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Elversult (pronounced: /ˈɛlvɛrsəltEL-ver-suhlt[8]) was a rich community found in the Dragon Coast region of Faerûn. It was an important trading and mercantile center that facilitated both honest and illegitimate trade across the Eastern Heartlands and beyond.[1][3][6]

Beyond its reputation as a great trade city and hotspot of the latest trends,[3] Elversult was known across nearly all of Faerûn as the birthplace of the renewed church of Amaunator and the god's second sun that shone bright in the skies above.[7]

Geography[]

The city was found on the south side of the Dragonmere at the junction of many trade roads that connected the main routes of the lands between the Sea of Fallen Stars, the rest of the Dragon Coast, through the Western Heartlands, as far west as the Sword Coast.[1][3][6]

Roads leading to the city included the Overmoor Trail, south from Proskur; the Trader's Road, west from the Sunset Vale by means of Priapurl and east from Teziir,[1][6] the Plunge, south from the ruins of Ilipur, and Turnstone Road, southwest from Pros.[9]

Geographical Features[]

Elversult was founded at the confluence of a number of freshwater ponds that were set between rolling hills and forested ridges.[2] A rocky tor known as Temple Hill in the center of Elversult overlooked the city environs, which lacking walls sprawled beyond the woodlands. The hill was named for the pair of holy houses that sat atop its apex, which were dedicated to the deities of Waukeen and Lathander.[1][3]

The combination of Elversult being a relatively new, as of the Era of Upheaval, and having enjoyed strong leadership throughout its history, lead to the preservation of the wooded glades and knolls which were scattered through the city.[3]

Government[]

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Relationships[]

Throughout its history, Elversult has had regular conflicts with the coastal city of Westgate, often receiving aid from the noble kingdom of Cormyr to the northeast.[3] Foreign nations from the Unapproachable East such as Impiltur and even Thay were known to have spies operating within the city's borders.[3]

Inhabitants of Calimshan often called Elversians as Elversultians, which was considered an insult.[10]

Trade[]

Elversult

Map of the area around Elversult in 1372 DR

From its central location at the crossroads between a number of important mercantile destinations, Elversult dominated overland trade in the region.[2] In addition to its importance in legitimate trade in the region, the city was a haven for smugglers and others looking to move products that were not entirely legal in the Heartlands.[3][11]

Although not a port itself, the city kept its warehouses full of trade goods that went as far away as Cormyr and the Sword Coast.[6] Plenty of caravan paddocks and stockyards could be found on the outskirts of the city.[3]

Society[]

The bustling city was a melting pot for cultures from across half of Faerûn, a place where travelers could readily get a read on the latest trends in trade, fads in fashion, or other current goings-on.[3]

While Elversian leaders did their best to maintain the city's reputation as one of honest trade and one that was worthy of respect, its more nefarious citizens did all they could to make this task as difficult as possible.[12]

The upper classes tended to live to the north, or the west of Temple Hill, around the 'Ladytower's Lands' that surrounded the "Ladytowers", or Moonstorm House. The poorer areas and warehouses tended to be found in the southern and eastern parts of the city.[3]

Defenses[]

Elversult boasted a strong military force of some 3,500 warriors known as the Maces. They acted as both a local law enforcement and the city guard that protected Elversians from exterior threats.[2][11] They patrolled the city in five-man units, ready to rapidly call down reinforcements if a strong-enough threat presented itself.[1]

History[]

The Cult of the Dragon established a cell within the city in the Year of the Winged Worm, 1225 DR, and allied themselves with the black dragon Hethcypressarvil. The cultists were known to run the city's black market of foreign spices, along with illicit drugs and poisons.[1][2] After undergoing the process to become a dracolich, the cultist's patron dragon took control of the group and manipulated them towards his own ends.[13][14]

The Book of Fangs and Talons appeared in Elversult in the Year of the Pointed Bone, 1298 DR, when a group of Malarites began using the city as a base for their operations in nearby lands.[15]

Elversult suffered great destruction at the hands of the Dracolich Hethcypressarvil, in the Year of the Wave, 1364 DR. The undead dragon was briefly defeated by the Maces with the aid of the Harper sorceress Ruha, and its remains were submerged beneath the small lake near Temple Hill.[16]

In the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, the Elversian embassy of the Shou Lung empire was suddenly destroyed. A scroll was later recovered from the rubble that bore the seal of the first emperor, Ra-Khati.[17][18]

One year later, during the month of Mirtul, Sunlord Daelegoth Orndeir beseeched Amaunator for a miracle to cease the draughts that plagued much of the Realms. In the following days Elversult received tremendous amounts of rainfall and beauteous weather that followed.[19] On the day of Midsummer he called for his fellow faithful to take witness to Amaunator's glory and summoned forth a second sun that ascended over the city and provided illumination to the city at all hours of the day.[20][7]

Inhabitants[]

The herald of Elversult held the title of "Purple Halberd".[21][22]

One notable criminal organization that operated in the city during the mid–14th century was the band of thieves known as the Purple Masks.[2]

Notable inhabitants[]

14th Century
15th Century
  • Andratha Dorntalon, fervent devotee of Loviatar and the Pain of Elversult.[24]

Notable Locations[]

Inns & Taverns
  • Axe and Hammer, a quiet and even somber establishment that was made worse its foreboding dwarven staff.[2]
  • Gull's Gauntlet[2]
  • Old Boot[2]
  • Splitskull Inn and Tavern, a particularly wild and rowdy place to stop.[2]
  • Wyvern's Pipe[2]
Landmarks
  • The Fair, an open-air marketplace.[3]
  • Elversult Hall, the great central meeting place for merchants, businesspeople and those looking to hire themselves out to others.
  • Jailgates, a civic building that housed the local courthouse and prison, that were encircled by the barracks of the Maces.[3]
  • Moonstorm House, also known as "Ladytowers", the personal residence of the Lady Lord and Lady Constable.[3]
  • Shou-town, a neighborhood of the city that housed the embassy of the Shou Empire.[25]
Temples
  • House of Coins, a great temple-complex of Waukeen that experienced much tumult in the years following the Time of Troubles.[1][2]
  • House of Hands, the local Gondar temple.[1][2]
  • Tower of the Morn, the holy house of Lathander, and later Amaunator,[26] that held much power and influence throughout the Dragon Coast.[1][2]

Elversult house local shrines to the deities Eldath, Selûne, and Tymora.[2]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Novels
The Veiled Dragon
Referenced only
Sentinelspire

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 80. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
  2. 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 2.15 2.16 2.17 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 86. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 87. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
  4. Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 73. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
  5. Ed Greenwood (August 1992). “The Everwinking Eye: Words To The Wise”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #74 (TSR, Inc.), p. 14–15.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 156. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  8. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 44. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
  9. Brian R. James (July 2008). “Backdrop: Cormyr” (PDF). In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #365 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved on 2020-03-02.
  10. Ed Greenwood (August 1992). “The Everwinking Eye: Words To The Wise”. In Jean Rabe ed. Polyhedron #74 (TSR, Inc.), p. 14–15.
  11. 11.0 11.1 John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
  12. Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 79. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
  13. Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
  14. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 125. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  15. Ed Greenwood and Doug Stewart (1997). Prayers from the Faithful. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-0682-0.
  16. Troy Denning (April 1996). The Veiled Dragon (Paperback, 1996). (TSR, Inc), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-0482-8.
  17. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  18. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 155. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  20. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (March 2006). Power of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-3910-9.
  21. Ed Greenwood (September 1993). The Code of the Harpers. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 76. ISBN 1-56076-644-1.
  22. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (March 2006). Power of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 0-7869-3910-9.
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Ed Greenwood (September 1993). The Code of the Harpers. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 70. ISBN 1-56076-644-1.
  24. Ed Greenwood (October 2012). Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 152. ISBN 0786960345.
  25. Reynolds, Forbeck, Jacobs, Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1.
  26. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (March 2006). Power of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 0-7869-3910-9.
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