Good location in Forgotten realms?

[Blackflight]

Hi everyone.

I am making a new campaign for players level 1-5, where the main villain is a young green dragon, who is scheming to take over a small town (population around 1000-2000 people). Through his agents he has convinced the town to send most of its soldiers to fight a nearby tribe of orcs, leaving the city exposed and vulnerable. It is up to the PCs to uncover the plot, defend the town and ultimately track down and kill the dragon.

I have run multiple campaigns before but always in a custom universe, so my knowledge of DnD lore is unfortunately very limited. However, this time around I would like the campaign to be set in the forgotten realms. My question is where would be a good place for this campaign to take place specifically?

Is there any town that could fit this description, have nearby farmsteads, forest and mountains? Or is there a location that could otherwise work to make a custom town there? I would like to be able to point out to the players specifically where they are on the map.

Thanks in advance for the help! :)

[Emongnome777]

Phandalin seems like a good fit, even some of what you mention is close to some things in the adventure, "Lost Mine of Phandelver" (came with Starter Kit).

[Unoriginal]

Phandalin seems like a good fit, even some of what you mention is close to some things in the adventure, "Lost Mine of Phandelver" (came with Starter Kit).

Came here to say this.

[SiCK_Boy]

Phandalin is a good choice, but nowhere close to 1000 habitants. And it doesn’t have an army, or even a militia, to send out.

Maybe something like Triboar, a bit eastward, could be another good option?

[LibraryOgre]

I've used the High Dale (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/High_Dale) for things like this a lot. It is isolated; the southernmost Dale, in between Sembia and Cormyr, but not on the main road between them; it is between point A and B and there's a faster way to get there. It can be forested pretty easily, making it good for a green dragon. While there's a pegasus-mounted archery company there, a green dragon might have its own allies... maybe some harpies, which would do well against sky-mounted archers, but not be beyond the green's control.

[opaopajr]

Moonsea also has Quivering Forest, near city Phlan and Thar the Grey Land. Covers towns of significant sizes, high orc populations, a lot of previous destruction, and was historically known as the Sea of Dragons because they used it as a breeding ground and nursery. Also has a lot of published content made for it, including a lot of Adventure League adventures (just in case you need help being creative).

Pretty much anywhere there is a forest & orcs works, though.

[Yakmala]

I've been running a FR campaign for around a year now based in the High Forest where one of the main plot points involves a number of young Green Dragon siblings that are vying with each other for territory and power.

I like the High Forest because it's huge and has very little official 5e lore (though there is quite a bit in earlier editions) so it was surrounded by familiar FR cities, but the actual area where the adventures take place is mostly unexplored by outsiders. The players started at 1st level in the farming community of Olostin's Hold in the upper NW corner of the High Forest, near Turlang's Wood. Everlund of the Silver Marches is the nearest big city. I'm almost a year in with over 120 pages of notes and the party has still only explored a small percentage of the forest.

[Thunderous Mojo]

One strange idea is you could use the Green Dragon
from the Wyllowwood level of Undermountain,(level 5), as the boss.
(or sub-boss if you ultimately want Halaster to be behind it).

Use Goldenfield as the town.

In the background I would have some great tumult...like a war between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep over Ex-Open Lord Neverembers' plundering of the treasury of the Lords Alliance.
(Similar to what Pericles did to the Delian League).

A breakup of the Lords Alliance, coupled with open war between BG and WD, would explain why the forces of Waterdeep, nor the private armies of the Waterdhavian nobility are not able to tackle the problem.

[Blackflight]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I had thought about Phandalin, but thought against in, because its already being used in the lost mines of Phandelver. And yeah, the town probably has too low of a population. I like making a custom city near the High forest, and Goldentfield also sounds really cool!

Thanks for the input :)

[Evaar]

Green dragons typically dwell in forests.

Daggerford is a town south of Waterdeep with a population of about 1500 situated next to the Misty Forest and north of the Trollbark Forest.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Daggerford
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Misty_Forest
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Trollbark_Forest