Loudwater

Loudwater, called the City of Grottos, was a city that sat on the confluence of the Delimbiyr and Greyflow rivers in the Delimbiyr Vale. It was a picturesque garden city home to a pleasant and thriving cosmopolitan community of humans, half-elves, elves, and many other races. It was also the home of Mielikki's chosen, the Green Regents and their scions, and thanks to their efforts the city served as the very image of her faith.

Geography
Loudwater lay in the Gray Vale at the confluence of the Delimbiyr River and the Grayflow. In this stretch, the Delimbiyr was especially wide, giving the settlement enough room for a modest harbor.

Early History
The area was first settled by Netherese human refugees fleeing the downfall of Netheril, sometime after its fall in the Year of Sundered Webs, −339 DR. Their settlements were the progenitors of Loudwater and other cities of the North.

It was also once home to a community of elves, part of the nation of Eaerlann    before its fall in 882 DR. As recorded in their own histories, two elven houses established themselves here as they built a school of philosophy, which they named the Velti'Enorethal. The great dwarf craftsman Iirikos Stoneshoulder and his team of dwarves from Ammarindar built an ornate bridge across the Delimbiyr River at this site for some elven friends in the Year of the Dwarf, 149 DR. Later referred to as Flying Fish Bridge, it was considered to be constructed by the dwarves to honor the elves. The dwarf artisan also built a manor house for a local elf lord, and the settlement of Loudwater developed around it.

Later, further settlement of the Loudwater and Llorkh region, as well as Longsaddle, Secomber, Triboar, and others, was undertaken by human pioneers from Waterdeep after the establishment of the Lords of Waterdeep there in 1032 DR. These pioneers were sponsored by noble and mercantile Waterdhavian families.

The last elf to rule Loudwater took her own life in Tragedy's Grotto in the late 10 century DR. Her reasons were lost with her, though it was before any human villas stood in the area. In the Year of the Bloodrose, 1100 DR, desiring to escape the growing human population, the elves of Loudwater and the lands around began leaving their homes for Evereska.

The Rensha Rule
Fifty years later, in the Year of the Scourge, 1150 DR, a family from Calimshan called the Renshas, led by Ibun Rensha at the head of a mercenary army, conquered the Delimbiyr Vale and centered their power in Loudwater. According to local stories, heroes of Loudwater of the time first sighted the approaching Rensha forces from Tragedy's Grotto. This began a period known as the Rensha Rule.

Seeing Mielikki's Green Regents and their scions as threats to their reign, the Renshas persecuted them mercilessly, forbidding the selection of new scions and regents and hunting down any they found, causing them to vanish for more than a century. The second lord, Misbah Rensha, ruthlessly crushed the last resistance to the family's rule, with the help of the archdevil Baalzebul.

Misbah Rensha made a treaty with Thay. This included the establishment of the Ivy Enclave in Loudwater and his marriage to a Thayan woman, the Red Wizard Thola, who also served as his court sorceress. He later had her poisoned to end her plotting. Though they made the town more prosperous and expanded its connections with the outside world, they exploited the Vale's natural resources and despoiled much of the pristine beauty of the area. Under them, loggers cleared the forests away from the river and farmers claimed the land for agriculture, while miners strip-mined the mountains, all at a shocking pace, and the wealth flowed down the river and out of the vale. The amoral Renshas also soon descended into decadence and the pursuit of their dark magic, which would lead to their downfall.

Nevertheless, the Renshas ruled for 165 years before a Nimbrali mercenary working for them named Nanathlor Greysword rebelled against the rule of Pasuuk Rensha in the Year of Spilled Blood, 1315 DR. Nanathlor was a noble of Nimbral who'd desired to establish a realm of his own in the North, and found one that needed him. Pasuuk commanded a band of talented mercenary hunters, among them Nanathlor, to bring him the horn of a unicorn, apparently for some infernal rite. But Nanathlor stayed his hand and instead defended the unicorn—in fact an avatar of the goddess Mielikki. She made him the new Green Regent and the twelve hunters who stood with him his scions, and tasked them with overthrowing the Renshas.

The two-year-long War of the Returned Regent freed the Vale from Rensha rule. Finally, in the Year of the Wandering Wyrm, 1317 DR, Nanathlor Greysword defeated Pasuuk and the Renshas' forces at the Battle of Tanglefork and became the ruler of Loudwater. However, some histories marked his reign as commencing four years earlier, circa 1313 DR. In either case, the start of Nanathlor's reign marked the official founding of the modern Loudwater. Nanathlor maintained relations with other lands but ended the rampant logging and strip-mining, thus restoring the ecology and fertility of the land, and in turn renewing prosperity in the Vale.

Modern History
In Tarsakh of the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, on several separate occasions, residents of farm holdings on the outer edges of Loudwater's domain heard eerie howling and later discovered corpses near their lands. These were identified as various wicked beings, including two drow and some fish-like humanoid, and all carried bite marks. Nanathlor was notified and he formally reported the finds. A search of caves in the Delimbiyr Vale showed signs of recent occupation, but no connection to the underground. Later that year, in Eleasias, a mysterious healer of the High Wood called Radoc helped victims of an orc raid and escorted them to Loudwater. His odd appearance, taciturn nature, and purchase of supplies with crystals made him the subject of rumor before he departed.

In the autumn of, Malarite lycanthropes of the Thicket attacked the city after a blood-red moon appeared in the sky. For three bloody nights, they raided the city and homesteads, forced people out of their houses, and engaged in frenzied hunting and slaughter. Nanathlor himself was on his deathbed but Gauntlets Kalahar and Harazos eventually organized a defense and a young man named Stedd Rein was heralded as a hero. The then Green Regent, Galaer Grasswave, was killed while trying to repair the city's magical wards. High Lord Nanathlor passed away from old age not long after.

His successor, Kalahar Twohands, oversaw some of the most turbulent times in Loudwater's history since the war, including a mass migration of orcs from the High Forest, threats from a bandit army and their illithid allies, dragons, and several attacks from the Zhentarim.

Following the Spellplague in the and the ensuing decline in trade, Loudwater was much reduced in size and population, yet it survived where neighboring Llorkh and Zelbross did not. By 1479 DR, it had not yet fully recovered and stood as a frontier town that was a shadow of its former self, but still the biggest in the Gray Vale. At the time, Loudwater was ruled by Lady Moonfire.

After 1485 DR, the wizard Telbor Zazrek was the High Lord of Loudwater. When the stone giants of the Graypeak Mountains, led by Thane Kayalithica rampaged through the Grayvale, destroying hamlets and devastating Llorkh and Orlbar in an effort to crush humanoid civilization, refugees streamed into Loudwater. These folk were forced to stay in warehouses by the river, as the inns were too expensive, if not full. More went on down the Delimbiyr Road. Only Loudwater still stood firm and unafraid as the last outpost of civilization in the land, even as the stone giants spied its defenses from afar.

Government
The town was ruled by the High Lord of Loudwater. By 1357 DR, High Lord Nanathlor Greysword had reigned for a half-century and was loved by the people as a careful administrator and just ruler. He was still in power by 1370 DR. He was succeeded by Kalahar Twohands, who reigned around 1372 DR. The High Lords resided in High Lord's Hall, the seat of power in the city.

The half-elf warlock Lady Moonfire, a member of one of the old elven houses, was the leader of the town around 1479 DR. Telbor Zazrek, a mage and retired adventurer, reigned as high lord in the late 1480s DR.

Heraldry
Loudwater's symbol was composed of three golden crescent moons.

Relations
Through the 1360s DR, Loudwater remained an independent settlement, but Zhentarim agents were scouting the place. The local people in and around Loudwater were counted as experienced fighters against Zhentish forces. The Zhentarim were unable to conquer Loudwater without weakening their grip on Llorkh, and the Harpers, allies of Nanathlor, dispatched exposed Zhentarim agents. The Zhentarim smuggled goods through the town. By around 1372 DR, Zhentarim agents operating out of nearby Llorkh plotted to subvert Loudwater to their control.

Defenses
The High Lords were served by two Gauntlets who commanded the city's militia. They were titled the Gauntlet of the Eastern Marches (with headquarters in the Eastenhall) and the Gauntlet of the Western Marches (with headquarters in the Western Tower) and given the duty of defending Loudwater's territory to the east and west, respectively. In times of war, they might be joined by a third gauntlet. The gauntlets directly reported to the reigning High Lord. By 1357 DR and through 1370 DR, the two Gauntlets were Harazos Thelbrimm and Kalahar Twohands. Around 1372 DR, the Gauntlet of the Eastern Marches was Harazos Thelbrimm and the Gauntlet of the Western Marches was Jaida Zerezeal, who was soon replaced by Isyan Kiy'sisnos. Harazos was briefly Gauntlet of the Western Marches as well in Eleasis/Eleint of that year.

The militia of Loudwater in the mid-to-late 14 century DR comprised 300 warriors, divided into patrols of 20. Known as the Loudwater Guard, they were alert warriors equipped with chainmail, a wooden light shield, longsword, light crossbow, and bolts. They wore uniforms of electric-blue tabards emblazoned front and back with the city's three golden crescent moons, over dark-brown breeches and blouses. The sergeants, titled "fists", were capable fighters who instead wore white tabards and were granted masterworked, even magical, armor and weapons, including alchemical silver bolts and potions of cure light wounds. They were aided by mages, namely evokers and sorcerers, and clerics, typically of Helm, the Red Knight, or Torm. Typically, when there was trouble in the city, the citizens called for the guard, who responded within a minute with a group of up to a dozen guards led by a fist, and possibly with a spellcaster. Circa 1479 DR, the militia was known as the Loudwater Patrol and led by Captain Harrowleaf. Its symbol was a crossed sword and axe, and it defended the town and dealt with crime. The militia remained small in the late 1480s DR.

In the 1360s DR, the town didn't have defensive walls, only a ditch and earthen rampart, both covered with planted and wild flowers. By 1372 DR, it was heightened with the addition of a palisade. In the west, the rampart was passed via the Vine Gate while in the south it was passed via the Forestview Gate. By 1479 DR, the rampart has been replaced by a wall constructed of stone and timber over, with flowers growing at its base on both the inside and outside. The two gates were called simply West Gate and East Gate. They were both iron gates, wide and high, flanked by two towers built into the wall with an arched walkway over them, with four guards standing sentry duty. They were left open in daytime and shut and locked at night, unless one wished to leave. Traders and merchants paid a toll of 5 sp per cart or wagon, while single travelers and small bands could pass for free, while monstrous creatures were barred.

The lands claimed by Loudwater stretched for two days' ride up and down the river. The army patrolled this domain.

Law & Order
It had a small thieves' guild in the mid-to-late 1300s DR.

Circa 1479 DR, Loudwater's small criminal underworld was controlled by a crime lord known only as the Lady of Shadows. Criminals who didn't pledge their loyalty to the Lady were discovered decapitated outside the walls and some in the Loudwater Patrol were bribed to turn a blind eye to her activities. Her protection racket covered most of the shopkeepers in town, but worst of all her gang kidnapped children from outer farms for sale to the Zelbross Bandits and ultimately to slavery under the snake-people of Najara.

Trade
Standing at the confluence of the Delimbiyr and Grayflow rivers, Loudwater enjoyed both fertile farmland and a key location for commerce, allowing it to both flourish and prosper. Its success spread to the rest of the Gray Vale, helping it grow into a center of trade in northwest Faerûn.

The local people made a living through farming and fishing, as well as by providing services to caravans. They often ate szorp, a fish caught in the Delimbiyr. The Loudwater Vale region was known for making the richest cheeses in the North, such as the translucent mist cheese. These cheeses were ripened in local caves. Hardwoods were also produced in the area; such woods were finely carved for the "Avatar" chess set sold by Aurora's Emporium in the 1360s DR.

In the mid-to-late 14 century DR, Loudwater was a significant stop on the trade route along the Delimbiyr. Formerly, in the days of Eaerlann, most trade through Loudwater went north overland, on a portage route past the Shining Falls, but in the 1360s DR, it went east to Llorkh, where caravans were assembled. From Loudwater to Llorkh, all trade was tightly controlled by the Zhentarim. Zhentish trade through Loudwater and neighboring Llorkh helped prominent local merchants grow rich. The city offered a safe place to rest to both caravans and riverboats; merchants and travelers often passed through the first two times but stayed on the third. This situation remained much the same in the late 15 century DR; many merchants preferred to ship goods along the river and Loudwater was still a secure stop for merchants, riverboats, caravans, adventurers, and travelers,  despite the ruination of its neighbors and the collapse in trade after the Spellplague. However, Loudwater would not regain its prosperity even an entire century afterward.

In the late 1480s DR, Loudwater strained under a high cost of living and exorbitant prices at all its businesses, while many goods carried hefty taxes. Coincidently, these taxes only applied to goods not supplied by the Zhentarim.

Magic
Loudwater was enveloped by magical wards, which were somehow tied to Standing Stone Hill. These helped protect the city not only from invasion but also from the worst effects of disease. They even nurtured the plant life, growing the gardens it was famed for. A long-standing belief was that they even protected the High Lord from being killed or overthrown while within the city; although this was unconfirmed, no High Lord ever was, not even the Renshas, by 1372 DR. However, these wards required occasional repairs and Glaer's work in 1369 DR was only mostly completed. Exactly which parts was unknown; the scholars, wizards, and clerics of the Velti'Enorethel were still trying to ascertain this three years later. Ancient wards laid on the bridge to maintain it had the quirk of causing fish swimming beneath it to fly over it instead.

Population
From 1357 to 1370 DR, Loudwater was recorded as having a population of about 4,000. They were largely human but almost one-quarter were half-elves, arising mostly from the descendants of Eaerlann, who had a habit of marrying other half-elves. Their ancestors were mostly moon elves. Others were the descendants of wild elves. However, few of the original elves remained. In 1372 DR, the population was recorded as 8,137, largely humans and half-elves but with sizeable communities of elves, gnomes, halflings, dwarves, and half-orcs.

By 1479 DR, the population had much declined but leveled out at around 2,000. The majority were humans and half-elves. From time to time, human-seeming foundlings discovered by woodsmen on the shores of Highstar Lake were brought to the town. With no knowledge of their origin, they were thought to be the fey half-human offspring of the alleged "lady of the lake" who dwelt beneath the lake's waters. It was a largely human town by the late 1480s DR, with the former elves long gone.

Description
It was a splendidly picturesque garden town,     with every spare patch of ground and any available surface adorned by lovingly tended greenery and gardens and with bowers to be found all over. The wood-and-stone buildings     —of all shapes and sizes, no two of which alike—were overgrown with vines  and decorated with flowers and hanging plants, with plants both inside and on the roofs. Even the streets were planted with tanglemoss (though it wore down to bare dirt on busy routes), and they curved and meandered to provide a good view or an interesting route. Giant ancient trees lined the green grassy banks of the river. Loudwater seemed to melt back into the forest or to have grown out of it, and it was a gardener's joy.

Moreover, Loudwater was famed for its many grottos, so much so it was called the City of Grottos. These small caves and hollows between the hills were believed to be sacred to the city, and the elf sages of Velti'Enorethal argued they were living incarnations of the soul of the city, though such elven spiritualism was not widely shared. In any case, it was not unknown for people who disrupted these grottos to be afflicted with odd curses. Many of these grottos were oft-used and much-loved by locals, but a few had grim histories and were linked with dark emotions.

Thanks to the bridge, Loudwater spread out on both sides of the Delimbiyr. North of the river was known locally as High Town, or to some, Elf Town. The land here was craggy highlands, creating winding streets and a natural-seeming layout. The High Town was home to more sedate taverns, some of the guild halls, the elven houses at the northernmost side, and most notably the High Lord's Hall, standing in the heart of Loudwater above where the falls once were. South of the river was called Low Town, though the city's elves called it something in Elven that translated generously to "ugly town", though it was much cleaner and greener than many other cities. Naturally, it was predominantly human and held the noisier taverns, workshops, warehouses, merchants, and trade costers. To the south, an area running parallel to the river was called the Highbank. The only real ugly things in town were those left bare by practicality: four warehouses by the harbor and the cooperworks beside them on the west.

Part of the river flowed over upthrusting rocks, producing falls and some noisy rapids that gave Loudwater its name,    though the city's development had erased the falls by the 1370s DR. The river was sufficiently wide here to allow a modest harbor. A wide pool was dug into the riverbank, providing an area for lading cargo and serving as the harbor. Barges, coracles, and flat-bottomed skiffs used for fishing and trade clustered here.

The bridge was a spectacular and beautiful arching stone structure. It was decorated with fanciful carved stone heads, with snarling, pig-snouted faces said to be those of dragon turtles. They watched over the warehouses, giving the business its name: the Watchful Turtle. It came to be called Flying Fish Bridge, after ancient magical wards laid on the bridge to maintain it had, by the late 1480s DR, the quirk of causing fish swimming beneath it to fly over it instead, sometimes even colliding with pedestrians. A local custom was to pick any landed fish up and throw them back for good luck.

Some southeast of the city were the Pits of the Dead, mass graves wherein were buried those people who had died with no known burial plans. A cleric of Lathander performed the burial rites.

Society
Just like the meandering roads, life took a slow and measured pace here, where one preferred to enjoy the view than hurry. The folk of Loudwater were known to be friendly yet determined.

The old elven families of Loudwater—the Phelaniityr, the Bentillail, the Beutaleen'dal, and others—formed the noble houses of the city.

Religion
In the mid-to-late 14 century DR, there were three temples of Lathander, the Houses of Morning, which ministered to the majority of matters of faith in the city. The elven citizenry worshiped Labelas Enoreth at the Velti'Enorethal. However, as the people depended on the forest, they favored woodland gods like Silvanus, Mielikki, and even Shiallia.

In particular, as the chosen of Mielikki, the Green Regent was a vital religious leader in Loudwater. The Green Regents and their Scions tended to provide practical aid, rather than acting as divine emissaries or political leaders. They encouraged sustainable hunting and logging and defended the Delimbiyr Vale against invasions and threats to peace and the land. It was thanks to their efforts that Loudwater was a garden city and its fields were fertile, and Mielikki's dream for the vale was reflected here.

In the late 15 century DR, Loudwater saw the rise of the faith of Silvanus instead. Members of all good faiths came to congregate in Silvanus's temple.

Organizations
Zhentarim agents were known to scout out Loudwater in the 1360s DR. In the late 1480s DR, the Zhentarim agents in Loudwater remained well hidden.

A regional agent of the Moonstars was based in Loudwater around 1370 DR.

Rumors & Legends
In the mid–14 century DR, it was told that old elven magic still lay hidden in the grassy burial mounds that Loudwater's oldest quarter had been built on. The cellars of some houses had secret doors connecting to the tombs. Both Harpers and Zhentarim hunted for this lost magic.

Notable Locations

 * Public Buildings
 * Eastenhall • Flying Fish Bridge • High Lord's Hall • Western Tower


 * Markets
 * Ivy Enclave • Risen Moon Market • South Square


 * Businesses
 * Garwan's Curiosities • Jolym's Barrels & Packing • Loudwater Apothecary • Loudwater General • Loudwater Smithy • Stables • Starra's Knives • Watchful Turtle


 * Inns
 * Enchanter's Ecstasy • Red Boar Inn • Scarlet Shield


 * Taverns
 * Fisher's Friend Pub • Green Tankard Tavern • Merry Mer-She • Old Owl • Red Boar Inn • Smiling Satyr


 * Shrines
 * All Faiths Altar • Tragedy's Grotto


 * Temples
 * Houses of Morning • Temple of Silvanus


 * Schools
 * Velti'Enorethal


 * Grottos
 * Duelists' Grotto • Grotto of Broken Hearts • Grotto of Serene Blossoms • Tragedy's Grotto


 * Streets
 * Goldenrod Street • Vine Street • Pool's Walk

Background
While dating back to the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set, Loudwater was not particularly detailed in any sources until the 3.5-edition Legacy of the Green Regent RPGA campaign was based here. The majority of the adventure modules took place within the town and its environs.

Loudwater then had an entire chapter dedicated to it in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide for 4 edition, more than any other location. However, the size, layout, and description of Loudwater here are a significant departure from how it is presented in the earlier sources, and it being much smaller is acknowledged a few times in the text. Nevertheless, it appears to be practically a different place altogether.

The next appearance of the settlement is in Storm King's Thunder, which paints it much more like it was before the FRCG.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Dungeon #28, "The Pipes of Doom" &bull; Dungeon #159, "Menace of the Icy Spire" &bull; Storm King's Thunder
 * Video Games:
 * Gateway to the Savage Frontier &bull; Treasures of the Savage Frontier
 * Baldur's Gate
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Legacy of the Green Regent
 * Legacy of the Green Regent