Feb 3, 2018 1:50 am
The adventure begins in the Dessarin Valley, a lightly settled region of caravan towns, isolated homesteads, and uninhabited wilderness just a week’s journey from Waterdeep. Nothing of note to the wider world has happened here for hundreds of years.The frontier long ago receded farther northward, leaving behind a quiet backwater littered with ruins. These days, the Dessarin Valley has little in common with the popular conception of the Savage Frontier. Winters are hard here, but the hordes of orcs and other hungry monsters are a long way off from these parts.
If the Dessarin Valley isn’t quite as wild and lawless as it once was, it’s still lightly settled territory that serves as a route to distant lands. Residents in places such as Red Larch or Triboar boast that their humble settlements are "the Gateway to the North." Through these lands pass hundreds of caravans and keelboats each year, linking the great ports of Waterdeep and Neverwinter with places such as Everlund, Mirabar, or Silverymoon. The steady caravan traffic breathes life into the towns of this area, supporting businesses in the settlements along the Long Road. Inns cater to travelers anxious to sleep safely within sturdy walls and enjoy good food by a warm fire instead of camping by the side of the road.
In addition to catering to caravans and travelers heading to or from the far North, the Dessarin Valley is a breadbasket for the hungry populations of Waterdeep and Neverwinter. The farms and pastures of the area produce grain, livestock, poultry, apples, and hops, then ship them downriver (or drive them down the Long Road) to the coast. Few people become rich from farming, but farmers in the region do well for themselves provided the weather cooperates. (That’s one reason why the unusual weather lately has been a concern.)
Swinging Sword. The inn is a three-story stone structure, crowned by a steep slate roof that bristles with many chimneys. A signboard juts out over the door, hanging from chains. It’s a ten-foot-long carved wooden scimitar emblazoned with the inn’s name in red paint on both sides. An inn yard with stables and outbuildings lies behind the building.The Swinging Sword is welcoming and luxurious by the area’s rustic standards. Each room boasts a hearth, warm draperies and tapestries, and running water (provided by rooftop cisterns). Now run by the Irkell family from Waterdeep, the inn has become a popular stopover for wayfarers in the Dessarin Valley. The topmost guest floor is given over to dormitories where travelers can "sleep cheap" in rooms shared with up to six guests, but the lower floors are divided into pleasant suites of guest rooms, each with its own garderobe. There’s also a dining room on the ground floor. The Sword has one recurring problem: kitchen fires. The one-story kitchen annex at the back of the inn, currently out of commission, was initially built with poorly drawing chimneys. Right now, cooking is rudimentary and done out in the yard, on grills flanking the bread ovens. The dining room is mainly used for drinking, with "the Helm" (the tavern across the road) currently providing the best meals in town travelers can easily buy. While the Helm at Highsun is the place to hear Red Larchers unwind, the Swinging Sword is the polite social hub and neutral meeting ground of Red Larch.
The proprietor of the Swinging Sword is Kaylessa Irkell (female Illuskan human). She is the fortyish matriarch of her family and a pleasant, sturdy woman. She is increasingly worried about "what’s gathering in the dark" in Red Larch and brings up her concerns with any likely adventurer looking types who stop by. Kaylessa’s staff are uniformly attentive and good at their work, including: Ghileeda (female Tethyrian human), a maid, and the one-eyed stablemaster Iraun Thelder (male Tethyrian human), a onetime mercenary warrior.
You've each arrived for reasons of your own, and find yourselves all patrons of the Swinging Sword inn. It is breakfast time and Kaylessa has apologetically made bread, butter, apple honey, and tea available, along with a tray of relatively fresh fruit. A few of the other patrons, mostly merchants heading empty to the farmlands from Waterdeep, are engaged in some Waterdhavian gossip of no interest to anyone. The six of you find yourselves sitting at the large table in the center, perhaps wondering if you should sneak over to the Helm for more substantial fare, regardless of the more pleasant environment here.
If the Dessarin Valley isn’t quite as wild and lawless as it once was, it’s still lightly settled territory that serves as a route to distant lands. Residents in places such as Red Larch or Triboar boast that their humble settlements are "the Gateway to the North." Through these lands pass hundreds of caravans and keelboats each year, linking the great ports of Waterdeep and Neverwinter with places such as Everlund, Mirabar, or Silverymoon. The steady caravan traffic breathes life into the towns of this area, supporting businesses in the settlements along the Long Road. Inns cater to travelers anxious to sleep safely within sturdy walls and enjoy good food by a warm fire instead of camping by the side of the road.
In addition to catering to caravans and travelers heading to or from the far North, the Dessarin Valley is a breadbasket for the hungry populations of Waterdeep and Neverwinter. The farms and pastures of the area produce grain, livestock, poultry, apples, and hops, then ship them downriver (or drive them down the Long Road) to the coast. Few people become rich from farming, but farmers in the region do well for themselves provided the weather cooperates. (That’s one reason why the unusual weather lately has been a concern.)
Swinging Sword. The inn is a three-story stone structure, crowned by a steep slate roof that bristles with many chimneys. A signboard juts out over the door, hanging from chains. It’s a ten-foot-long carved wooden scimitar emblazoned with the inn’s name in red paint on both sides. An inn yard with stables and outbuildings lies behind the building.The Swinging Sword is welcoming and luxurious by the area’s rustic standards. Each room boasts a hearth, warm draperies and tapestries, and running water (provided by rooftop cisterns). Now run by the Irkell family from Waterdeep, the inn has become a popular stopover for wayfarers in the Dessarin Valley. The topmost guest floor is given over to dormitories where travelers can "sleep cheap" in rooms shared with up to six guests, but the lower floors are divided into pleasant suites of guest rooms, each with its own garderobe. There’s also a dining room on the ground floor. The Sword has one recurring problem: kitchen fires. The one-story kitchen annex at the back of the inn, currently out of commission, was initially built with poorly drawing chimneys. Right now, cooking is rudimentary and done out in the yard, on grills flanking the bread ovens. The dining room is mainly used for drinking, with "the Helm" (the tavern across the road) currently providing the best meals in town travelers can easily buy. While the Helm at Highsun is the place to hear Red Larchers unwind, the Swinging Sword is the polite social hub and neutral meeting ground of Red Larch.
The proprietor of the Swinging Sword is Kaylessa Irkell (female Illuskan human). She is the fortyish matriarch of her family and a pleasant, sturdy woman. She is increasingly worried about "what’s gathering in the dark" in Red Larch and brings up her concerns with any likely adventurer looking types who stop by. Kaylessa’s staff are uniformly attentive and good at their work, including: Ghileeda (female Tethyrian human), a maid, and the one-eyed stablemaster Iraun Thelder (male Tethyrian human), a onetime mercenary warrior.
You've each arrived for reasons of your own, and find yourselves all patrons of the Swinging Sword inn. It is breakfast time and Kaylessa has apologetically made bread, butter, apple honey, and tea available, along with a tray of relatively fresh fruit. A few of the other patrons, mostly merchants heading empty to the farmlands from Waterdeep, are engaged in some Waterdhavian gossip of no interest to anyone. The six of you find yourselves sitting at the large table in the center, perhaps wondering if you should sneak over to the Helm for more substantial fare, regardless of the more pleasant environment here.
