Starfall Pool

Starfall Pool was a secluded glade in the Moonwood, named after the tiny pond near its center. By the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, it was made famous throughout Luruar by the "Ballad of Starfall Pool".

Geography
Starfall Pool was almost due north from the Hunter's Gate of Silverymoon about 50 miles (80 kilometers). Upon reaching the verge of the forest, it was about another mile (1.6 km) into the trees. No obvious paths led to the glade because the Harpers who tended it were careful to use different approaches each time they visited. However, if the sun was shining, the clearing stood out as a bright spot in the otherwise gloomy forest.

Topographical Features
The Moonwood contained old oak trees mixed with relatively younger maple and duskwood trees vying for space. The climate was cold and damp most of the non-winter months and mists often rose at dawn and dusk. The Starfall Pool glade had one enormous oak tree that stood near the center, shading the ferns, moss, and grasses that covered the open ground. Just to one side of the base of the oak was a ring of stones that were once the foundation for a tower, known as Northwind Keep, but several of the stones were missing. The sixteen remaining large-chest–sized blocks were overgrown with moss and somewhat hidden by ferns and tall grass, but they guarded a square, stone-lined cellar about 6 by 6 feet (1.8 by 1.8 meters) and 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep. Strewn about the ruin and the glade were dozens of smaller stones, typically a bit larger than a human fist. The Harpers used these rocks to leave messages to one another by scratching a trail-rune or a cryptic message on the surface. Typically, the message-bearing rock would be hidden and its location indicated by the positions of other key stones.

Down a little slope from the tree was the small pond that gave the glade its name, Starfall Pool. The water was slightly acidic, but clear of scum and floating plants, and quite drinkable. The moss-covered banks were home to small frogs that serenaded the forest with trilling calls. The bed of the pond was solid rock, nearly featureless, and easily visible through the brilliant water.



Magical Features
The peaceful glade had an unusual "resident"&mdash;a large, silent, floating, illusory shield. It was always positioned upright, as if being wielded, and usually hovered about seven feet (2.1 meters) above the ground. It tended to remain stationary for long periods of time, but it moved throughout the glade with no apparent pattern. Reports indicated it either glided from point to point, or disappeared and reappeared in a new location. The finely wrought shield bore a rune or a heraldic device that was indelicately described as "a crowned fishhook", but its meaning was lost to the authorities on such things.

There were two portals in the immediate area; one was about 30 ft (9.1 m) above the stone ring, located where the second or third floor of Northwind Keep used to be, and the other was in the Starfall Pool itself. The portal in the air had at least three destinations, the main one being a room in a stone house located in the oldest part of Silverymoon, owned by the Harpers. The other two known terminus points were the Stone Bridge near Red Larch and a barren hilltop a short ride north of Secomber. Of the portal in the pond, it required beings to submerge themselves in the water and then utter some trigger words. About its destination, Elminster said only "more than one dragon waits at the other end", and recommended that all who stepped into the Pool for this purpose have their worldly affairs in order, so as not to inconvenience those they left behind.

Some of the larger stones in the grove concealed storage or hiding places for small items. These caches were lined with more stones, and at one time contained minor treasures from Northwind Keep. One particular niche, about one foot wide by four feet deep (30 cm by 120 cm), repaired broken objects placed inside, as governed by the constraints of a make whole spell.

Inhabitants
The huge oak tree that dominated the Starfall Pool grove was the home of the dryad Olsheirie. Olsheirie was not her real name, but once the ballad became popular, most everyone called her by the name in the song, and she answered to it if visitors were friendly. She remained hidden if intruders appeared unfriendly, but would emerge unbidden if she recognized a friendly Harper, even if they were accompanied by a stranger.

Defenses
Olsheirie was the only immediate protection for the grove, but she had some magic items hidden under her tree that could be used in dire circumstances. The Harpers also gave her a device that allowed her to cast sending whenever she wished to call for help. Harpers that rushed to her defense via the portal would appear in mid-air and fall unless they made special preparations. Olsheirie had a collapsible platform on a tripod of long poles that she positioned so her allies stepped out safely. She kept this contraption high in her tree and was quite adept at deploying it with a single throw.

Known only to a handful of beings, the floating shield could be used to call forth various magical attacks upon foes within range of the shield. The illusory shield was an intangible manifestation of a real magical shield that existed in a sealed cavern not too far away. As the real shield moved, so did the illusion. The cave also contained some magic ranged weapons and, knowing the proper command words, a person could cause a discharge of one or more of those weapons to emit from the illusory shield at targets they designated.

History
Northwind Keep was built sometime around the Year of the Child's Trinket, 970 DR, as an outpost and shelter against incursions by orcs. The tower stood for perhaps a hundred years before it was almost completely destroyed, leaving behind a partial cellar, some scattered stones, and a portal suspended in midair.

The Harpers used Starfall Pool as a meeting place and a message drop. They would clean and repair things as directed by Olsheirie, or bring in druids to heal more severe damage to her oak or the natural beauty of the place. Friendly visitors could rest easy in the glade because they knew Olsheirie would warn them of any approaching danger.

Rumors & Legends
Aside from all the fanciful stories that were described in various versions of the ballad, Starfall Pool was the subject of much rumor and speculation, mostly about the floating shield. Some said the spirit of a man was trapped in the shield by an evil sorcerer and it wandered about, hoping to be released. Other theories posited that the shield marked a tomb, or was the remnant of a warding spell cast long ago. A number of people tried talking to the shield, hoping to hit upon the right words that would cause the shield to reveal a large cache of magical weapons. The rumor that said the illusory shield mimicked a real shield hidden in a cavern somewhere was true, but very few people could verify the veracity of this rumor, and they were not inclined to do so. Olsheirie had little to say about it, denying any knowledge about the shield except that it had "always been here", even before her earliest memories.

Lost treasures of Northwind Keep were also the subject of emphatic fireside stories. Because of this, every stone in the old cellar was removed at various points in time, even multiple times, in the hopes of finding a hidden cache. Nothing was ever found, but the Harpers dutifully restored the cellar walls each time it happened, which led to more rumors about ghosts or enchantments around the place.

The existence of a portal at treetop level was also grist for tavern tales. All aspects of the portal were the subject of speculation, including its destination(s) and if it was safe or not.