Leilon

Leilon was a small mining town that served as a convenient resting place for weary travelers on the High Road along the Sword Coast between Neverwinter and Waterdeep. According to Volo, northerners generally pronounced it LIE-lon while non-locals who learned the name from a map typically chose one of the other possible pronunciations.

Description
The town contained many stone cottages with slate or thatched roofs, the latter covered with hardened mud. Leilon sat on the edge of a shallow mudflat that extended to the Sea of Swords with the crags of the Sword Mountains looming over the town.

Geography
Just to the south of Leilon was the Mere of Dead Men.

In the Sword Mountains east of Leilon was the dwarven hall of Southkrypt. It was a silver mine in centuries past but was abandoned and became the lair of monsters. Southkrypt belonged to a realm of seafaring dwarves whose symbol consisted of a star, a fish, and a mountain peak. That symbol was sometimes seen on stones that were salvaged and used as building material by the people of Leilon.

Government
Leilon was an ally of Waterdeep and a member in good standing with the Lords' Alliance, thanks to the efforts of its leader Lord Pelindar Filmarya.

Trade
Trade by sea was dangerous, as the method required to transfer cargo from ships at sea to the land through the shallow mudflats was perilous. A fleet of a dozen barges, magically warded against fire and rot, were poled out to meet the ships, whereupon cargo was transferred using rickety cranes that were impossible to use in high winds. Instead of relying on this form of trade, most of Leilon's imports came by caravan out of Waterdeep. Leilon's eastern mines contained copper, nickel, and silver that was sold to Waterdeep merchants.

Once a month (except during winter) a band of gnomes came to Leilon to engage in trade. They were from the gnome village of Ieirithymbul in the western Sword Mountains and were watched over by their protector, the gold dragon Palarandusk.

Defenses
Leilon did not have defensive walls, but instead had an earthen rampart with a wooden palisade and surrounding ditch. This protected it on the landward side except for the gateless entrance.

The Leilon military, known as the Lances of Leilon, consisted of a force of 200 mounted soldiers. Each was fully armed with sword, axe, knife, lance and a light crossbow that could be fired from horseback with great skill. They wore chain mail with shields strapped to their chests and backs. These warriors were always on patrol, vigilant against raids by orcs, trolls, bugbears, bandits, and pirates. They also placed heavy guard on the mines, upon which much of Leilon's economy depended.

History
Leilon's most defining landmark, the High Tower of Thalivar, was erected in the center of town by the wizard Thalivar sometime in the late 13 century DR, and was abandoned not long after when the wizard disappeared.

In the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR in the month of Kythorn, a patrol from Leilon secretly followed a band of lizardfolk from the Mere of Dead Men. They counted at least twenty of them including a shaman. The lizardfolk crossed the River Dessarin and continued east.

Also in 1358 DR in the month of Eleasis, twenty longships invaded Leilon. The raiders burned farms, stole livestock, and sank eight of the twelve barges. The Lances of Leilon inflicted heavy casualties and drove them off, but the raiders killed almost 200 townspeople and caused three months worth of Leilon's ore output to sink to the bottom of the ocean with the barges. None of the longships flew identifying colors, and magical interrogation of the dead provided several different answers including Luskan, Ruathym, Moonshae, and the Whalebones.

That same year, in the month of Eleint, Lord Piergeiron of Waterdeep withdrew his ambassadors from Luskan and Ruathym and demanded reparations for the attack on Leilon from the High Captains of Luskan.

The Spellplague of 1385 DR broke the magical wards of the High Tower of Thalivar and released all of its guardians, who then rampaged through the village. Any survivors that did not flee were then subject to the new magical forces from the tower that paralyzed all who looked upon it. Leilon was abandoned at this point and everyone on the High Road took a wide detour around its ruins to avoid the sight of the tower.

Following the Year the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance, 1485 DR, Lord Dagult Neverember wanted to support increased trade on the High Road to Neverwinter and ordered the High Tower of Thalivar be torn down. His forces were successful and Leilon's ruins began to be restored and repopulated. The new inhabitants all owed their allegiance to Neverwinter and its Lord.

In the early 1490s DR, great strides had been made to rebuild both the town and the High Tower of Thalivar, now known as the House of Thalivar. However, the source of the tower's magical power became the focus of a conflict between two cults, one dedicated to conquest in the name of Talos and the other dedicated to restoring the power of the dracolich Ebondeath for the glory of Myrkul. This reached a crescendo when the cults clashed with each other at the town in a three-way battle and siege known as the Battle of Leilon.

Notable Locations
As the town was abandoned and virtually destroyed during the Spellplague, the size and make up of the town was quite different once it was rebuilt in the late 15 century DR as compared to the 14 century DR. Some locations remained important across both iterations of Leilon:


 * The High Tower of Thalivar was a long abandoned wizard's tower located in the center of town, and was protected by a magical ward and deadly guardian monsters. It was torn down and subsequently rebuilt in the late 15 century DR.
 * The Mines of Leilon lay east of the town, and contained rich deposits of copper, nickel, and silver. They were heavily guarded by the Lances. The mountains were networked with many tunnels and shafts, some of which opened into the town itself.
 * Quayside was the town's harbor, which hosted mostly fishing boats and barges which could navigate the shallow mudflats. In the 15 century DR, Demelza Tackwind served as harbormaster.

Locations in the 14 Century DR

 * Inns and Taverns


 * The Knight's Goblet, often referred to as the Goblet, was a tavern which catered to travelers and was described by Volo as "clean, boring, and overpriced". The proprietor roasted whole boars in the taproom hearth and served large loaves of bread with large slabs of meat.
 * The Orc's Tusks: Referred to as the Tusks, this was the favored tavern of the locals. It was friendly, crowded, and cheap. The taproom was dominated by an orc skull with large tusks on which the patrons liked to hang various amusing items.
 * The Sword of Leilon inn was a virtual labyrinth of small rooms where guests often got lost and wandered by accident into other people's rooms. It was built on the site of an older inn where the defenders of Leilon would gather because of its large size. That earlier inn had burned down through misadventure, but the name of the newer one was a reminder of those former days of local glory.


 * Temples and Shrines


 * Lathander Shrine was a modest temple to the deity Lathander.
 * Tymora Shrine was a shrine to the goddess of luck, Tymora.
 * Tyr Shrine was a temple to Tyr, god of justice. It was built by Lord Pelindar and was the newest shrine in the town.


 * Other Locations


 * Manyclaws Alley was a dangerous place was thought to be haunted by the ghosts of some trolls, but in reality it was haunted by nine heucuva. The alley was all that remained of a temple to Loviatar that was demolished long ago. The undead guarded the treasure that was still buried beneath the alley in forgotten vaults, unknown by the people of Leilon.

Locations in the 15 Century DR

 * Inns and Taverns


 * The old Knight's Goblet tavern was rebuilt as an inn by Amrisiol Touchfire, and catered to wealthy travelers and visiting officials. Weapons were not permitted inside.
 * Umber Hulk's Shell Inn was the first inn to be built in the reclaimed town, and was a modest two-story building run by the local gossip, Alion Malwyn.


 * Shops and Stores


 * Aubrey's Peculiarities Shoppe sold trinkets and magic items. The proprietor was the ghost of Aubrey Silverspun, a member of the Swords of Leilon who had died during the Spellplague, and the shop only appeared for certain individuals.
 * The Barge Yard south of Quayside was a site where barges could be housed or rented for a steep fee. The gruff dwarven matron Rorsta Anvilhand served as the barge-master.
 * The Fishery was where local fisherfolk sold their catches and most business relating to selling or repairing fishing equipment took place. During the reconstruction efforts, the Fishery also served as a makeshift town hall in the evenings.
 * Torver's Post was the first general store to open during rebuilding efforts, and the proprietor, Jack Torver, was briefly one of the members of the town council.


 * Temples and Shrines


 * Lathander Shrine: The first religious site to be rebuilt and the primary location for healing and aid for the folk rebuilding the town. It was run by the halfling healer Merrygold Brightshine, who was one of the members of the town council.
 * Tymora Shrine: The second religious site to be built, although it was unclear whether it was at the same site as the original. The shrine's caretaker was a rambunctious elf named Puck Caribdas, who was also the resident potions seller.
 * Tyr Shrine: The third religious site to be rebuilt. It was run by a fiery dwarven priest named Vangol Kuskolt, who served as the newly rebuilt town's judge in legal disputes.


 * Other Locations


 * Idol Island sat out in the marshland just beyond Quayside, and was covered in ancient and mysterious ruins. The locals would hear ominous whispers from the island at night, and it was rumored that anyone brave enough to spend the night there would experience prophetic dreams.

Inhabitants
Leilon was the base of operations of the adventuring company known as the Swords of Leilon.

Rumors & Legends
Despite the high quality of law and order in the town, there had long been rumors of the Cult of the Dragon and the Zhentarim operating within the town walls. The presence of Zhent agents may have indicated an attempt to secure a trade route. There were also tales of local cults who worshiped undead wizards or spirits of the mines.

There was, in fact, a Dragon Cult cell in Leilon that had dealings with a black dragon living in the Mere of Dead Men named Voaraghamanthar.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Storm King's Thunder • Storm Lord's Wrath • Sleeping Dragon's Wake • Divine Contention
 * Lost Mine of Phandelver • Dragon of Icespire Peak
 * Video games
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir