Lord Dhelt was a human man of the city of Elturel in the Western Heartlands in the mid–14th century DR. He was a cavalier and later paladin of Helm, a former leader of the Hellriders, and the ruling High Rider of Elturel. He reigned from the High Hall.[1][2][3][4][5][note 1][note 2]
Activities[]
High Rider Lord Dhelt governed the city of Elturel[1][2][3][4][5] and he did so ably and well.[5] His focus was on maintaining Elturel as the most efficient, secure, and well-policed city in the region, with interests in farming and trade. Under his reign, Elturel became one of the safest and best-defended communities within the region.[4] His reign went unquestioned, but was seen as just and fair.[2] He was vigilant on defense and preventing crime, and in keeping the city clean and lawful.[5] He was known to be respectable and tolerant, as a leader who actively promoted trade while having only a light hand in everyday matters, letting merchants get on with business with minimum interference and generous boundaries.[2][3]
While it remained an independent city,[2] Lord Dhelt kept his city a firm member of the Lords' Alliance.[2][5][6][7][8] As Elturel was a rival of Scornubel, a city of comparable size and capability lying upriver, Lord Dhelt looked for ways to overthrow it as the major trading town between Iriaebor and Waterdeep.[1][3]
A former leader of the Hellriders, Lord Dhelt still led patrols on the roads as often as the regular war captains. He also commanded any significant raids, expeditions, sorties, and punitive assaults on aggressive demihumans that the Hellriders made.[2][3][5]
Lord Dhelt decreed that inns and taverns could not operate under the same roof, nor could inns serve drinks, so in Elturel these were distinctly different businesses.[2]
Thanks to Lord Dhelt's patronage, Helm's Shieldhall was both the most influential temple in the city and one of the strongest temples of Helm, God of Guardians, in the North.[3]
History[]
Lord Dhelt was well established as High Rider of Elturel by 1356 DR.[1] He maintained his reign through the Time of Troubles of 1358 DR.[2]
Lord Dhelt and Baranta, after being attacked by the assassin.
One night in the mid-1360s DR,[note 3] Dhelt and Baranta were in his bedroom when a supposed assassin attacked them, leaving them sprawled on the ground. Key de Effer, of Dhelt's personal guard, responded immediately to the commotion, after seeing the door blasted apart by magical energy. However, the assailant was not after Dhelt's life but his holy symbol of Helm, which he stole before fleeing into the woods. Key and Beatrice gave pursuit, confronting and slaying the wounded assassin, and found the amulet and a note explaining he was seeking the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind to destroy Strahd von Zarovich of Ravenloft. Although he did not wish to harm Dhelt, he had to do everything he could to acquire the amulet. Before the heroes could return, they were spirited to Barovia, in the Demiplane of Dread. (They later learned that Dhelt's holy symbol was not the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.)[9]
Some time after, the city was visited by a mysterious magical veil, stretching from the land to the sky, so Lord Dhelt sent a couple of Hellriders to investigate. Meeting the captain of the Hellriders, they peered through and saw a desert land, but as they ventured in, Elturel disappeared behind them and they were trapped in Har'Akir, in the Demiplane of Dread.[10]
Dhelt was still in power through 1367 DR[3][5] and after 1372 DR.[4]
Personality[]
In the mid-1350s DR, Lord Dhelt was bold and proud and very protective, even ruthless.[1] From 1358 DR on, he was considered tolerant but just as protective, and he was well respected.[2][3] He was a just and "no-nonsense" ruler[5] and had a competitive nature.[4] As a paladin, he was dedicated to the Helmite faith.[3]
Description[]
He had blue eyes and long blond hair and a full beard.[9]
Relationships[]
He was an acquaintance of the local wizard Baranta Chansil. Hopeful Elturians regularly rumored of romance between her and Lord Dhelt around 1358 DR.[2]
He was secretly a friend to another local wizard, Orsar "Greencloak". Orsar covertly served Dhelt as a spy inside the city.[2]
He regularly had to reproach the Folehar Flametree, whose smuggling irritated the authorities of Iriaebor, Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep, and Amn.[2]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The Forgotten Realms Campaign Set's Cyclopaedia of the Realms, page 41, names Dhelt "Elturel", presumably in error.
- ↑ Between 1st and 2nd editions, Dhelt was changed from a cavalier to a paladin, alongside a possible softening in his personality. It is unclear if this reflects a retcon or an in-universe change in his nature, perhaps after the Time of Troubles.
- ↑ The date of Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is unknown; this date is assumed based on other works published at the same time.
Appearances[]
- Video games
- Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession • Ravenloft: Stone Prophet
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 41. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 84. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 92. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 227. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), pp. 93–94. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 57. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 DreamForge Intertainment, Inc. (1994). Designed by Thomas J. Holmes, Christopher L. Straka. Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession. Strategic Simulations, Inc.
- ↑ DreamForge Intertainment, Inc. (1995). Designed by Christopher L. Straka. Ravenloft: Stone Prophet. Strategic Simulations, Inc.