Elbulder

Elbulder was established as a logging town for Sespech on the River Arran, south of the Chondalwood. However, by the late 14 century DR, Elbulder was functioning as a trading town.

Description
Elbulder was the southernmost settlement among the three cities of the Kingdom of Sespech. Guests of the city always noticed how calm and quiet Elbulder was, compared to other settlements of the Vilhon Reach.

The city was nestled between two tributaries of the River Arran along the Old Road with a bridge across each.

The name Elbulder, in reality, referred to two locations. The "old" Elbulder was built around a freshwater stream re-routed into pipes as the town's source of drinking water. Eventually, the pipe drained into the River Arran. The growth of the "old" Elbulder was stunted due to the second spring that eventually flowed into a marshy area just outside of town to its east. The Old Road crossed the River Arran via a wagon-ferry. Eventually, "old" Elbulder was abandoned and ruined, following a reckless magical battle that took place in the ages past. The town became plagued by wild magic, living spell, and terrifying monsters.

The “new” Elbulder, the town that was known simply as Elbulder in the 14 century DR, rose further to the east from the marsh, and the Old Road was re-routed to pass through the “new” Elbulder. The new route of the Old Road used a wagon-ferry which, in time, was replaced by two bridges.

Government
The ruler of Elbulder was the Mayor. As of the, the town's Mayor was a retired adventurer Gavilon Jostins. Baron Thuragar Foesmasher, the ruler of Sespech, was known to regularly show up in Elbulder unannounced to visit his old adventuring comrade turned Mayor.

Trade
Elbulder's lumber was sent up River Arran to the Vilhon Reach and onwards to the Sea of Fallen Stars. During the Rotting War, the disapproval of the Emerald Enclave meant that the logging operation could not continue. Because magic boats were used to transport the logs along the river, magic was extremely well received in Elbulder.

Elbulder remained active after the lumbering industry was abandoned. The town was located along the Old Road, between Chondath to the north and the city of Torsch to the south. The road brought a constant stream of traders, travelers, and adventurers to support Elbulder's economy.

Culture
Over the centuries that followed the seizure of lumbering, the woods became a place for hunting, recreation, and solitude. Inhabitants of Elbulder loved listening to the stories of travelers and adventurers who claimed to have survived the dangers of Chondalwood. However, they never took these tales seriously, dismissing them as tall-tales.

Defenses
Despite one being a lumbering city, Elbulder never entered an open conflict with the Emerald Enclave nor the satyr, elf, and voadkyn denizens of Satyrwood. Even though Chondalwood's races did not treat Elbulder as enemies, voadkyn kept a close eye on the humans of the old lumbering city.

History
Originally established to a flourishing lumbering city that harvested wood from Chondalwood, by the end of the Rotting War in the, logging operation was almost completely halted. Both the civil war in Chondath and the threats from the Emerald Enclave were instrumental.

Circa the, Baron Thuragar Foesmasher took control of Sespech and asked his former adventuring comrade – wizard Gavilon Jostins to take up the mantle of Elbulder's Mayor. Shortly after Gavilon's rule started, the Lord of Arrabar sent a band of soldiers to Elbulder in an attempt to claim the town. Gavilon exercised diplomacy by sending fireballs and lightning bolts and sending the Arrabarrans back to Chondath. However, that assault was a mere reconnaissance, followed by a similar brief naval assault.

By the, the Lord of Arrabar, Eles Wianar, was planning an invasion of Sespech. The first step was a simultaneous land assault on Elbulder from the Old Road and on the city of Mimph.

Rumors & Legends
An old magic gate, known as the Black Star Gate, connected the ruins of "old" monster-infested Elbulder with a tomb-knoll in the Marsh of Chelimber. The gate was activated by a piece of obsidian or jet. Knowledge of the Black Star Gate was kept in an old tome at the library fortress of Candlekeep.