Luth Merrygold The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Luth Merrygold is a plump and cheerful halfling with curly auburn hair, laugh lines around her deep brown eyes, and an ever-present apron that smells of butter, herbs, and fresh-baked bread. She wears a simple tunic with rolled-up sleeves and well-worn boots. Her voice carries the warmth of a hearth fire on a cold evening.

Always warm and welcoming, treating everyone like family. She often calls her regulars “love” or “dearie” and frequently spends time sharing the latest gossip or stories that travellers of the Long Road have shared. She is focused on creating perfection in the kitchen and fiercely protective of her recipes and secret foraging spots.

Growing up in the eastern foothills, her siblings took to the fields, and Luth took to the kitchen. She learned early that a well-cooked meal could ease tension, mend friendships, and turn a house into a home. She settled in Westbridge and opened Merrygold’s Table, a cosy restaurant specialising in hearty, rustic farmstead meals.

Harlan Raskin The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

A 58 year old, wiry man, Harlan Raskin sports a bushy moustache and calloused hands, always smelling of sawdust and oil. He wears a simple work shirt and trousers, his sleeves perpetually rolled up. His left eye is cloudy from an old injury, but he still sees well enough to judge the balance of a wheel with uncanny precision. Harlan is a no-nonsense craftsman who values durability and practicality over fanciness. He’s prone to muttering about how things were “built better back in my day” but secretly delights in finding ways to improve his designs.

Harlan has been building and repairing wagons for over thirty years and is widely considered the best wainwright in the region. His shop, Rolling Wheel, serves the farmers and merchants of Westbridge, crafting sturdy carts and repairing shattered axles with efficiency.

Byrony Thistlebranch The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Bryony Thistlebranch is a 72 year old halfling and the owner of Thistlebranch Tonics, an herbalist shop. Bryony is a sprightly, silver-haired halfling woman with a sun-kissed complexion and bright green eyes that twinkle with knowing mischief—a lifelong forager of herbs, fungi, and flowers. Bryony grew up roaming the edges of the Dim Forest, learning the secrets of plants from her grandmother, who always said, “The land tells you what you need—if you’ve got the ears to listen”. Bryony is well loved in Westbridge for her warm demeanour and sharp wit.

Ghaliver Longstocking The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Ghaliver Longstocking is the halfling ruler of the settlement of Westbridge. Ghaliver is a very able businessman: he possesses the farmer's market, a stockyard, several Tenements, a walled grain warehouse complex, and an inn in Westbridge, and a few houses in Waterdeep. His goal was to find a means to protect himself in the years ahead after retiring from the adventuring life.

Ghaliver was a charming individual, and was always working on new schemes. He was a good judge of others. His dream was to rule the North but oover time he had attracted only the attentions of the Zhentarim and similar groups.

Kryptgarden Forest The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Kryptgarden Forest, also known as Tsordvudd, is a small but ancient and foreboding forest on the Sword Coast North in northwest Faerûn and one of the so-called the Moonwoods of the North. It is a site that once housed long-lost realms of the elves and dwarves. The name 'Kryptgarden' arose from the dwarfhold known as Southkrypt Garden, which stood in the northern region of the forest but has since been lost to time.

The forest is itself sometimes called Southkrypt Garden. The name also seems to originate in the orc realm called Uruth Ukrypt, meaning "Home of Uruth" in Orcish, that rose in the Sword Mountains in the 10th century DR.

It is located east of the Sword Mountains. It lies just west of the Long Road and the village of Westbridge and north of Waterdeep. It is an old-growth forest and local humans know little of what lay within as of the mid-1300s DR.

Kryptgarden is a hilly woodland, and is covered in a thick layer of foul-smelling fog. Parts of the wood has an unexplained reddish hue about the forest floor and the bases of the trees. The forest contains many ruins of bygone dwarven civilizations. A deep hole in the ground—known to some as "the orifice"—in the red forest east of the Sword Mountains leads to the Underdark and a passage to the Hanging City of Dolblunde. Large sections of the wooded region are thick with various colors of giant mushrooms.

Small game animals lives in the forest, but larger creatures also dwell within, as they are rumors to be readily eaten by Kryptgarden's most fearsome predator, the dragon Claugiyliamatar. Folk from Westbridge hunt animals along the eastern edges of the forest during the 1300s DR, but do not dare go deeper than a few hours on foot. At times, some of their fellows have gone missing while hunting in Kryptgarden. Some logging also goes on around the edges of the forest.

The huge, old trees of this forest are so broad and leafy as to make the ground beneath dark on the brightest days. Terrible creatures like tenebrous worms and slow shadows abide elsewhere within the forest. Today, Kryptgarden Forest is perhaps the most dangerous location in the region. The trees remain standing, but they long ago lost their graceful beauty and are now tall and gnarled, and many rotting timbers projecting out of the ground. Mushrooms and other fungi sprout everywhere. A thick cloud of spores fills the air and blots out the sun, allowing the unnatural growths to flourish. Kryptgarden Forest is a dense, ancient woodland where towering evergreens loom overhead, their gnarled roots twisting through uneven ground.

Moss-covered ruins and half-buried relics hint at civilizations long forgotten, while thick underbrush conceals hidden dangers. Near-constant mist clings to the forest floor, shrouding shadowed glades and stagnant pools, while treacherous ravines and tangled brambles make navigation difficult for anyone brave enough to actually enter the forest. Whether well-worn or newly forged, every path holds the potential for discovery—or disaster.

Ancient trees form an almost unbroken canopy. Occasional shafts of sunlight pierce the gloom. In some places, the foliage is so dense that day feels like dusk; in others, patches of golden light create serene, dreamlike clearings.

Moss-covered boulders, creeping ivy, and tangled brambles make travel slow and treacherous. Fallen logs serve as makeshift bridges over sunken ravines while shallow, sluggish streams wind through the undergrowth, their waters black with tannins. Paths where they exist are narrow and winding and often obscured by ferns and fallen leaves.

The terrain is uneven, riddled with jagged ridges, hidden sinkholes, and deep hollows. Massive stone formations jut from the earth, often covered in runes, overgrowth, or faintly glowing fungi. Small, secluded clearings serve as gathering points for what few wildlife, fey, and those who call the forest home.

Notable Locations
• Southkrypt Garden
• Uncle's Keep
• Deeping Cave
• Tomb of the Dead
• The Undercave
• Kryptgarden Falls

Stables The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

The stables are owned by Gentry Benton, an elderly man who has gotten too old to maintain them so he lets his grandson, Samuel Benton handle day to day operations. Mounts and such stabled here are well taken care off and groomed on a regular bases. Gentry and his grandson do not have set rates for stabling mounts, Samuel usually works off of tips since he finds he earns a better living doing business this way.

Deeping Cave The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Deeping Cave is a cavern in Kryptgarden Forest on the Sword Coast North. It is the lair of the ancient green dragon Claugiyliamatar, a.k.a. Old Gnawbone, but its name comes from local humans, who named it for some forgotten reason before Old Gnawbone arrived.

Deeping Cave lies in Kryptgarden Forest, at the end of a deep ravine that runs from one of the mountains that bounds the old, thickly grown woods to the north. Several tombs and abandoned dwarfholds, including the infamous ruins known as Southkrypt, are in the nearby mountains. The cave's entrance is rumored to be at the end of a gloomy vine-filled gully that contained old oaks and duskwoods, although no one is quite sure since no one has been foolish enough to investigate. The cave is close enough to civilization that it is likely to be discovered by adventurers eventually.

Old Gnawbone's lair contains creeping phosphorescent lichens, giant toadstools, and hanging mosses draped over more than a dozen statues of imperious human women (mostly warriors) looted from tombs. At the back, Old Gnawbone rests in the dark on her bed of coins (which isn't that much for a dragon of her stature, since she values other things more). She also has an alcove with her glowing crystal balls where she spent hours scrying.

Old Gnawbone employs humans and woodland creatures to guard her lair and lead intruders astray with sound-based illusions into traps or the perils of another nearby cave. One reason she did not mate was that she did not want any male dragon to have too much knowledge of her lair and defenses.

Sages believe that Old Gnawbone arrived in Deeping Cave in the Year of the Evening Sun, 1303 DR. At some point, Old Gnawbone emerged from her lair in Deeping Cave, picked up a boulder from the nearby mountains, and dropped it on a sleeping red dragon, Smergadas, whom she had been scrying on. That rock became Lance Rock, a landmark west of the Long Road south of Red Larch.

Old Gnawbone temporarily left Deeping Cave after tricking Lord Brokengulf and drawing the ire of Waterdeep. She brought her loot to Neverwinter Wood just as she knew another green dragon, Endracritar, would be entering Kryptgarden Forest. After Endracritar was killed by Waterdhavians, Old Gnawbone returned to Deeping Cave.

The dragon Old Gnawbone resides here, along with at least one human male servant. This was always a man clad only in (fake and decorative) manacles and chains. He oils her scales with tree-sap and ointments made from leaves, fungi, and roots. She is also visited by agents under her employ.

The Happy Halfling The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

A welcoming tavern on the Long trail as it enters the settlement from the south, it serves hearty meals, rich stews, roasted meats, and fresh-baked bread, all made from ingredients sourced from local farmers. It is owned and operated by Ghaliver Longstocking, a once-successful adventurer known for being part of a more well known adventuring party along the Sword Coast. Ghaliver is fiercely loyal to the people of Westbridge and is the village's chosen spokeperson "since he owns most of the businesses in town" even though he never chose this position.

His tavern is a gathering place for farmers, merchants, and travellers. The Happy Halfling serves as Westbridge’s main eating location, always bustling with banter and debate. Not much happens in town without it being discussed here first. Near the entrance, a well-worn noticeboard displays posters seeking farmhands, advertising goods for sale, and occasionally offering rewards for the more adventurous type.

Farmers gather to discuss the latest harvest, merchants haggle over grain prices, and travellers share stories of distant lands. Ghaliver Longstocking has a sturdy and sharp-eyed presence, keeps a careful ear on the conversations— ready to serve a drink or settle an argument before it gets out of hand.

The Happy Halfling is a quaint inn in the settlement of Westbridge. Outside the inn, hanging over the entrance, is a square wooden sign that shows a buxom and smiling female halfling holding a flagon of beer. The Happy Halfling, is a place renowned for its good food and excellent drink! Passing merchants make a point of stopping, as do many other sorts of wayfarers, and it is said that the place is always filled with patrons.

The Happy Halfling is owned by Ghaliver Longstocking, who operates it. He is polite and smiles often to customers, but one can tell he does not tolerate visitors who do not respect the taverns rules. He is friendly enough "for the most part" and is always welcoming to those entering his establishment.

The Happy Halfling is a nondescript everyday Inn one might find in any mid-sized town or village along the Sword Coast - actually it is rather large for the small settlement of Westbridge. The main floor in the inn consists mostly of an open dinging area filled with small round tables with chairs and a half circle bar located along the left side on the main floor as you enter the establishment.

Bar stools have been placed at the bar itself. The inn is clean and very well maintained, you can tell Ghaliver takes great pride in his business. During most times during business hours, you will see several young females waiting tables with Ghaliver behind the bar or out amongst the customers making small talk.

Prices at the Happy Halfling are a little higher than usual because it is the only inn for many miles but the meals that are prepared here make up for the slightly increased prices. Choice venison, mutton, poached salmon, trout stuffed with specially prepared mixtures, goose roasted to a golden brown, pork, steaming sausages, steak and kidney pie with mushrooms or truffles, squab stuffed pheasant and boiled crayfish in drawn butter are just a few of the delights which are served here.

The villagers of Westbridge, ranging from hunters to farmers, enjoy relaxing in the common room, which has become a good place to hear local gossip and stories. The inn is kept neat and clean, and is a generally a pleasant place to visit. The inn provides ten rentable rooms on the upper floor, plus alcoholic beverages and food. A bed is six silver pieces a night, and prices are fairly standard for food, ale, and cider, with meals coming to various low prices. The bar is usually manned during business hours by someone. The inn has a room in the back with a large table and many chairs placed around it to hold meetings, parties, gatherings and other things.

As of now, the inn remaines prosperous and largely unchanged. However, at a point approximately a year ago, Ghaliver was forced to secure a loan to help keep the establishment running but things have sense turned around for the inn and Ghaliver and he has paid off his loan. Meals are served on pottery or pewter or copper services according to the customers order. Various leather jacks, pottery mugs, wooden tankards, pewter steins, glass flagons, crystal goblets, or silver chalices are used for the beverages.

The locally brewed ale and beer is supplemented by brews from other places, and wine, mead and brandy from all over the realms make their way to the boards of the Happy Halfling.

(All full meals served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach)

BREAKFAST MEALS
Peppered Bread: 12cp
Fried Potato Wedge: 8cp
Goose Eggs: 1sp
Oatmeal: 8cp
Chicken Eggs: 1sp
Fruit and Cheese: 10cp
Pork Sausages: 1sp

AFTERNOON MEALS
Game Pie: 2sp
Boar Steak: 2sp
Venison Stew: 3sp
Beef Stew: 3sp
Parsnip, Mutton & Nettles Soup: 1sp
Beef Stew: 1sp
Beef Steak (with all the trimmings): 2sp
Poached Salmon: 1sp
Spiced Sausages: 1sp
Stuffed Pork Chops: 2sp
Stuffed Black Trout: 1sp
Steak and Kidney Pie: 3sp
Stuffed Pheasant: 2sp
Roast Duck with Apples: 2sp
Roast Goose: 2sp
Cheese rolls with a Filling of Nuts, Honey and Vegetables: 6cp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 12cp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 5cp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 1sp

DESERTS
Cloudberry Pie: 1sp
Old Granny's Cinnamon Apple Pie: 1sp

BEVERAGES
Pear Cider: 2sp
Apple Lemonade: 5cp Goat Milk: 2cp
Cloudberry Cider: 2sp
Whiskey: 12cp
Wild Strawberry Black Tea: 2cp
Apple Lemonade Juice: 5cp
Ale: 8cp

TRAVEL RATIONS
Dried & Smoked Meat, Goat Cheese, Dried Berries, Oats and Honey (wrapped in waxed paper): 5sp

The upper rooms are very clean, and all of the rooms are heated. Each room has a fine bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools.

ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
Guest Room 6sp

General Store The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

Homestead Mercantile is the lifeblood of Westbridge, providing everything from farming tools and seed grain to lantern oil and travelling gear. If someone needs it, Mara Wescott can probably get it. Mara has built a network of trusted suppliers across the region, and she knows more about the region’s trade routes than most merchants in the region.

The Homestead Mercantile does not stock weapons or armour, but other adventuring gear (valued at 25gp or less) can be purchased here (for prices, see Adventuring Gear in the Players Handbook). If Mara doesn’t have it in stock, she’ll offer to get it in with the next shipment for a small fee.

Mara Wescott is a 43 year old woman. A tall woman with a no-nonsense demeanour, piercing blue eyes, and auburn hair tied back in a practical braid. A knife rests at her hip—for cutting twine and prying open crates. Mara is pragmatic and fiercely independent. She values fair trade but has a soft spot for struggling farmers. She is always blunt with her words but never cruel, and while she’ll drive a hard bargain, she won’t cheat an honest customer.

Mara spent her childhood on the road, following wagon caravans from town to town. She settled in Westbridge and took over the Homestead Mercantile from its previous owner, an ageing dwarf who taught her the tricks of the trade.

GENERAL SUPPLIES & TOOLS
Rope, hempen (50 feet): 1sp
Lamp oil (1 pint flask): 1cp
Lantern, hooded: 5sp
Candles (per 10): 1sp
Tinderbox: 3sp
Waterskin: 2cp
Blanket, winter (wool): 1sp
Soap (per bar): 2cp
Mirror, steel (small): 5sp
Mess Kit: 2cp
Pouch or Belt Pouch: 5cp
Backpack: 2sp
Tent, small pavilion: 10gp

RATIONS & DRY GOODS
Standard Rations (1 day supply): 5cp
Flour (per pound): 1cp
Dried Fish (per pound): 2cp
Hard Cheese (per pound): 3cp
Dried Fruit (per bag): 4cp
Salt: 1sp (small bag)

CLOTHING & ARMOR
Common clothes: 5sp
Fine Clothes: 15gp
Winter blanket cloak: 5sp
Leather armor (basic set): 10gp

WEAPONS & DEFENSE (Limited Stock)
Dagger: 2sp
Light Crossbow: 25gp
Bolts (per 20): 1gp
Shortsword: 10gp
Sling: 1cp
Sling bullets (per 20): 1cp