Daggerdale

Daggerdale (originally named Merrydale) is a remote region of the Dalelands located between the Desertsmouth Mountains and the Dagger Hills. It is a region of dark forests and rocky hills with a single large settlement named Dagger Falls.

Geography
A lightly wooded dale of rolling hills and perhaps one of the most unspoiled of landscapes among the Dalelands. Daggerdale is divided up by numerous rocky valleys and the few settled areas are centered around the town of Dagger Falls.

Geographic features

 * Border Forest:This forest lies on the northern border of Daggerdale. It connects to three other regions but is rarely frequented by travelers.  The native inhabitants are fey, such as satyrs, pixies, sprites and dryads.  These fey have a hostile attitude towards civilized races due to past dealings with Zhentarim loggers working out of Snowmantle.
 * Dagger Hills:This is the hilly area south-east of Dagger Falls. At one time, it contained tilled farmland which has seen been abandoned and reclaimed by nature. Many monsters and predatory animals make this area their home.
 * Desertsmouth Mountains:These mountains run along the western border of the Dalelands. They were previously home to the Tethyamar dwarves, trade partners of the Daggerfolk, prior to the fall of their kingdom at the hands of a savage horde.  Descendants of the monstrous attackers, orcs, ogres and fiends, still live in on the mountain tops.
 * The Dagger Falls:The nearby town of Dagger Falls was named after this waterfall. It has a sheer drop that cannot be navigated by boats or returning salmon.
 * Tarkhen Hills: These hill make up the foothills of the Desertsmouth Mountains that begin south of the River Tesh around an area known as Giant's Craw and extend north to meet up with the Border Forest. These farmable hills slope gently up towards the granite walls of the Desertsmouth Mountains.  Most of the slopes of the Tarkhen Hills are densely covered by northern pine woods, with scattered patches of oaks and other deciduous trees.

Defenses
Since 1369 DR and Randal Morn's reclamation of the dale, the lord has used his Freedom Riders to drive beasts and Zhents from the lands. The Freedom riders are supplemented by mercenaries bands to keep the scattered farmlands of Daggerdale safe.

By 1480 DR, the Lord's Retinue had been formed, a fighting force of 150 mounted warriors that patrolled the dale and its roads. Stationed in Castle Daggerdale and Dagger Falls mostly; they would be supplemented by local village militias when their numbers were insufficent.

Trade
Daggerdale's economy was largely based on subsistence crops, furs and livestock (notably sheep). Deposits of beryl found deep in the Dagger Hills meant that emeralds could potentially be mined, however the threat of lycanthrope atacks in the area made most excursions too dangerous. Most of Daggerdale's manufactured goods had to be imported though.

Early History
Dwarves were the first recorded residents of the area. They built a small settlement at the future site of Dagger Falls to act as a portage around the River Tesh and to store metals before they were transported south for trade.

The human history of Daggerdale goes back to the Jhaamdathan settlers to the dale. Certainly, the history before the arrival of humans was recorded by the elves of Rystall Wood thousands of years ago. These first human settlers fled from destroyed Jhaamdath in the Year of Furious Waves (-255 DR), were led to the northwestern foothills of the Dagger Hills by a man named Dordrien. These Jhaamdathan refugees built a small keep in those hills to defend their lowland town (which the dwarves had no interest in), which took the name of Dordrien. They traded the crops and livestock that they farmed in the lowlands for dwarven crafts.

Refugees from the Netherese survivor states of Asram, Anauria, and Hlondath fled east toward the Moonsea and founded Teshar in the Year of Leather Shields (-75 DR). By the end of that same year, the last people of Dordrien left their holdings in the Dagger Hills due to orc attacks from the mountains. House Mindosel commissioned Cormyrean cartographers to map the lands of the Inner Sea to mark the year of their family's elevation to the nobility of Teshar (112 DR).

Bands from the horde that brought low Northkeep in the Year of the Stallion Triumphant (400 DR) make their way in to the Tesh Valley and began raiding the human settlements there. These raids, combined with a very harsh winter brought about the collapse of Teshar as a nation in the Year of Forestfrost (479 DR, leaving behind a number of scattered and isolated hamlets and villages.

A mysterious and powerful mage named Alokkair came out of the West and helped one of the regions petty lordlings to conquer his neighbours. In the Year of the Laughing Lich (536 DR), they found Hlontar amid the ruins of Teshar. Although he served for awhile as the court wizard of the kingdom, Alokkair soon killed the lord and most of his family, taking one of his daughters as his wife. He ruled over Hlontar as its Wizard-king through a combination of oppression, superior magic and an excellent network of informers and toadies. In the Year of Tumbled Bones (569 DR), Alokkair's three daughters defeated him and Hlontar reverted back to a realm of independent, but allied villages known as Merrydale.

Rise and fall of the Morn family
The undead servants of a group of master vampires plagued the land of Merrydale for many years. In the Year of Grey Mists (796 DR), the most influential family of the dale, the Morns, renamed the land Daggerdale after the traditional name the dwarves had for the land.

Terribly weakened by the infestation of vampires, certain factions considered the dale ripe for the taking. Increased numbers of Malar-worshiping lycanthropes stalked the fringes of the Cormanthor forest, seeking Daggerfolks to feast upon and infect. Many would-be wizard conquerors began to infiltrate the realm at this time, unleashing their deadly constructs upon the land. It was during this time that Shraevyn the Weapons-Mage created the Sword of the Dales in the Year of the Disfiguring Scar (996 DR).

Like the other dales, Daggerdale fell briefly under the sway of Aencar, the Mantled King, in the Year of Spreading Spring (1038 DR). Shortly thereafter, in the Year of Singing Shards (1044 DR), Daggerdale regained its traditional independence when Aencar died.

The Daggerfolk enjoyed prosperity as a trading partner of the Tethyamar dwarves prior to its fall in 1104 DR, which resulted in economic collapse of the dale. During this period the tyrannical Mage-lord, Colderan Morn, rose to power in the mid 1200's and drove the remaining dwarves from the dale.

Colderan blamed Clan Brightblade for the disappearance of his son and heir, Belard Morn. In actuality Belard had been kidnapped by Colderan's drow 'allies' before being rescued by the Harpers (including Elminster and Storm Silverhand). Belard and eventually his son Flars Morn were raised in secret by the Harpers away from the Dale until an opportunity arose to reveal Flars' heritage to him.

Returning to Daggerdale, Flars found his grandfather, Colderan, had passed away and roving bands of Zhent-sponsored outlaws held sway. Uniting the dale once again under the rule of the rightful Morn family, Flars soon sired one of Daggerdale's most famous lords, Randal Morn.

Zhent Occupation
Later in 1316 DR, when refugees from fallen Teshendale started flocking to Daggerdale, the first agents of the Zhents arrived. By 1336 DR the Black Network claimed Dagger Falls as their own, driving Randal Morn, the hereditary lord of Daggerdale, into the hills and installing Malyk as ruler. The House of Morn had ruled Daggerdale for centuries prior to the arrival of the Zhents, and Randal was the last surviving male heir.

Morn began fighting the Zhentarim with guerrilla warfare, with the first major victory occurring nearly two decades later with the death of the puppet ruler Malyk in 1353 DR. The Zhentarim responded aggressively, leading to a series of events that culminated in all-out civil war by 1369 DR.

The Return of Randal Morn
With events abroad such as the recent destruction of Zhentil Keep, the Zhentarim had its attention elsewhere during this time, allowing Morn the window he needed to reclaim the Dagger Falls and thus the region.

Randal was the last male heir to the House of Morn. His sister, Silver Cormaeril lived to the south, married into the Cormaeril family of Cormyr. Unless Morn produced an heir, control of Daggerdale would pass to the Cormaeril family upon his death.

Cormaeril rule
In 1391 DR Randal Morn died after catching pneumonia on a hunting trip. Randal Morn's nephew, Sathrin Cormaeril, arrived in Daggerdale and claimed the throne. Sathrin ruled to 1425 DR when he died and was succeeded by his son Domavos. Domavos attended the renewal of the Dales Compact in Mistledale during that same year.

After 44 years of reign Domavos died in 1469 DR and was succeeded by his son Barathal.

In 1475 DR, Neranya Cormaeril, Barathal's sister was attacked by werewolves and joined the lycanthropes of White Crag.

In 1480 DR, the evil Zhentarim cleric Rezlus attempted to seize control of Daggerdale through the Tower of Void where four heroes from the Dalelands stood and opposed him. Upon the Zhentarim's defeat, the dragon Incendius destroyed Daggerdale but was killed by the human fighter of the four heroes. The Cyricist Zhentarim then began their invasion of Tethyamar.

Notable Locations

 * Anathar's Dell, a Brightblade holding in southern Daggerdale.
 * Castle Daggerdale, keep overlooking the Tethyamar Trail and the thorp of Serpentsbridge from the western edge of the Dagger Hills.
 * Dagger Falls, capital settlement of Daggerdale.
 * Hadreth's Glen, hamlet along the southwestern edge of the Border Forest.
 * Tachepp, an elven village of Daggerdale.
 * Teshmere, hamlet just west of Dagger Falls along the Black Road.
 * Tethyamarside, hamlet south of Dagger Falls along the Tethyamar Trail.
 * White Chalk Hollow, hamlet along the southwestern edge of the Border Forest.

Appearances

 * Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
 * City of the Spider Queen - adventure