Season 3 Narrative - Hillsfar
Season 3 Narrative - Hillsfar
Season 3 Narrative - Hillsfar
A city built upon the exchange of handshakes and gold, HILLSFAR was, in its infancy, ruled by a council of humans,
half-elves, and representatives of the ELVEN COURT of CORMANTHOR. In 1354 DR, the archwizard MAALTHIIR
overthrew the council using blackmail and threats of violence and appointed himself as the FIRST LORD of Hillsfar. In
the capacity, he appointed the mercenary group THE RED PLUME, as the keepers of peace in Hillsfar, though the group
would eventually begin harassing and extorting from the people of the city. Under Maalthiir's rule, the city-state
enacted TWO GREAT LAWS--the most infamous of which were the policies prohibiting the presence of non-humans
within its walls.
Over a century later, Hillsfar is once more ruled by a council-appointed First Lord; TORIN NOMERTHAL. Torin
amasses an army of mercenaries and, augmented by Hillsfar's TOWER GUARD, MAGE GUILD, and ROGUES GUILD
defeats a Netherese garrison outside of the city. Once successful, the second purge of non-humans from within Hillsfar
begins. In response, nearly every non-human in Hillsfar departs. As a result, First Lord Torin's rule over the city is
unquestionable, the Red Plumes are returned, and the only non-humans found within the city are found in the Arena.
Unbeknownst to the First Lord, however, THE DARK PRINCE, GRAZ'ZT, has taken up residence in the UNDERDARK
far beneath Hillsfar. Its FIRE GIANT residents of MAERIMYDRA have roamed into the surrounding regions of the
Underdark, including nearby SZITH MORCANE, RAVAGESTONE, RYXYG, and SPOREDOME--spurring an influx of
DROW REFUGEES would all attest to, were they not being casually tossed into the Arena.
by Travis Woodall
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Rage of Demons:
Hillsfar
Glossary
HILLSFAR. Known as the City of Trade, Hillsfar is a
powerful walled city on the southern coast of the
Moonsea. Entrance into the city is achieved through
a single, massive gate.
ELVEN COURT. One of the four ancient elven
communities within Cormanthor, the Elven Court is
a holy site for the elves and a place where the
outcome of the Crown Wars and the fate of elves was
decided nearly 12,000 years ago. Until 1354 DR,
Hillsfar fell under the rule of the Elven Court.
CORMANTHOR. The vast forest to the south of the
Moonsea Region of Faern and the seat of the vast
elven empire of Cormanthyr. Home to such elven
communities as the Elven Court, Myth Drannor,
Semberholme, and the Tangled Trees.
MAALTHIIR. A greedy, sadistic, and xenophobic
wizard who overthrew the ruling council of Hillsfar
and became the city's First Lord. The only thing
greater than his paranoia was his distrust of nonhumans. Pulled up stakes and abandoned the city in
1374 DR.
THE RED PLUME. A mercenary company
empowered by the former First Lord Maalthiir to
provide security over his new city-state. Widely
known for their corruption. After Maalthiir's fall, the
Red Plume fell from power, but the mercenary
company has since been returned to a semblance of
its former glory thanks to the First Lord's ingenuity.
TWO GREAT LAWS. The two primary laws
implemented by First Lord Maalthiir. First, the Great
Law of Trade: Do not interfere with legitimate trade.
Second, the Great Law of Humanity: Only humans
are allowed in the city.
FIRST LORD TORIN NOMERTHAL. The rule of
Hillsfar. Historically, this position was once of
supreme rule, but was recently supplanted by a
senate comprised of merchants and guildmasters.
Recently, however, First Lord Torin Nomerthal
cemented his rule over the city.
TOWER GUARD. The previous standing army of
Hillsfar. Well-trained and professional, the Tower
Guard exists to serve the interests of the merchants
and guilds within the city. The Tower Guard, along
Themes
Each adventure must be attached to one or both of
the themes below.
The Deep Threat (Hillsfar). Graz'zt's presence
has driven the fire giants of Maerimydra mad and
their push into the surrounding parts of the
Underdark have led them to Szith Morcane's door.
The drow, eager to defend their home, now find
themselves in a tenable position to not only do so,
but also reclaim Maerimydra itself. To facilitate
this, volunteers have been ranging far and wide to
seek out those who would respond. A great many
have found themselves in the Moonsea region-specifically in the area near Hillsfar. Knowing
Hillsfar's feelings towards non-humans, these
drow allowed themselves to be captured and
spread their tale far and wide in the city's Arena,
hoping that the city will react.
The Fight Against Ultimate Evil (Storyline). The
Dark Prince Graz'zt has carved out a place for
himself in the depths of the Underdark beneath
Hillsfar. From there, his corrupted influence seeps
towards the surface world and throughout the
nearby area of the Underdark.
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
Hillsfar
Recent History
Until recently, Hillsfar was a trading capital
controlled by humans, half-elves, and elves from the
Moonsea region and Cormanthor to the south.
However, with the retreat of the elves in 1344 DR,
the council succumbed to corruption and was
infiltrated by a number of organizations including,
but not limited to, the Zhentarim and the Cult of the
Dragon. In 1354 DR, a councilman and wizard
named Maalthiir, overthrew the remaining council
and set himself up as the sole ruler of Hillsfar.
Backed by the mercenary group the Red Plumes, the
First Lord of Hillsfar ruled with an iron fist. Nonhumans were ousted from the city--elves for their
perceived desertion with the disappearance of the
Elven Court, and halflings for their suspected racial
thievery.
Despite Maalthiir's tyrannical behavior, however,
Hillsfar prospered. With the enactment of the first of
the Two Great Laws, trade in the city-state
flourished. Within two decades, however, the
fortunes of Hillsfar took a turn for the worse, and
Maalthiir pulled up roots and left, destination
unknown. Shortly after Maalthiir's departure,
Hillsfar is besieged by and subsequently capitulates
to the Zhentarim.
Hillsfar Today
In the void left by Maalthiirs departure and the
Zhentarim's fall from power, a senate consisting of
thirty-one merchants and guildmasters assumed
control of the city. Fine in concept, but they soon
found themselves unable to act in the best interest of
the city, instead insisting on courses of action that
maximized their own personal profit. And so it fell
onto the current First Lord, Torin Nomerthal, to lead
the city--a task he has achieved suitable success
with. After a Netherese garrison was stationed just
outside of Hillsfar, Torin waged a bloody battle
against their ranks using the Tower Guard, mages of
the city's Guild, mercenaries and those Netherese
whose allegiance could be bought.
These soldiers would later form the ranks of the
new Red Plume and together with Torin's plots and
schemes, would secure his position as the ruler of
Hillsfar. Among his first acts, Torin reinstated the
city's prejudicial laws against non-humans and to
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
Organizations
The following are Hillsfar-specific organizations that
possess a noticeable degree of influence in the city,
along with the names and brief descriptions of
noteworthy NPCs.
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
The Joydancers
Location: The House of Happiness
The clerics and lay worshippers of Lliira here do
their small part to ease the prejudices that plague
the residents of Hillsfar over mugs of locally-brewed
ale and visiting musicians. Filled with the sounds of
lively celebration every evening of the week, the
House of Happiness is one of the few places where
daily troubles are left outside. Unbeknownst to the
First Lord, the Lliirans assist the factions in pursuing
their goals inside city limits when possible--even the
Zhentarim find those sympathetic to their cause
within from time to time.
Revelmistress Danna Thris (DANN-uh TRISS).
Danna Thrist is married to an aspiring young
merchant originally hailing from Mulmaster.
Revelmistress Thrist is charming, gregarious, and
welcoming--everything that a worshipper of Lliira
should be. Unbeknownst to most, however, she is
also a member of the Scarlet Mummers, an order
of Lliira-worshippers charged with protecting the
faithful of the Goddess of Joy and doing battle with
Loviatans. The Scarlet Mummers are feared
assassins who use blades concealed in boots to
slay their foes during elaborate dances and leave a
single, red rose as a calling card. She has grown
disenchanted with the city due to its recent
developments.
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
Hillsfar Castle
Formerly Castle Maalthiir (before it was razed to the
ground), Hillsfar Castle was reconstructed to house
the Hillsfar Senate, the Red Plume, and the Mages
Guild. At the very center of the castle is the Tower of
the First Lord. In an attempt to distance itself from
its xenophobic and racially charged past, the senate
of old ordered that the new castle be primarily of
human design, but incorporate aspects from other
racess cultures as well. While those practices have
been abandoned by First Lord Torin, the result was a
grand building that, while somewhat unusual, is
quite beautiful to behold.
Hillsfar Gate
This large, steel gate is the only means of ingress and
egress to the city. Housing a full garrison of Red
Plume guards and Guild Mages, it can be sealed in
the event of a siege in a matter of moments. The gate
is typically closed at nightfall and reopened at the
break of dawn.
Lastholme
This modestly-sized brick building is the home to a
small contingent of Chaunteans. Lastholme is
frequented by farmers offering thanks for a
bountiful harvest recently sent to market. The
Chaunteans of Hillsfar brew a mead that is highly
sought after throughout the Sword Coast. With the
recent influx of children being born, the Chauntean
church has grown to encompass a pair of nearby
buildings for use as an orphanage.
Shrines
Hillsfar Arena
Umberlee
Malar
Torm
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
The Docks
The docks area consists of a half dozen squat
warehouses and fishmongers with the Rust Nail and
the Gully (taverns, above) squeezed in for flavor. A
squad consisting of Red Plum guards and a guild
mage frequently patrols the area.
Elventree
A village of nearly 300 mostly consisting of elves, but
also including humans and half-elves, Elventree
seems idyllic and peaceful. This peace is kept by
followers of the god Mielikki (rangers, barbarians,
and druids), the faithful of Mystra (both clerics and
wizards), a handful of Harpers, and Elanil Elassidil,
an elven bard of great renown, who holds the office
of Moonsilver Herald. There are no free standing
buildings; mostly homes and businesses are high in
the trees, hollowed stumps, or caves beneath the
ground. The temple of Mielikki is known as the Hall
of the Unicorn, the Mystrans dwell in a dim hollowed
out cairn that pulses with magical light, and the
Harpers harp at the House of the Harp under the
watchful eye of Shalaer, an elven ghost.
Elua's Lighthouse
This small lighthouse is of elven make, like much in
the area. With the receding of the Moonsea the
lighthouse sits like a lone sentinel keeping watch, its
light constantly lit.
Elven Ruins
These ruins are ancient to the elves who dwell
nearby. The elves of Elventree will not speak of them
and they're not on elven maps.
Abarat's Folly
This ivory tower was constructed solely by the
magic of an elven wizard named Abarat. It's
unknown why the tower was never completed, but
Yulash
Once a client village of Hillsfar, as soon as Maalthiir
left it was abandoned to the under-dwelling
inhabitants of its subterranean caves. It is rumored
that the great underground complex holds extradimensional gateways, pathways to the Underdark,
and other things, foul and utterly corrupt.
The Stop
Once Maalthiir conquered Ylash he created The
Stop, a caravan stop halfway between Hillsfar and
Ylash. The Stop is now a small village that includes
an inn, a livery, and is a full service caravan way
station. Several outlying farms provide fresh food for
The Stop and much of it is exported to Hillsfar.
Outlying Farms
There are a number of outlying farms in the plains
and rolling hills surrounding Hillsfar. These small
communities take refuge within the city in times of
danger. Some examples of such farms include:
Costt Zamoden (COST zam-OH-din). A crass,
outspoken human with a shiny, bald head. He and
his wife Randi breed roth.
Dumb Karl. A homely male hill dwarf that
provides much of the grain sold in Hillsfar. His
moniker is actually an ironic nickname given to
him by locals. He's actually quite bright-something that becomes quickly apparent as he
prattles off on obscure bits of information
regarding whatever topic he finds particularly
engaging.
Misha Gravelscoop (MEESH-uh). This young
female rock gnome inherited her parents's bee
farm when after they were recently killed by
bandits. However, she longs for escape and wants
one day to become a famous adventurer. The
honey produced here is used exclusively by the
Chaunteans in their meadery.
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons
The Underdark
Sprawling caverns and tunnels that go for miles and
miles below the surface of Faern, the Underdark is
home to the infamous drow, mind flayers, duergar,
and other evil races. The Underdark is saturated in
magical radiation called faerzress, the remnant of
the forces that created it.
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Season 3 Narrative: Rage of Demons