Duchy of Daggerford

Situated on the flood plains of the River Delimbiyr, the Duchy of Daggerford is a primarily human dominated duchy centered around the walled fortress town of Daggerford.

The region now known as Daggerford sits atop a legacy of dozens of ancient realms dating back to the mythical time of the elven Crown Wars. The mostly self sufficient hillock farm steads are studded and criss-crossed with ancient roads, crumbling aqueducts, and curse-haunted ruins.

Though mainly independently wealthy due to its strategic position along the trade way from Waterdeep to Baldur's Gate, it is economically dominated by the immensely powerful noble houses of it's northern neighbor and the canny dukes of Daggerford have long played the Waterdhavian economic powers off against each other to retain the realm's independence.

The geography of the Duchy of Daggerford is incredibly varied, stretching as it does from the bleak Forlorn Hills in the north to the blasted heath of the High Moor in the south, and from the forbidding stretches of the Lizard Marsh in the west to the fertile and verdant verge of the High Forest in the east.

For the most part, the geography of the realm is dominated by the huge expanse of east-west running of the River Delimbiyr, which in tandem with the north-south Trade Way forms the lifeblood for the hardscrabble merchants and traders who inhabit the vales and hills.

The climate of the region is much like the rest of the Savage North, if a bit more moderated by it's more southern position. That is to say it is humid and warm in the summer months, with a short but verdant growing season for strong crops like oats and barley. The winters come early and last a long time, with heavy snows and freezing rain driving the inhabitants to either warmer climes (for the wealthy who can afford second estates in the south) or indoors to wait out the worst of the season with their domesticated beasts.

Baronies and Regions

Along the periphery of the Barony of Daggerford are seven nominally independent baronies, all of which can trace their investiture back to the Realm of Three Crowns, the Kingdom of Man, or the splinter kingdoms that arose in the wake of Delimbiyran’s collapse. Individual barons may claim additional titles (e.g. several claim the title of King of Man), but most are commonly accorded the rank of baron and collectively known the Shining Barons.

Although nominally independent, none of the Shining Baronies are strong enough to survive without maintaining a strong defensive and trading alliance with the Duke of Daggerford, with the possible exception of Delantar and Floshin Estates. Such ties were further strengthened during the Dragonspear War, when soldiers in the employ of the various Shining Barons formed companies under the banner of the Duke of Daggerford. The Shining Barons and the Duke of Daggerford collectively make up the Council of Man, a forum for adjudicating disputes between realms and acting with common purpose against foes of the Lawkeeper races. Although the Duke of Daggerford or any of the Shining Barons may call for a convening of the Council of Man, the Duke of Daggerford traditionally chairs all such councils.

Most of the Shining Barons command little more than a crumbling keep and a handful of hamlets. While they are accorded some measure of respect in the Lower Delimbiyr Vale, their titles would get them little more than spit in their drink in most taverns in the City of Splendors. The baron-in-waiting of Vaelendaer now commands the soldiers defending on the Way Inn on behalf of the Lords’ Alliance.

• HG - His Grace, HrG - Her Grace, HL - His Lordship, HrL - Her Ladyship, HK - High Knight

• PD - Pwyll Daggerford, CoG - Council of Guilds, CR - Cromm Redhand, TL - Targarth Longhorn, IL - Indigar Loravtha, EF - Elorfindar Floshin, AD - Agwain Delantar, TS - Taera Shimmerstar, NH - Nanthar Harcourt, BQ - Banshee Queen, TU - Tarn Urmbrusk, DO - Delfin Ondabar, GD - Gwydion pen Dafwyd, Ch - Chauntea, La - Lathander, He - Helm, Ta - Talos, Mo - Morndinsamman, Seh - Sehanine, Au - Auril

During the era of Delimbiyran, the Daggerford region was known as the Duchy of Calandor, and encompassed the rich heartlands of the Kingdom of Man.

In the Year of the Triton’s Horn (697 DR), worshipers of Shar rioted throughout the Sword Coast as the machinations of Lalondra, the Dark Mother, sweep away the power of the Dark Goddess clergy overnight. King Davyd of the Kingdom of Man died in the tumult without an heir, and several kingdoms—including Calandor, Scathril, and Loravatha—broke away. The royal seat of Delimibiyran retained its independence, but was closely allied with the duchy of Calandor, which encircled it.

In the Year of the Clutching Death (702 DR), orc raiders from the High Forest inflicted heavy losses on the splinter kingdoms of Delimbiyran that were formerly part of the Kingdom of Man. Many of these lesser realms were destroyed before the armies of the Duke of Calandor finally defeated the orcs.

In the Year of Doom (714 DR), during the Battle of Two Gates’ Fall in the Weeping War, the city of Delimbiyran and much of the lower Delimbiyr Vale were devastated by a magical explosion resulting from the destruction of the Warrior’s Gate—a portal in Myth Drannor. Many of Delimbiyran’s remaining splinter kingdoms began to sink into decline. Although the duke of Calendor claimed Delimbiyran as his ducal seat and promised to rebuild, this also began a precipitous decline in the fortunes of the Duchy of Calandor that have never been reversed.

In the Year of the Curse (882 DR), moon elf refugees from Eaerlann resettled Ardeep and rebuilt the realm. A brief alliance with the humans dwelling along the Delimbiyr, including the Duchy of Calandor, and the dwarves of Dardath foundered because of lingering suspicions about the role of humans in the fall of Ascalhorn. Like Phalorm, this alliance was dubbed the Fallen Kingdom, much to the confusion of later historians.

In the Year of the Hurled Axe (928 DR), the reigning duke of Calandor attempted to reestablish the Kingdom of Man and have himself crowned King of Delimbiyran, but his efforts were undermined by the unwillingness of the surrounding realms to bend to his rule. One small benefit of this effort was the establishment of the Council of Man, a deliberative body composed of the local noble rulers and chaired by the Duke of Calandor to address and resolve disputes amongst the lordlings of the lower Delimbiyr Vale.

In the Year of the Penitent Rogue (931 DR), a wagon master from Baldur’s Gate sent his son, named Tyndal, ahead of the family wagon one evening to locate a safe passage across the River Delimbiyr. The boy, named Tyndal located the ford, but was surprised and attacked by a party of lizardfolk. The lad slew six of the creatures with his only weapon, a dagger, and held off the rest until reinforcements from the merchant caravan arrived.

Unbeknownst to his father, Tyndal discovered a king’s tear, depicting Morlin Castle at its height, and a sack of ancient coins in a sack carried by the leader of the lizardfolk, suggesting they were returning from an expedition into the ruins. After the caravan reached Waterdeep, Tyndal returned to explore the ruins with some of his companions. After repeated forays into the ruins, Tyndal emerged a rich man and a hero among the people. With his newfound wealth, he quickly came to own large swaths of land and numerous caravan companies in Calandor.

By the Year of the Foolish Bridegroom (945 DR), Tyndal, who adopted the surname “Daggerford,” sought and received permission to marry the aging duke of Calandor’s only child and heir, Eleesa, leaving him well positioned to control the ducal throne when tragedy struck two years later.

In the Year of the Advancing Wind (947 DR), the realm of Calandor was ravaged by the battle between the silver dragon Teskulladar “Manytalons” and the white dragon Cortulorrulagalargath. In his death throes, the great white wyrm fell from the sky onto the remnants of Delimbiyran, slaying the reigning duke of Calandor and his retinue. Tyndal, his son-in-law, was proclaimed duke and relocated the ducal seat to the baronial seat of the old Barony of the Steeping Falls. Construction of Daggerford Castle atop the ruined remnants of Morlin Castle began immediately.

In the Year of the Black Horde (1235 DR), much of the town and Castle Daggerford were burned to the crown during a prolonged siege by an army of orcs. After this attack, the duke’s subjects began building their shops and homes outside the castle proper, closer to the River Delimbiyr. A berm was required to separate the spreading town from the frequent spring floods, which in time led to a wall that encircled both town and castle.

The modern era has seen three dukes of Daggerford. Duke Conan Daggerford assumed the ducal throne in the Year of Thunder (1306 DR), several years after his marriage to Lady Sonja Loravatha, daughter of the reigning high knight of Loravtha at that time. In the Year of the Mace (1307 DR), shortly after his ascension to the ducal throne, Duke Conan granted the town of Daggerford its own charter, which his heirs have not seen fit to withdraw.

The union of Duke Conan and Duchess Sonja produced one son, Pryden Daggerford, in the Year of the Starfall (1300 DR). Unbeknownst to all, Duke Conan was secretly in love with Della Longhand, a commoner, who bore him an illegitimate son, Llewellyn Longhand, in the Year of the Griffon (1312 DR).

Duke Conan’s legitimate son, then known as Lord Pryden Daggerford, married Lady Analinda Talmost of Waterdeep, who bore him three heirs: Merovy Daggerford (1326 DR), Bronwyn Daggerford (1328 DR), and Pwyll Daggerford (1332 DR). Duke Conan died in the Year of the Lion (1340 DR), and Duke Pryden Daggerford acceded to the ducal throne.

Duke Pryden’s reign was marked by tragedy. His wife, Duchess Analinda, died of a wasting sickness in the Year of the Bloodbird (1346 DR). His eldest son and heir, Lord Merovy, died adventuring along the Unicorn Run in the Year of the Bow (1354 DR). The duke himself died in battle during the Dragonspear War in the Year of the Worm (1356 DR), leaving his youngest son to ascend the ducal throne on the field of battle.

The Dragonspear War (1356 DR) devastated the local economy, cutting off all trade from the south and leaving Daggerford on the front lines of a diabolic invasion. Fortunately the main fighting did not reach as far north as River Delimbiyr, allowing the duchy to begin recovering relatively quickly.

Official Government

The region around Daggerford is ruled by a duke whose authority dates back to an ancient kingdom that is all but forgotten in the present era. The first duke was granted a fief bordered by the Lizard Marsh and the Misty Forest and running south as far as Dragonspear Castle, and the current duke theoretically retains command over that whole region, but in practice the dukes of Daggerford don’t have soldiers to spare to patrol such a large area, so they traditionally worry about the High Road, the ford, and the town itself.

De Facto Government

The town of Daggerford is an outgrowth of the ducal castle, but it has its own charter allowing a Council of Guilds to run the town’s day-to-day affairs. Imitating the masked Lords of Waterdeep, the council members wear masks and shroud themselves in robes to hide their identities at council meetings, but everyone in Daggerford knows who the council members are. The council consists of the heads of the town’s loose, informal trade guilds: the Smiths’ Guild, the Merchants’ Guild, the Tanners’ Guild, the Farmers’ Guild, the Watermen’s Guild, the Rivermen’s Guild, the Taverners’ Guild, and a handful of others. In addition, the head of the militia, the duke’s master-at-arms, and the chief priests of the town’s three largest temples (dedicated to Chauntea, Lathander, and Tymora) also sit on the council.

Lords of the Realm

Together, the Shining Barons and the Duke of Daggerford make up the Council of Man, an ancient compact that governs the general muster of the duchy's levies and issues of great import to the region. There are no set meetings of the Council of Man, they are called on an ad hoc basis in times of need. Though technically any of the barons can can muster a meeting of the Council, by tradition only the sitting Duke of Daggerford has ever issued a summons to meeting.

The Duchy of Daggerford now is a bustling if mostly poor (by Whaterdhavian standards) region dominated by river and caravan trade. For a small town, the city of Daggerford is surprisingly metropolitan, with a huge influx of temporary residents that sweep in with the caravans and river barges each spring and summer and then flow back outward with the last harvest festival. These foreign merchants and transients bring with them exotic customs and trade goods that add a curious level of sophistication for a frontier town.

Additionally, the duchy is heavily influenced by the presence of (relatively) recent and stable non-human peers and neighbors, including the powerful and ancient gold and moon elves of the Floshin Estates, the stalwart refugee shield dwarves of the Ironeater clan, the scattered rock gnomes of the legendary under city of Dolblunde, and the extensive clans of halfling farmer families that dot the Shining Vale. By tradition, the collective assembly of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes of the region are referred to as the Lawkeeper races, for reasons that have mostly disappeared into history.

Prominent among the cultural touchstones of the region is a strong belief in, and fear of, the dangers of the many ancient ruins that dot the land. In many cases, these fears are well founded. The ruined keeps, dolmens, barrows, crypts, and dungeons of the Fallen Lands are legion, and many provide the perfect lair for everything from the ancient dead to wandering raiding parties of orcs or goblins from the High Moor. This wariness does not often translate to wandering adventuring companies, however, who often use the duchy as a convenient launching point for their exploration of the North.

The Duchy of Daggerford is a relatively small realm and its armed forces are not large in number. All members of the lawkeeper races must be ready to defend their homes and lives.

The defense of the duchy is ultimately the job of the duke of Daggerford, Duke Pwyll Daggerford, although that duty is traditionally delegated to the duke’s master-at-arms, Lord Llewellyn Longhand. The duke’s master-at-arms directly controls the duke’s soldiers, who are primarily based at Castle Daggerford, but also posted in hamlets throughout the duchy.

By agreement with the duke, the town of Daggerord maintains its own militia, trained by Duke Pwyll’s soldiers. Commander Sherlen Spearslayer leads the Daggerford Militia. The commander reports to the duke’s master-at-arms and is served by three captains, each of whom commands one of three 8-hour shifts: the morning shift, the evening shift, or the night shift.

Law-and-order within the town is the purview of the duke’s lawsword, who, despite the traditional title, reports to the Council of Guilds. Duke’s Lawsword Rauthgar Thundersworn is served by a half dozen lesser lawswords, who split their time between patrolling the town streets, visiting the town’s taverns, and patrolling the caravan grounds outside the walls. Any one of the lawswords can call on active militia members to back them up in a dangerous situation.

While the City of Splendors does not formally base troops in Daggerford, the Lords of Waterdeep do dispatch regular patrols of Waterdeep’s soldiers down to Daggerford and back. Such patrols are usually timed so that there is always a patrol of Waterdhavian soldiers spending the night at the town’s barracks.

Daggerford Militia

All able-bodied, adult residents of Daggerford are required to be members of the militia. Even transients of the right age find themselves either training with the militia or asked to leave the town. If a person stays longer than two weeks, a militia soldier shows up at his residence to induct him. Of course, the person can try to evade this duty, but in a town the size of Daggerford, this is difficult. Anyone can avoid the duty by paying the expenses of another militiaman, but most residents would rather spend the time than the money. Those living in outlying areas are also expected to have militia training and duty. This is mainly accomplished by local musters, usually at the estate of a local baron or the common of a hamlet under the training of the duke’s soldiers.

In a practical sense, this means that most inhabitants of the duchy are 1st level warriors, not 1st level commoners, although all classes and skills are welcome. New militia recruits are taught to ride and to use a spear. Each militiaman is given one spear and one suit of studded leather armor. If the armor is ruined in any way, the militiaman must replace it. Spears are replaced free. All militia equipment, aside from spears and armor, must be supplied by the militia member. The militia has the use of light warhorses owned by the town and kept in the town stables. The town must be repaid for the loss of a horse, either with money or with extra militia service. Any militia member who can afford such weapons as maces and swords is trained in their use by the duke’s master-at-arms, Lord Llewellyn Longhand. The duke’s master-at-arms also provides advanced training in swords and riding to the minor nobility. The duke’s huntmaster, Kelson Darktreader, gives instruction in bows and other hunting weapons to those with talent.

Militia duty is actually quite light, except in times of trouble. Militia members must show up for training at least one day per month. The militia is split up into various troops, and these troops meet on different days. Militia troops must serve three days out of the month, serving as in-town street patrol, wall guard, or road patrol (along the Delimbiyr Route or the Trade Way). Usually, at least two veteran militia members are on duty on any given day, while the new militia members train and help the veterans.

Militia members who participate in combat or other hazardous missions are entitled to split any loot they obtain among them. The town is entitled to buy any magic items deemed necessary for the well-being of the town.

Militia members who die in the line of duty will be raised if possible, but there is only one priest in Daggerford with this ability. Veteran militia members have priority for being raised.

The main problem the militia has is hanging on to its veteran members. If they gain any significant expertise, the militia’s best swords are hired away by caravan masters, go off to the mercenary hiring fairs in Waterdeep, or try their hands at adventuring.