Berdusk

Berdusk is a small city of about 7500 and constitutes one of the major centers in Elturgard. It is situated on a bend in the River Chionthar as it makes its way northward to Scornubel. This spot is a very convenient stopping point for traders and travelers coming from the south or out of Cormyr to the east. Population Population: 56,400 (current tax rolls), rising to a summertime high of over 70,000 (high annual variation due to large transient merchant population, and bitter winters that drive those who can afford it elsewhere). Of permanent residents, there are large contingents of dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, and halflings (4,000+, each). Population: 20,200 Demographics: 75% Humans, 9% Dwarves, 7% Halflings, 4% Elves, 1% Half-Elves, 1% Gnomes, 3% Others Description В Бердаске проживает много ремесленников, составляющих основу его экономики. Его знать, так называемые «первые лица Бердаска», продемонстрировала большую набожность со времен основания Элтургарда, и из этих семейств происходит много высокопоставленных священников. С течением лет среди них оказалось несколько очень нехороших людей, что создало бердаскцам репута¬цию людей, склонных к «ложной набожности», то есть склонных притворяться, что их вера сильнее, чем на самом деле. Ввиду этого в разных частях Элтургарда часто используется выражение «святой, как бердаскский жрец» (в смысле «не особенно»), хоть оно и не одобряется служителями Кредо. Government: Theocracy Ruler: Lady Dragonbreast, who answers to the High Overseer of Torm Religions: Deneir, Helm, Milil, Oghma, Torm Berdusk is a city of tall, close-crowded stone buildings with high pitched roofs. Its narrow streets are set with many drains leading to large sewers, all to cope with the heavy winter snowfalls. In its center is a rocky tor kept tree-clad and open, as a park, by the High Lady. From this tor rises the Clearspring, or River Sulduskoon. A second rocky knoll, to the northwest, is crowned by the High Lady’s Castle, surrounded by slopes below by the temples, shrines, and high houses of the rich. Berdusk has no nobility, but it does have a wealthy upper class. They all tend to dwell close to the castle, amid the better taverns and festhalls. Around the houses of the wealthy are the three-to-four story houses of the merchant middle class. A typical tall house of this type has a shop or office at street level, a storage cellar below, the owner’s abod above, and one or two floors of apartments above that. “Colder than a Berduskian attic in winter” is a Realms-wide saying based in cold, (very cold) fact. Berdusk also maintains seven roving bands known as gauntlets. Gauntlets es¬cort caravans, pilgrims, and other trav¬elers (free of charge), protecting them against Zhentarim attacks out of Darkhold, and other banditry and mon¬ster attacks. Sometimes gauntlets mount raids into the mountains to ambush the Zhentilar or clear out known monster lairs. Each gauntlet is composed of 60 to 140 mounted bowmen and adventurers, mili¬tia, convicts (a period of duty is a com¬mon sentence for nonpayment of debts and other light crimes), and mercenaries, led by Twilight Hall heroes or Harper ad¬venturers. Many down-on-their-luck in¬dependent adventurers hire on with a gauntlet for a time. When Berdusk is at war (i.e. against an orc horde or large raiding army out of Amn), up to 18 gauntlets may be put into the field, each up to 300 strong. The large number of ad¬venturing types in Berdusk (and most spe¬cifically in Twilight Hall) also may be pressed into military service. Notable Mages: •Shambarin "Shadowcloak" (CG hf W14), formerly T7, a bearded, gruff¬voiced recluse who pretends to be male (complete with false beard) to hide herself from old Amnian enemies, who would recognize her as the thief Keltie "Silkhips" Silmar, still sought as an outlaw for her daring thefts of gems, gold, perfumes, and silks from many caravans. •Beldegar Virthalan (CN hm W(I)16), a sinister and reclusive collector of magical items and guardian monsters. Notable Churches: •The Inner Chamber, temple of Deneir; High Scrivener Althune Dembrar (NG hf P14 a beautiful but aging lady who is an expert on mages' sigils, runes, glyphs, and magical symbols; 14 priests, 26 followers. This temple takes its name from the fact that it is actually a small sanctum within Twilight Hall. "Twilight Hall" does not of¬ficially exist. Rather, the large complex of buildings in which the temple is located is all officially part of the Temple of Deneir, but everyone who lives in Berdusk knows better. •The Ready House of the Right Strong Hand, temple of Helm; Vigilant Godseye Tathlosar Brimmerbold (LN hm F18 Str 18/69; 36 priests, 126 followers. •Evensong Tower, temple to Milil; Chantmistress Uluene Maertalar (NG hf P16 11 priests, 86 followers. •The Seat of Lore, temple to Oghma; High Loremaster Bransuldyn Mirrortor (N gm P9 a party-loving former adven¬turer who maintains large collections of disguises and rare books. •Shrines to Leira, Lliira, Tempus and Waukeen. Notable Rogues' and Thieves' Guilds: The folk of Twilight Hall (who eliminate or absorb all competitors trying to oper¬ate in Berdusk). Equipment Shops: Partial (poor in winter). Adventurers' Quarters: •The Running Stag inn and tavern (excellent/moderate •The Black Bear inn and tavern (good/ moderate •The Sign of the Silver Sword inn (good/cheap •Hullybuck's Gamble inn, fence, and rental stables; halfling clients preferred (fair/ cheap). Important Characters: •Belhuar Thantarth (CG hm B9), Harper and local wit. •Narshanna Thaur (NE hef T12). •Obslin Minstrelwish (NG half-m B7). •Olbrimsur Thunderwood (LG hm R10), who mounts regular independent adventurers' expeditions to wipe out gi¬ants, goblinkin, and other monsters. •Theeryn Bloodgarth (NG hm F14), a rich and experienced tutor of warriors. Important Features in Town Berdusk is a city of tall, close-crowded stone build¬ings with high-pitched roofs. Its narrow streets are set with many drains leading to large sewers, all to cope with heavy winter snowfalls. In its center is a rocky tor kept tree-clad and open, as a park, by the High Lady. From this tor rises the Clearspring or River Sulduskoon. A sec¬ond rocky knoll, to the northwest, is crowned by the High Lady's Castle, sur-rounded on the slopes below by the tem¬ples, shrines, and high houses of the rich. Berdusk has no nobility, but it does have a wealthy upper class. They all tend to dwell close to the castle, amid the bet¬ter taverns and festhalls. Around the houses of the wealthy are the three- to- four story houses of the merchant middle class. A typical tall house of this type has a shop or office at street level, a storage cellar below, the owner's abode above, and one or two floors of apartments above that. "Colder than a Berduskian at¬tic in winter" is a Realms-wide saying based in cold (very cold) fact. A base of the Thousandheads Trading Coster is located just within the city, by the southeastern Riverroad Gate. Many large stockyards, market areas, and cara¬van marshalling areas lie just outside the city walls. Local Lore: Berdusk is a fortified city that was founded primarily as a protected stop on the overland trade route. Rapids ("the Breaking Steps," a series of short falls) on the River Chionthar just above Berdusk make passage up or downstream an exhausting, dangerous business in this area. Vessels must be guided into cleared channels on either side of the cascades, roped securely to guide-cables installed by local dwarves long ago, and winched carefully along. The powerful flow of the Chionthar either battles against a crew all the way, or threatens to tear the vessel loose from the cable's braking guidance and whirl it downstream to shatter on the rocks. Rafts cannot make the journey at all; battered and high-sided local way- barges must be used instead, and the goods returned to the raft after it is re-assembled, either above or below the cas¬cade. Those who try to fight their way through the Steps on a raft lose it and their goods, at the least, and their lives as well, most often. Rare freshwater kelpies are known to haunt the waters just down¬stream from the Steps. Over the years, a city of barge- builders, carters, and other merchants has grown up on the banks of the Chionthar, where a small, clearwater spring rises and enters the river. This spring is sometimes called the "River" Sulduskoon, but it is less than half a mile in length, even if its flow is powerful and its channel broad. Increasing orc and bandit depredations in the area (and later, Zhentilar raiding bands) drove nearby races of gentler dis¬positions to move to the growing city, and fortify it, for mutual protection. Dwarves, gnomes, halflings, elves, and half-elves joined the human settlement of Berdusk, named for a local warrior fa¬mous for his orc-slaughters. The village was previously known as Sulduskoon, or "Clearspring" to the elves. Berdusk has always been marked by a predominance of merchants, and the tol¬erant coexistence of all races except the evil goblinkin. Its folk are always inter¬ested in news of the Realms around, for wars and prosperity in faraway lands have a great effect on the overland trade that feeds the city. The Berduskan oath Hanper’s markr "Safe haven" "By the fury of the river!" reflects this im¬portance of caprice and transport. KEY 1.The High Lady's Castle 2.Clearspring Tor 3 . The River Sulduskoon 4.The Inner Chamber, temple of Deneir (Twilight Hall other temples and shrines all around Thousandheads Trading Coster base Economics Major Products: Wool (from sheep farms in the surrounding countryside, particularly from the shearing-market in nearby Asbravn) wine ("Berduskan dark" is a heavy, sherry-like, sweet and burning wine, which is very dark amber in hue, almost black, and is highly prized by some across the Realms, fetching prices of up to 6 gp a bottle), barges, and wagons (for overland trade). Berdusk re¬pairs more wagons than it makes. The wagons made here have a fair to poor rep¬utation, but the wheels made by the city's wheelwrights are considered excellent. Politics Independent city (allied to Iriaebor) Who Rules Cylyria Dragonbreast, High Lady of Berdusk (pronounced "Sill- EAR-ia; " LN hef B26 She is more often known as "The Silent Lady," because she now sings and speaks very seldom, and her voice is soft. Cylyria has many friends among the elves, but is not known to have a husband or lover of any race. She is gen¬tle and grave, but occasionally merry and pranksome, given to caperings and gig¬gles when in such moods. Under her light and largely covert rule, Berdusk is a mem¬ber of The Lords' Alliance (*FR0, FR1). Who Really Rules The bards, mages, and thieves of Twilight Hall, a college of music, learning, and lore-gathering estab¬lished by Sylyria and dominated by the mysterious Harpers. The folk of Twilight Hall carry out Cylyria's will, screen appli¬cants for the city guard, and gather infor¬mation for the Silent Lady. She relies on their advice when making decisions, par¬ticularly that of Belhuar and Obslin Min- strelwish (see below). Armed Forces Armed Forces: The city guard (police and garrison), which is 600 strong (475 armsmen, or common warriors of both sexes and all races, F2- F4, who specialize in archery and quarterstaff-work; 75 blades or sergeants, who tend to be F7s or P(of Tempus)5-6s; and 50 shieldmasters or officers of all classes, and levels 7-10). The shieldmasters of the guard tend to be members of Twilight Hall. Beyond being a convenient stop, Berdusk is a very nice place to live and many wealthy families own estates in its walled River's Bend Ward. Originally these were vacation homes or places of refuge from the city life in Scornubel or Elturel, but became primary residences when many fled to escape the vampires. That money has fueled a community of artists and artisans, temples and shrines, and facilitated the creation of the Calaudran Institute of Art. Thavus Kreeg has long chosen his advisors and key authority figures from the leadership of temples in Elturgard. Knowing this, the competitive nobles of Berdusk have entered their children into temple service in hopes of their family gaining a coveted leadership role or even one of them becoming Kreeg's successor. Nothing would garner more bragging rights than that to a Berduskan noble. The competition between the nobles is not always friendly. Thieves, bribes, sabotage, lies, rumors, vice, shame, magic, spies, and murder are just the cards we know they hold. The Hellriders have long had their hands fuller keeping the nobles from going at each other than actually defending Berdusk. And what's more, some suspect Hellriders have, at times, accepted bribes and turned a blind eye. Do not allow all that bad stuff to taint your view of Berdusk, it is a charming place and you shouldn't worry. All that stuff is between the nobles anyhow. Do come to buy fine clothing, to commision a piece of art, or pay respects at a temple.

The Companions

Brave, principled, loyal, well-trained, and passionate are just a few words that describe the Companions. Paladins all and chosen personally by High Observer Thavus Kreeg to do his bidding. Named after the glowing orb in the sky above Elturel they represent many gods, races, and backgrounds, but their purpose to quell any threat in Elturgard and loyalty to Kreeg is one. From the outset of his tenure as High Observer, Kreeg knew that he wanted to organize the paladins of many devout creeds in Elturgard and unite them together for his purposes. To the extent that there were common beliefs among them it was easy; however, in his foresight he understood that there were points between them that could not be reconciled and would lead to internal divisions and strife. Additionally, nobody in Elturgard new exactly who was responsible for the appearance of the Companion which led to many who reasoned contentiously that it was their god. To ascribe it to their god was also to imply that their god was greater in Elturgard and being a paladin sworn to them added to them some measure of authority and legitimacy. To solve this he developed the Creed Resolute. To swear the Creed Resolute means to never ascribe the Companion to any one god; to never allow religious differences to come between you and another; to serve the greater good; and always uphold the laws of Elturgard. The Creed Resolute is sworn by all the Companions and many of the Hellriders. Even lowly militia and garrison members have been know to take the oath of their own accord. It is invoked by fellow oath takers on a regular basis to gently remind another to reconsider before taking an action or diffuse a situation between them. The Creed is effective, but it does not address the differences - nor can it. The fallible Companions still struggle at times. To appreciate it, allow me to illustrate. The followers of Amaunator, The Keeper of the Eternal Sun, the Light of Law, whose followers who uphold law and seek to establish order feel it was unquestionably Amaunator who created the Companion. Who else would have saved them in such a way! The paladins of Lathander, The Morninglord, who represents the dawn and a new start and despises undead, argue vehemently that in his anger against undead he granted Elturgard its new dawn. The paladins of Tempus encourage the debate and feel it should be resolved heroically in battle. paladins of Torm fight for the greater good and seek to calm the debate, but out of belief will fight if they perceive the hearts of their brethren to be filled with corruption or to stop infighting. The Hand Resolute tenet they preach will only hold their actions for so long. The paladins of Tyr, the god of justice, want the truth to be uncovered that justice be served and vengeance meted. They may fight against whomever strikes the first blow, or see the action of the paladins of Tempus in encouraging the debate as a form of treachery that must be punished. Lastly, the paladins of Ilmater, the god of suffering and perseverance, who wear their coarse fur vests and only exist to assuage suffering. They simply endure the argument but if there is a time where fighting will limit suffering, it is their duty to join. Clearly, the Creed Resolute does not solve the problems, but by it these of various gods work together. The Companions are seen regularly throughout Elturgard visiting temples, consulting with wizards, and questioning travelers and tavern keepers. This is how they keep their ears to the ground and tease out the threats. Anything seemingly mundane will be assigned to the Hellriders; anything with a hint of magic they handle themselves.