Our story begins in Archenbridge, a prosperous but uneasy city of several thousand which lies on the River Arkhen to the south of Arch Wood. The city’s thriving markets and merchant houses are fueled by luxury goods from nearby neighbours Sembia and Cormyr; with exports of produce, ores and lumber and imports of exotic metalwork, silks and spices which keep the many of the inhabitants of the area employed in various crafts. This level of activity creates an inner core that is as loud and bustling as the markets of Waterdeep, with wagons traversing its cobbled streets at all hours of the day.<br/><br/>The nobility and merchants build high townhouses with hidden inner holds, guarded by barred windows equipped with arrow slits and nastier defenses in the centre of the city, while the rest of the population constantly sprawls out of its rebuilt walls along the road bridge and across the River Arkhen. Many of the buildings are of stone construction, with slate or tiled roofs and multiple stories and there are grand temples to Chauntea, Lathander, Tempus, with shrines dedicated to the deities of Mielikki, Selûne and Silvanus.<br/><br/>Due largely to disputed borders with the neighbouring Sembia, Archenbridge maintains a large, showy military force known as the Archenriders. The town guard is adequately well-organised and equipped to watch over a mostly human population, with strong elements of half-elves, halflings and gnomes and can usually be seen at any sign of trouble.