DM Note: The campaign will begin in Fallcrest, so feel free to familiarize yourself with the following information. Fallcrest will be detailed more fully in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Note that my version of Fallcrest will be altered appropriately to fit into Erythea.

Map of Fallcrest

Ruler: Lord Warden Faren Markelhay
Who Really Rules: The Lord Warden, backed by the Red Dragons (also known as the Fallcrest Guard). The Lord Warden appoints a town council to look after routine commerce and public projects.
Population: 2,000, with an additional 900 in the surrounding hill country.
Defense: The Red Dragons consists of sixty well-trained warriors, who also serve as constables. Moonstone Keep is their barracks. The Lord Warden can call up 350 militia at need.
Resources & Exports: Timber, Leather, Wine, Fruit, Grain.
Races: Human 83%, Halflings 7%, Dwarves 5%, Elves 2%, Half-elves, 2%, others 1%.
Inns: The Old Nentir Inn; Silver Unicorn. The Silver Unicorn is pricier and offers better service; the Old Nentir Inn sees a more interesting clientele.
Taverns: Blue Moon Alehouse; Lucky Gnome Taphouse; Old Nentir Inn Taproom.
Supplies: Halfmoon Trading House; Sandercot Provisioners.
Temples: Temple of Erathis; Moonsong Temple (Sehanine, with shrines to Corellon, Melora, and Avandra); House of the Sun (Pelor); several shrines dedicated to the Old Faith can be found in the countryside.

Fallcrest stands amid the Moon Hills at the falls of the Nentir River. The surrounding ridges shelter several small valleys where farmers and woodsfolk live; few are more than six or seven miles from the town. The surrounding hills hold several mines and marble quarries that once produced a good deal of stone, but the realm has little demand for ornamental stone these days, and only a few stonecutters still practice their trade. 

The human noble Faren Markelhay is the Lord Warden (hereditary lord) of the town. He is in charge of the town’s justice, defense, and laws. Although the Markelhays were once strong supporters of House Felengar, a recent dispute over mining rights in the Cairn Mountains has spoiled this relationship. House Markelhay—and by association the town of Fallcrest—now struggles to remain neutral in the current conflict between King Relzan and King Tyrun.

History

Up until four centuries or so ago, the Moon Hills and the surrounding Nentir Vale were thinly settled borderlands, home to quarrelsome human hill-chieftains and remote realms of nonhumans such as dwarves and elves. Giants, minotaurs, orcs, ogres, and goblins plagued the area. 

With the rise of the Kingdom of Emerlene, humans began to settle the region, establishing towns such as Greenbridge, Three Towers, and Winterdale. A hero named Aranda Markelhay obtained a charter from King Aedmund II in AR 610 to build a keep at the portage of the Nentir Falls. She raised a simple tower at the site of Moonstone Keep, and under its protection the town of Fallcrest began to grow.

Over the next two centuries, Fallcrest grew into a small and prosperous city. It was a natural crossroads for trade, and the Markelhays ruled it well. When the Kingdom of Emerlene crumbled after the death of King Arthem in AR 822, Fallcrest continued to flourish—for a time.

Sixty years ago (AR 840), a fierce horde of orcs known as the Bloodspears descended from the Cairn Mountains and swept over the vale. Fallcrest’s army was defeated in a rash attempt to halt the Bloodspears out on Gardbury Downs. The Bloodspears burned and pillaged Fallcrest and went on to wreak havoc all across the Nentir Vale.

In the decades since the Bloodspear War, Fallcrest has struggled to reestablish itself. The town is a shadow of the former city; little trade through town these days. The countryside for scores of miles around is dotted with abandoned homesteads and manors from the glory days of old Emerlene. Once again the Nentir Vale is a thinly settled borderland where few folk live. This is a place in need of a few heroes.

Locations of Interest:

• 1. Tower of Waiting: This old fortification was built on a small island in the Nentir to guard the city from any waterborne attack from the sea (which lies 15 miles to the north). It fell into ruin even before the sack of the old city, and now is little more than an empty shell overrun by mice and birds.

• 2. The Quays: Boats arriving in fallcrest from upriver stop here and offload their cargo. A surly dwarf pugilist named Barstomun Strongbeard runs the porters’ guild, and he takes a cut of any wages paid to laborers carrying cargo.

• 3. Five-Arch Bridge: Dwarf artisans from Hammerfast built a fine stone bridge over the Nentir River 200 years ago. Although the bridge was destroyed when Fallcrest fell, the great stone piers supporting it remained intact, so a few years back the people of the town laid a new timber trestle over the old stone footings. A small toll house guards the western side of the bridge. Five Fallcrest guards under the command of Sergeant Thurmina watch this post. They collect a toll of 1 cp per head (and 1 sp per mount) making use of the bridge in either direction. The river current begins to pick up on the south side of the bridge. Boats (or swimmers) venturing far from the banks are in danger of being carried over the falls.

• 4. Old Nentir Inn: A fine new building constructed of fieldstone and strong timber, the Old Nentir Inn stands on the west bank of the river. A good room with two single beds goes for 5 sp per night. The Old Nentir Inn also boasts a lively taproom, which is popular with the folk who live in the vales on the west bank of the river. The proprietor is a charming half-elf named Erandil Zemoar who showed up in Fallcrest one day about two years ago, bought land, and built an inn.

• 5. Sea Gate: Fallcrest’s northern city gate is known as the Sea Gate, because it faces sea (even though the sea lies some 15 miles to the north). The gate consists of strong outer doors of iron-reinforced timber and an inner portcullis between a pair of small stone towers. The portcullis is normally lowered at sunset, and the gates close only in times of danger. The gatehouse barracks accommodates five Fallcrest guards plus Sergeant Nereth, who commands this gate.

• 6. Silver Unicorn Inn: For many years, the Silver Unicorn has billed itself as “the Pride of Fallcrest,” charging high rates for its attentive service and well-appointed rooms. The recent opening of the Old Nentir Inn put a big dent in the Silver Unicorn’s business, and the owner, a stern halfling matriarch named Wisara Osterman, strongly disapproves. A room in the Silver Unicorn costs 2 gp per night.

• 7. Halfmoon Trading House: The Halfmoon family is a large, far-flung clan of halflings who run the Halfmoon Trading Coster—a large trading concern based in Blackport, with tradehouses throughout Emerlene, Cedara, and Arthedain. The Fallcrest tradehouse is under the care of Selarund Halfmoon, a halfling of middling years and friendly disposition. The Halfmoon Trading House is an excellent place to buy any of the mundane tools, gear, supplies, or clothing mentioned in the Player’s Handbook.

• 8. Moonstone Keep: The seat of Lord Warden Faren Markelhay, Moonstone Keep is an old castle that sits atop a steep-sided hill overlooking the town. The outer bailey includes barracks housing 60 Fallcrest guards. At any given time about 20 or so are off-duty. Other buildings in the courtyard include a stable, an armory, a chapel to Sehanine, a smithy, and several storehouses. The keep is the large D-shaped building at the north end of the castle.

• 9. The Tombwood: Along the southern slopes of Moonstone Hill grows a large thicket that has never been entirely cleared. Within its tangled paths lies the old castle cemetery (now heavily overgrown), as well as a battle-mound dating back centuries. Most folk avoid this place.

• 10. House of the Sun: When Fallcrest was a larger city, it supported several good-sized temples located in the Hightown district. With the town’s depopulation, several of these were abandoned, including the House of the Sun, a temple dedicated to Pelor. Six months ago, a zealous dwarf priest of Pelor named Grundelmar came to Fallcrest from Hammerfast and reestablished this old temple. Grundelmar is loud and opinionated, a real fire-breather who goes on and on about smiting evil wherever it might lurk. The house of the Sun also includes shrines to Kord and Bahamut.

• 11. House Azaer: The Seven Moons Trading coster—a small, well-off trading company based out of Cairnhold—is owned by the tieflings of House Azaer. They import goods (including arms and armor) from Hammerfast, Blackport, and Cairnhold, and organize caravans to many of the smaller communities of eastern Emerlene. House Azaer is an excellent place to purchase nearly any mundane equipment from the Player’s Handbook, although its prices are a little on the high side (add 10% to the cost of all items). The striking, raven-haired Amara Azaer is in charge of the house business in Fallcrest.

• 12. Nentir Falls: Here the Nentir River descends nearly 200 feet in three striking shelf-like drops. On the small island in the middle of the falls stands the statue of an ancient human hero named Vendar, holding up his hand as if to challenge enemies approaching from downriver. Local legend tells that Vendar slew a dragon whose lair was hidden in caverns beneath the falls.

• 13. Temple of Erathis: This large, impressive stone temple is finished with Fallcrest’s native marble. Its chapel is a large rotunda with a 30-foot-tall dome. The temple of Erathis is the largest and most influential temple in town. The place also includes shrines to Ioun and Moradin. High Priestess Dirina Mornbrow oversees two lesser priests and several acolytes. Dirina is a woman of about sixty who is convinced of the superiority of Erathis’s dogma, and disappointed that more people in Fallcrest don’t pay proper reverence to “our city’s patron god.”

• 14. The Bluffs: Fallcrest is divided in half by a great cliff snaking northwest to southeast across the town. The bluffs average 150 to 250 feet in height. They are not strictly vertical, but are too tall and steep to be easily climbed.

• 15. The Catacombs: The limestone bluffs between Hightown and Lowtown hold a number of caves, which the folk of Fallcrest have used as burial crypts for centuries. As caves fill up, they are walled off and forgotten about. Naturally, stories abound in town about treasure hoards hidden away in the crypts, and the restless undead that guard them.

• 16. Moonsong Temple: The third of Fallcrest’s temples is devoted to Sehanine. The temple also includes shrines to Corellon, Melora, and Avandra. The Markelhays regard Sehanine as their special patron, and over the years they have given generously to the temple. The temple occupies a commanding position atop the bluffs, and its white minarets can be seen from any corner of Lowtown. The leader of the temple is High Priest Ressilmae Starlight, a wise and compassionate elf who finished adventuring decades ago and retired to a contemplative life. He is a musician of great skill who happily tutors the local children, even those who are poor and can’t afford to pay for their lessons.

• 17. Fallcrest Stables: Lannar Thistleton owns this business, providing travelers with tack, harness, stabling, shoeing, wagons, and just about anything dealing with horses, mules, or ponies. He keeps a larger corral at his farm about a mile outside of town, and at any given time Lannar has several riding horses, draft horses, or mules in his paddock near Wizard’s Gate. The halfling is a friendly fellow of about 50, with a large brood of children at his farm out in the countryside.

• 18. Wizard's Gate: Fallcrest’s eastern city gate is known as Wizard’s Gate, because it’s the gate most convenient to the Septarch’s Tower (location 22). The road to the east travels a few miles into the surrounding hills, linking a number of outlying farms and homesteads with the town. The gate resembles Knight’s Gate in construction, and is similarly watched by a detachment of five guards and a sergeant. The leader of this detachment is Sergeant Murgeddin, a one-armed dwarf veteran who fought in the Bloodspear War and was present at the Battle of Gardbury, where Fallcrest’s army was defeated.

• 19. Naerumar's Imports - Considered the finest of Fallcrest’s retail establishments, Naerumar’s Imports deals in gemstones, jewelry, art, and magic trinkets. The owner is Orest Naerumar, a tiefling who displays impeccable manners and discretion. Orest corresponds with relatives and colleagues in several towns and cities outside the Nentir Vale; given a few weeks, he can order in low-level magic items or other items of unusual value. Similarly, Orest purchases interesting items such as these, since other dealers in distant towns or cities might be looking for them. Orest doesn’t ask questions about where characters in his store found the goods they’re selling to him, but he is not a fence—if he knows that something was obtained illegally, he declines to purchase it.

• 20. Kamroth Estate: This is the home of the self-styled “lord” Armos Kamroth, a wealthy landowner who collects rents from scores of farmers and herders living in the countryside nearby. Armos is a brusque, balding man of about 50 who makes a show of loaning money in good faith and exacting only what the law allows—though somehow he has quietly bought up dozens of free farms over the years and turned their owners into his tenants.

• 21. Moonwash Falls:  A small, swift stream known as the Moonwash flows through Fallcrest to meet the Nentir River. The stream is rarely more than 20 feet wide or 5 feet deep. The town’s children love to play in the pool at the base of the falls in the summertime.

• 22. Septarch's Tower: This lonely structure is a tall, seven-sided spire of pale green stone that doesn’t match anything else in the town. In the days before the Bloodspear War, this was the seat of Fallcrest’s mages’ guild—an order of a dozen or so wizards and arcane scholars. Defensive enchantments prevented the orcs from sacking the tower, but the guild’s members died fighting for the city or fled to safer lands. The tower is now the property of Nimozaran the Green, an elderly wizard who was once apprenticed to the last of the old guild mages.

• 23. Blue Moon Alehouse - This brewhouse on the banks of the Moonwash Stream is the best tavern in Fallcrest. The owner is a nervous, easily flustered fellow of fifty or so named Par Winnomer. The true genius behind the Blue Moon is the halfling brewmaster Kemara Brownbottle. She is happy to let Par fret about running the taphouse, while she spends her time perfecting her selection of ales and beers. The Blue Moon is popular with halfling traders whose boats tie up along the Lower Quay, well-off town merchants, and the farmers who live in the countryside.

• 24. Teldorthan's Arms: The dwarf Teldorthan Ironhews is the town’s weaponsmith and armorer. He is a garrulous old fellow who spends his time trading stories with his customers with a pipe clenched in his teeth, while his apprentices (two of whom are his sons) do the work. Make no mistake—Teldorthan is a master armorer, and under his supervision his apprentices turn out work of exceptional quality. Teldorthan has in stock (or can soon manufacture) just about any mundane weapon or armor found in the Player’s Handbook, although he advises beginners to try a hammer: “If you can drive a nail, you can kill an orc! You can drive a nail, can’t you?”

• 25. South Gate: Fallcrest’s southern gate was destroyed in the attack that devastated the city long ago, and it still has not been entirely rebuilt. One of the two paired towers is nothing but rubble, and several large gaps remain in the town walls south of the bluffs through which anyone could enter the city. Despite its lack of functionality, the South Gate is still used as a guardpost by the Fallcrest guards. Sergeant Gerdrand is in charge here; he is a tall, lanky man who doesn’t say much, answering questions with a grunt or a shake of the head.

• 26. The Market Green: The majority of Fallcrest’s folk live above the bluffs in Hightown and walk down to do business on the streets of Lowtown, which bustle with commerce. This wide square is an open, grassy meadow where Fallcrest’s merchants and visiting traders do business in good weather. The town’s children gather here for games of tag or kick-stones.

• 27. Sandercot Provisions: The largest general store in Fallcrest, Sandercot’s deals in just about anything—food, clothing, stores, rope, tools, gear, leather goods, and more. Compared to the Halfmoon Trading House, Sandercot’s has slightly cheaper prices but goods of somewhat lower quality (prices are 10% less, but are poor quality and tend to break easily). The owner is Nimena Sandercot, the widow of the late and unlamented Marken Sandercot.

• 28. Lucky Gnome Taphouse: The Lucky Gnome is widely regarded as the cheapest and coarsest of Fallcrest’s drinking establishments. It caters to the porters and laborers who work the nearby docks, and fistfights are a nightly occurrence. The owner of the Lucky Gnome is an unsavory character named Kelson who is rumored to have ties to the River Rats, a small street gang that plagues Lowtown.

• 29. Tenement Houses: These four wooden, three-story buildings are home many of Lowtown's commonfolk. The apartments are small and rather squalid, but the rent is cheap (1 sp per month). All four are owned by Armos Kamroth (location 20).

• 30. Harenval's Tower: This former guard tower on the west bank of the Nentir River was claimed by the famous adventurer-sage Harenval some 30 years ago. Here the old sage passes his time writing his memoirs and raising spiretop drakes—much to the dismay of neighboring farmers who complain the creatures raid their chicken coops on a  regular basis. Though venerable and slightly senile, Harenval remains a friendly and whimsical personality.

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