Old Owl Well

Old Owl Well, located in the hills north of the Sword Mountains, was a popular watering hole and rest stop for caravan traffic, especially between Yartar and Neverwinter.

=History= In -2368 DR, at the adamant insistence of the Terraseer, the Empire of Netheril began earnestly colonizing the Savage Frontier. They established several outposts at which netherese travellers heading west could get fresh horses and supplies. The Terraseer himself identified a perfect spot for one such outpost to be built north of a mineral-rich mountain range not far east of northern Illefarn. However, the site was infested with owlbears so the Terraseer had his scouts destroy the 3,000-strong population of beasts in an event known as the Caravan War. Once secured, arcanists arrived and began to drill a hole that eventually dug more than 5 miles below the surface then, with an extensive system of pipes, they established an everlasting water supply that could provide 20 gallons per day. The outpost was named Old Owl Well after the victory over the owlbears. The enclave of Quesseer was built nearby which served as a trading post for the netherese and nearby demihuman nations until Quesseer's abandonment in -2095 DR.

Old Owl Well remained a strategically important watering hole. Every group that has held any power in the nearby regions since the netherese left (except the Harpers) has claimed ownership of the site with the last recorded owners being a tribe of orcs who had held it for at least a decade since 1360 DR.

The Neverwinter Greycloaks under the command of Callum of the Neverwinter Nine retook Old Owl Well from the orcs so that a direct trade route to Triboar and Yartar could be re-established in order to bring more money into the coffers of struggling Neverwinter, still recovering from its war with Luskan. Thankfully, the efforts of the Kalach-Cha and the paladin Casavir allowed Neverwinter to keep possession of the site for the foreseeable future.

=Inhabitants= In the time of Netheril, Old Owl Well was occupied by a group of warriors who kept the peace and a smaller group of arcanists who used crystal balls to scry on nearby Illefarn, watching for signs of aggression.

Nearly 3 millennia later the orc occupants of the Well numbered around 600. Unlike previous owners, the orcs did not charge travellers to use the well, instead attacking passers-by. Though occasionally left beaten by adventurers or particularly capable caravaneers, they never did enough lasting damage to threaten the orcs survival.