Rivermoot

Rivermoot is a remote agricultural village located near Mithril Hall, in the North East of the Sword Coast’s main region. It is a place characterized by exceptionally brutal winters, simple farming, and grim communal customs.

Way of Life and Grim Traditions

The community of Rivermoot relies heavily on agriculture, specifically crop seeding and the mating of pigs, to survive. However, the winters in the region can be intensely freezing, causing summer harvest stocks to deplete rapidly and leaving families, particularly young children, facing severe hunger.

To ensure the survival of the youth during these periods of starvation, the village observes a grim and sacrificial custom for its elderly. When food is scarce, the oldest members of the community are expected to make the ultimate sacrifice. This practice is euphemistically referred to as going “off to see the Guider.” Elders of a certain age put on their coats and step out into the freezing wilderness, ostensibly to hunt wolves for their pelts and meat, though it is widely understood they will not survive. As Farwald later recalled, “the old men in the village often were sent to hunt wolves, mostly not to return.”

Notable Inhabitants

• Farwald: An elder of the village who, prior to discovering his true past as the ancient Firbolg hero Hrothgar Hillsfar, lived a quiet life in Rivermoot. His departure from the village was prompted by a drunken bargain or bet struck with a rowdy band of young adventurers, in which he sought to prove to them that the hardships of village life far exceeded those of the road.
• Levi: A fellow elder of Rivermoot, younger than Farwald. Faced with a freezing winter and starving grandchildren, Levi prepared to undergo the ritual of “seeing the Guider.” Terrified of his impending doom, he turned to Farwald for guidance, pleading for a way to grant him one last winter and summer to teach his family the vital arts of crop seeding and pig mating before his final departure.