locals creatively call the Three Rivers), Yartar is a fish-
ing town, and its tables have fish as fare at every meal.
Fresh crabs, eels, and other river life are available both
to eat and to purchase, and serve as a primary means of
income for the fisherfolk of the town.
The other major industry ofYartar is barge building.
Most of the region's river barges are built, or at least
begin their service, in Yartar, and the works of the
town's bargewrights are famous all up and down the
Dessarin and its tributaries. It is the importance ofYar-
tar's barges to the commerce of the North that earned
the town a place in the Lords' Alliance, to ensure that
Yartar doesn't fall to enemies and cause upheaval in the
trade network along the rivers.
What can't be transported to or from Yartar by barge
comes and goes by caravan instead, and the town's
location makes it a key stop for most caravans pass-
ing between Waterdeep and Silverymoon. In Yartar, a
caravan can arrange for swift repairs, replacements of
wagon wheels, carts, or full wagons, or the replenish-
ment of tack and other accessories.
Because Yartar has so few industries, and fewer close
neighbors, its merchants are often in direct competition
Fallen Dwarven Kingdoms a nd Their Marks
The North is littered with the remnants of many dwarven
realms. Although much of the wealth at these sites has
been plundered by monsters and adventurers over the
centuries, evidence of the settlements and their borders
remains graven on cavern walls, trail markings, and scat-
tered coins. Some of these realms, and the marks that
bear testimony to their presence, are detailed below.
Haunghdannar. The oldest evidence of dwarven settle-
ment in the North comes from the former site of Haungh-
dannar. This small coastal realm arose nearly sixty-five cen-
turies ago in the northern Sword Mountains and along the
Sword Coast, then fell quickly and mysteriously some fif-
teen hundred years later. Some records suggest that many
of the citizens, driven mad by the sea, sailed westward and
never returned. Mark: A mountain, with a left-facing fish,
surmounted by a seven-pointed star.
Gharraghaur. The dwarves of Gharraghaur were the
original delvers beneath the earth at the site of present-day
Mirabar. The kingdom was founded soon after Haungh-
dannar but didn't last as long; twelve hundred years later it
succumbed to a horde of ravaging ores. Mark: Four verti-
cal, diamond-shaped gems, three set in a triangle, with the
largest in the center.
Besilmer. Nearly six thousand years ago, shield dwarves
established an aboveground realm in the Dessarin valley
that they named Besilmer. They were the builders of two
noted landmarks on the Sword Coast: the Stone Bridge
and the Halls of the Hunting Axe. Less than three hundred
years after it came into being, Besilmer was overrun and
destroyed by a horde of humanoids and giants. Mark: a
wheel over a plow.
Delzoun. The great North kingdom of the dwarves,
Delzoun was carved out of the rock beneath the area
known until recently as the Silver Marches. Founded soon
after the fall of Besilmer, Delzoun remained a great power
for nearly four thousand years, until ore hordes and sub-
terranean monsters did it in. Many of Delzoun's greatest
works, citadels such as Sundbarr and Ad bar, survive and
thrive yet today. Mark: a horizontal, double-headed ham-
mer in a triangle of three sparkling gems.CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTHwith one another, and have neither the resources to
seek new customers, nor the space or funds to explore
new trades. As a result, a good deal of the gossip, thiev-
ery, and assault in Yartar has at its roots one merchant
trying to get the upper hand on a rival, either through
damage of goods, intimidation of workers, or theft of
patrons and customers.
To curb and control rowdiness, the Waterbaron
employs the Shields ofYartar, a mounted force of guards
who police the town, keep order, and chase off the Uth-
gardt raids that occasionally menace the lands nearby.
The Shield s are housed in the Shield Tower, a fortified
structure on the west bank of the Surbrin (the town sits
primarily on the east), whose outer wall has frequently
been torn down and rebuilt. It 's rumored that guardian
skeletons rise when unauthorized folk tread the ground
between the walls, but no one has tested the area to see
if its magic still functions; even if it doesn't, more than
a hundred angry warriors charging out of the tower
at trespassers is enough danger to scare people out of
pursuing the idea. A fortified bridge connects the banks
between the tower and the town proper.
More impressive than either the Shields or the Shield
Tower is the Waterbaron's Barge. This massive vessel
can carry two hundred soldiers or seventy-five Shields
of Yartar with their horses. Its sides above the waterline
are armored with iron. Behind its walls stand multiple
crossbow contraptions, each able to fire a dozen bolts
at once. When brought to bear against a force on the
riverbank, the Shield s loose two volleys against their
enemies, then bring the Barge ashore and charge. No
raiders have stood firm against such an assault.
In the center of town is the Waterbaron' Hall, a grand
structure that is both the ruler's home and the location
where she hears audiences. Feasts are often held here,
though more often, the hall sees activity in its side
rooms, where merchants dealing in large quantities of
goods, or making deals and proposals that affect the
entire community, can meet in comfort.Dwarfholds of the North
WHO AM l? SO , I'VE GOT HAIRS ON MY BACK LONGER
than that little beard o'yours. I fought with Emerus to
retake Felbarr, and marched with every dwarf king of the
North to win back Gauntlg1ym. Lost half my foot to an
ore's blade, and slew every damned one that got in my way
marching home. If I want to sit and enjoy my old age now
that we finally drove the ores back, I'll do just that, and
courtesy be damned. I've earned my rest. Your little lordling
don't like it, let him come and tell me himself. I'm not get-
ting up until I finish my ale.- Drorn Waranvil, to the envoy of the Marchion
of Mirabar
The history of the dwarves in the North is a long and
violent one, dating back more than six millennia. Before