High Hold

[Rick7475]

For decades, High Hold has been a garrison town that started life as an outpost of Rauvinwatch Keep Argent Legion forces. With the passing of several decades, as well as the steady immigration of people from more southern reaches of Faerun, High Hold has settled into being a very respectable up-and-coming town.

While it is still a garrison and post of the Argent Legion, some four hundred people make their homes here, most famously the merchant-noble Jarshby family. It is said by sympathizers of the Jarshby's that it was their family that "really put High Hold on the map", and the facts more or less support this claim, as the rich, minorly titled family has done a great deal to invigorate trade as well as extend great charity to unfortunates and refugees from elsewhere.

The job industry of High Hold is robust, even in these fearful times, and while it stands to reason that the threat of orcs so near to the garrison-town's walls has put a serious damper on ease of trade and travel, both the Argent Legion and the Jarshby family have taken powerful steps in supporting small groups of local adventurers and mercenaries to address the orcish menace. This and this alone has kept morale high in High Hold, and the town continues to grow as more and more rural folk begin to migrate into the safety of the walls.

Of significant note, High Hold is also home to two temples; The Darathin Shrine of Selune, and the Radiant Dawn Temple of Lathander.

The Darathin Shrine is, itself, known to be older than High Hold itself, and the Moonknights occasionally make use of it and High Hold as a staging ground. This has always been so, and residents take great comfort in seeing pilgrims of the Moon Maiden eternally making their way forth, to pray at the shrine.

The Radiant Dawn Temple, on the other hand, is a very new construction that has met with countless misfortunes. It was built in the year 1361 by a powerful priest and Dawn Knight of Lathander; Alex Martingale and Sonya Martingale- a married couple, well-loved and highly thought-of in High Hold for the countless arrays of deeds done in the name of the Free People.

However, when the temple's construction was complete, a great storm took the skies over High Hold, and the husband and wife duo went forth to investigate it's source. The storm subsided within a tenday, but the beloved heroes were never seen again, and for several years, the temple they'd only just founded stood as a shrine and bodiless tomb, its doors sealed by a mourning Captain Taggerton of the Argent Legion, who regarded the pair as beloved comrades. Two years ago, however, a somewhat shy young man; himself a priest of Lathander; stepped forward and unsealed the temple's doors with a radiant, heartfelt prayer that the Radiant Dawn Temple be a symbol of mourning no more. So it has been that he's officiated the affairs of the temple there, though he's had precious little luck in attracting a large following outside the laity.

Of other significance, the archmage Gustias Malechar has made his humble home here in High Hold. As a loud and proudly retired member of Silverymoon's Spellguard, Gustias lives in a wagon on the roadside, smack in the middle of town, and has taken a liking to providing wares, services and the occasional bit of teaching, but only to those he deems worthy pursuant of arcane excellence. On some rare nights, however, the powerful archmage can usually be found drinking, singing and laughing in the Storm Shield tavern, with a pair of old dwarves and several ranking officers of the Argent Legion, all of whom he regards as dear friends. The sentiment seems quite returned, and the locals view Gustias as a strange old fellow, but a strange old fellow they're surely thankful to have around.