens and other minor magics this shop deals in have sly spells woven into them that allow the Harpers to know where they are at all times, and so readily track their bearers.
One important street in Berdusk is Steelsword Street. It enters the city by Bellowbar's Gate and runs north to sweep past Castle Hill, bounding it on the north, then passes north of Clearspring Tor and ends in Amberside, the large open market of Berdusk that stands just within the Vale Gate along the Uldoon Trail. On the other side of the market Steelsword Street continues as Steelspur Way south to the Claw, a five-way intersection just inside Drovers' Gate.
Another important street of the city is Shondaleir Street, which runs west from the Claw to the Crossways at the western city wall, where it turns north to curl to an end. Along its run, it crosses the Clearspring by the more northerly of the two bridges to span that short water: Leaping Lynx Bridge.
The Gollahaer is the shorter street that crosses the Clearspring by the more southerly bridge (the Handspan). It is important because of the many small, crammed sundry and hardware shops that line it, selling odd and rare wares that can't be found anywhere else between Waterdeep and the rich cities of Sembia. Here's where knights who simply must have left-handed gauntlets with silver dagger blades affixed to the fingers (25 gp each at Alamather's by the Water) jostle for room among clerks seeking chapbooks of gilt-edged parchment that are bound with gold wire in calfskin covers with brass corners, and sold in fitted calfskin travel covers to keep the damp away (50 to 75 gp each, depending on size and number of pages, at Ondraer's Fine Pages).
The Gollahaer's western end is at its meeting with the Minstrelride. The Tuneride comes into the city at Shortarrow Gate and curves northward to run between the Inner Chamber and Castle Hill, and then crosses Steelsword Street before it ends. On it the visitor will find more temples, high houses, splendid shops, quality inns, and fine abodes of merchants than anywhere else in Berdusk.
The only other feature of the city immediately noticeable to a visitor is the walled Thousandheads Trading Coster base just inside Riverroad Gate, east off the Uldoon Trail. Well-guarded wagons of valuable goods are constantly entering and leaving this base, brought to or from caravans assembled east or south of the city. The goods are normally kept in the warehouses within this compound.
Day and night, Berdusk is a city of travelers. Through trade (as in, We don't want to discourage the through trade) is a phrase often used as an overriding principle or concern when matters of gate guarding, taxation (currently 2 cp per wagon to leave the city, and nothing to enter), or city laws are being discussed.
Many folk too poor to have a wagon call Berdusk home. It is from here that many of the peddlers who rove the Vale and the Coast lands westward come, carrying their packs on their backs or by mule. (Every traveler can take one mule out of the gates for free. Additional mules are 1 cp each.) These peddlers may buy the wares they sell anywhere, and most have a specialty, be it pipes, lamps, scents, or something more exotic, that they buy wares for in one of the city's shops. The rest of their packs are filled with sundries from Amberside.
Amberside is a maze of tiny tent stalls where one can buy almost anything including fine brass screws from Unther and Thay, exotic oils from Mulhorand, and other rarities in the Coast lands. Most peddlers come here because of the carry tubes made from cleaned-out horn, the ready supplies of cheap textiles from the southern and eastern reaches of the Sea of Fallen Stars that they can put into the tubes for sale elsewhere, and the plentiful amounts of small household ironmongery available here, such as hinges, hasps, pots with cover flaps, replacement handles, candle lamps, hooks, coffers, and the like.
Amberside is named for a longdead blacksmith, Ilm Amberal, whose shop once stood on the edge of the market. He was famous for working both fast and well, turning out scores of items and repairing almost all metal goods brought to him. His work made this market the preferred provisioning center for peddlers and others dealing in small, useful, nonperishable wares.
Small and useful are watchwords that still describe most of the wares sold in Amberside. For furniture and other large goods, seek in the city's shops. Berduskans love to shop - buying or selling. Unbroken goods one is tired of can often be readily sold for half price or less to a shopkeeper who can resell them. Most paid workers in Berdusk do quarter shifts. The open time of a shop is divided into four, and a worker gets two of these peri-ods off to shop and to eat. Shopping is in the blood of a Berduskan. Eating is often done while one is walking in the street from shop to shop or in, a favorite tankard house.
Tankard houses were once unique to Berdusk, but are beginning to appear in Waterdeep, Suzail, the cities of Sembia, and other cities where trade and bustle prevail. They're converted shops where one can get a light meal with a tankard of ale or mead and listen to a house singer or minstrel at any hour. There are dozens in Berdusk, and they are favorite meeting places for citizens, who usually avoid taverns unless they're planning to get properly drunk or revel and jest a night away. Locals who want to meet without being seen by those who know them tend to try to arrange a chance encounter at a particular spot in the maze of stalls in Amberside.
A typical meal at a tankard house is a mug of hot broth or stew; a tankard of minted water, ale, or mead; and a plate of goldenstars and seared meat scraps (bacon, chicken, or chopped sausage) in gravy. On rare occasions, small whole birds (quail, alafluster, wild duck, or grouse), spitted and cooked over the open hearth, are served instead. Three coppers is the price of a meal when there's music or song to be had. Two coppers is the fare when the house is silent. Good performers get extra coins thrown to the stage. Bad ones may get coppers thrown hard and directly at them.
All in all, I find this one of the most pleasant, cultured, clean, and welcoming cities in all the Coast lands - like a little slice of upper-crust Waterdeep without all the crowding, airs, and cut-and-thrust intrigue. As I've said, my explorations of the city were hampered by Harper suspicion, but I did manage to poke my nose into many of the prominent establishments of Berdusk and ask citizens for their opinions. Information that I gained follows directly.

Alternative Name(s)

Jewel of the Vale

Type

City

Population

20,800 (72% humans, 12% halflings, 6% half-elves, 4% half-orcs, 4% dwarves, 2% elves)

Inhabitant Demonym

Berduskan

Included Locations

• Alamather's by the Water
• Amberside Market
• Evensong Tower
• Hullybuck's Gamble
• Ondraer's Fine Pages
• The Dawn of Any Day
• The Flourished Flagon
• The Heralds' Rest
• The House of the Hungry Merchant
• The Inner Chamber
• The Ready House of the Right Strong Hand
• The Ruby Shawl
• The Running Stag
• The Seat of Lore
• The Sign of the Silver Sword
• Thousandheads Trading Coster Base
• Thunderwood Forays