Sildar Hallwinter

Sildar Hallwinter was a Neverwintitian, member of the Lords' Alliance, veteran of The Silver Marches Rebellion, and Townmaster of Phandalin.

Description
Sildar was well-known for being an exceptional fighter, but always prizing diplomacy when given the option. At the time of the events surrounding the Forge of Spells he was a man of some 60 years with grey hair and many scars showing his years. He carried a loyalty for the common people of the Lords' Alliance above all else, and harbored bitter resentment for those such as Harbin Wester and Iarno Albrek who used their powers for person gain/

Early Life
Sildar was born in 7E 56 to a poor family of farmers operating just outside of Neverwinter. His family languished in poverty for many years, due to the destruction of many eastern trade routes by bands of orcs and the general economic downturns as the post-war glow following The War of Tiamat faded. Recognizing his limited opportunities for upward mobility, Sildar departed from his family's farmstead in 7E 70 at the age of 14 to join the local garrison of the army of the Lords' Alliance.

Army Service
At the beginning of his career Sildar was often seen as a sub-par soldier by his superiors due to his lacking combat skills. However his way with words allowed him to maintain his position in the ranks, due to being friend to commanding officer and fellow soldier alike. His true potential was put on display when Neverwinter deployed its troops to protect Yartar during the Silver Marches Rebellion. While he saw little combat during the Siege of Yartar, he was able to ascertain much on the tactics of the army of the Silver Marches, knowledge which brought back to Neverwinter after being forced to retreat at the end of the siege. He was instrumental in the success of the armies of the Lords' Alliance during the Battle of Neverwinter, eliminating the possibility for a prolonged siege through the use of pyrrhic tactics. For his service he was given a knighthood by the Lord of Neverwinter, and played an important strategic roll for the remainder of the Rebellion. After its conclusion he saw little additional conflict, and retired from the army in good standing in 7E 90.

Civilian Service
After his retirement of the army Sildar took a roll in the administration of Neverwinter, proving to have as much skill in organizing city-planning as he did at organizing a battlefield. He met his wife, Mary, during this time and married in 7E 93. His competence chafed some long-time bureaucrats the wrong way and in 7E 95 he was appointed the Ambassador to the Gauntlgrym. Though he had little interest in the dwarven culture Sildar soon invested himself in the organization of the metropolis, then still expanding into areas abandoned for centuries. While there he formed an unlikely friendship with the son of one of the noble families of the Gauntlgrym, Gundren Rockseeker. While not sharing the dwarf's passion for artificery or archeology Sildar grew close with the dwarf. After again being forced out of his position by high-ranking bureaucrats in 7E 111 Sildar elected to retire, returning to his family farm to care for his ailing mother along with his wife and two children.

The Forge of Spells
Having retired to a Neverwinterian estate in 7E 116, Sildar was content to pursue his hobbies and advise the Lords' Alliance as requested. This continued until 7E 120 when he was contacted by his friend Gundren Rockseeker for a special favor. Rockseeker had located the map to the ancient dwarven construct known as the Forge of Spells, and believed that odd magical activity near Neverwinter was due to the Forge's reactivation. Sildar was reluctant to aid him until the two were attacked by a mysterious assailant who, upon capture, identified himself as an agent of a Black Spider. With the knowledge that someone else also desired the Forge, Sildar committed to helping his friend. He grew suspicious when Rockseeker enlisted the help of three other adventurers - Sir Patrick Nagelton, Aisha, and Morthos - to provide protection for the mission going forward, but elected to help him nonetheless. He traveled with Gundren ahead of the other three to Phandalin, but en route the two were ambushed by goblins of the Cragmaw tribe. The two were incapacitated, and Sildar was subsequently taken to a Cragmaw outpost located in a nearby cave.

Some days later Pat, Morthos, and Aisha were able to locate Sildar after finding his dead horse and also being attacked by members of the Cragmaw tribe. The three rescued Sildar and were able to return him to Phandalin, where he divulged all the information concerning the Forge of Spells and the Black Spider to them, and informed them that Gundren had been taken to the base of the Cragmaw tribe Cragmaw Castle. He also requested that the group searches for his associate Iarno Albrek, a local agent of the Lords' Alliance. He attempted to help the group further but subsequently fell deadly ill. The group successfully stop the plot of Draz, the doppelganger poisoning Sildar on behalf of the Black Spider, after which time he returns to full health. Sildar subsequently begins to assist Townmaster Harbin Wester in the operation of Phandalin, gradually taking a liking to the small mining town as it does to him.

After the rescue of Gundren from Cragmaw Castle, Sildar elects to stay behind and defend the town from the remnants of the Cragmaws while Gundren, Pat, Morthos, and Aisha travel to the Forge of Spells. In the subsequent battle Sildar's superior battle tactics give a great advantage to the defense of the town. This, in tandem with the effects of the Void Dragon Incident, leads to no fatalities being recorded in the battle. Following this battle and the destruction of the Forge of Spells, Townmaster Wester abdicated. By popular demand Sildar was appointed Townmaster by the Lords' Alliance.

Time as Townmaster
Despite the calamitous events that came immediately preceding his appointment, Sildar was able to effectively maintain the productivity and well-being of the citizens of Phandalin during his tenure. He made great efforts towards strengthening the trade route between Neverwinter and Triboar, successfully petitioning for the creation of a permanent garrison outside of Phandalin for this purpose. He was also able to successfully able to purge Zhentarim influence from the town, arresting Halia Thornton and the remaining member of the Redbrands in 7E 125. He took an interest in lightening the lives of the people of Phandalin, instituting a harvest festival in 7E 126.

During one such festival in 7E 130, Sildar came into contact with several prisoners from Velkynvelve, who had just emerged from a teleporter located near the destroyed Forge. After stopping an assassination attempt by a former member of the Cragmaw, the group informed Sildar of their engagements with several demon lords during their time in the Underdark, and of their impending arrival on the surface. Sildar disseminated this information to his superiors at the Alliance, who subsequently requested he return to Neverwinter to aid in the defense of the city. Sildar refused, and though the Lords' Alliance officially stripped him of his position as Townmaster as a result he continued to govern unheeded, maintaining the support of both the locals and the garrison at Fort Rockseeker.

Death
Following the destruction of Neverwinter by the forces of the Demogorgon in 7E 137, Sildar was well-aware of the danger this put his town in. His suspicious was confirmed when a detachment of demons beset upon the town a few weeks later. Though much smaller than the force that had annihilated Neverwinter, their strength still greatly outmatched Phandalin. Fort Rockseeker was destroyed, and the population of Phandalin subsequently took refuge in the nearby abandoned dwarven stronghold of Axeholm. This saved the town of Phandalin from destruction, but the demons' assault on Axeholm incurred a heavy loss of life. Sildar was mortally while facing a Balor with three other soldiers, though he was able to slay the beast before expiring. His actions saved the majority of the populace of Phandalin from certain death, and he was lauded as a hero for his actions there. He was buried in Phandalin Cemetary, and the harvest festival he founded was named in his honor from there out.