Damara

Damara was a sparsely populated kingdom in the Cold Lands of Northeast Faerûn. In 1357 DR it was ruled by King Virdin. Later ruled by King Gareth Dragonsbane as of 1371 DR, and, with Vaasa, formed the Bloodstone Lands. In 1479 DR, it was under rule by King Yarin Frostmantle.

Forests
The Earthwood forest was a small forest known for its resilience, with trees growing back extremely quickly.

Mountains
The Galena Mountains were a jagged range of icy mountains that were largely inhabited by goblinoids and giants, but were also home to dwarves who mined the bloodstone, iron and silver deposits. Bloodstone Pass was the only pass through the Galena Mountains that was large enough for significant trade, linking Damara with neighboring Vaasa to the west.

Climate
The people of Damara were generally hardy, and the winters were harsh. During the summer, the farming season was short.

Politics
From its earliest days, Damara was divided into counties ruled by noble houses but united under the throne of Damara. These provinces were baronies, or city states, with craftsmen and trade centers, and duchies, or supply provinces, with farming and mining communities. These counties were:
 * the Duchy of Arcata
 * the Duchy of Bloodstone
 * the Duchy of Brandiar
 * the Duchy of Carmathan
 * the Barony of Morov
 * the Barony of Ostel
 * the Barony of Polten
 * and the Duchy of Soravia

Early History
Damara's capital, Heliogabalus, was founded by Feldrin Bloodfeathers, the first King of Damara, in 1075 DR. It had a long line of monarchs until the death of King Virdin in 1357 DR by Zhengyi. During this time, Damara thrived on foreign trade, particularly through caravans to Ilmwatch in Impiltur and to the settlements on the Moonsea, through the gap between Rawlinswood and the Earthspur Mountains known as Merchants Run. Shipments of bloodstone were made throughout Traders Bay, and in Sarshel. Trade was also made through the Bloodstone Pass in the Galena Mountains, through the sparsely populated Vaasa, and through Garumn's Climb and beyond.

The Witch-King
In just one night in 1347 DR, Castle Perilous was created on a crag in northern Vaasa by the lich Zhengyi, and he claimed power in Vaasa, garnering the support of the goblins, giants and orcs, as well as creatures from other planes and the undead, and the Grandfather of Assassins.

In the same year, Wolf Winter struck Damara, in which the harvest was destroyed by early frosts, leading to widespread starvation, and dire wolves, some lycanthropes, spread into northern Damara. This coincided with an evil creature infesting the Bloodstone Mines, halting the mining operation that was responsible for almost half of Damara's bloodstone revenue and killing hundreds of miners.

In 1348 DR, the armies of the Witch-King Zhengyi occupied Bloodstone Pass and swept into Damara, massacring many Damarans and plunging the nation, along with Vaasa, into a decade of war. Narfell and Impiltur offered no help with the conflict on the grounds that they had their own problems to deal with.

A stalemate was reached in 1357 DR when King Virdin's Damaran army was involved in a standoff with Zhengyi's forces across the Ford of Goliad on the river of the same name. The stalemate lasted throughout the month of Kythorn (the source material gives "June" as the month but this is not on the Faerûnian calendar) until Virdin used a magic wand, believed to have been given to him by his chief lieutenant Felix, which he believed would allow his army to safely cross the river. It was a deception and Zhengyi's army had been waiting for this moment. They struck while much of Virdin's army was in the river, laying the decisive blow. Virdin, who was watching from a nearby hill, was assassinated by a dagger used by an unknown assassin, believed to have been Felix.

Due to their failure in the Battle of Goliad, Damara came under the power of the Kingdom of Vaasa. The northern provinces of Damara were deserted and the refugees fled to the south of the kingdom. During this time, the Kingdom of Damara was non-existent, as it became a land for a few dukes and barons independent from each other. These independent leaders were forced to pay tribute to Vaasa and acknowledge the power of their northern neighbor.

Damara restored
Gareth Dragonsbane and a group of intrepid adventurers eventually managed to break the Witch-King's rule after a number of adventures, culminating in the defeat of Zhengyi himself in 1359 DR. In this same year, Gareth Dragonsbane was crowned King of Damara.

In the years since King Gareth Dragonsbane’s rule in the late 1300s, the fortunes of Damara waned. As of 1479 DR, Damara is ruled by King Yarin Frostmantle, considered by many to be a petty, incompetent, and oppressive tyrant.

Notable locations

 * The Gates
 * Heliogabalus
 * Monastery of the Yellow Rose
 * Tree-Gem of Bloodstone

Notable Inhabitants

 * Gareth Dragonsbane
 * Ellery Dragonsbane
 * Pavel Shemov
 * Athrogate