Neverwinter, also known as the City of Skilled Hands and the Jewel of the North, was a multi-racial city-state sitting on the northwestern Sword Coast of Faerûn. Neverwinter was regarded by Volo as the most cosmopolitan and the most civilized city in all of Faerûn. The city was a member in good standing of the Lords' Alliance Etymology The city was originally named "Eigersstor", which was an Illuskan word. The name "Neverwinter" was the Chondathan translation. A number of legends purported to explain where the city's name came from, but they contradicted each other. Some believed that the city was founded by a sun elf named Halueth Never, who led the elves of Iliyanbruen against an Illuskan invasion in −10 DR. Surrounded by his enemies, he chose the site where the river met the sea to make his last stand, naming the place "Never's Winter," believing he would die in the ensuing battle. However, human allies arrived just in time to come to his aid, and together they defeated the Illuskans. Never founded the city, keeping the name. Over the years the name was shortened to "Neverwinter". Others, such as Volo and Elminster, considered that the name came from its gardens. This was also the source of the city's moniker, "the City of Skilled Hands," for Neverwinter's gardeners were acclaimed throughout the Realms for their ability to keep their gardens growing even through winter. Locals, however, believed that the name came from the city's unusually warm climate, and how its docks were always ice-free in all but the coldest of winters. It was believed this was because of the Neverwinter River that flowed through the city, as it was heated by fire elementals living under the nearby Mount Hotenow in the Neverwinter Wood. The heat given off from the river created a permanent warm climate in the immediate area. History Brief History The first settlement in the Savage Frontier was an elven city known as Illefarn. Illefarn became a bustling nation after the time of the Crown Wars. Eventually, Illefarn was divided into three nations, of which Iliyanbruen was the most prominent. Iliyanbruen was weakened by orc invasions, which paved the way for Eigersstor, the first multi-racial settlement in the area, which would later be called Neverwinter. Neverwinter became a center of civilization, peace and culture and was widely viewed as a marvel by visitors. This trend lasted, seemingly unbroken since its founding until 1372 DR when a disease known as the Wailing Death laid low most of the city's inhabitants. Then, in 1385 DR, the Spellplague struck. The century that followed saw the rise in power of Netheril. Netherese loyalists infiltrated the power structure of the weakened Neverwinter, but their efforts were sidetracked by the eruption of Mount Hotenow in 1451 DR, so powerful that it laid the city to waste and killed the ruling royal family. In 1467 DR, Lord Dagult Neverember, seeing an opportunity to add to his financial empire, hired workers to help rebuild the city and Mintarn mercenaries to protect it from monsters and bandits; claiming himself to be a descendant of Neverwinter's former rulers and thus the rightful "Lord Protector" of the city, started the New Neverwinter movement. Lord Neverember invested a great deal of his own personal fortune to rebuild the city's infrastructure, buy the interest of merchants to send their caravans again to Neverwinter, and even ensuring Neverwintan refugees had enough food and gold in hand. By 1491 DR, Neverember's efforts to rebuild the city proved successful, and Neverwinter had slowly been restored as a center of civilization in the Sword Coast North. Government The emblem of Neverwinter.