Phandalin Archived

Mainly humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, halflings.

The village is ruled by an elected Townmaster with a supporting council of influential people.

The village has no official guard or army. Guards from Neverwinter occasionally stop by on long patrols and can be requested if the need arises, though the help could be days away.  Due to this, the village relies on any nearby adventurer to help the small town militia in case of attack and if the town is under a major assault the village can take refuge in the Hero's Hall. This refuge has a walled perimeter, stores of food and water for weeks, and even an underground shelter and an escape passage if things grow truly desperate.

A modest and architecturally boring town of farmers, woodcutters, trappers, and miners built atop the ruins of the old Phandalin. The village contains three deep wells that provide water. The town also boasted a small smithy and Inn, along with a few basic shops for travelers and adventures alike. With the reopening of Wave Echo Cave in 1491DR the town's miner's guild saw new profits and several new mines were established/rebuilt. Shortly after the reopening, the ruined Transendar Manor was torn down and built upon its old grounds the Hero's Hall.

The original founding of Phandalin has been lost to time and raids. What is known however is that it was a prosperous village in the 10th century, mostly due to the Phandelver's Pact. The town was sadly in the path of raiding orcs and in 951 DR, it was overrun and abandoned.   It remained this way for centuries until Neverwinter established it as a small township to help the large city rebuild itself from its own troubles. It was well-established by 1489 DR. The town, however, begin to see dwindling returns from the nearby mines and in 1491 DR saw themselves host to a group of bandits named the Redbrands. This group committed several terrible acts, such as racketing local businesses, kidnapping over a dozen travelers to sell into slavery, killing the woodcarver Thel Dendrar for his defiance, and later kidnapping his family. Eventually, this group was put down by the adventuring group that would be later named, Meek's Marauders.   During this time a dwarf named Gundren Rockseeker and his brothers found a map to the lost to time, Wave Echo Cave. The hope was that if found this legendary mine could bring back Phandalin to its glory days and prevent the town from dying again. It took months and the heroic efforts of the adventurers known as Meek's Marauders to find the mine, clear it of villainy, and establish it again as a profitable source of income for the village, with it fully opening in 1492 DR.   The village would be tested again by the Savage Frontier as an adult white dragon decided to claim the nearby mountain range as it domain. The village once again had to rely on the aid of the adventurers that made up the band Meek's Marauders. Unimpressed by how the town master handled the crisis and the challenges before the adult dragon was slain by the adventurers, the village decided a town council was needed and elected some of the more influential people of the village to help Harbin make the tough calls. The Meek Marauders were given an honorary seat on this council due to their continued efforts to aid Phandalin.

Phandalin is mostly a stopover for those weary travelers on the Triboar Trail. It offers lodging at the Stone Hill in, resupplying at either Barthen's Provisions or Lionshield Coster. Those looking to trade in mineral wealth should stop by the Miner's Exchange and those who wish for a dash of luck on their upcoming journey should offer a quick prayer at the Shrine of Luck.

Phandalin had little of note in the way of tourism except for the small mention in one of his various tomes by the one and only Volothamp Geddarm. It wasn't until the construction of the Hero's Hall in 1492 DR that more folks began to wander into the village looking for more than a runaway from the big city or looking for work.

Much of the buildings in the town are built upon the ruins of older buildings. Log and Flagstone are the styles of choice.

Phandalin was located in the northern foothills of the Sword Mountains south of Neverwinter Wood. It was northeast of Leilon where the road that ran from the High Road to Triboar faded into a trail. This was a region rich with both natural resources and adventuring opportunities. The climate was temperate with an average yearly rainfall of 18 inches (46 centimeters).

From the mines around Phandalin, the small village exports Cold Iron, Gold, and Platinum. The land around the village was fertile and provided good farming and due to the proximity to the Neverwinter Wood, a decent logging and woodcutting industry was established.