Surd

Surd was a small agricultural town in the eastern edges of Sembia several miles away inland from the Dragon Reach.

Government
The town of Surd followed the greater laws of Sembia. The town held strict laws regarding banditry. All highwaymen caught in the act, especially those who preyed on merchants and caravans, were swiftly convicted and executed by hanging.

Trade
Trade traffic moved between Selgaunt and towns of Ordulin, Surd, and Tulbegh along Rauthauvyr's Road and entered the capital through its North Gate. Ordulin was connected with Surd through Taela's Trail, while the Coastwatch connected Surd with the towns of Yhaunn and Tulbegh. Because of its position, Surd was a busy merchant caravan stop.

Along with Tulbegh, Surd supported fishing communities that sprang along the Dragon Reach on the rich and flat shores that made the region's development an easy task. However, that flat land made the lands around Surd and its neighbors quite unscenic.

History
Sometime before the, Tyranthraxus, the Possessing Spirit, sent his spies and assassins to Surd in search of powerful ioun stones. His agents returned empty-handed after scouring through Surd and entire Sembia.

Circa the, then 20-year-old Artus Cimber braved the tunnels underneath Surd, infiltrating the town's prison to rescue Scoril Cimber, his renowned highwayman father. Not their first jailbreak, Artus freed his father before he was executed for his crimes against Sembia.

Circa the, a suspicious merchant arrived in Surd after making stops in Yhaunn and Tulbegh. The man came selling exquisite pieces of authentic sahuagin jewelry and art, including a dwarf-sized stature. The man claimed to be on a mission to share the "beauty of the sea" with the poorer coastal communities. He was selling his art for a stunningly low price. However, soon after he left Surd, its inhabitants discovered that an angry sahuagin tribe was searching for their stolen valuables. The identity of the shady merchant remained unknown, but the coastal cities of Surd and Tulbegh offered a reward for capturing the man whose appearance was likely a magical illusion created by an enchanted ring. Some believed that this stolen jewelry sale was an intentionally malicious act aimed at stressing the relationship between human and sahuagin communities of the Dragon Reach.

Sometime in the mid-to-late 14 century DR, a reclusive wizard Rallowglass Hynraun, inventor of several enchanted staves, was murdered, and his tower was ransacked and broken out of. Some said a mysterious being summoned by the wizard or something magically animated by him slew Rallowglass and got away with vandalizing his home and stealing his research. One particularly outrageous rumor claimed it was a tarrasque. However, no sage agreed that such a beast would ever be interested in stealing rings, scrolls, wands, potions, and other magical miscellanies. One thing was known for sure, and the killer stone had enough magic that it could easily hide in plain sight and strike again. Several well-known wizards of Sembia inspected the ransacked tower. Still, locals claimed that these wizards were looking for a hint on a hidden stash or a secret refuge of Rallowglass Hynraun's, somewhere on Faerûn, or even in the planes. The kill was sure to attack again if that secret refuge was ever to be uncovered.

During the Sembian civil war that followed the return of Thultanthar of the nobles of Surd, Yhaunn, Tulbeg, and Ornstar, attended the moot in the city of Ordulin in regarding the looming war.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Pool of Radiance &bull; Ring of Winter &bull; The Halls of Stormweather &bull; Shadowbred
 * Pool of Radiance &bull; Ring of Winter &bull; The Halls of Stormweather &bull; Shadowbred