@TheEdVerse Hi Ed. Okay, so I couldn’t lure you into revealing Jergal lore.😆 Because of that you at least owe me something: what was the surname of Halvan “the Dark” of Halfaxe Trail fame?😉
— George Krashos (@gkrashos) August 3, 2020
1)
Heh. Persistence will get you everywhere.
Halvan “the Dark” was Sembian by birth and in his youth a traveling trader up and down the Dragonreach, who settled in Harrowdale and became a successful landlord and shipper. 2)
Halvan’s full name was Halvan Deirith Mhalkhombur; he hated his family (who had come to Sembia from Turmish, two generations earlier) and tried never to use his surname (his middle name was his mother’s half-elven-heritage…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 3, 2020
3)
…family surname; it was Sembian custom in those days to use the surnames of high-status or wealthy families who marry into yours, as middle names).
Halvan became Lord of what he promptly dubbed “Halvan’s Dale” in 1182 DR, …4)
…named as the successor of previous lord Andrur Surlwood, in papers found on Surlwood’s desk after the latter’s sudden and mysterious demise (likely of poison; Elminster doesn’t think Halvan was responsible, but rather…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 3, 2020
5)
…Surlwood’s own kin, impatient to inherit).
The moment he became lord, Halvan used his new powers and the dale’s tax coffers to become a major local moneylender, driving hard bargains and seizing property (by strictly enforcing… 6)
…these lending agreements) . He was not well liked by the dalesfolk, but he was respected, in part because he improved every building he came to own, and kept the dale clean, the nightsoil carted far away and composted, …#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 3, 2020
7)
…built new breweries and shops to rent out and larger, better inn facilities, workshop and warehouse space so Sembian businesses could relocate to their advantage, and generally brought prosperity to the dale. 8)
And then he overreached himself fatally, by starting construction of the Halfaxe Trail.
As Elminster put it, “He was doing so well by crossing his fellow humans that he thought he could cross the elves, and succeed at it.”#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) August 3, 2020
