Mornbryn's
ShieldMornbryn's Shield takes its name from the rocky, horseshoe-shaped ridge that forms a natural rampart along the west and south sides of the settlement. This ridge shields the community from the spring flooding of the two rivers. Mornbryn was a ranger of notoriety over 400 winters ago. Legend says his tomb is somewhere under these rocks. It's a complex of rooms crammed with treasures offered by the communities he rescued from orcs and trolls. He wouldn't accept these rewards in life, but they were laid to rest with him after his death. Folk believe the treasure is still hidden. Others say the tomb was found and the city was built over it to prevent further plundering. Magic is said to lie among the coins, crowns, and gems, but the rocks of the Mornbrynís Shield contain much durneth. This is known to the dwarves as a very rare, hard, leaden stone that masks magical auras, preventing detection of magical items.
The folk of Mornbryn's Shield are a hardy lot. Day after day, they face the fury of the Evermoors which sends howling winds from the northeast, cloaking them in damp, clammy fog that conceals creeping trolls. The trolls prefer attacking when fog masks their approach, dulls their sounds, and dampens fire, their deadliest foe.
Mornbryn's Shield is a community of shepherds, fisherfolk, and moss growers. The mosses are prized across Faerun for medicinal properties. They form an ingredient in Waterdhavian hair dyes and perfumes. It's fashionable to eat Shield moss in some circles of nobility in Waterdeep, Calimshan, and Tethyr. Some merchants reach the Shield by barge up the Surbrin River, and buy boatloads of moss. The rocks of the moor support other vegetables, and the land is used to graze the long-haired ponies bred for local use.
Mornbryn's Shield is a surprisingly nice place to stay, but itís bleak in winter, always endangered by trolls, and too small to interest a traveler for more than a day. Travelers are warned to keep children indoors and hidden as much as possible. There are persistent rumors that at least one doppleganger is keeping watch on the Shield. It enters the Shield regularly, in the shape of a villager or one of the peddlers who stops at the local inn. It surveys the folk who come to town, reporting to nearby trolls.