Post by Dungeon Master on Jan 8, 2007 19:20:14 GMT
This self-styled city is really a town of about 300 folk that stands in the shadow of the castle of the Duke of Daggerford. Daggerford is named for a brave boy, Tyndal, sent ahead of his family wagon to find a place to ford the Shining River one evening some 400 summers ago. He was set upon by lizard men, and armed only with a dagger slew six of them and held off the rest until reinforcements arrived. The dukes of Daggerford claim direct descent from Tyndal, and their arms display a bloody silver dagger on a deep blue field.
The dukes of Daggerford claim all the lands from the estate of Floshin, south as far as the Dragonspear fields (the lands of Dragonspear Castle), east to the edge of the Misty Forest; and west to the verges of Lizard Marsh and the coast. They actually control far less from about a halfday .s ride north of Daggerford, where their forces meet up with road patrols from Waterdeep at a little pond called Waypost Water, east to the hills around the Laughing Hollow, and south to the hamlet of Bowshot. These lands take in about 20 farming hamlets. The ducal lands are home to about 1,000 folk in all. The walled town is the largest stop on the Trade Way between Waterdeep and Soubar. It’s largely wooden buildings huddle in the lee of a hill crowned by Daggerford Castle, which is surrounded by a grassy commons and guards a bridge across the Shining River. (The old ford is still there, beside the bridge.) It is home to human craft folk, a few Halflings, and a handful of folk of other races.
The townsfolk have a charter from the duke that allows their own Council of Guilds, a masked council styled after the Lords of Waterdeep, to govern the town. All able-bodied townsfolk must serve in the militia, although only a small number are normally on duty. They spend most of their time on road patrols, though a close watch is kept on Lizard Marsh. Daggerford has temples to Chauntea and Lathander, and shrines to Tempus and Tymora. Chauntea's temple is called the Harvest House, and it is governed by Lady Priestess Merovyna. The temple of Lathander, Morninglow Tower, is under the supervision of Lightlord Liam Sunmist. The Ford is a busy trading town, doing a lot of trade in horses, cattle, and repacking for merchants and drovers who don’t wish to enter Waterdeep. Caravans are allowed to camp across the road from the town (next to the aromatic tannery), and most merchants going into town to escape the smells will find the town ordinary indeed. The most splendid building in town is undoubtedly the Guild masters Hall. It is surrounded by the no-nonsense homes and shops of folk who work hard every day. Few seem to look for more in life than the next silver piece!
Carpenters work busily making chests and crates from lumber brought in from Bowshot, and no less than three smiths turn out everything from intricate locks to broad axes. There are several jewellers in town that can’t hope to compete with the great cutters of Waterdeep, but will eagerly buy any decent stones they can get from passing merchants or adventurers. The local militia, under the stone-faced Sherlen Spearslayer, is always hiring fighting folk, because their best swords are always being hired away by caravan masters, going off to the mercenary hiring fairs of Waterdeep, or trying their hands at adventuring. The militia is always busy patrolling the claimed ducal lands, and many youths and adventurers down on their luck have spent a season fighting brigands, lizard men, and the occasional predatory monster. Daggerford is also home to a retired adventurer-mage, Delfen Yellowknife, who dwells in a tower on the town wall and always has at least a trio of apprentices. He’s content to make a good living tutoring every wealthy Waterdhavian youngster who dreams of becoming a great mage. The youthful duke, Pwyll Greatshout Daggerford, is seldom seen in town. He’s either out hunting or in the castle planning how to defend the land he has and enrich his family and his people by shrewd investments. There are recurring plans to dredge the river and make Daggerford an important harbour, but I suspect the duke, thinks there's no point in trying to compete with nearby Waterdeep.
There’s one tavern worthy of a visit, the Lady Luck,
The dukes of Daggerford claim all the lands from the estate of Floshin, south as far as the Dragonspear fields (the lands of Dragonspear Castle), east to the edge of the Misty Forest; and west to the verges of Lizard Marsh and the coast. They actually control far less from about a halfday .s ride north of Daggerford, where their forces meet up with road patrols from Waterdeep at a little pond called Waypost Water, east to the hills around the Laughing Hollow, and south to the hamlet of Bowshot. These lands take in about 20 farming hamlets. The ducal lands are home to about 1,000 folk in all. The walled town is the largest stop on the Trade Way between Waterdeep and Soubar. It’s largely wooden buildings huddle in the lee of a hill crowned by Daggerford Castle, which is surrounded by a grassy commons and guards a bridge across the Shining River. (The old ford is still there, beside the bridge.) It is home to human craft folk, a few Halflings, and a handful of folk of other races.
The townsfolk have a charter from the duke that allows their own Council of Guilds, a masked council styled after the Lords of Waterdeep, to govern the town. All able-bodied townsfolk must serve in the militia, although only a small number are normally on duty. They spend most of their time on road patrols, though a close watch is kept on Lizard Marsh. Daggerford has temples to Chauntea and Lathander, and shrines to Tempus and Tymora. Chauntea's temple is called the Harvest House, and it is governed by Lady Priestess Merovyna. The temple of Lathander, Morninglow Tower, is under the supervision of Lightlord Liam Sunmist. The Ford is a busy trading town, doing a lot of trade in horses, cattle, and repacking for merchants and drovers who don’t wish to enter Waterdeep. Caravans are allowed to camp across the road from the town (next to the aromatic tannery), and most merchants going into town to escape the smells will find the town ordinary indeed. The most splendid building in town is undoubtedly the Guild masters Hall. It is surrounded by the no-nonsense homes and shops of folk who work hard every day. Few seem to look for more in life than the next silver piece!
Carpenters work busily making chests and crates from lumber brought in from Bowshot, and no less than three smiths turn out everything from intricate locks to broad axes. There are several jewellers in town that can’t hope to compete with the great cutters of Waterdeep, but will eagerly buy any decent stones they can get from passing merchants or adventurers. The local militia, under the stone-faced Sherlen Spearslayer, is always hiring fighting folk, because their best swords are always being hired away by caravan masters, going off to the mercenary hiring fairs of Waterdeep, or trying their hands at adventuring. The militia is always busy patrolling the claimed ducal lands, and many youths and adventurers down on their luck have spent a season fighting brigands, lizard men, and the occasional predatory monster. Daggerford is also home to a retired adventurer-mage, Delfen Yellowknife, who dwells in a tower on the town wall and always has at least a trio of apprentices. He’s content to make a good living tutoring every wealthy Waterdhavian youngster who dreams of becoming a great mage. The youthful duke, Pwyll Greatshout Daggerford, is seldom seen in town. He’s either out hunting or in the castle planning how to defend the land he has and enrich his family and his people by shrewd investments. There are recurring plans to dredge the river and make Daggerford an important harbour, but I suspect the duke, thinks there's no point in trying to compete with nearby Waterdeep.
There’s one tavern worthy of a visit, the Lady Luck,