Al Qahara

Al QaharaThough the enclave was named Al Qahera in Darkvision, the map in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide shows it a short distance away from a pass between the Dustwall and the Giant's Belt mountains, a location matching that one in Darkvision. The description is also matching, and Bruce R. Cordell is the author for both books. Thus, this article proceeds as though Al Qahara is meant as the same location as Al Qahera from Darkvision. was a hidden elven town located in a cavern in the southern Raurin desert. The settlement was isolated but did some trade with oasis settlements in the desert.
==Description==
The entrance to the town was located in the face of a ravine; inside the mouth, there was a lantern-lit cavern with a gate. Beyond the gate was a large plaza lit by oil lamps, with a mosaic covering the floor, where the walls were covered with bronze calligraphic plaques and tapestries. This was the common area of Al Qahara. Around its walls were a number of balconies, square tunnels, and galleries. The mosaic hid a high-walled well at the center of the plaza.
==Defenses==
The cave mouth was hidden with enchantments of misdirection. Five guards kept watch over the gate, and they could call on reinforcements if they were attacked, for instance, by djinn. The enchantments of misdirection would allow only those of elven blood to find the gate.
==History==
In the , Kiril Duskmourn visited Al Qahara, looking for shelter from a coming storm, and a healer's attention for her companion in the trip, the dwarf geomancer Thormud Horn. She learned that they had discovered a recently appeared tower to the north, which they dubbed the Storm Spike, and that two of their archers had become lost in it, while a third one perished overnight upon returning. She also received a gift of a magical sword.
==Inhabitants==
Al Qahara was inhabited by elves who had spent generations in the desert. Though fey, they looked weathered. The adults preferred tunics, while the children favored loose pants and tunics. They were generous with lodging and food, and liked news and stories of the outside. As of , they set up a bonfire every night, attended by over a hundred, maybe two hundred elves.
==Trade==
The elves of Al Qahara sometimes unearthed relics from the desert. They traded those at Huorm, looking, for instance, for grain, cloth, or spice.
==Notable Inhabitants==
*Essam
*Fadheela
*Mas'ud
*Feraih
*Ghanim
*Haleem
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===Appearances===
:;Novels
::Darkvision
===References===
fr:Al Qahara
Category:Settlements
Category:Towns
Category:Elven locations
Category:Locations in Raurin
Category:Locations in Southeast Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations in the Hordelands
Category:Locations on Toril