Harbin Wester

Harbin Wester is a banker of Althoria. For a time, he retired from banking to lead the village of Phandalin as its townmaster; however, his tenure as townmaster came to an end when he was replaced by Ryathon Silverthorn, Hero of Phandalin. The townsfolk of Phandalin have generally concluded that, in hindsight, Harbin Wester was an ineffectived townmaster, pompous and craven as he was.

His current whereabouts are not known to the people of Phandalin.

Involvement in the Phandelver Adventure
For the duration of the Phandelver Adventure, Harbin Wester served as the Townmaster of Phandalin, being replaced by Ryathon Silverthorn a month after the Phandelver Adjudication.

The Reign of the Redbrands
Perhaps the most dire failure of Harbin Wester in the eyes of Phandalinians was his utter failure to contain the threat posed by the Redbrand bandits. Even the most charitable interpretation of Harbin Wester's actions would conclude that he used the limited guard available to Phandalin at that time primarily to keep himself safe. He was often heard reassuring townsfolk that the Redbrands were "just a mercenary guild, and not all that much trouble, really."

Ultimately, the Reign of the Redbrands was ended by the Heroes of Phandalin, but no Phandalinian ever truly excused Harbin Wester for his cowardice in the matter.

Orc Trouble in Wyvern Tor
Among the heroic deeds performed by the Heroes of Phandalin was the Routing of the Wyvern Tor Orcs, a request that had as independent sources the necromancer, Hama Kost, and a bulletin signed by then-Townmaster Wester posted outside of Phandalin's Townmaster's Hall.

The Phandelver Adjudication
Ultimately, the disposition of Phandelver Mine fell to then-Townmaster Harbin Wester, as he was technically the chief judicial officer of the town under whose jurisdiction the mine fell--namely, Phandalin.

Although Wester had sole judicial discretion in the matter, he invited prominent individuals from Phandalin, including the Heroes of Phandalin, to give testimony during the adjudication so that he might consider all available options. Cynics in Phandalin speculated that Wester was trying to suss out the most popular option, so as to aid him in his bid for reelection in the following month.

In the end, then-Townmaster Wester ruled that Phandelver Mine would be left to Gundren Rockseeker. Some Phandalinians believe that this decision, coupled with the his ineptitude during the Reign of the Redbrands, ultimately led to Wester's removal from office.