D&D Player Compendium

Daran Edermath

3 min read

Daran Edermath — The Orchard-Keeper

Retired drow adventurer. Member of the Order of the Gauntlet. Lives quietly in a cottage beside the apple orchard at the eastern edge of Phandalin.

At a Glance

  • Race / Profession: Drow (rare in this region — locals don’t comment on it because Daran has earned his place); former marshal and herald of the Dragon Coast.
  • Age: Well over 500 years old. He carries himself like it.
  • Where to find him: Edermath Orchard on the east edge of town, or — when in town — at the Stonehill Inn nursing a single cup of cider.
  • Disposition: Quiet, watchful, slow to speak. Warms quickly to anyone who shares his sense of justice.

Personality

Daran speaks in short, measured sentences. He listens twice as long as he speaks. He is the kind of man who notices the corner of a room first and the people in it second. He has lived long enough to recognize courage and stupidity at a glance — and to find both endearing in moderation.

If asked about his past, he will tell the truth in the fewest words possible. He served as a marshal and herald in the lands of the Dragon Coast, far to the south, for “longer than I will say.” He retired to the Neverwinter region — his original home — to grow apples and let his weapons rust.

He has not let his weapons rust.

What He Will Share

Daran has been quietly keeping eyes on Phandalin since the Redbrands arrived. He will tell anyone he judges competent and well-intentioned:

  • The Redbrands are not a mercenary guild. They are a gang, organized by someone who knows what they are doing.
  • Their unofficial headquarters is the Sleeping Giant tap house. He has seen as many as eight Redbrands there at one time.
  • Their actual stronghold appears to be beneath Tresendar Manor. He has watched them come and go from the ruins at night.
  • Their leader is called Glasstaff, but he has never seen the man face-to-face.
  • He has heard whispers of weird-looking goblins moving in the hills lately — bigger eyes, paler skin. He doesn’t like it.

Quest: Old Owl Trouble

The ask: Daran wants the party to ride out to Old Owl Well, the ruined Netherese watchtower in the hills northeast of Phandalin, and find out what’s making camp there. A shepherd he trusts saw “walking corpses” near the tower a tenday ago and barely got away. Daran is too old to make the trip himself.

Reward: 100gp on completion, plus a letter of introduction to the Order of the Gauntlet.

Secondary ask: If the party is willing, he wants them to deal with the Redbrands too. He will not pay them for this — he considers it a moral imperative, not a contract — but he will help with information and, if it comes to it, with a sword at their back.

Connections

Graph View