Gilmore's glorious wood @iveleftmymark · 10h@TheEdVerse
We haven't heard from Berdusk in 5E much. How is the Harper city faring, and what are the struggles it's going through in the 1490s DR? Thanks as always 🙂— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
1)
Berdusk remains a Harper base, and under their protection generations of artisans have flourished, making the city a stronghold of skilled carpentry, smithing, and crafting; throughout the 1400s it has exported a lot of 2)
…useful furniture, tools, housewares (pottery, hinges, locks and hasps, pots and pans and cutlery), draperies, and decorative statuettes, lanterns, and small wall paintings. This makes it a popular caravan stop, as Berduskans…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
3)
…will always buy food, and sell well-made and stylish items (tinder boxes, locks with sets of keys, ‘strongbox’ coffers, tools and cutlery) that merchants can readily resell elsewhere.
Over the past century, a local nobility… 4)
…(the wealthy who wisely sponsored others, and became even more wealthy and able to go on sponsoring others, plus enriching themselves by building granaries and warehouses all can rent space in) has grown up in Berdusk.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
5)
These ‘First Folk’ consist of twenty or so families (some large, some small), who appoint a ruling High Lord or High Lady from among their number. Perennially most influential among these noble families are the houses of 6)
…Calanthal, Hardomeir, Myrmrast, Qarlagast (notorious locally for madness in the family, a reputation that began when the Spellplague hit and several mages in the family went spectacularly, energetically insane and destroyed…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
7)
…many buildings in the city until slain; much of the family today are believed to be skilled wielders of the Art), and Spaeruthal. House Calanthal are proud, prickly, and have a family tradition of training to become deadly 8)
…swordwielders (duelists). House Spaeruthal is just as proud, and perhaps the wealthiest of all. The current ruler of Berdusk is High Lady Lashantha Duarn, who takes—and heeds—advice in secret from the Harpers, and so rules…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
9)
…far more wisely than most First Folk would be likely to. As a result, she’s increasingly unpopular and mistrusted by her fellow nobles, but more and more popular and trusted by other Berduskans.
Right now, Berdusk is 10)
…dominated by squabbles (not quite open feuds, but trade disputes through proxies) between rival nobles, who unite on one issue: preventing the formation of local guilds (or breaking up those that do form, before they can…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
11)
…wield any useful power). In this they’ve thus far succeeded, but their worst excesses have been sharply curbed by merchant costers using the city as a way-base, and by the Harpers of Twilight Hall.#Realmslore 12)
(High Lady Cylyria Dragonbreast was increasingly afflicted by the periodic mania that beset her throughout her life, and vanished circa 1396 DR; her fate is unknown. The Harpers informed Berdusk that she’d perished in the…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
13)
…fall of that year, but they never spoke of her death to fellow Harpers, and city rumor has her going mad, taking another name, and wandering off across Faerûn, or seeking refuge in Evereska or Evermeet. 14)
But then, city rumors have Harpers doing many, many wild and odd things. In 1397 Dr, Berdusk’s First Folk selected Ingaram Caunter as High Lord, and he ruled capably for two decades.)#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) February 9, 2020
