Phalorm

Phalorm (known as the Realm of Three Crowns and later as the Fallen Kingdom) was a kingdom in the North made up of dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings and humans. It was closely tied to the legacy of Illefarn and attempted to preserve the power of elves and dwarves in the North, but collapsed after less than a century and was succeeded by Delimbiyran, Bloodhand Hold, and other human realms.

Geography
The realm encompassed much of the lower Dessarin Valley and lower Delimbiyr Vale. The northern border ranged from the sea at Mount Helimbrar to the River Dessarin crossing near Rarg's Hold (now Ironford), along the Forlorn Hills to Secomber, and along the Highmoorflow to Highstar Lake. It wrapped around the High Moor, the eastern and southern edges of which was secured by a string of human-built fortifications. Skirting around the Trollbark Forest, the edge of the realm met the sea again at the Seatower of Ilinyth.

Government
The Realm of Three Crowns was, as the name indicated, governed by a triumvirate of kings representing the dominant kingdoms of Ardeep, Thaltekhth (commonly known as Dardath), and Delimbiyran. The duchies of Gloraela and Imristar were also subjects of Phalorm. As the realm was formed in a time of constant invasions, the most important challenge it faced was whether it could unify and defend all of its constituent peoples.

Relations
Phalorm maintained good relations with its neighboring realms, fighting alongside them against mutual threats. Among its allies it counted Uthtower, Neverwinter, Yarlith, and Bloodhand Hold. It was assailed repeatedly by armies of orcs, goblinoids, trolls, and the manipulations of Najara.

Founding
"Thus, it is with profound joy and humility that I proclaim the founding of Phalorm, the Realm of Three Crowns. Today, the axe, the arrow, and the sword have come together in harmony for the salvation of our peoples. From this day forward, we will strive as one to make this land a haven of peace and tranquility, where our children and elders can live a life untroubled by cruelty, strife, or war. We jointly pledge our hearts and hands to ensuring that the future of this realm is as bright as the hopes and dreams of all those who stand here today. May the blessings of all our gods grant a long and honored life to glorious Phalorm."

- King Ruardh Lightshiver, at Laughing Hollow in 523 DR

In 342 DR, a horde of orcs from the High Moor destroyed the realm of Athalantar, but was itself destroyed by a temporary alliance between the elves of Ardeep and the dwarves of Dardath. Shortly afterwards at the final Council of Illefarn, the ancient elven realm of Illefarn was formally dissolved after centuries of decline and fragmentation, and the populations of Iliyanbruen and Rilithar largely retreated to Evermeet. As the last remaining elven realm of the region, Ardeep found itself especially isolated. Realising the changing state of the world, King Ruardh Lightshiver of Ardeep and King Torghatar of Dardath began working together in earnest to create a lasting partnership that would unite the civilized peoples of the North in mutual protection. Formed in the, they named this alliance Illefarn, to the exasperation of later scholars.

These plans came to fruition in the at the Council of Axe and Arrow in Laughing Hollow. Those who participated were the elven King Ruardh Lightshiver of Ardeep, the dwarven King Torghatar of Dardath, the human King Javilarhh Snowsword of Elembar, the gnome Darrath Ulbrent Handstone of Dolblunde, and the halfling Arbaern Corcytar Huntinghorn of Meiritin. They collectively agreed to form a kingdom under the joint rule of the elves, dwarves, and humans in the face of the ever-present threat of orcish invasion. Ulbaerag Bloodhand of Bloodhand Hold (later Waterdeep) rejected the opportunity to join the kingdom, though his son would later form an alliance with Ardeep.

Struggles
In 528 DR, the Howltusk orc horde was destroyed at Stoneturn, though King Javilarhh Snowsword was killed as well.

In 557 DR, hobgoblins from the Reaching Woods were incited by agents from Najara and assaulted Hunnabar. Although driven back, King Ruardh Lightshiver died in battle.

In the, Phalorm came to the defense of Yarlith when it was attacked by orcs under the command of the frost giant Horthgar.

In the, troll attacks on Hunnabar led to the abandonment of the duchy, with the dwarves resettling in Dardath. Kanaglym was abandoned in the process.

In 604 DR, Secomber was besieged by a horde of orcs. An army of elves and halflings led by King Ellatharion of Ardeep pursued the horde into the High Forest, but never returned.

In the, an illithid-led orc army known as the Everhorde destroyed the kingdom of Yarlith and laid siege to the city of Neverwinter. The combined armies of Phalorm, Uthtower, and the dragon Palarandusk fought at Neverwinter's side and broke the siege. The combined armies continued to fight the Everhorde and finally destroyed it in the, at the Battle of Firetears near what would later become Triboar, with King Lathlaeril of Ardeep perishing in the battle. The army of Phalorm would remain in the area for the next two years, hunting down the warbands of orcs that fragmented from the main horde.

In the, more orc hordes arose in the High Moor, the Greypeak Mountains, and the Fields of the Dead to lay siege to the Realm of Three Crowns. During this invasion, the city of Dolblunde was sacked, and King Oskilar of Dardath was killed. The orcs were met at the Battle of Shrouded Stars by the returned army of Phalorm, which was forced to retreat and regroup in nearby Uthtower.

The weakened armies of Phalorm and Uthtower were joined by forces from Bloodhand Hold at Iniarv's Tower, and confronted the Horde of the Wastes in a final battle there in the. Unknown to the defenders who had garrisoned the tower, it was still inhabited by the former court mage Iniarv, now a lich. Iniarv was awakened by the battle, and was so enraged at the disturbance that he began attacking all sides, forcing the defenders of Uthtower to retreat and allowing the Horde of the Wastes to invade. When King Uth VII desperately begged the lich for aid, Iniarv mockingly defeated the orcs by causing the sea to flood inland, drowning both armies and washing away Uthtower. Only a few survivors from either side managed to escape, and the lands of Uthtower eventually became the Mere of Dead Men.

Collapse & Legacy
With the horrific events at Iniarv's Tower concluding centuries of bloodshed and decline, most of the remaining elves of Ardeep retreated to Evermeet, abandoning their realm and leaving Phalorm to its own fate. With the diminished dwarven population also withdrawing to more defensible settlements in the Forlorn Hills and Ammarindar, Phalorm ceased to exist in the, and was thereafter referred to as the Fallen Kingdom.

In the following year, the surviving human realm of Delimbiyran declared itself the rightful successor of Phalorm and formed a new alliance with Dolblunde and Secomber, naming itself the Kingdom of Man. Over the next century it fought fiercely to defend the region, but splintered apart when King Davyd was assassinated by rogue Sharrans in 697 DR, also becoming known as the Fallen Kingdom, to the ceaseless confusion of scholars. It was succeeded by the petty kingdoms of Calandor, Scathril, and Loravatha, who were largely unable to mount a successful defense against future orc invasions. They fell into serious decline after the city of Delimbiyran was destroyed in 714 DR.

In the, moon elf refugees from Eaerlann settled in the Ardeep Forest and rebuilt the realm, forming a new alliance with the humans of the Delimbiyr Vale and the dwarves of the Forlorn Hills. However, the alliance quickly fell apart and also became known as the Fallen Kingdom, to the endless frustration of historians.

The House of Stone continued to be used by the remaining elves of Ardeep, but the Retreat diminished their population until it too was abandoned by the mid-14 century DR and became the domain of adventurers looking for treasure. The elven legacy in the region was extremely limited, with the most prominent example being the Estates of Elorfindar Floshin.

The most enduring survivor of Phalorm was Secomber, which was continuously inhabited since its founding and continued to be a successful community of humans and halflings.

Kingdoms
Ardeep was a surviving subrealm of Illefarn, and the woodland kingdom was eventually abandoned by 615 DR. Thaltekhth was a dwarven kingdom that contained the duchies of Dardath and Hunnabar, with its capital at Mount Illefarn.
 * Ardeep
 * The Laughing Hollow, a Seldarine-blessed vale sat in the shadow of Mount Illefarn and was home to elves.
 * The Seatower of Ilinyth, an elven watchtower that guarded the southern border of the realm.
 * Thaltekhth
 * Mount Illefarn, an isolated peak above the Laughing Hollow where the dwarves of Dardath built their royal capital.
 * Dardath
 * Dardath, a duchy that was a powerful founding member of Phalorm, but contracted and declined over time.
 * Stoneturn, a fortress of Dardath was used by Phalorm to defeat invading hordes, and continued to be used for centuries afterwards.
 * Hunnabar
 * Hunnabar was an independent dwarven realm that became a duchy under Thaltekhth, built along the south-eastern edge of the High Moor.
 * Kanaglym, a dwarven hold at the southern edge of the High Moor, and the center of Hunnabar.

The remnants of Elembar reformed as the human realm of Delimbiyran, one of the three kingdoms.
 * Delimbiyran
 * Delimbiyran, the former capital of Elembar that continued as the capital of the new kingdom.

Duchies
Also known as Glorea, the gnomes joined Phalorm as a duchy. Halflings from Meiritin joined with local hin populations along the Delimbiyr River around Secomber, founding the new duchy of Imristar under Phalorm.
 * Gloraela
 * Dolblunde, an Upperdark city of rock and deep gnomes, represented as Gloraela.
 * Imristar
 * Secomber, a town of humans and halflings of the Delimbiyr Vale, founded a short time before Phalorm, built atop the ruins of Hastarl.