Boareskyr Bridge

Boareskyr Bridge stands on the Trade Way and is the only consistently safe crossing over the Winding Water for more than a hundred miles in either direction. This alone makes it remarkable, but there, in the midst of a wilderness with nothing to set it apart for greatness, a mortal man murdered Bhaal, the god of murder. This is no tall tale. Even a century after Bhaal’s blood was shed there, the river’s waters run black and foul for miles west of the bridge. Adding to the location’s sacred nature, Cyric, the man who killed Bhaal, was himself elevated to godhood. Although he proved to be a malign power, statues of both Cyric and Bhaal were erected on the ends of the bridge, the two gods facing each other (though it is said Cyric stabbed Bhaal in the back). About a century ago, fanatics of Mystra tore down the statues and flung their stones in the river, but fearing retribution for such sacrilege, the merchants who use the bridge pooled funds to have them rebuilt in grander style than before. Now each god stands atop his own decorated archway that serves as entrance to the bridge.
Boareskyr Bridge is named for a long-ago adventurer who built the original bridge and used it as the center of a small kingdom, which also bore his name, north and east of the Trade Way, though it lasted only a few decades before falling to threats from the Fields of the Dead. The bridge serves as a connection between the lands of the North and the Western Heartlands.
The enormous black granite bridge is wide enough that two wagons can pass one another going opposite directions, and its waist-high ramparts are thicker than some castle walls.
Dragons Bane in Town They arrived in town to find most of it destroyed by a resent dragon attack. They discovered that a Dwarf had killed a Yuan-ti the day before and headed off to the temple of the Cauldron of Divination to follow the Dwarf.

The Realm of Elturgard

The characters have reached the edge of the realm of Elturgard, a nation under the protection of the holy city of Elturel. Some turmoil has swept through Elturel of late, and as the characters travel closer and closer to Elturel, the more obvious this unrest should be. Here at Boareskyr Bridge, at the very edge of Elturgard’s dominion, the most the characters should hear the trouble in Elturel are mild discontentment with the new High Observer, Thavius Kreeg. Characters from Waterdeep or elsewhere in the Lords’ Alliance would likely be entirely unaware of Elturgardian politics. However, as their journey takes them deeper into the heart of Elturgard, they will become more and more immersed in the concerns of this young-but-mighty nation.

Fort Tamal and the Companions of Elturgard

An old fortress stands on the south end of the Boareskyr Bridge, keeping watch over the grimly majestic bridge and the lands which surround the black-watered river. To the northeast, the yuan-ti of Najara threaten invasion with their mere presence. The beasts that wander the wilds of Dragonspear could move south and threaten the bridge at any moment. Fort Tamal keeps watch over all these threats and more, occupied by a group of knights known as the Companions of Elturgard. These holy paladins are some of the strongest warriors in the realm, and many of them are confused as to why they must languish in this far-flung fortress, when they could be accomplishing greater deeds.
The Companions of Elturgard are too proud to request reassignment—save for one. A former Companion by the name of Sir Demiyen Ardor, actually requested to be released from service and serve as a knight-errant, traveling the land in search of distant evil to root out. The characters encountered this overzealous knight in an earlier encounter, Danger in Daggerford. When the characters arrive at Boareskyr Bridge, a trio of knights are relaxing with the common folk in their makeshift village. They are described in the “Northbridge Village” section, below.
At this point, all the characters need to know is that an envoy of mercenaries from Baldur’s Gate has been dispatched to Elturel, and no one knows why. The knights of Elturgard stationed here in Fort Tamal are anxious about their home.

Northbridge Village

The Trade Way has faded away into wilderness over the years, making trade between Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep a serious challenge. Merchants who want to make the journey across the wilds of Dragonspear have to be light and agile to weave through hobgoblin patrols and past wild monsters—or, they can stop at Northbridge Village and hire a group of mercenaries to escort them through the wilderness. Northbridge Village grew up when a halfling merchant by the name of Lobrem Nast decided that the trip through the wilderness was a risk he simply wasn’t willing to make, and so he took his cart apart and built a general store north of Boareskyr Bridge. Over the last few years, dozens of other merchants have congregated around the Nast General Store, and Northbridge Village and its half-dozen inns have gained a reputation as the last safe bed a traveler can sleep in before trying to make the journey north.
As such, mercenaries gather here looking for work, and merchants lollygag here until they can summon the courage to traverse the Dragonspear Wilds. When the characters reach Northbridge Village, read or paraphrase the following:

Boareskyr Bridge peeks over the horizon. The first thing you see are the two statues that stand at either end of the bridge—two god-like warriors staring each other down, prepared to kill. In the shadow of these warriors is a sea of tents, forming a rainbow of beige and brown canvas. Scattered among the temporary tents are a handful of sturdy stone or wood buildings. Judging by the pungent scent of horses, manure, and campfire smoke, this settlement has existed for some time.

A wooden sign labeled “Northbridge Village” has been staked into the ground at the edge of this settlement. No such village exists on your map. Nevertheless, you know that the Trade Way picks up again a short way south of Boareskyr Bridge, and this ramshackle village looks like a place where you can rest and resupply before the next leg of your journey.

Type

Bridge