Regional Timeline:

• -8000 DR – Founding of Semberholme, roughly bounded by the Thunder Peaks, River Verire, and the Glaemril. (Cormanthyr, p.32)


• 26 DR (Year of Opening Doors) - When Cormyr absorbed the nations of Esparin and Orva at its founding, it created a series of fortresses in the Thunder Peaks to guard its eastern border. For reasons now lost to time, these keeps failed and Cormyr withdrew its military might to instead guard the lower lands. (Dungeon 155, p.10)
  QUESTION: Esparin? Orva? Where were these realms, and how did they precede the Obarskyr family as founders of this human realm?


• 236 DR (Year of Plaque Clouds) - The Purple Dragon Knight Jerold Keegan, with the help of the War Wizards of Cormyr, trapped Shadraxil in the Shadowfell, and rebuilt the Keep over the portal. He then fell into madness, and “Keegan’s Keep” was abandoned. (Dungeon 155-H1 FR Conversion, p.5)


• 284 DR (Year of Fallen Flagons) - A great halfling migration hundreds strong arrives at Myth Drannor from Meiritin and Tethyr via the first open gates set up to bring folk to the city. (Cormanthyr, p.38)


• 346 DR (Year of Blushing Stars) - Arms-Major Pirphal of Cormanthyr commissions the first three of the Baneblades as weapons for each of his new lieutenants (one each: halfling, dwarf, and human); the blades are dwarven-forged, the hilts elven-crafted, and finally enchanted by the human mage Demron. (Cormanthyr, p.39)


• 358 DR (Year of the Battle Talons) - Demron completes the first three Baneblades of Demron and they are presented to their wielders amid great ceremony. This includes Evaelathil, the “Nemesis of Intensity,” a short sword that glows with a soft green light when drawn by a halfling. (Player’s Guide to Faerun, p.120 – see below.)


• 680 DR (Year of the Long March) - The green elf Daratrine Xantrani commands all Moonshadows from the city of Semberholme. The bladesinger Daratrine is the driving force behind the dedication and success of the Moonshadows, ensuring they never waver from their sworn duty to protect Semberholme and its environs. (Cormanthyr, p.88)


• 714 DR (Year of Doom) – The Fall of Myth Drannor (End of the Weeping War.) Evaelathil has seen 29 wielders in the 35 decades between its creation and the Fall of Myth Drannor, since either the halflings’ natures drove them to retire from their posts and allow another to succeed them or they died in the line of duty. At the time of the Weeping War, the Akh’Velahr scout Ellidor Snowtoes bore Evaelathil proudly throughout the war until his death at the Honorsgate War in Myth Drannor. Someone stole the blade from his corpse and secreted it out of Myth Drannor, possibly bringing it back to Semberholme. (Fall of Myth Drannor, p.48)


• 880 DR (Year of Unfettered Secrets) – Sessrendale, later known as the “Dead Dale,” is founded. Nestled between the Thunder Peaks and the current edge of Semberholme, it runs from Tilver Gap in the north to the Thunder Gap in the south. (FRCS, p.120) A community of human, half-elf and halfling shepherds, masons, miners and traders, it receives the support of the elves of Semberholme. Remembering the dream of Myth Drannor, the Council of Trees pledges to protect Sessrendale with a nikym (platoon) of halfling Moonshadows, led by Velahr Fleetfoot.
  QUESTION: What is the Tranquil Tower? I’m assuming no relation to the Twisted Tower, but is it an artifact of Sessrendale or Semberholme?


• 1038 DR (Year of Spreading Spring) – Aencar “the Mantled King” unifies the Dalelands. (FRCS, p.270) Although this unification ends in 1044DR with Aencar’s death, from this point Sessrendale is governed by a single lord from the human Lalor ruling family rather than under the loose guidance of the Council of Trees in Semberholme.


• 1211 DR (Year of the Crimson Crag) – The tiefling wizard Karavakos arrives in Sessrendale and becomes a timely advisor to the son of the old Lord Lalor, Aecris the Unready. With keen political insight, he builds Sessrendale’s military strength against its aggressive neighbor Archendale, and builds an alliance with King Dhalmass of Cormyr, securing Sessrendale’s western border and its control over the Thunder Gap.


• 1220 DR (Year of the Toppled Tree) – Lord Aecris, his only son Padraig, and his personal Moonshadow guards are reported killed on the East Way while en route to a secret peace negotiation with Archendale. Suspecting Karavakos of treachery, the Moonshadow leader Daratrine Xantrani hurries to Winterhaven, where she finds only the son Padraig alive. Healing and hiding the boy with the village reeve under sworn secrecy, Daratrine inters the remains of captain Jarrod Fleetfoot and the rest of the Sessrendale nikym (platoon) in the Keep crypt with Lord Keegan, beseeching Selune to guard and hide their remains. Evaelathil is interred with the brave halfling captain, the intelligent blade befuddled with an enchantment so it believes it is “Aecris.” She returns the body of Lord Aecris to Sessrendale, reporting to Karavakos that the others were buried in a mass grave due to the brutality of their attackers.
  QUESTION: Are there ANY references to what happened in Semberholme after the Fall of Myth Drannor? Are the Moonshadows even still around by this time?
  
• 1221 DR (Year of the Frozen Flower) - With the death of Lord Aecris and his heir, Karavakos assumes the title of Lord of Sessrendale, with the grudging approval of Semberholme thanks to the support of his newly betrothed, an ambitious gold elf (eladrin) princess named Vyrellis. Blaming the death of Aecris on agents of Archendale, he quickly marches to war against them, aided by an army of dark servants that earn him the title of the Dusk Lord.


• 1230 DR (Year of the Long Watch) – With his infernal army, the Dusk Lord secures control of the Tilver Gap and the Stonelands to the north, and punitively rules over Archendale to the south. Disgusted with the unbridled aggression of the Dusk Lord, the Council of Trees in Semberholme demands that Karavakos step down and Vyrellis return to them. Karavakos does not respond for two years, biding his time.


• 1232 DR (Year of the Weeping Wives) – The Dusk Lord finally responds to the Council of Trees demand by attacking Semberholme. When his diabolical forces arrive, however, they find themselves in Feywild instead and are quickly decimated. (H3, p.2)
  Archendale invades and destroys Sessrendale, accusing the Dusk Lord of fell sorceries, but is equally driven by its mutual claim to the Thunder Gap and control of access along the East Way. Not satisfied with driving off the Dusk Lord and Sessrendale’s people, Archendale destroys its buildings, farms, and mines, and finally sows the fields with salt to ensure Sessrendale’s refugees never return. (FRCS, p.120)
  Fleeing south through the Thunder Gap, the Dusk Lord Karavakos and his eladrin princess Vyrellis are imprisoned forever as a result of his dark bargain with devils should he ever lose a battle. The Pyramid of Shadows appears in a dense forest now tainted by shadowy evil. (H3, p.2)
  The leader of the Council of Trees, Vesperr Ulondarr hears the call of Arvandor and goes to the Evertrees in Semberholme.(Cormanthyr, p.97) Instead of leaving Faerun forever, however, he becomes a blackroot treant leading a contigent of treants that march south across the devastation of Sessrendale. In a dark southern forest of the Thunder Gap they stand guard over the pyramid prison of Karavakos, even when the Spellplague pulls the prison into the air atop a giant earth mote.

[*]1385 DR (Year of Blue Fire) – Destruction of Mystra, the Weave, and the Shadow Weave allows Shar the opportunity to remold the Plane of Shadow into the Shadowfell. It also gives Shadraxil the opportunity to cut a deal with Shar, giving her the shadow dragon’s allegiance in exchange for his freedom. (H1 FR Conversion, p.5)
[*]1475 DR – Answering her the call of his goddess, Underpriest of Shar Kalarel secretly enters Keegan’s Keep, bringing with him a secret trove of dark knowledge hidden by the Dusk Lord. (H1 FR Conversion, p.5)
[*]1479 DR (Year of the Ageless One):
---Winterhaven is a walled village on the East Way in the Thunder Peaks. (H1 FR conversion- moved towards the Dalelands side of the Thunder Gap.) It was built around the former East Way watchtower of Keegan’s Keep, now known as Valthrun’s Tower.
---Lord Padraig of Winterhaven is descended from both Sir Keegan and Lord Aecris Lalor of Sessrendale, but has no heritage other than family stories and the town’s archives in Valthrun’s Tower.
---A dracolich known as the Sibilant Shade (Aurgloroasa, whose grandsire was Shadraxil,) prowls the peaks. Although dormant in recent years, the dracolich stirs sometimes to prey on particularly treasure-laden caravans that pass through the Thunder Gap along the East Way. (H1 FR conversion, p.10)
---Adventurers eradicate the Cult of Shar hidden in the middle of the walled village. (Literally- they accidentally burn down Bairwin’s Grand Shoppe in the process.) (H1 FR conversion, p.12)
---The Heroes of Winterhaven defeat the Sharran priest Kalarel, and stop the threat of the shadow dragon Shadraxil from escaping through the Shadowfell portal underneath the Keep. The halfling ranger Gerrem Nightbreeze returns with heirlooms of Sir Keegan’s murdered children and the blade given to him by Keegan’s ghost, “Aecris.”(H1, p.52)
---While observing a three-day vigil in a makeshift shrine to Selune, the wood elf ranger Olanan Moonshadow is visited by Delphina Moongem, an otherwise flighty green elf who sells wildflowers in Winterhaven’s market. (H1, p. 20) She wordlessly places the Asphodel Wreath on Olanan’s brow and departs Winterhaven’s temple. She is never seen in Winterhaven again.
---Dethios, a Sembian courier and spy first makes contact with Lord Padraig of Winterhaven.
---Vinil Thundershock, a gnome servant of the Red Wizards of Saruun Khel who rule the Seven-Pillared Hall, escorts another gnome, Agrid, who represents the business interests of a drow exile merchant named Gendar, to Winterhaven. They hope to establish a trading post free of influence from either Sembia or Cormyr. (H2 FR Conversion, p.30)
---The Heroes of Winterhaven return to celebrate their victory over the cult of Shar and Kalarel, but it is short-lived. Their friend and protector of Winterhaven, Sister Linora, was last seen heading to the small town of Riverdown several days ago. The heroes promise to investigate the following morning. (H2 FR Conversion, p.31)
---On the eastern end of the Thunder Gap, the Heroes of Winterhaven discover and destroy the lingering remnants of a raiding party burning down and looting the thorp of Riverdown. Although they save the village, they learn most of the village men and Sister Linora have already been taken captive and dragged off west across the Thunder Gap, towards a cursed shadow forest known as the Dusk Lord’s Footprint. They hear the familiar name of the bugbear and ogre slavers- Bloodreavers. (H2, p.4)

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Originally posted by Faraer

Ed told us a good bit about Sessrendale here. Why make the Dusk Lord a tiefling? (The very word fits poorly in the Realms.)

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Originally posted by Faraer

Deepingdale was founded 'against elven opposition': Cormanthan rulers of the time (whenever exactly that was!) would have been against such a major collaboration with humans, but the Deeping Princess would have had like-minded elven allies as well. I highly recommend you read Volo's Guide to the Dalelands, which you can get in PDF from Paizo.com.

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Originally posted by Faraer

Esparin flourished around Espar in the 11th and 12th centuries DR. Orva nominally claimed most of what became Cormyr from a seat in what is now the Vast Swamp.

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Originally posted by Faraer

There's no such thing as a 'Purple Dragon Knight', though there are knights who are also Purple Dragons.

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Originally posted by Faraer

The Tower Tranquil is an isolated tower in the Thunder Peaks, once the home of the mage Jhavanter, tutor of Shandril Shessair's father. It has an older history but was probably never claimed by any dale.

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