Page 83 - D&D - Player's Handbook

Observer is known to employ groups of adventurers in Hellriders, whose cavalry patrol the roads that lead into
matters of importance to the nation. Though it has many Elturgard, as well as the paths along the river.
paladins and clerics in its ranks, outside assistance is In the city's center, directly beneath the Companion, is
essential to the continued defense of the realm. a cliff-sided tor that holds aloft the High Hall. This castle,
whose walls surround the summit of the mount, is home
THE COMPANION to the High Observer, and to a great deal of the bureau-
The second sun that sits directly above Elturel burns cracy of Elturgard. A stream runs out of the center of the
night and day. This orb is commonly called the Compan- castle, spawned by the powerful springs in its cellars. It
ion, but some ascribe it to one deity or another. Where flows north across the tor's top and then down one of its
the natural sun journeys across the sky and disappears cliffs in a series of waterfalls called the Maidens' Leap.
at night, the Companion is steady and loyal, ever pre- By canal it forms a moat for the eastern Dock District,
venting creatures of darkness from assaulting the city. before it joins the Chionthar. Along the stream across the
This second sun provides daytime illumination to the tor lies the long, narrow garden, an open place of flowers,
people of Elturel at all hours, and its illumination is as wooded paths, and arched bridges. The garden is a favor-
harmful to creatures vulnerable to sunlight as the sun ite meeting place for citizens of El tu rel and retains a wild
is. This constant daylight lessens the farther one travels beauty in winter. The rich folk of the city dwell nearest
from Elturel, casting a sort of wan dawn light for fifty or the garden atop the tor, while folk in the town below live
so miles around the city. Beyond that, the orb is visible mostly in tall, narrow homes that are rich in balconies
as a bright beacon in the sky. It ~an be seen clearly at and windows.
night from as far away as Boareskyr Bridge and Ber- Its benefits notwithstanding, the constant illumina-
dusk, looking like an unmoving star low on the horizon. tion that bathes Elturel can be difficult for newcomers
It might be fairly said that every land touched by its light to adjust to. Inns and boarding halls usually swathe the
is now under "Elturel's Shield," but such claims raise windows of their guest rooms in thick cloth to block out
hackles among Elturgard's neighbors. the light so that visitors can get some sleep. Without
the onset of dawn or dusk to frame the day's labors, cit-
THE CREED RESOLUTE
izens rely on the tolling of the bells from the High Hall
With no clear sign of the source of the Companion and to denote the start and end of the workday. The lack of
so many faithful arriving in Elturgard each day, the first natural darkness means the city sees less of the sorts of
High Observer brought together a cadre of paladins and activities that city folk in other places often undertake
devised the Creed Resolute. This series of oaths and at night. Elturel has a low incidence of brawling and
maxims outlines, among other things, that those who ambushes in the alleys around its inns and taverns, and
swear by it will not ascribe the Companion to any one those who would engage in thievery must be especially
god, nor allow religious differences to come between careful and shrewd to succeed.
themselves and others. Those who swear the Creed
Resolute also promise to serve the High Observer and OTHER COMMUNITIES
uphold the laws of Elturgard, and always be in service A few other major settlements of note are located within
to the greater good. While originally the Creed Resolute the borders of Elturgard. I describe three of them
was intended to forge the fractious paladins of Elturgard briefly here.
into the Companions, the oath has since been taken by Berdusk. A large population of artisans drives the
all among the Hell riders as well. If a Hellrider or Com- activity in the city of Berdusk. Its native nobility, the
panion oversteps the bounds of the law or good conduct, so-called "First Folk of Berdusk," have made a great
often a fellow will say "recall the Creed," and soon show of their piety since the founding of Elturgard, and
things are set right. a great many of the high-ranking priests hail from their
Though some of the Creed's agents seem unnecessar- families. Over the years a few bad apples in their midst
ily stern, the people of Elturgard hold the Hellriders and have given Berduskans a reputation for the sin of "false
Companions in the highest esteem. The Companions piety"- pretending to a stronger faith than one actually
are without a doubt the champions of the people first possesses. Though this attitude is disapproved of by the
and foremost, and the folk of Elturgard love them for Creed, it has given rise in other parts of Elturgard to the
it. Though it might be hard to get the Companions to expression "as holy as a Berduskan priest"- which is to
crack a smile, I've found even the lowliest of the guards say, not very.
here willing, without a second thought, to lay down their Scornubel. Known far and wide as the City of Car-
lives in defense of their people, and the folk of Elturgard avans, Scornubel is the great trading nexus of the
know it. Disrespect the Creed, and it isn't the Creed's Kingdom of Two Suns, and the Elturgard city I am most
wrath you face, but that of the local citizenry. familiar with. Though responsible for a great deal of the
nation's prosperity, it is also the source of plenty of its
ELTUREL
trouble; Scornubel is a haven for outlanders, many of
Elturel is a city on a hill. It stands overlooking the River
whom are either troublemakers or folk whom trouble is
Chionthar, constantly illuminated by the Companion.
pursuing. Add to this the machinations of Scornubel's
A major location along the trade route through the native merchant-princes and the rumors of a thieves'
Western Heartlands, Elturel and its environs for many
guild somewhere in its walls, and it can be understood
miles around are a safe haven for visitors and citizens
why the saying "The High Observer's headache is
alike. Much of this safety comes from the efforts of the
named Scornubel" has some merit.