Mornbryn's Shield

Mornbryn's Shield was a village on the north bank of the River Surbrin and the Laughingflow in the Savage Frontier. The hamlet was named for the ranger Mornbryn and its location—the village sat on a natural rampart enclosing the west and south sides of the settlement.

Description
The Shield hamlet was a small settlement of about thirty buildings made of stone. The layout of the village was guided by the meeting rivers into a triangular shape. The namesake ridge elevated the houses up around 30 ft. above the seasonally flooding rivers' water level. The Shield ridge itself rose 20 more ft. up above the ground on the opposite side from the rivers. That part of the elevation was chiseled away to make way for a walkway into the hamlet with a rampart guarding it.

A small stone keep with a round garden of damaged planted trees was located on the north-east of the village. The garden was an old shrine to Mielikki. The keep was the center of the town's militia and its armory. The keep housed fire-loaded catapults, fire pot missiles, and up to 250 full plate armor sets.

The keep was magically protected by a shroud of mist with fourteen helmed horrors ready to attack anyone not carrying a ward token.

Geography
Mornbryn's Shield was located in the wet and humid climate of the edge of the Evermoors, with the ridge that was one of the hamlet's namesakes protecting it from the spring floods of rivers Surbrin and Laughingflow.

Apart from the lost treasures of gems, coins, and magic items, the rocks of the Mornbryn's Shield were rich with durneth, a very rare weighty, and dense stone that was known among dwarves for its ability to conceal magical aura.

Inhabitants
Mornbryn's Shield was home to the hardy folk who weathered the dangers and weather of Evermoors on a daily basis. The dangers included bone-chilling humid winds and damp fogs with hungry trolls lurking hidden from view. The fog, humidity, and winds often dulled and extinguished the fires and torches that scared the trolls away.

Even with all the dangers, the inhabitants of the Mornbryn's Shield were nothing but shepherds, fishers, and moss farmers, the main export for the village.

The wet climate of the area also supported vegetable growth, providing the locals with food, and the mossy pastures were used to breed tough ponies for the locals to use in everyday tasks.

Trade
The main export of Mornbryn's Shield was the Shield moss that was cultivated and grown by the folk of the hamlet. The moss possessed medicinal properties, was used as a secret ingredient among perfume makers of Amn and Waterdeep, and was consumed as a fashionable dish among the nobility of Calimshan, Waterdeep, and Tethyr.

The traders often arrived at Mornbryn's Shield on barges and boats, purchasing a vehicle-full of Shield moss.

The shrine of Mielikki attracted many of the rangers of the North to travel on a pilgrimage to the damp hamlet of Mornbryn's Shield.

History
The famous ranger Mornbryn was active in the North circa 965 DR. According to the local legend, after his death, he was buried in the underground tomb somewhere under the Mornbryn's Shield and its area. His tomb was rumored to hold all of the rewards he refused to accept in life, that adoring people left with his body to be talked to the afterlife.

A few weeks after Triboar was assaulted by fire giants and their minions, four of their kind walked through town, causing a small amount of property damage.

Zhentarim agents spun this happenstance as a grave assault on the village and its citizens. Their mercenary leader, Oboth Thornsteel used the Troll in Flames as the headquarters for their operations. While they arrived as "peacekeepers" they proved to be quite intrusive and spent most of their time seeking out the fabled tomb of Mornbyrn.

Notable Locations

 * Shops
 * Caldreth's Cobbling - Caldreth Wyvernlyng's store where he crafted and sold boots, cloaks, and his pride - the water-proof waxed river-waders.


 * Taverns and inns
 * Maid of the Moors - Beldora Thiiruin's restaurant, known for being a happy place. The restaurant served a small but hearty menu.
 * Troll in Flames - the closest thing to an inn a traveler could hope for in a tiny hamlet. The Troll had only four rooms they rented out to travelers and merchants. The inn did have a limited selection of brew and ales as well as a one-item meal menu.

Rumors and Legends

 * Legends placed Mornbryn's tomb somewhere in the village Mornbryn's Shield or its surrounding rocky areas. The tomb was an underground complex of rooms filled with the treasures of the legendary hero. Even though some claimed the tomb was found long ago with Mornbryn's Shield built around it to secure the tomb from plunderers, others said the treasures were still undiscovered.


 * Many ranger pilgrims left their tributes on the tree shrine of Mielikki but the mysteriously disappeared the following day. The locals whispered about the Sisters Who Serve who arrived in the night to take the tributes away. It was unknown who the "sisters" were or where they tributes went. Elminster claimed that the legend was nothing more but melodrama, the "sisters" being human rangers and the gifts to Mielikki taken into the Mornbryn's Tomb under the hamlet.


 * Circa 1366 DR, a rumor about at least one doppelganger keeping eye on the villages and traders circulated among the locals. They claimed the doppelganger spied for the ever-persistent trolls looking to raid and ambush.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Storm King's Thunder