(Pop: 4,200) Alhaster is a small seaport located on the western coast of Dragon Sound.
Alhaster is known throughout the Barrens as a wretched hive of corruption. Its harbor is normally filled with ships crewed by smugglers and even slavers. Its despotic ruler Zarkon Morgrave is a cruel tyrant, who has installed the worship of the Dark Gods as his the city's official religion. Officially, all religions are welcome, but those who don't serve the Prince's interests seldom receive a warm welcome.
Under such rulership, Alhaster has become a cruel city, where opulent stone manors stand in stark contrast to the shanty-towns and ghettoes which occupy the remainder of the city. Rotting hovels made of timber, mud, and thatched roofs are crammed together in tangled heaps, using each other for support as much as the sodden ground. Shady business owners, smugglers, and slavers rule this part of the city, plying their foul trades in the dockyards and street markets. The streets are filled with filthy, grey-clad workers who typically keep their eyes on their shoes as they hurry through their tasks.
Alhaster Palace lies on the city's highest peak, protected by high walls, rocky cliffs, and the rough waters of Dragon Sound. Presently, the city is consumed with a massive construction project called "the Pavilion." The construction site is surrounded by a tent city for the workers, who toil upon it daily.
Historically, this small city has been an important stopover for caravans travelling on the the High Road, which leads west through the Barrens to the dwarven city of Arkan Feyr. For those travelling further east, there is a daily ferry across the Sound to Coldhaven.
