Nether Mukshar

Nether Mukshar was a once-prosperous realm in the Border Kingdoms that fell from grace during the Spellplague but continued to cling onto existence for a long time afterward.

Description
Nether Mukshar was a small, well-irrigated land of hillocks and wild meadows.

Geography
As one of the three Mukshar realms, Nether Mukshar was located on the northwestern coast of the Border Kingdoms, nestled between High Mukshar and Middle Mukshar.

The land took the rough shape of a shield with a flat top edge. It was marked by a crag, surrounded on three sides by bogs, at it's northwesternmost corner; a long, stony ridge at it's northeasternmost corner; and the highest hill in the realm, named Hareph's Tor, at it's southernmost point. Right in the middle of the 'shield', where all of the realm's roads met, was the market village of Clovarren.

Government
Nether Mukshar had no government after the death of it's last recorded ruler, High Duke Davert Flameblood. Although an autocrat, Duke Flameblood ruled capably and justly, seeing his realm through a golden age of prosperity and innovation, though this would have not been possible without his two predecessors, who laid the groundwork for his success.

What few Netherans were left living there after the Sundering looked to the semi-retired adventuring party calling itself Roval Dree's Ready Swords for protection and law.

Trade
Modern Nether Mukshar produced more than enough crops to subsist on and enough lumber for a very small-scale forestry industry, but by far the most valuable trade goods available were the pre-Spellplague inventions made by the artisans and craftsmen of Edgestone House.

In the years immediately before the Spellplague, Nether Mukshar had been described as "a land that was quite possibly the cradle of future Realms-wide importance". This was due to a temple of Gond that had been established that became a center for mechanical innovation. The crafts and machines created in that temple were in high demand by foreign traders, and even a century after it stopped producing such goods, the Netherans still had a surplus of them kept in storage.

Defenses
Duke Flameblood had two strong castles and had created a standing army to protect the realm from monsters. He also regularly sponsored adventurers to remain within Nether Mukshar's borders. However, after his death, the army disbanded and although adventurers still came to Nether Mukshar, most were not interested in defending the realm but rather looting it's ruins.

History
Nether Mukshar had a shared history with the other Mukshar realms. Founded by a Tashlutan adventurer named Myrammanas Mukshar who styled himself as King. When King Mukshar died, his will was that his kingdom be split into three, one for each of his three sons to rule over, in an event known locally as the 'Sundering Into Three'. However, within a single month, Nether Mukshar had been conquered by an adventuring band. Then, as is fairly common in the Border Kingdoms, those adventurers were supplanted by new rulers, who were themselves replaced, over and over and over again. Throughout this tumult, the land was harvested entirely of all of it's timber, first in the 12th century Dale Reckoning, then again in the 13th century.

An individual known as Ibryn the Lord of Bandits used his army of brigands to impose peace upon the land, killing or driving out any who would challenge him and turning Nether Mukshar into an island of safety in a sea of turmoil. Later, a farmer-turned-knight named Cartreth Lionshar declared himself 'Nether Lord' and began slaying the local monstrous population while sponsoring the construction of many of Nether Mukshar's roads. Later still came Duke Flameblood, formerly a low-ranking soldier of Tethyr, who built upon the progress made by these two men.

The fortunes of the realm really turned around though when thirty monks and lay followers of Gond found their way to Nether Mukshar and began construction of Edgestone House upon the top of Hareph's Tor. The magical temple started churning out incredibly fine craftsmanship and innovative new inventions after that, drawing all sorts of fame, treasure, and talented folk to the realm. Unfortunately, the magic involved in the construction of Edgestone House was it's downfall. When the Spellplague occurred in the, the building's roof collapsed upon it's occupants, killing them. Those who survived fled Nether Mukshar immediately after.

When Duke Flameblood died of natural causes, the officers of his army tore themselves apart in their efforts to succeed him, resulting in nobody being left who was strong enough to claim the Dukedom. Without defenders, monsters and outside threats eventually caused the abandonment of the southern hamlets of Phendree and Barnhallow as well as much of the realm's farmland. Those who refused to abandon their homeland moved to Clovarren, where they fortified the buildings and lived as best they could.

Rumors & Legends
There was a persistent rumor that some kind of aquatic monster lived in one of Nether Mukshar's many horse ponds that preyed upon those who strayed too close at night, however several attempts were sponsored to find this beast and none of them found any evidence to support the story.

Notable Locations

 * Barnhallow
 * Castle Torn
 * Clovarren
 * Dalonstal Keep
 * Edgestone House
 * Phendree