Harbin Wester was the Townmaster of Phandalin[1] and subsequently a member of the Town Council of Phandalin in the late 15th century DR.[3]
Description[]
Harbin was a corpulent middle-aged banker and politician.[1] He was the wealthiest resident of Phandalin and its biggest landowner, and he tended to dress in clothes that communicated his wealth.[3]
Personality[]
Harbin was pompous and pretentious.[1][5] He generally presented himself as polite[6] and friendly,[3] if a bit overdramatic and effusive,[4] but this was just for politics. In fact, he was a greedy, calculating, and two-faced businessman at heart, unafraid to push the boundaries of decency or legality to get what he wanted.[3][2] He was known to be cunning and dishonest, and he cared little for others unless their fates impacted his businesses.[4] That said, he was also genuinely a fretful[6] and hapless coward when faced with dangers beyond his control. For example, when a dragon was spotted in the area around Phandalin, Harbin locked himself inside his home and insisted on conducting all townmaster business from behind his closed door (including paying out rewards for bounties and jobs, leading to him sliding payments under his door one coin at a time).[5]
Activities[]
As townmaster, Harbin served as mediator, judge, and record-keeper for Phandalin. He carried one set of keys to the jail cells in the Townmaster's Hall.[1] He was also responsible for posting jobs and bounties, and for paying out the rewards for these tasks.[5]
Independent of his role as townmaster (and later town councilor), Harbin acted as a banker in Phandalin, lending out both money and land. He was known to use the debts owed to him to pressure townsfolk and business partners into giving him what he wanted.[2][7] While he was unsympathetic to the plights of the people, he did try to ensure that the town remained prosperous and didn't get involved in affairs that did not concern it.[4]
Relationships[]
Although he was good at pretending otherwise, Harbin cared relatively little for the townsfolk of Phandalin, a position which put him at odds with political rival Sildar Hallwinter.[8] He had a number of connections in both Neverwinter and Waterdeep, which he claimed enabled him to field a small army if needed.[8]
Harbin attracted the ire of the Harpers when he once sent an insulting letter to one of their agents, the Lord Protector of Triboar, Darathra Shendrel, insisting that she do a better job of keeping the Triboar Trail free of orcs.[9]
He supported the logging business of his half-brother, Tibor Wester, by using Phandalin's money to pay for the logging camp's supplies.[5]
History[]
Harbin Wester welcomes visitors to Phandalin.
Harbin Wester arrived in Phandalin as it was being rebuilt, and was soon elected townmaster[1] mostly on the basis of his personal wealth and connections.[3] However, his subsequent failures to address two different crises which both occurred circa 1491 DR led to the position of townmaster being abolished and replaced with a town council.[3][5][note 1]
The first of these crises related to the arrival of the Redbrand brigands. Even as they began to terrorize Phandalin, Wester did not seem to want to engage the rough bunch. In fact, he felt threatened by them and claimed that they were "not all that much trouble, really". Wester refused to arrest any Redbrands until their leader had been slain, or the group disbanded, as the townmaster feared retaliation. Instead, he focused on reports that orcs had appeared close by to the area, specifically in Wyvern Tor, and put out a notice to cull the group.[1]
The second of these crises was the arrival of the white dragon Cryovain, who terrorized the region from his lair in the Sword Mountains. Harbin was so frightened of the dragon that he barely left his manor, only venturing out to post jobs and bounties.[5]
Following his failures as townmaster, the people of Phandalin abolished the position in favor of a three person town council. Harbin managed to secure a position on the council by blaming adventurers for the ills that the town had suffered under his leadership. Then in the Year of the Duplicitous Courtier, 1496 DR, he ran for the newly created position of mayor using the same platform.[3][2][note 2]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Pages 30‒31 of Lost Mine of Phandelver describe the eruption of Mount Hotenow (1451 DR) as occurring "30 years ago", which would place the adventure in 1481 DR. When the adventure was later remade into Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, this 30 year time frame was kept (pages 50 & 53). However, pages 103 and 179 of Acquisitions Incorporated, a source published after the former, state that the events described in the adventure happen five years after both Lost Mine of Phandelver and Princes of the Apocalypse. Since the latter is explicitly set in 1491 DR, and considering this answer by Ed Greenwood about dating the adventure, this wiki will use 1491 DR for events related to both versions of the adventure.
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in Acquisitions Incorporated, but Jerry Holkins answered a question via Twitter and stated the year was 1496 DR. Unless a canon source contradicts this assertion, this wiki will use 1496 DR for events related to this sourcebook.
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Lost Mine of Phandelver • The Orrery of the Wanderer • Dragon of Icespire Peak
- Referenced only
- Storm King's Thunder
- Licensed Adventures and Organized Play
- In Volo's Wake • Storm Lord's Wrath
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Wizards RPG Team (July 2014). “Lost Mine of Phandelver”. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 14–15, 18–19, 27, 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-6559-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (June 18, 2019). Acquisitions Incorporated. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 978-0786966905.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (June 18, 2019). Acquisitions Incorporated. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-0786966905.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Monica Valentinelli, Shawn Merwin, Rich Lescouflair (2016-11-04). In Volo's Wake (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Season 0 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 6.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Christopher Perkins (September 2019). “Dragon of Icespire Peak”. In Scott Fitzgerald Gray ed. Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7869-6683-7.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Shawn Merwin, James Introcaso, Will Doyle, Bill Benham, Christopher Lindsay (2019-09-04). Storm Lord's Wrath. Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit. D&D Beyond. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2021-06-28.
- ↑ Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (June 18, 2019). Acquisitions Incorporated. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 978-0786966905.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jerry Holkins, Elyssa Grant, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (June 18, 2019). Acquisitions Incorporated. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 978-0786966905.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (September 2016). Storm King's Thunder. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 231. ISBN 978-0-7869-6600-4.