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History/Timeline
In 132 DR, Dempster Turmish declared himself mayor of Alaghôn. For years, the young nobleman had been building up a mercenary army and selling its services to the highest bidder. Now, he used it for himself. He quickly sent his mercenaries against two other Alaghôn nobles. A brief, bloody civil war erupted in Alaghôn, and Dempster emerged as the undisputed leader. By 145 DR, Dempster expanded his control to include all of the lowlands up to the city of Hlondeth. The city of Mimph rose to the west of Arrabar and, for a brief time, it looked like Arrabar would become a ghost town. Mimph's threat was ended when Arrabar's military forces wiped it out in 135 DR. 137 DR - Iljak at War Iljak had a greater problem. Not only had other cities sprang up around it, but Samra and Mussum were vying for the same trade products. On the twelfth day of Flamerule in 137 DR, the army of Iljak engaged the forces of Mussum along the Sandshore, a beach outside of Mussum. The battle raged for a fortnight, with neither side capable of ending the confrontation. The stalemate ended in early Eleasius, when Samra's army sacked the city of Iljak and then attacked Iljak's forces from its unprotected flank. The army surrendered, and the twin forces of Mussum and Samra enslaved the survivors. While Iljak burned, the survivors from the city were sold into slavery. 139 DR - Chondalwood Attacked By 139 DR, the deforestation of the Chondalwood was in full swing. The city of Shamph was established along the path of the Emerald Corridor, a road stretching from Shamph to Arrabar. Shamph became a city of storage, caring for the lumber harvested from the Chondalwood. From there, goods were hauled by carts to the cities of Arrabar, Samra, and Mussum. In 143 DR, the lumberjacks of what would become Chondath were halted in their progress by a large force of elves that prevented their tree-cutting labors. The wild elves of the Chondalwood made their first appearance into the politics of the Vilhon Reach. Lord Anthony Illistine had risen to great power in the Chondath area, and he intended to seize control of the entire southeastern shore of the Reach. With the elves barring further tree-cutting into the Chondalwood, Illistine took the opportunity to establish an alliance between the free cities of the region. As winter rains fell upon the Chondalwood in early 144 DR, the allied might of the free cities came crashing into the forest. The closest Elven city, Ariel-than, was burned to the ground, its few survivors sent scurrying deeper into the woods. According to elven histories, more than 2,000 elves lost their lives at the hands of the invaders. Those who survived reportedly fled to the capital city of Rucien-Xan, a mythical elven home deep in the Satyrwood that has yet to be discovered. With the lumber source restored, Illistine was in a perfect position to take control of the entire area. Within six months of the victory of the Battle of the Elven Tears, Illistine was named Governor of Chondath. The city-states of Arrabar, Mussum, Samra, and Shamph were finally united under one leader. 145 DR - Hlondeth Besieged Along the opposite shore, in 145 DR, Hlondeth was busy preparing for war. The advancing army of Dempster Turmish was marching down the Turmway, about as quiet as a hill giant at a belching convention. Unexpectedly, a small segment of the army turned up Lilit Pass, capturing the village of Daroush without so much as raising a single sword. The remainder of the army began to set up camp around the walled city of Hlondeth. The ruler of Hlondeth, a human warlord by the name of Gestin, watched the approaching Turmish army with some amusement. He knew that a siege of the city would be meaningless unless they could control Churning Bay, the waters surrounding Hlondeth. Gestin was also determined not to lose a single man to something as wasteful as a war with Alaghôn. Gestin warned many of the pirates he knew in the Sea of Fallen Stars that the Alaghôn navy would be sailing for Hlondeth. He further struck a bargain with many of the captains of those pirate vessels, promising them a safe port if they aided him in ending the threat to Hlondeth. A safe port for a pirate ship was no small promise; more than 60 ships flocked to Gestin's call. The pirates and the Hlondeth fleet met the navy of Alaghôn in the Farshore Strait, a narrow passage between the isle of Ilighôn and the tip of the Aphrunn Mountains. The combined Hlondeth and pirate fleet managed to defeat the Alaghôn navy in a Pyrrhic victory that did nothing more than guarantee that Hlondeth would live or die by the actions of the armies of both powers. Historians have long speculated that Gestin knew his fleet would be crippled by an encounter with the Alaghônian navy. His agreement with the pirates, they theorize, was simply an acceptance of the only recourse available to him. In essence, he gained the support of the pirates at no real cost to himself. Rumors also surfaced that one of the Alaghôn vessels was carrying gold to establish a treasury for Hlondeth. Despite numerous attempts to locate The Starcross, its treasure remains unclaimed at the bottom of Farshore Strait. The Alaghôn army that lay in siege around Hlondeth waited for more than a month before turning around and heading home. Unable to block the port - and the decision not to bring siege engines by Dempster - left few alternatives. Hlondeth was saved, this time. Gestin's political power was unrivaled along the southern shores of the Vilhon. Trade, both legal and pirate, flourished in the area. A powerful Hlondeth family that made its living by quarrying emerald-hued marble from the nearby Orsraun Mountains also profited by increased trade. The House Extaminos strove to place itself in a position that would allow it to seize control of the profitable city. Unfortunately, the success of Gestin in his war with Turmish prevented any political maneuvering. 146 DR -Hlondeth Besieged Again In 146 DR, Lord Dempster led his army down to the city of Hlondeth but was again defeated, this time by both the city's high walls and a powerful barrage of magic from Riliton Mandleweave, an invoker who studied under Charas of Winterwood. A daring attack by mercenaries, the Company of the Howling Harpoon, assured defeat when they delivered a strike against the flank of the army, destroying food, supplies, and siege equipment. 150 DR - War continues By 150 DR, Turmish had rebuilt its navy to the point where they could make another stab at the heart of Hlondeth. As the army massed for its march, however, Dempster Turmish died in his sleep. Rule passed to his wife, Florentine Dempster, who thus far has made no change in policy or done anything to suggest an end to war.
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