Deadsnows

Deadsnows was a large village located on the northern edge of the Nether Mountains in the Old Delzoun region of Luruar. It experienced a great boon, with throngs of visitors and travelers thanks to a gold rush, until the 1385 DR when it was destroyed in the Spellplague. By the late 1480s or early 1490s DR, the town was active again, but lacked leadership.

Before its destruction, Deadsnows was the smallest member of the confederacy of the Silver Marches and would not have normally been accepted as a signatory unless as a vassal to a larger city. Due to the request of Lady Arletha Icespear it was allowed to join and garner the league's protection, though without a seat on the council.

Description
Deadsnows had a fairly ordinary layout; its 200 or so wooden buildings were encircled by a stone wall, that was in need of some repairs.

Inhabitants
Although the town often seemed to be bursting at the seems with travelers looking to find fortune, it was fairly well-regulated by Lady Icespear. The chaos, which often included disorderly conduct or public drunkenness, was kept to a minimum by the local militia, led by the Captain of the Watch, Mannock.

Geography
Deadsnows was nestled in the eponymous Deadsnows Vale, on the northern side of the Raurin mountains in Old Delzoun. The village was connected via a trail to the Fork Road, just south of the Ironhand Mines.

Just west of the town was the Icespear Stream and beyond them, to the northwest, were the upland pastures an area of the valleys walls used to herd livestock. This pastoral display was shadowed by rocky crags of the Nether Mountains south of the town.

Landmarks

 * Hospice of Marthammor:
 * A sanctuary for travelers just run by dwarves who venerated Marthammor Duin.


 * Icespear House:
 * Home to the Icespear family for generations, this stone and wood mansion served as the hub through which Lady Icespear conducted her diplomatic business with outsiders. It was protected by the Lady's Guard, a group of hired soldiers led by Catain Rivha Stormevik.


 * Snowtown:
 * This seasonal collective of merchants, miners, prospectors and travelers would spring up outside the northwestern walls of Deadsnows during the warmer months of the year.


 * Upland pastures:
 * The elevated grasslands of the valley were used by the town's herders and shepherds to raise livestock such as sheep and goats. In 1372 the pastures were preyed up by a pair of wyverns.

Inns and taverns

 * Blazon:
 * An overpriced tavern owned by the shrewd businessman Lonnor. It was mostly patroned by town locals who sought refuge from the crowds brought in by the gold rush.


 * Vandarhouse:
 * Located in northern part of Snowtown, this simple barn was run by an inn by itshalf-orc proprietress, Vandar. It's "tavern" consisted of a tent from which the cheapest ale was dispensed.


 * Rose and Hammer:
 * The only actual inn within the walls of the village. It had twelve private rooms and a common dormitory that could house twenty. It was run by a woman named Rose and her husband Hedrick "Hammer" Torlund.

Shops

 * Haskar's shop:
 * An outfitter's shop, run by Haskar Riverside, that catered to hunters, lumberers and of course the throngs of prospectors and miners that came to Deadsnows en masse to find their fortune.


 * Morwenna's shop:
 * This local apothecary was was passed down to the herbalist Morwenna Dresdtinn by her father some time before the Time of Troubles. Morwenna was skilled at her craft and provided a variety of herbal cures, as well as potions, for her patrons.

Temples

 * The Morning Watchtower:
 * A converted watchtower that became a temple of Lathander, led by Morninglord, Ashar the Humble.

History
Originally a keep for a human lord who desired his own kingdom, his dream was shattered before it had ever really started. He died in the Battle of Deadsnows, a minor skirmish with some of the countless orc raiders that continually plagued his designs. Two religious groups, the dwarves of Marthammor Duin and human worshipers of Lathander, eventually settled here, building impressive temples to each of their respective deities.

In Eleint, 1372 DR, during the winter melt a hunter was filling his waterskin at a swollen river 3 miles (4.8 km) from the village when he noticed the water contained tiny golden flecks. He returned and began to prospect, discovering to his joy that there was indeed gold to be found. Word spread around the village and beyond. Within a couple of months, 300 dwarves, elves, humans and halflings had flocked to the village, looking to mine the gold themselves or hawk their wares to said miners. A few also arrived for more nefarious ends, to sell illegal items or to steal.

This sudden influx of people taxed the village to it's limit and it looked like this would continue until the gold ran out. A large grouping of makeshift camps, ramshackle buildings and tents would appear during the warm months of the next few years. This shantytown came to be called Snowntown as it was expected to cease in autumn when the first snows would fall.

Post-Spellplague
In 1385 DR, the Spellplague destroyed the buildings and fields of the village, forcing the survivors to flee. Only the shell and foundation of the Icespear House and the ruins of The Rose and Hammer remained as evidence of the town that was.

Deadsnows still drew visitors however - rumors abounded in Sundabar that a powerful group of adventurers who had settled in the town, the Brotherhood of the Moon, were unable to retrieve the majority of their collected treasure when the Spellplague struck. Treasure hunters scoured the area for hidden caches for decades afterwards.

In the 15 century DR, an orc bandit named Histarack discovered the Brotherhood's treasures. He then spread rumors that a new pocket of active blue fire had erupted in the area to keep the scavengers away. However, the story only served to garner the attention of the Order of Blue Fire who sent envoys to investigate the town's ruins and reveal the hoax for what it was.

By the late 1480s or 1490s DR the town had been revived and repopulated.

During the War of the Silver Marches, Lord Delvon Icespear was killed without an heir, leaving the town leaderless for some time.