Ruined Kingdoms of the North
Many folk consider the start of civilization in the North to
be marked by the founding ofWaterdeep. More learned
folk are aware of the deeper history of the region, and
know of at least some of the kingdoms that have been
built by the residents of the North down the centuries.
Ruins of these kingdoms are scattered throughout the
North, and many present-day cities and towns are built
atop their remains, sometimes with their residents igno-
rant of what lies just beneath their boots.
Eaerlann. The elven kingdom of Eaerlann, a survivor of
the ancient Crown Wars, stretched from the High Forest to
the Delimbiyr Vale. Weakened by the retreat of much of its
populace to Evermeet and by ore attacks, Eaerlann finally
fell six hundred years ago to the demons that burst forth
from Ascalhorn (once known as Hellgate Keep and now as
Hellgate Dell).
11/efarn. Ten thousand years ago, the capital city of llle-
farn occupied the site where Waterdeep stands today. A
kingdom of elves that accepted both humans and dwarves
in its lands, lllefarn stood intact for seven millennia. It was
eventually fragmented by increasing human settlement of
the area, and repeated ore attacks spelled its doom.
Athalantar. The short-lived human kingdom of Athalan-
tar lay south of the High Forest in territory claimed by
its self-styled Stag King thirteen centuries ago. Its rulers
were briefly supplanted by magelords, but then reclaimed
the throne, only to be wiped out by ores within a few
generations.
Phalorm. Dwarf, elf, and human monarchs all shared
the rule of Phalorm, also known as the Realm of Three
Crowns, which was founded nearly a thousand years ago
in the High Moor. Phalorm lasted barely a century before
repeated ore and goblin attacks overcame it.
Kingdom of Man. When Phalorm fell, the surviving hu-
mans of the kingdom established the Kingdom of Man,
formally known as Delimbiyran, which lasted only two
generations. Its dissolution left behind a number of petty
"kingdoms" that welcomed new human settlers in several
locations, leading to the founding of new cities and towns
on the Sword Coast and in its environs.
Netheril. For centuries, the legend of Netheril served
as a lesson of human hubris and a lure for treasure hunt-
ers too prideful to learn from its story. Long before the
Dales Compact and the advent of Dalereckoning, Netheril
arose as a human empire founded on the might of magic
learned from the golden Nether Scrolls, artifacts at least
as old as the creator races. Flying Netherese cities drifted
through the skies all over the North, but primarily they
hung high over a verdant land that is now the desert
of Anauroch.
Then Karsus, one of the mighty mages of Netheril, dared
to believe that he could wrest control of the Weave and
become a god himself. He almost succeeded, but in his
failure Karsus killed the goddess of magic, shredded the
Weave, and sent the floating enclaves that couldn't flee to
other planes crashing to the ground. From the moments
after the crash when the spilt blood was still fresh to the
present day's moss-covered or dune-buried stones, the ru-
ins of Netheril and its arcane secrets have drawn many to
their doom.or Baldur's Gate. Lady Belinda Anteos (of the Water-
deep noble house) promises that her business is secure
and that the bank's magical means of communicating
precise amounts of currency between cities can't be
tampered with.
CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH
Members of local guilds that do business outside the
town don't entirely trust the Traders' Bank, preferring
instead to borrow coin from the Hardcheese family of
halfiings that run the Happy Cow tavern. The Alliance
officially has no preference, but I find Lady Anteos trust-
worthy enough to be an alternative to carrying large
sums on the road. It's easier to part with a small portion
of one's purse than to lose everything to a band of brig-
a nds during a journey through the wilds.
Visitors to Daggerford are advised both to avoid the
tannery to the west and to swiftly cross Tyndal's Bridge
when approaching from the south. The tannery's loca-
tion, up on the hill, does little to contain the stink of the
process, and the Watermen's Guild dumps the city's
waste over the side of the bridge. On hot days, the scents
exuded from both sites can be overwhelming, which is
why I have again asked the Alliance to assign a different
agent to visit on next summer's rounds.
Tyndal's Bridge is a low stone structure over which
travelers pass when approaching from the west, where
a local boy named Tyndal held off a number of lizard-
folk with only a dagger. He grew to manhood, married
the local ruler's daughter, named himself duke, and
built Daggerford atop the ruins of an older castle. This
story, and most of the area's history, is happily related
to any who ask by Sir Darfin Floshin, an elf older than
Daggerford itself. He longs to see a rise in cooperation
between humans, dwarves, and elves in the region, such
as was once embodied in the realm of Phalorm. Darfin
has been advisor to many dukes of Daggerford through
the yea.rs. Though he was rebuffed by Duke Maldwyn
during his reign, there are signs that Lady Morwen may
be more receptive to the advice of a gold elf who has wit-
nessed the fall of the human kingdom of Delimbiyran,
the founding of Daggerford, and all the days s ince.LONGSADDLE
The ha mlet of Longsaddle is little more than a row of
buildings on either side of the Long Road, halfway along
the lengthy journey from Triboar to Mirabar. A path
leaves the road here and winds to the Ivy Mansion, the
great house of the wizards of the Harpell family. Since
the Harpells founded the town more than four centuries
ago, they have brooked little nonsense and less mayhem.
Their own behavior sometimes borders on the bizarre
and can be disturbing- they once turned two rival sects
of Malarites into rabbits for disturbing Longsaddle with
their squabbles, leaving them at the mercy of the pred-
ators they had honored- but they are one of the most
potent gatherings of mages anywhere in the North.
The Harpells are a jovial, if insular, lot. All wizards,
they tend to marry wizards as well, and the elder women
of the family (by blood or marriage) set the course
for the house and utterly rule matters within the Ivy
Mansion. The family takes on a number of apprentice
wizards, using them for menial tasks and for basic
defense of Longsaddle. Some apprentices are often the
inadvertent test subjects for an experimental spell, but
such is the danger of apprenticing to the Harpells. It
is likely this spirit of experimentation that caused the
Harpells to found their town so far away from other
settlements. Young wizards with oddly sized or shaped