Whitehorn

Whitehorn, named for the nearby sharp, snow-covered crags, was a frontier trading and resupply town for prospectors, miners, and woodcutters north of the Moonsea and west of the Ride.

Description
It was an unwalled town that began as a temple-farm dedicated Chauntea called the Favored Fields of Chauntea, before it grew and was settled by smithies and toolmakers and repairers. The muddy streets were lined with stone cottage buildings and there were dozens of wells.

Government
Whitehorn was governed by a merchant council who elected a Steward to act as the local magister and to read the council's public decrees. The government levied a 1 sp "gate tax" on all departing wagons to fund the militia and an annual 2 gp "hearth tax" on all households, and an annual 4 gp tax on inns, taverns, and smithies to fund the government's works.

The town was represented by a red banner that symbolized the red blood of the orcs who attacked the town. A white triangle on the banner symbolized Old Jaw, the tallest crag in the center of the town.

Defenses
The town was under constant threat of orc attack. It was defended by steep earthwork fortifications and has a standing militia. In the mid-1300s DR, a palisade, drawbridge, and spiked pit traps were added. Helmwatch House, a fortified temple and lookout tower atop Old Jaw, was home to clerics of Helm, whose worshipers and priests helped keep order by patrolling the streets and they helped defend the town. In 1390 DR, ballistae were installed atop the tower.

Inhabitants

 * The Askel family were notable residents of Whitehorn and seven generations of the family ran the local tannery.

Notable Locations

 * The Favored Fields of Chauntea where Whitehorn was built rested in a valley between three mountain peaks. Volcanic rifts in the Underdark beneath the town warmed the area beneath the three peaks of the town.
 * The Bright Shield, a well-regarded eatery of simple fare during the day that also served as a festhall at night.
 * The Bowshot Moon, a cozy and rustic tavern and the nicer of the two taverns in Whitehorn.
 * The Seven Split Skulls, a cheap tavern with poor accommodations that hosted fights.
 * The Storm Archer, a high-quality inn known to be the most luxurious inn north of the Moonsea other than the finer establishments of Zhentil Keep itself. The rooms were heated by fireplaces and the inn offered heated baths.
 * Graelhund's Warm Rest, a quiet inn with moderate accommodations. It didn't offer fine accommodation like the Storm Archer, but it was clean and well-maintained unlike Blacktusk's Lair.
 * Blacktusk's Lair was the cheapest inn in Whitehorn. The rooms were small and mice-ridden.
 * Askel's Leatherworks, a reeking tannery that was located a mile downwind of Whitehorn. The tannery supplied boots, belts, weathercloaks, tack, and leather armor.