Invasion of Tymanther

The Invasion of Tymanther was a conflict between the nation of Tymanther and the forces of the green dragon Skuthosiin, that took place in the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR.

History
On Eleint 12 of 1478 DR, the vampiric smoke drake Brimstone met with the leader of the dragon princes of Murghôm, Skalnaedyr, in Dracowyr and convinced him to start a xorvintaal game. The ultimate goals of Brimstone's xorvintaal were to determine who became the emperor of dragonkind and to dominate all the nations in the Alamber Sea vicinity. Tymanther, due to its hatred of dragons, was considered the most dangerous nation in the game, and many taaldaraxi (players) aimed to either subjugate or destroy it in order to quickly rack up massive amounts of points.

The green dragon Skuthosiin, one of the taaldaraxi, united the scattered tribes of ash giants of the Black Ash Plain and gave them powerful magic items, allowing the giants to summon and control great numbers of dragonspawn. Then, on Tarsakh of 1479 DR, Skuthosiin commanded the giants to launch a full scale attack against Tymanther. Although the Lance Defenders launched a quick counterattack, they were ill-prepared to fight against giants and dragonspawn, and suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the invaders.

Skuthosiin then ordered Nala, a dragonborn priestess of Tiamat, to infiltrate the Platinum Cadre, an order of worshipers of Bahamut, and bolster its members with powerful magic to fight against the giants. As most dragonborn knew little about the gods of Toril, they were unable to distinguish the magic of Tiamat from that of Bahamut. The warriors of the Platinum Cadre used Nala's exceptional power to defeat the invaders with little to no effort.

Skuthosiin's plans were simple: if the giants could conquer Tymanther, he would become the master of the realm. But if the dragonborn were able to defeat the giants, if the deed was accomplished thanks to the efforts of the worshipers of a dragon god, that would give him, a dragon, the chance to claim a place of honor in Thymari society. In either case, he would gain a huge amount of points in the xorvintaal game.

Although Vanquisher Kepeshkmolik Tarhun asked Clan Shestandeliath to use the Breath of Petron to deal with the invaders, the patriarch of the clan, Shestandeliath Geshthax, refused to follow the order for personal reasons.

In order to improve Tymanther's odds in the conflict, Tarhun hired Khouryn Skulldark of the Brotherhood of the Griffon to train his troops in dwarven battle techniques. The training proved to be effective, and in subsequent operations the Lance Defenders were able to defeat the giants attacking the farms near Djerad Thymar. Daardendrien Balasar, a member of the Lance Defenders, became suspicious of Nala and infiltrated the Platinum Cadre to uncover her true motives.

On Kythorn 9, Tarhun assembled all the Tymantheran military forces—Lance Defenders, Platinum Cadre, private clans' warbands—in a desperate attempt to defeat the invaders. The battle was difficult, and Tarhun himself was gravely wounded while fighting a redspawn devastator. His life was saved thanks to the efforts of Balasar and his clan-kin Medrash, a reluctant Nala, and Patrin, the leader of the Platinum Cadre. The gamble paid off, however, and the Thymari were able to drive the giants off their lands.

On Kythorn 16, Balasar exposed Nala as a Tiamatan and she fled to the Black Ash Plain and sought refuge with Skuthosiin. Patrin was killed in a duel of honor with Medrash, when Patrin refused to acknowledge that Nala was really evil.

On Kythorn 29, the dragonborn wizard Biri was able to decipher Nala's research notes and uncovered Skuthosiin as the true mastermind of the giants. This allowed Vanquisher Tarhun to order another joint military operation, on Flamerule 5, this time to laid siege to Skuthosiin's fortress, Ashhold. Tarhun allowed the Platinum Cadre to remain in the battlefield, despite their now stained reputation, but as part of the rear forces instead of giving them honor by fighting in the front lines. During the siege, they were put under the command of Khouryn Skulldark.

In the ensuing battle, Nala was killed by Balasar, while the dragonborn army led by Medrash killed Skuthosiin, ending the giant threat to Tymanther.

Aftermath
With Skutosiin dead, the complot of the xorvintaal was discovered. Tarhun sent Medrash and his forces to High Imaskar and Chessenta to deal with the other taaldaraxi. Medrash and his forces took part in the battle of Luthcheq. The deaths of so many taaldaraxi, and the coalition of the forces of Tymanther, Chessenta, Akanûl, Murghôm, and the Brotherhood of the Griffon, forced Brimstone to put an end to his xorvintaal game.