The Damaran Gate was a massive fortification in Damara that completely spanned the eastern end of Bloodstone Pass.[1][2] It and the Vaasan Gate (on the western end of the Pass) comprised the Bloodstone Gates, one of the most ambitious feats of military engineering in Faerûn.[3]
Description[]
The Damaran Gate stretched 3 miles (5 kilometers) from mountain-to-mountain to completely block Bloodstone Pass and span the Beaumaris River.[1][2]
The wall was 35 feet (11 meters) tall and 20 feet (6 meters) thick, and two castles built into the mountainsides anchored the wall on either end. The castle on the southern end of the Gate was the larger of the two, and housed the Order of the Golden Cup, while the castle on the northern end guarded tunnels leading to Bloodstone Mines. Only three iron gates allowed for access through the fortress: two large gates, one by each of the castles, and a third smaller gate in the center which was only large enough for a single rider at a time to pass through.[1]
Geography[]
Bloodstone Pass ran through the Galena Mountains, connecting Damara on its southeastern end to Vaasa on its northwestern end. By spanning the Pass on the eastern end, any traveler or invader that wished to enter Damara from the Pass would need to either besiege the Damaran Gate or travel around the mountains entirely.[2]
Defenses[]
The Damaran Gate's crenelated walls[4] were defended by massive watchtowers positioned at 300-yard (275-meter) intervals. Each tower was garrisoned by fifty Damaran soldiers and was equipped with ballistae[1][5] that could be used to defend against attacks from the air.[6] The Gate's garrison was supplemented by paladins from the Order of the Golden Cup.[1]
The individual gates connected to courtyards inside the fortress, and were magically warded. They could be operated by complex dwarven mechanisms that allowed a heavy portcullis to to be raised by just two soldiers operating a windlass.[4]
History[]
After the defeat of Zhengyi the Witch-King in the Bloodstone Wars, there was a pressing need to fortify Bloodstone Pass against future incursions from the remnants of his armies.[3] Thus, the Vaasan and Damaran Gates were built at the behest of Gareth Dragonsbane, who would become King of Damara by the time they were well under construction in the Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR.[1][7] The project was massive and costly, and was largely funded with wealth acquired by Gareth and his adventuring companions in the course of defeating the Witch-King.[1]. Its construction took longer than that of the Vaasan Gate, but it was completed by the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.[1][5][8]
On Mirtul 2 of the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR, both the Vaasan and Damaran Gates fell over the course of one night to a horde of Vaasan monsters rallied by the lich Sammaster, who had declared himself to be the new Witch-King.[4][9] Two members of his Cult of the Dragon, Avarin and Fodel, infiltrated the Damaran Gate as soldiers, and opened the Gate to allow Sammaster's horde to seize the smaller castle of the otherwise impregnable fortress as a prelude to launching a full-scale invasion of Damara.[4] The invaders were ultimately defeated by Gareth Dragonsbane and his army, and the Gates were reclaimed in a matter of months.[9][10]
In the Year of Splendors Burning, 1469 DR, the Warlock Knights of Vaasa seized control of Bloodstone Pass, penetrating the Vaasan Gate and razing Bloodstone City.[11][12][note 1] They then garrisoned both the ruins of the city as well as the Vaasan Gate, and sealed the Pass.[13][11][14] The Damaran Gate was put on high alert, and remained that way for decades.[15][16] King Yarin Frostmantle ordered that the Gate be regularly patrolled and be fully stocked to weather a siege. However, King Frostmantle lacked the loyalty of many of his vassals, whose cooperation was necessary for the continued defense of the Gate. Many of them despised him as a usurper, and he in turn was known to execute anyone who suggested as much, raising concerns that Damara would not be ready if and when the Warlock Knights attacked again.[15]
Inhabitants[]
The Damaran Gate was populated by soldiers from Damara, especially from Bloodstone, as well as paladins and clerics of the Order of the Golden Cup and a handful of wizards.[1][4]
Notable Inhabitants[]
- Avarin, a soldier and secret spy for the Cult of the Dragon.[4]
- Fodel, a soldier and secret spy for the Cult of the Dragon.[4]
- Natali, a soldier and lookout.[4]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a precise date for the razing of Bloodstone City in the 15th century DR. The article "Realmslore: Vaasa" in Dungeon #177 states that the event occurred "a decade past" (p. 80) as of 1480 DR (p. 78). This is generally assumed to be Year of Splendors Burning, 1469 DR, given its name.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 39. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brian R. James (April 2010). “Realmslore: Vaasa”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #177 (Wizards of the Coast) (177)., p. 81.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 R.A. Salvatore (1989). The Bloodstone Lands. Edited by Elizabeth T. Danforth. (TSR, Inc), p. 38. ISBN 0-88038-771-8.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Richard Lee Byers (January 2005). The Rite. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 0. ISBN 978-0786935819.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ M. Sean Molley (August 2010). Tyranny's Bleak Depths (SPEC2-2 P1). Living Forgotten Realms (RPGA), p. 8.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 144. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (October 2005). Promise of the Witch-King. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 3. ISBN 0-78693823-4.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (January 2005). The Rite. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0786935819.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Brian R. James (April 2010). “Realmslore: Vaasa”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #177 (Wizards of the Coast) (177)., p. 78.
- ↑ Brian R. James (April 2010). “Realmslore: Vaasa”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #177 (Wizards of the Coast) (177)., p. 80.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ Brian R. James (April 2010). “Realmslore: Vaasa”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #177 (Wizards of the Coast) (177)., p. 82.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 114. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.