Elturgard

Overview

Elturgard, also known as the Kingdom of the Two Suns, lay in the Western Heartlands of Faerûn. Its capital was Elturel. By the late 1400s DR, it was ruled as a theocratic realm, centered on service to Torm (the Loyal Fury), though worship of Amaunator, Helm, Tyr, and other lawful deities was tolerated. The realm was defended by a paladin knighthood called the Order of the Companion, and also by the Hellriders, who served as a martial arm of the state.

The people of Elturgard were called Elturgardians. The common tongue was Chondathan. Humans formed most of the population, but some gnomes and other races lived in smaller communities.

Geography

Elturgard was centered on Elturel and spanned the lands north and south of the River Chionthar, including the Fields of the Dead. Its borders met wilder lands composed of the Reaching Woods, the Forest of Wyrms, and the Werewoods. These forests were dangerous, with untamed beasts and hidden shrines. A zone of "plagueland" lay a few miles south of Elturel; it occasionally unleashed monstrous threats into the realm.

A defining feature of Elturgard was the ever-present light of the Companion, a second sun suspended above Elturel. It cast unceasing daylight across the realm. The light did not radiate heat, but it burned undead creatures and thwarted many creatures of darkness. Far from the capital, the Companion’s glow dimmed to a pale dawn or a distant star, but it remained visible across much of Elturgard.

History

Rise of Elturgard

In the decades following the Spellplague (1385 DR), the city of Elturel grew in power. By the late 1430s DR, Elturel claimed the lands of neighboring territories under its rule, calling the expanded region “Elturgard.” Some cities, suffering economic collapse, allowed annexation—Scornubel was one such example. Over time, the city’s influence extended through both diplomacy and force.

The Undead Horror and the Birth of the Companion

At one point, the High Rider of Elturel was revealed to be a vampire overseeing a vast undead network, which infiltrated the city itself. Despair gripped the people. In the Year of the Seductive Cambion (1444 DR), the undead infestation threatened total ruin. Then, by divine miracle, a second sun—the Companion—appeared overhead. Its light obliterated the vampire lord and his spawn. Night was banished, and the undead shrank from the light. The people regarded this as divine intervention by Amaunator (though only the High Observer truly knew its nature). The city was liberated.

The Companion remained fixed over Elturel thereafter, its light a constant boon to the land. Pilgrims, refugees, and paladins flocked to Elturgard, seeking refuge from darkness or pursuing holy purpose. The realm’s leadership adopted a theocratic structure. The High Observer was appointed ruler, and the Order of the Companion and a doctrine known as the Creed Resolute were established to unify the paladins under a shared mission.

Consolidation and Conflict

Among the earliest crises was the disappearance of Tamal Thent and her retinue at Boareskyr Bridge. In the wake of that event, Thavius Kreeg, a priest of Torm, became High Observer. He ordered construction of Fort Tamal at the bridge and instituted patrols to enforce security.

Later, around 1459 DR, it was discovered that shrines to unapproved primal entities had been established in the Reaching Woods by humans, elves, gnolls, and goblinoids. Kreeg declared the woods off-limits, placing the region under guard and threatening death to trespassers.

By 1476 DR, the garrison of Fort Morninglord vanished overnight. The fort’s stones were blackened and its gates fused shut. Kreeg sealed the fort permanently and forbade entry under penalty of exile.

By 1489 DR, Kreeg was aging, and expectation loomed that new leadership would come. Soon after, the darker truth of the Companion was revealed: Elturel and its population were transported to the infernal plane Avernus, due to a pact between Kreeg and the archdevil Zariel. The city was later returned to Faerûn, but the ordeal left scars. In the aftermath, tieflings suffered discrimination.

Government & Law

The realm was ruled by a High Observer, a priest of Torm (in the late 1400s, Thavius Kreeg). The High Observer administered from the High Hall in Elturel, overseeing both civil and religious powers. The realm’s bureaucracy managed trade, agriculture, defense, and law enforcement.

The Order of the Companion and the Hellriders enforced the laws. Paladins bound by the Creed Resolute swore to serve the High Observer and uphold Elturgard’s statutes, regardless of their individual deity. The Creed required that no difference of faith divide the order, and that no claim be made that the Companion belonged to any single god.

Law in Elturgard was strict. Offenses such as profanity or irreverent humor were punishable. Travelling merchants who offended authorities might be heavily taxed or turned away. The criminal code was harsh: after three violations, a person was sent to the Dungeon of the Inquisitor beneath Elturel. Prisoners labored digging new tunnels, an ever-renewing workforce. The realm’s inquisition against evil, cults, and heresy was rigorous and feared.

Defense & Military

The Order of the Companion was the primary military arm. Mounted paladins clad in gleaming armor bore the dual-sun symbol. They served as protectors, judges, and agents of the realm. The Hellriders, longstanding defenders of Elturel, patrolled roads and rivers; they too fell under the Creed.

When exceptional threats arose, the High Observer would commission adventuring parties or hire outside agents. Though the paladins were powerful, external help was sometimes necessary—for unexplored ruins, demon incursions, or covert missions.

Religion

Torm was the official state religion. Temples to Torm dotted the realm, and clergy of Torm occupied seats of authority. Yet worship of other lawful deities, especially Amaunator, Helm, and Tyr, was allowed. Some Companions personally upheld those faiths.

However, worship of certain gods and primal entities was forbidden. The High Observer maintained that unapproved deities or spirits undermined the realm’s order. Despite this, a monastery to Bane existed in Soubar—a curious exception tolerated under political calculation. The High Justiciar of Torm in Elturgard feared that devil-worship cults were widespread, possibly even near Cormyr.

Culture & Society

Elturgard was viewed by many as a bastion of hope and order in a wild land. Travelers entering the realm often relaxed their guard, relieved to rest under the light of the Companion. Within Elturgard, art and craft persisted—most famously grand painted clay vases in a distinct style.

However, the realm’s zeal for law and its intolerance of dissent created resentment. To some, Elturgard was a shining light; to others, a harsh oppressor, policing thought and punishing minor infractions.

Relations & Diplomacy

Elturgard claimed moral authority over surrounding lands, sometimes causing friction with independent states. Elturgard tried to draw Iriaebor into its sphere, sending gifts and paladins as courtiers. Some merchants accepted the overtures, though many citizens resisted.

Among its concerns was the serpentfolk realm of Najara. After a civil war in Najara in the 1470s, Elturgard feared that yuan-ti and lizardfolk might invade. When Najaran envoys proposed nonaggression in exchange for noninterference, Elturgard refused—and its paladins killed the ambassadors. By 1489 DR, serpentfolk raiders and spies probed Elturgard’s borders.

Elturgard formerly had membership in the Lords’ Alliance, but as it grew in influence it acted more independently. While some neighboring powers saw it as a shielding force, others viewed it as overreaching.

Population & Settlements

Most inhabitants of Elturgard were human, though small gnomish enclaves existed.

Key settlements included:

Elturel – the capital and heart of the realm.
Scornubel – annexed into the realm during its expansion.
Berdusk – another city that entered Elturgard’s domain.
Soubar – a walled town housing the monastery of Bane.
Iriaebor – an independent city influenced by Elturgard’s politics.
Triel – a smaller village under Elturgard.

Important forts included:

Fort Morninglord – located on the Chionthar; by 1476 it was sealed and abandoned.
Fort Tamal – built to guard Boareskyr Bridge, named in remembrance of Tamal Thent.