Pengallen

Pengallen was a village in the Silver Marches in northwest Faerûn, located fifteen miles south-east of River Surbrin and not far from Mithril Hall.

History
One of the villagers, Rico Pengallen, enjoyed hunting down, capturing and forcing others, common enemies of humankind, to work for him, in the full knowledge of all in Pengallen. In his time, he enslaved a number of goblins and orcs, and even a bugbear, though only one at a time. When he was done with them, when they ceased to be useful or docile, he had them hanged at the village gate. Among the slaves he took was Nojheim.

In the winter of the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, just after sunset, a band of ogres and orcs attacked the village and carried off captives. These included Tharman's wife and son, another boy, and Nojheim. Rico gathered four other villagers, including Tharman and the elder brother of the kidnapped boy, to hunt down the group and rescue the prisoners. Rico largely wanted his slave back, and to stop the raiders from returning to Pengallen.

The next day, the group was discovered by the drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden. Despite their fear, Tharman told the others to call off their shots and greeted Drizzt, whom he'd heard of, with a handshake. Though Rico was aggressive to the drow, they joined forces to rescue the captives. At the raiders' camp, fighting broke out, and Rico led a charge against the orcs, he and his farmers slaying them while Drizzt defeated the ogres. However, Rico was angry that Nojheim had fled during the battle, and insisted on going after him, explaining that Nojheim had led a previous raid against the village and was being held for trial. Drizzt volunteered to return Nojheim alive.

Drizzt did so the next day, and Rico rewarded Drizzt with a free meal at the local inn. Rico later overheard Drizzt speaking to Nojheim, in which the drow learned of the slaver's deeds and vowed to free him. While Drizzt went to Silverymoon for legal advice, Rico hanged Nojheim, and had the other villagers support his story that the goblin had attacked him. Drizzt returned several days later and wanted to attack Rico for his crime, but left in disgust.

Description
Pengallen lay at the center of a cleared field. It consisted of about dozen single-story wooden farmhouses, constructed of logs and wooden boards with mud packed in, with steep roofs to keep snow off. It was surrounded by a high palisade, with a gate watched by two guards.

The largest building was the inn, two stories high and lying at the middle of the back wall of the palisade. It served as the village's inn, trading post, and for various other public functions.

Politics
Pengallen was under the protection and law of one of the neighboring cities, such as Silverymoon or Nesme, though Drizzt couldn't think which. A dominant figure of the village was Rico Pengallen.