Player’s Guide

Ten years ago, the Duke of Daggerford went to war, leading an army of humans, elves and halflings in a desperate bid to
defeat the forces of darkness, an evil cult led by a mighty demon who had raised a mighty fortress-temple from which to
conquer the land. The battle was won, but at terrible cost, but as the Duke died, falling in the final moments of the battle,
he died knowing that he had saved his people, that his blood had been well-spent.

Alas, he was wrong, for the seed of evil is tenacious, and the darkness threatens to return once again, holy men
whispering of a growing evil in the wilderlands to the east, bandits sweeping from the hills and forests, cultists seeking
ancient lore to resurrect their goddess and cast the land into her dreadful shadow forever. This time, there may be
nothing to stop them.

Except you.

Daggerford lies along the banks of the Shining River, a
sleepy farming town that is one of the few remnants of
the ancient Kingdom of Man, long fallen into history.
The heart of the town is the Ducal Castle, a mighty
fortress that has been the seat of the Dukes of
Daggerford for centuries, surrounded by a cluster of
shops and homes themselves defended by a stout stone
wall, home to perhaps three or four hundred people.
Within a day’s march are a dozen farming hamlets, each
a cluster of homes with a fortified longhouse, all sworn
to the banner of the Duke, dependent on Daggerford
and its militia for their defence. Daggerford has temples
to Chauntea, Lathander, Tempus and Tymora, all with
active congregations. There are three taverns, the
‘Happy Cow’ primarily serving the local farmers, the
‘Shining River’ the local elite and the wealthy traveller,
and the ‘Lady Luck’ has a reputation as a haven for
rogues, renegades and adventurers…
Most of the inhabitants of Daggerford and its Duchy are
Human, either descendants of those who have dwelled
in these lands for centuries, or more recent arrivals
from Waterdeep and beyond, primarily farmers. Most
of the Halflings in the region dwell in Seconder, though
there is a healthy population in Daggerford and some of
the surrounding farms. The few remaining Dwarves talk
tall tales of their lost, ancient strongholds, usually over
mugs of ale in the ‘Lady Luck’, while the Elves are
represented primarily in the local nobility, though some
dwell in scattered settlements in the High Forest, others
wandering the land in search of relics of their ancient,
half-remembered past; Half-Elves are not uncommon,
though generally living as Humans in this region, as do
the rarer Half-Orcs. Gnome merchants are found in
Daggerford, or plying their wares from settlement to
settlement. Dragonborn and Tieflings are not unheard-
of, but are rarely seen in this land.

Further up the Shining River lie the villages of Secomber
and Hommlet, each around half the size of Daggerford,
each nominally lying under the authority of the Duke,
though this has grown lax in recent years. Secomber has
a substantial population of halflings, and is often used
as a haven for rangers daring to launch expeditions into
the untamed eastern wilderlands. Hommlet, a humble
settlement, was only a short distance from the final
battle against the forces of the Temple, and the Duke of
Daggerford is lethargically sponsoring the construction
of a fortress to defend the village from any future
menace, the local priest of Tyr constantly petitioning for
its completion.
In recent months, the lands of the Duchy have faced
increased bandit activity, and the merchants of
Daggerford have called upon the Duke to bolster the
Militia once again; it is assumed that the characters
have answered this call to arms, and are travelling to
Daggerford to enter service with the Duke. (For those of
a magical inclination, alternatively, the Master Mage,
Delfen Yellowknife, has let it be known that he is
seeking new apprentices.) Characters in this campaign
begin at First Level, and it is assumed that they are
travelling to Daggerford for the first time, arriving at the
Halfway Inn, a day’s travel from the town, just as night
begins to fall…