Wait, WAIT…hold up. Who are these people that live in Phandalin?

The text describes Phandalin’s residents as “hardy settlers from the cities of Neverwinter and Waterdeep.” But who in their right mind would move outside the confines of a walled city-state in The North of Faerûn to a remote, undefended town out in the middle of nowhere?

Sure. Prospectors drawn by stories of gold and platinum in the foothills of the Sword Mountains. Yeah yeah, okay. But what about everyone else who packed their shit up and moved out to the country? Why did they all lose their minds?

No doubt, there are bound to be some folks with an entrepreneurial spirit who see business opportunities in an under-served community where they’re the only game in town. But why would other people move there?

It’s possible I’m projecting my own sensibilities onto this, but why would people like Qelline Aldreleaf or the Dendrars, or the Stonehills – families that have children – just pick-up and move from a well-defended coastal city-state to the middle of bumblefuck Cragmaw Country? Being adventurous with your own path is one thing. Being adventurous with children in tow is another.

Perhaps some of Phandalin’s residents settled in the frontier town to get away from legal entanglements. Or maybe they felt the need to move far away from folks who made them want (or need) to leave Neverwinter or Waterdeep in the first place.

At the time Lost Mine of Phandelver takes place, the War of the Silver Marches is just six years in the past. Several residents could be displaced veterans or refugees that settled in Phandalin after the war, which would be a way to subtly inject that bit of recent realms lore into your game.

Or maybe there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to one particular town resident…

I think I’ll spend the next few days on “The People You Meet In Phandalin” articles, and explain how people end up in this lonely frontier town along the Triboar Trail. Be sure to check back for updates!

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