Quiverton

"It's a queer little place for sure, but I don't expect that those little blighters really get up to much. Call off the inspection, our men are needed elsewhere."

~ General Lance Deephollow, Castellan of Waterdeep

Quiverton, sometimes known by its gnomish name of Arrowbarthi, is a small town north of Waterdeep, home to around 200 rock gnomes. The town was founded in 989 JR by Townmaster Blackraven, a gnomish pioneer, and soon became known for the exceptional quality of its exports, particularly arrows, from which the town got its current name.
The reason that the arrows of Quiverton are considered so exceptional is to do with the Thelsiaq, the large forge and metal refinery found in the centre of the town, built by Townmaster Blackraven himself. Although the forge does not reach the level of heat achieved by the dwarven forges of the northern citadels, most cities along the Sword Coast found the Quiverton gnomes far more amiable and hard-working than the slow-to-trust dwarves.
During the War of the Silver Marches in 2988 JR, Quiverton became busier than ever, shipping arrows and other crafted supplies (such as buckles, daggers and crossbow bolts) to the armies of the North via merchant ships such as the Crimson Dagger. However, this prosperity didn't last, and the Fourth Age threatened to usher in a period of great hardship for the gnomes. This led the current Townmaster of Quiverton, Townmaster Badger, to begin a new trade in secret, in the hopes that it would bring more business to the town.
Utilising the the Thelsiaq's refinery, Badger began synthesising the illicit drug mind dragon, selling it to caravan traders that passed through the town on the way to Waterdeep. Eventually, the entire town was in on this scheme, and would help to produce the drug, which soon became the town's primary export. This process continues to this day, although it is kept a secret from most of the realm.

Demographics

Until 2018 JR, Quiverton was entirely inhabited by rock gnomes, but since then a dozen or so sellswords have permenantly lived in the town. While most of these sellswords are human, a few of them are half-orcs.

Defences

In 3016 JR, Quiverton was raided by ogres who sought to seize the town's forge for their own. Although these ogres were soon defeated by adventurers sent from the town of Phandalin, it highlighted a need for better defence in the town.
Two years later, a band of travellers came to Quiverton, one of which was a half-orc stableman from Waterdeep named K'ark Marivaldi, who had been a mercenary in his youth. Upon hearing about the ogre attacks that had threatened the town, he elected to stay in Quiverton, writing letters to some of his sellsword associates back in Waterdeep calling them to the town. The Townmaster was more than happy to pay handsomely for these services.

Founding Date

989 JR

Alternative Name(s)

Arrowbarthi

Type

Town

Population

200