NPCs
Nobles
Duke Maldwyn Daggerford
Maldwyn, the duke of Daggerford, is a selfish, arrogant man far more interested in being respected and admired than he is in ruling the region. He enjoys the pleasures accorded to him by his station, considering himself a connoisseur of fine food and wine. Unlike many of his forebears, he has never had an adventure and has no interest in facing such terrible danger. The duke is a handsome human of not quite middle age. He dresses in the finest clothing, made from exotic cloths imported from around the world. Maldwyn bears the traditional weapon of the dukes of Daggerford, a flame tongue sword named Lawflame. The blade is said to have a mind and personality all its own.
Lady Morwen Daggerford
Duke Maldwyn’s older sister, Lady Morwen, is a stern and serious human woman, less outwardly amiable but more noble at heart than her selfish brother. Few people in Daggerford know her well, although she often trains alongside the militia and regularly pays visits to the shrine of Tempus. Those who have seen beneath her gruff exterior have become convinced that she is a born leader who would be a better ruler than Maldwyn. Morwen would never say so, but she and many others feel that Daggerford should abandon the outmoded convention of primogeniture and allow Morwen to take her brother’s place. Recognizing her competence, and perhaps seeking to keep her from agitating for his title, Maldwyn has appointed Morwen his Master of Arms, which gives her military command of the castle. The title keeps Morwen content, for now. Lady Morwen’s brown hair has gone prematurely white, but her face looks younger than her forty-odd years. She wears leather or even heavier armor as often as she does the finery appropriate to her station.
Sir Isteval of Cormyr
A former adventurer and Purple Dragon Knight of far-off Cormyr, Sir Isteval is living out his retirement in Daggerford. Believing that the kingdom of Cormyr was a light to the world, a shining example of everything that a nation should be, he fought boldly against the forces of chaos and evil wherever they threatened the stability of his home realm. As his power grew, he assembled several different groups of like-minded adventurers to help spread the vision of Cormyr’s glory into the Western Heartlands. His former companions are spread up and down the Heartlands and the North, from Cormyr to Baldur’s Gate and the Moonsea to Icewind Dale. In a fateful battle against an ancient green dragon, Isteval suffered a grievous wound to his leg that has never fully healed. His wounded leg means that Isteval’s greatest quests are now behind him, but he has never lost his vision of Cormyr as it should be—a beacon and bastion against encroaching darkness. Isteval is a paladin of Amaunator, but he views the god in an outmoded light as Lathander, the god of dawn and new beginnings, which some members of the church of Amaunator might consider heretical. Isteval is a slender and tawny-skinned human with dark brown hair salted with gray. He often wears the plate armor of a knight, although his left leg is braced and he carries a walking stick as well as his greatsword.
Elves and Half-Elves
Sir Darfin Floshin
Darfin “Longwalker” Floshin inherited two heavy burdens from his gold elf father, Elorfindar: his desire to see a new kingdom of Phalorm, and the guardianship of the Floshin Estate.
In his youth, Darfin’s father witnessed the founding of Phalorm, the three-crowned kingdom of the elves of Ardeep, dwarves of Dardath, and humans of Delimbiyran. This strongly allied realm also had large gnome and halfling populations, making it a beacon of acceptance and civilization in an often uncivil time. For nearly a century, Phalorm’s humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings fought shoulder to shoulder against orcs, goblinoids, and worse threats in the North. But that period came to a catastrophic conclusion. Young Darfin watched his father attempt to rebuild this realm, and he watched his father’s efforts fail. Over the years, Lord Elorfindar Floshin aided and advised the rulers of Daggerford, often with the help of Darfin. Much of the credit for Daggerford’s success can be laid at the feet of these two elves, though Duke Maldwyn does not seek or trust his advice. Upon Elorfindar’s death, Darfin, as the first born, inherited the Floshin Estate. Accustomed to years-long journeys to distant lands while his father lived, “Longwalker” now feels tied down. He is uncertain what to do with the legacies he’s inherited. Darfin takes some consolation from that fact that his sister Shalendra has returned. Due to some disagreement she had with Elorfindar, Darfin had not seen her in decades, but he now hopes they can honor their father’s memory together.
Kelson Darktreader
Grandson of Elorfindar Floshin and a nephew to Darfin, Kelson Darktreader is a half-elf approaching two hundred years of age. He has served as Master of the Hunt to generations of Daggerford dukes. No one in Daggerford knows the Misty Forest and High Moor better than Kelson. The Huntmaster is taciturn, never using two words where one will do. His long hair is silver and his face shows the weight of years. He is still spry, however, leading hunts and taking rangers out into the wilds to teach them the secrets of forests, hills, and moors.
Filarion Filvendorson
Filarion Filvendorson is Kelson Darktreader’s half-brother, born to and raised by a different mother. He is a nephew to Darfin Floshin. Filarion, a wood elf, is close to neither Darfin nor Kelson. Filarion disappeared from Daggerford for many years in search of his father, Filvendor, but the death of Elorfindar drew him back. With Filvendor presumed dead, Filarion had hoped for inheritance. However, except for a few keepsakes and special items, Darfin was the sole heir. In an attempt to bridge the gap between them, Darfin recently purchased the house where Filarion once lived and gave it to his nephew, but Filarion has so far been more resentful than grateful. Filarion was trained as a thief. To win a few friends and make some extra money, he trains guard and militia members in stealth skills and scouting. He also provides aid to adventurers in the area.
Wizards and Priests
Delfen Yellowknife
Delfen Yellowknife is a human wizard rumored to have came to Daggerford from the East over a century ago. No one knows the secret of his longevity. Delfen’s name of Yellowknife might come from the gold-trimmed magic dagger he bears—or it might not. He is swarthier and shorter than the usual in the Daggerford area, but has an agreeable and easy manner. Though he is shrouded in mystery, he is quite amiable and always ready to help the people of Daggerford. Delfen frequently takes on students and has three or four apprentices in constant attendance.
Trista the Shadowed
Trista has been the official court wizard of the dukes of Daggerford since the untimely death of her mentor, Gwaereth the Gray, seventy years ago. She is now approaching her hundredth birthday, and is frail and nearly blind. However, her magical power is greater than ever, and she is greatly feared both within the court and in the town in general. The only person in the ducal castle who doesn’t avoid her is Lady Morwen, who is fond of the “old witch” (a term of endearment in her mind) and spends hours plying her with questions
about the history of the town and the region.
Hadeshah
The local priest of Chauntea is a reclusive mystic who prefers to spend her time in the temple garden rather than interacting with other people any more than is strictly necessary. Hadeshah was born and raised in the hamlet of Gillian’s Hill, and still finds the size of even a small town like Daggerford, with its stone walls and broad streets, overwhelming. Her three young assistants handle perform most of the rites ofChauntea, at least those that take place outside the temple. Hadeshah is a middle-aged wisp of a woman, barely five feet tall and very slender. She white robes at all times, donning an emerald green stole for ceremonial occasions.
Darrondar Gweth,
The local priest of Tempus used to be a soldier in Waterdeep and came to Daggerford after an ill-fated skirmish that left most of his company dead. Though many priests of Tempus are interested in stirring up war for its own sake, Gweth is more devoted to honoring the memory of his fallen friends. In this, his attitude is very much in keeping with most of the rest of the town, and though he rarely leads more than a handful of people in the worship of his god, he is well liked and respected in Daggerford. Darrondar Gweth is a middle-aged man who has not lost his warrior’s build even as his temples have grayed. He wears a battered breastplate over dark gray robes lined with crimson. His blue eyes and the wrinkles
around them reveal the grief that consumes him.
Luc Sunbright
The self-important and blustery Luc Sunbright is the chief priest of Amaunator in Daggerford. Luc considers the duke’s favor to be a mark of distinction that he has somehow earned, despite the fact that the dukes of Daggerford have worshiped at his temple since long before he was born. He is very class-conscious, and those farmers and merchants who come to rites at his temple often find themselves brushed aside in favor of wealthier or more noble folk. Luc is a handsome man in his prime, with golden hair and a full beard. He wears robes of gold and rose, and a fine circlet of gold around his head.
Curran Corvalin
The halfling who looks after Fairfortune Hall claims to be from Baldur’s Gate and to have “lucked into” his money when a relative died, he won a bet, he had some investments come through, and he found a chest of jewels that someone had lost—all on the same day. Curran’s devotion to Tymora resulted, and his move to Daggerford came about because, he says, “Money is harder to hold onto in Baldur’s Gate.” Although Curran is a priest of sorts, he is no cleric and possesses no magical powers. People don’t begrudge the halfling his wealth and leisurely life, since he’s a jolly fellow as generous as the Hardcheese halflings of the Happy Cow Tavern. Each year at Midsummer, he helps fund the town’s celebration, striving to make each one more magnificent than the last. If he’s not in the shrine during the day, or helping folks down on their luck, it’s a likely bet that Curran is in the Lady Luck Tavern.
Dwarves
Derval Ironeater
Derval Ironeater is a dwarven blacksmith who came to the town of Daggerford with his family about two centuries ago. He is highly regarded in Daggerford. Various members of his fairly large extended family help out at the forge and hire out for construction work in the area. Derval is a venerable dwarf who can barely walk and prefers to be carried in an awkwardly heavy iron chair. He no longer attends Council meetings and usually sends a proxy in his absence. He is usually close-mouthed, but as Derval oversees the work of his underlings, people have heard him mutter things like, “Perhaps not as good as they made under Illefarn, but good enough, good enough . . .”
Jekk Ironfist
Jekk Ironfist realized the significance of his last name only recently. Like his shield dwarf father, he was a gladiator in Hillsfar’s arena. His father, Kellack, was known as Killer Ironfist, because of his name and because he fought with a black-iron cestus. Sir Isteval and the rest of the Company of the Sunlit Sea freed Jekk from the arena (too late for Kellack). Jekk fought beside them until the group disbanded. With time to contemplate his life, Jekk looked into how his father had come to be a gladiator. Jekk discovered that Ironfist was not just a moniker but also the name of a dwarf clan. Fortuitously for Jekk, that clan had put down roots near Daggerford, the home of Isteval. With help from locals, Jekk seeks to learn more
about the dwarves he believes to be his ancestors.
Soldiers and Militia
Sherlen Miller
The commander of the Daggerford militia and constable of the town, Sherlen Miller strives every day to live up to her namesake, a great hero of Daggerford, Sherlen “Spearslayer.” Sherlen considers it an honor to serve in the same role that Spearslayer did a hundred years ago. Her different roles require disparate aspects of Sherlen’s personality. As commander of the militia, Sherlen is responsible for teaching townsfolk basic combat techniques. She’s happy as a trainer, willing to school fellow warriors in advanced tricks. As constable, she mediates disputes and looks after the duke’s interests, a role in which she is much less comfortable. Sherlen is a young human woman of strong build, with short brown hair and green eyes. She typically wears studded leather armor and is rarely seen without a spear, which she carries in honor of her namesake.
...and a ton of merchants, farmers, innkeepers, riverfolk, and other commoners that I can flesh out if it suits your fancy. In particular if you'd like to be a humble "nobody" who raises their station.
