Daggerdale

Daggerdale (originally named Merrydale) is a 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.

History
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 to defend their town, which took the name of Dordrien.

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. 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 hoard that brought low Northkeep in the Year of the Dagger (348 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 comes out of the west and helps one of the regions petty lordlings conquer his neighbors. After the battles are won, he kills the lord and most of his family, taking one of the daughters as his wife. In the Year of the Laughing Lich (536 DR), Alokkair the Wizard-King founds Hlontar amid the ruins of Teshar. He rules over Hlontar 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 defeat him and Hlontar reverts back to a realm of independent, but allied villages.

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 lycantropes 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 Brighter Blades (996 DR).

Like the other dales, Daggerdale fell briefly under the sway of Aencar, the Mantled King in the Year of Warlords (1030 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 which resulted in economic collapse of the dale. Later in 1336 DR, the first agents of the Zhentarim arrived. The Black Network claimed Dagger Falls as their own, driving Randal Morn, the hereditary lord of Daggerdale into the hills. The House of Morn had ruled the Daggerdale for centuries prior to the arrival of the Zhent, and Randal was the last surviving heir.

Morn began fighting the Zentarim 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 Zentarim responded aggressively, leading to a series of events that culminated in all-out civil war by 1369 DR.

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

Randal is the last male heir to the House of Morn. His sister, Silver Cormaeril lives to the south, married into the Cormaeril family of Cormyr. Unless Morn produces an heir, control of Daggerdale will pass to the Cormaeril family upon his death.

Geographic features

 * Border Forest:This forest lies on the northern border of Daggerdale. It connects to three other regions but is rarely frequented by travellers.  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 east boarder 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 norther pine woods, with scattered patches of oaks and other deciduous trees.