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Elturel

Elturel is a city-state lying on the River Chionthar in the Western Heartlands. In the mid–14th century DR, it is a center for agriculture and trade in the region, and was renowned for its elite mounted defenders, the Hellriders.In the late 15th century DR, it was the capital of the realm of Elturgard, a theocracy of Torm the True and defended by its paladin knighthood, the Order of the Companion.

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The Knights of Dragon Down

“The Knights of Dragon Down" was a ballad telling of the fate of seven dragon-slaying knights who were cursed with undeath. It was a standard of bards of Faerûn in the 1360s DR. The final verse was not often sung, except late at night and whispered around a dwindling campfire by the foolish or the foolhardy, for fear it would draw the seven skeleton knights or other undead to them. This verse was even outlawed in Elturel by 1366 DR because an evil archmage of the city made it the words of a summoning spell that quickly drew undead to those that sang it. However, it remained the favorite drinking song of the patrons of the A Pair of Black Antlers tavern in Elturel. It was sung every night, but minstrels had to show the appropriate skill and treatment, playing it with a mournful and macabre tone, lest they earn the patron's ire. The patrons revered the ballad as an anthem to fallen friends, to adventurers still alive, and to the dark whims of gods who demanded to be appeased

The Knights of Dragon Down Lyrics

Riding, riding across the plain,

See them riding home again.

Bright their shields, bright their chain—

The Knights of Dragon Down.

They have gone where shadows creep.

Their blades a bloody harvest reap.

Another dragon put fore'er asleep

By the Knights of Dragon Down.

On their fingers gem rings gleam.

Of such baubles, the very cream

Falls into the hands, in a steady stream,

Of the Knights of Dragon Down.

In a dark hall a lady sits alone,

Her bright eyes gleam as white as bone.

Her dark spells a-hunting roam

For the Knights of Dragon Down.

With cruel smile, a web she weaves.

From each Knight, his soul she cleaves.

Armored bones are all she leaves

Of the Knights of Dragon Down.

Riding, riding, their skulls a-grin—

Past the gates, the Knights ride in.

Sorcery now their souls doth spin

Of the Knights of Dragon Down.

Ladies scream at the touch of bone,

As skeletal Knights come riding home.

Undead now, fore'er to roam,

Are the Knights of Dragon Down.

Hear them riding, nearer outside.

Never sleeping, doomed to ride.

There's no place where you can hide

From the Knights of Dragon Down. ”

— Lyrics of the "The Knights of Dragon Down”

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A Pair of Black Antlers

A Pair of Black Antlers, or simply the Antlers, was a tavern in Elturel in the Western Heartlands in the mid–14th and late 15th centuries DR. It was the most well-known tavern in the city, recognized even outside Elturel as a meeting place for adventurers of all ages. Volo recommended that no adventurer should pass through Elturel and not visit the Antlers. Countless adventures started, or ended, right here.

It was heavily decorated with a wide variety of adventurers' finds, trophies, and paraphernalia, such as old and well-used weaponry and split shields; the dusty claws, tails, and shocked-looking heads of miscellaneous monsters; and ancient maps (though not all actually genuine) purporting to detail castle dungeons, dwarven holds, crypts, and cave systems said to house treasures and covered in corrections, notes, or blood spatters. Most impressive of all was an enormous rack of stag's antlers at least 20 feet (6.1 meters) wide for which the tavern was named. They hung on the wall over the bar and many patrons, including Volo, stood on top to measure them.

Services

Ale: 3 cp per tankard or 7 cp per hand keg;

Stout: 5 cp per tankard;

Wine: 6 cp per tallglass, with up to 9 cp per tallglass for better vintages;

Brandy, sherry, and zzar: 1 sp per tallglass; and

Elverquisst, 4 gp per tallglass—the most expensive in the tavern.

Plate of Food (includes salted biscuits, slabs of a sharp onion cheese, clams from the river, and gurdats which are pan-fried mushrooms with pepper spice and melted cheese batter). 6 cp; one served as a light meal, two as a full dinner.

Rooms are unavailable as it is illegal for an Inn and a Tavern to operate under the same roof by order of Lord Dhelt.

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House Rules

1. Free Feat at Level One - Human Variants are unavailable.

2. Taking a potion is a Bonus Action but feeding a potion to a fallen ally is an Action.

3. +5 HP at level 1. I run a deadly game.

4. Critical Effects Variant rule: A variant of THIS post by @5efoundry.

- Whenever a creature suffers a critical hit or rolls a natural 1 on a saving throw against an attack, the creature suffers an additional effect based on the damage dealt. If the creature is immune to the damage type, the effect does not occur. If there is more than one damage type present, use the one that dealt the most damage. If the damage rolled for each is a tie, the DM chooses the effect. This is in addition to the extra critical hit damage. You may also spend inspiration to add the effect to an attack of your choice.

- Acid - The target suffers a -2 modifier to AC for 3 rounds.

- Bludgeoning - The target is knocked prone.

- Cold - The target’s speed is reduced for 3 rounds

- Fire - The target takes 1d4 fire damage on its next two turns

- Force - The target is pushed back 5 ft

- Lightning - The target is stunned for 1 round

- Necrotic - The creature becomes frightened of the creature who caused the effect for 3 rounds

- Piercing - Crits occur on an additional number for the rest of the fight eg, 19 and 20 if normally only 20 18-20 if normally 19 and 20.

- Poison - Target is poisoned for 3 rounds

- Psychic - Target is confused for one rounds as if effected by the spell confusion

- Radiant - Target is blinded for 3 rounds

- Slashing - Target bleeds for 2 hp at the start of each of its turns until it regains any number of hp.

- Thunder - Target is deafened for 3 rounds

5. D.A.D Description of actions.

- Describe the motions your character is making.

Eg: Aelar pulls some Bat Guano and Sulfur out of his pouch, waves his free hand over the components and chants in Draconic before thrusting them in the direction of the Trolls. A small bead of fiery energy flies towards the one in the lead, detonating when it reaches its target.

- Name the Action they are taking

Eg: Aelar casts Fireball

- Detail the mechanics of the action

Eg: The Trolls must make a Dex Save, those who fail take 32 fire damage, those who pass take 16.

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My new favorite dnd art. This is such a good promo piece.