Arrabar

Arrabar was the capital city of Chondath and one of the primary port cities of the Vilhon Reach, known for its crime and corruption.

Description
The sleepy city was ancient and sprawling megapolis, though the people kept it tidy, clean, and maintained.

The grandest structure in Arrabar was the Generon, the palace of the Lord of Arrabar. It comprised a stately dome that glittered with gold and silver. It was circled by barracks and fortifications, staffed by Lord Wianar's personal army.

Another crucial part of Arrabar were its docks and harbors. Only several strategically planned and well defended harbors in the cities of Hlath and Arrabar were deep enough to allow deep draft sea vessels to dock. Most other harbors were shallow.

Government
"Never forget: In all but a few fortresses, the true lord of the castle is the lady of the castle."

- Dazratha Alaemalarr, Sage of Mimph, Lady in Chains, or I Say What I See

The rulership of Arrabar was held by the Lord of Arrabar who was served loyally and unrelentingly by most warriors of Chondath. The lordship expanded to all the cities of Chondath. The seat of power was located in the grand palace of Generon. The rulership of Chondath was held by the Illistine family, after Anthony Illistine united the free cities into the nation of Chondath in 139 DR and ended in 300 DR.

Noble Houses of Arrabar

 * House Wianar
 * House Matrell
 * House Mestel
 * House Darowdryn
 * House Cauldyl
 * House Mercatio
 * House Rohden

Trade
At a key location in the Vilhon Reach, Arrabar stood at the end of two key trade roads: the southern Golden Road and the Emerald Way that ran across Chondath and ended at Hlath. These made the city a center for Vilhon trade, and kept it wealthy. Sea routes cemented a solid trade relationship between Arrabar and Cormyr as far back as 389 DR.

Industry
The people of Arrabar largely engaged in trade, crafting, and fishing, as well as mercenary work as part of mercenary companies. These included both private armies that were permanently stationed in the capital and companies that were only based in the city and rested there between assignments in other lands. Among these were the Sapphire Crescent.

Culture
Like many in the Reach, the folk of Arrabar were wary of wizards. Loyalist warriors of Chondath often refused the use of magic items, excluding simple enchanted weapons and armor. After the disastrous Rotting War, many believed that Arrabar could still cary the remnants of deadly magical plagues unleashed in the conflict. The distrust of spellcasters was so extreme that warriors often presented wizards with an ultimatum to never weave spells in their presence or leave the group or be slain.


 * Festivals:
 * Night of Ghosts
 * Festival of Spheres

Defenses
Thanks to mercenaries, Arrabar was quite strong militarily, and it could pose a threat in any land. The marine ports of Arrabar were well defended by ballistae. Chondathan navy was limited in size, following the war against a wizard Yrkhetep.

History
Arrabar was setled in. The same year as the cities of Mussum and Samra, al three situated on the south-eastern shores of the Vilhon Reach.

In, the city of Mimph was settled to the west from Arrabar, threatening to lure away the city's populous. However, Arrabar's armies leveled Mimph in, securing the city's supremacy for the years to come. The same year, Azoun Obarskyr I, then the crown prince of Cormyr, sailed his flagship into the harbors of Arrabar. Yearning for adventure, the royal youth snuck out into Chondalwood while his advisors negotiated trade deals between Cormyr and Chondath. By Tymora's grace, the prince faced Dima, the self-proclaimed Djinni-Lord, a marauding wizard. He slew the villain, if bards were to belies, however, in reality, the wizard was disputed by Amedahast, the Coryrean Royal Wizard. Azoun Obarskyr the First donated most of Dima's vast treasures to Arrabar, strengthening the trade relations between two nations.

saw creation of another neighboring city - Shamph, along the Emerald Corridor trade route. That year the armies of Chondath entered Chondalwood and destroyed the elven city of Ariel-than. The event was named the Battle of the Elven Tears, and within six months that followed, cities of Arrabar, Mussum, Samra, and Shamph joined into what became known as Chondath under the rule of Anthony Illistine. By, Arrabar gained significant power as the seat of Chondathan leadership, became a center of learning, prestige, gaining the moniker of the "Shining Arrabar." Along with political power, Arrabar adopted Nimpeth's slave trade.

From 900 DR through 902 DR, Arrabar was consumed by the Chondathan civil war later named the Rotting War. In 901 DR, arch wizards of Arrabar and Reth joined the war reigning devastation and death using ancient Netherese magics. In 902 DR, troops from Reth clashed in combat with joined armies of Arrabar and Hlath in the Fiends of Nun in the foothills of the Akanapeaks. The rulers of Chondathan cities craved for an easy win and ordered their wizards to summon deadly necromantic plagues. The resulting epidemic killed two thirds of the Chondathan armies in minutes. The survivors took the plague along with them home, spreading the deadly plague. The devastating outcome of the Rotting Wars ensured Arrabar's loss of influence. All the cities of Chondath, apart from Iljak declared independence, returning to their city-state statuses once more.

Circa 1017 DR, several grand mercenary companies of Arrabar and other cities of the nation elected to leave Chondath in a mass-exodus. They grew disenfranchised with wards and honorless bloodshed. The mercenaries, along with their families, traveling hospitals, mobile sanctuaries, and courts, slowly traveled south-east until they reached the unclaimed lands on the north-western shores of the Akanamere. With time the yellow rolling hills and valleys of scattered ruins were turned into militaristic yet bloodless Blade Kingdoms.

In, the city of Arrabar came under a sudden and devastating attack by one of the Wizards of the Tome, Jaulothan Marlyx. The wizard materialized in the center of the busy city, along with two beholders, showering the city with spells of death and destruction. Arrabar by a group of desperate local magic-users who summoned tanar'ri. The demons destroyed Jaulothan and the floating aberrations only to break out of their summoners' control creating further tumult. These tanar'ri were eventually tracked down and banished back to the Lower planes.

Soon after, a holy artifact of the Church of Sune - the Sash of Sune, surfaced in the city of Arrabar. The item was in possessions of a wizard who spent his time researching its magics. Over forty of Sune's devotes helm an attack on the wizard's palatial estate and realized the holy relic. The Sash of Sune was kept secured at the Towers of Passion, a monastery in rural Chondath, until it was stolen once again.

In 1357 DR, a pair of green dragon was spotted in the skies over Arrabar. It was presumed that the pair was a mated couple that made lair in Chondalwood or the Winterwood.

1358 DR brought another war to Chondath. An evil wizard Yrkhetep, in reality an arcanaloth, attempted to usurp power over Chondath and Turmish. The short was decimated troops and navy of Arrabarm, leaving it vulnerable to ambitious pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars.

By 1370 DR, Arrabar became a target of Fzoul Chembryl and his Zhentarim ambitions. He aimed to have temples of Iyachtu Xvim erected in Arrabar, along with other cities of the Sea of Fallen Stars. On top of that, his end goal was a takeover or alliance with Arrabar and Reth, in order to secure Zhent slave trade with the Lake of Steam region and its supply of humanoid sacrifices for the Church of Iyachtu Xvim. If Fzoul's domination of Arrabar and Reth was successful, his next goal was taking control of the entire of Chondath and Sespech. The Zhentarim plans, however, were cut short by the death of Iyachtu Xvim in 1372 DR and resurrection of Bane.

By 1372 DR, the empire of Chondath was much shrunken under the leadership of Lord Eles Wianar who maintained his seat of power in the grand palace of Generon.

brought a year-long disastrous Rage of Dragons, though Arrabar emerged unscathed from these events. Gaulauntyr, an adult topaz dragon who resided in a wood manor just south-east of Arrabar became affected by the Rage and rained destruction on nearby Nimpeth vineyards.

The calamity of Spellplague in 1385 DR laid ruin to the nation of Chondath, seemingly destroying cities of Arrabar, Hlath, Iljak, Reth, and Shamph on the southern shores of the Reach.

Rumors & Legends

 * Sometime after 1346 DR, rumors of a powerful magical artifact - the Mask of Mysteries, began popping up across Waterdeep, Skullport, Westgate, and Arrabar. These stories claimed the Mask was available for sale, but most of these rumors were likely false, as shortly after, the Dark Hand of the Shadowlord, a powerful cleric of Mask in Calimshan, claimed to own the Mask.

Notable Locations

 * Temple of Lathander, the location where the Church of Lathander kept the holy script of their faith - the Tome of the Morning in 1221 DR. Since then, the tome has left the temple and the city of Arrabar.
 * Temple of Tymora, the main place of worship for the Church of Tymora in Arrabar.
 * Red Wizards established an enclave in Arrabar with Lord Wianar's permission.

Notable Organizations

 * Band of the Flaming Sword, an adventuring company from Arrabar, tumbled a merchant house of Ravens Bluff - the Wyrmhoard House.
 * Bronzespur, the local Heralds to the city of Arrabar who served the Heralds of Faerûn.

Notable Individuals

 * Alacanther, an evil wizard from Arrabar who was one of the lieutenants under Aencar, the Mantled King, slain in 1044 DR. Some believed he was an undead wraith-like spellcasting creature as of late 14 century DR.
 * Eressea Ambergyles, high-ranking priestess of the House of the Lady who was transferred from Arrabar to Shadowdale in 1354 DR.
 * Lauraera Dlarayna, the High Holy Temptress of Loviatar circa 974 DR.
 * Melisanda, a noblewoman wizard who replaced Aeron Morieth as the leader of Cimbar's college of wizardry in the late 14 century DR.
 * Onsiber the One-Eyed, a scholar who dedicated his career to the faiths of Auril and Talos, active in the mid-to-late 14 century DR.
 * Tethtor Kandrath, a young cleric of Lathander who removed the Tome of the Morning from the Temple of Lathander and was beheaded in 1222 DR by an unknown party that claimed the holy tome.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Swords of the Iron Legion
 * Novels
 * Once Around the Realms
 * The Shadow Stone &bull; The Yellow Silk
 * The Shadow Stone &bull; The Yellow Silk
 * The Shadow Stone &bull; The Yellow Silk