Winterhaven

The town of Winterhaven is located on the East Way, between the nations of Sembia and Cormyr. It is situated on the road between Arabel and Highmoon. Due to its location in the middle of the Thunder Peaks, it is not uncommon for the inhabitants to be attacked by monstrous races such as kobolds and goblins.

An ancient dragon burial site lies southwest of the town, and the ruined Shadowfell Keep lies northeast.

History
Long before the birth of Cormyr in 26 DR, the shadow dragon Shadraxil lurked in the Thunder Peaks. Shadraxil was the sire of the infamous dracolich Aurgloroasa's mother, Shhuusshuru. When Cormyr began to create a series of fortresses along its frontier in 236 DR, Shadraxil took this as an affront to his lands and began attacking the outposts. One of these outposts is now called Shadowfell Keep, and lies just northeast of Winterhaven.

In response to Shadraxil's depredations, Cormyr sent a small force of armed men and war wizards led by the knight Jerold Keegan. Keegan set about creating a magical trap within the keep in order to ensnare Shadraxil and bind him in the Plane of Shadow. Keegan's plan succeeded, and Shadraxil has been trapped there for over eleven centuries, kept in a deep slumber for most of that time.

Sir Jerold Keegan soon afterwards became the lord of that outpost, which was then called Keegan's Keep. It is very likely that the town of Winterhaven was founded nearby due to the keep's protection.

It is said that some time Shadraxil's banishment, Keegan became a crazed madman and slew all of his family and friends, cursing the keep forever. All of this was in fact due to Shadraxil, still locked away in the Plane of Shadow but nonetheless able to exert his dark power over Keegan's mind.

The leaders of Cormyr, afraid that this dark influence could be corrupting, ordered the keep torn down and its secrets hidden. They slew a young shadow dragon, claimed it was Shadraxil's corpse, and buried in a fake dragon burial site southwest of the town.

In the years after the spellplague struck, Shar folded the Plane of Shadow into the Shadowfell, and Shadraxil awoke. The spellplague weakened his magical binding, but he was still imprisoned. Seeking out aid, Shadraxil agreed to serve Shar as long as her followers could free him.

In recent years, a cult of Shar has been established in Winterhaven. While the founder Kalarel and the leader Bairwin Wildarson are now dead at the hands of adventurers, there are rumors that not all the cultists have been routed.

Personas
The following personas are current as of the post-Spellplague years:


 * Sister Linora: Winterhaven's priestess, Sister Linora is a middle-aged human woman and a devotee of Chauntea. She's usually quiet and soft-spoken.


 * Gevarn: An acolyte of Chauntea, he is often asked by Sister Linora to do her biddings.


 * Valthrun: A learned man in the town of Winterhaven, he lives in a 5-storied tower that is said to be over 1000 years old.


 * Lord Padraig: The ruler of this small town and its environs. He seems content to take little action,  and takes little initiative.