Timeline of Arylon
compiled by Erskine Fincher
c. -18,500 DR
Elves coming north from Shantel Orthreier discover the ancient ruins of a city on the current site of Arylon.
c. -2500 DR
Humans <calling themselves the Talfir> migrate into the Chionthar river valley <from the Calishar Emirates> and discover the ruins where Arylon now sits. <Most of them settle in small fortified farming communities on Kel'Berethomon (the Gentle Hills, now known as the Fields of the Dead) and the plains surrounding the Bern'eb'Orech (Mountain of Flames), now known as the Hill of Lost Souls.>
Safalel Hanami claims the site and builds a fortified villa. He starts a logging camp and begins taking wood from the Wood of Sharp Teeth which at that time extends all the way to the south side of the river. After his death his descendants continue to live in the area.
c. -1700 DR*
The Talfir communities are united into two separate kingdoms. The K'Imirhim'eb'Valorë (the Kingdom of Triumphant Light) in the east near Bern'eb'Orech, and K'Imirhim'eb'Endorë (the Kingdom of Dying Light) in the west on the Fields of the Dead.
Tribes of nomadic horsemen migrate into the Sunset Vale from the Green Fields. Their origin is unknown, but they may have been distantly related to the Talfir.
c. -1600 DR*
Border wars between the Talfir kingdoms.
The nomads of the Sunset Vale build the city of Urdrath as a burial site for their chieftains.
c. -1500 DR*
K'Imirhim'eb'Endorë battles savage humans from the High Moor, while K'Imirhim'eb'Valorë is assailed by nomads of Urdrath. The two Talfir kingdoms set aside their differences to combat the assault on their civilization.
c. -1250 DR*
Arrival of the Netherese. Over the next two hundred years the Netherese establish outposts in the area, and extend their military and economic influence over the kingdoms of the Talfir.
c. -1150 DR*
Humanoids from the Goblin Marches make war on the kingdoms of the Talfir. The Talfir are given assitance by the Netherese and eventually become Protectorates of the Empire.
c. -1000 DR
Arloki Lundaenor, a priest of Bhaelros, destroys the villa <of the Hanami clan> with a storm followed by a flood. He builds a shrine at the site to comemmorate the victory. Attempts to resettle the area are prevented by the priests of Bhaelros. The area remains abandoned except for the shrine for 400 yrs, during which time it becomes known as Arloni's Dell.
-696 DR
End of the Netherese Age of Discovery. Beginning of the Shadowed Age.
-587 DR
Lhynel Firehands <, a Netherese wizard,> destroys the shrine to Bhaelros when its attendant priests attack his conveyance. He decides to settle in the area with his servants.
-437 DR
Lhynel is destroyed by an unknown mage during a great spell battle. Dead and wild magic zones are created by the magic duel. Lhynel's servants continue to dwell on the site. Their main industries are logging in the Wood of Sharp Teeth and quarrying limestone outcrops in the Fields of the Dead. They also reestablish trade with the south. The name of the village is changed to Arloni's Bane.
-375 DR
A plague sent by Talona decimates the village. Priests of Ilmater arrive from Zazesspur to give aid, but a clerical error has them looking for the village of Arloni's Den. The villagers change the name of the town in order to receive the aid which would have been denied them due to the beauracratic mistake. In later years the spelling is changed to Arloneden.
-339 DR
The Fall of Netheril. With the fall of the enclaves some refugees from Netheril find sanctuary in the lands of the Talfir, and the two peoples become intermixed.
-252 DR
The ophidia of the Serpent Hills migrate to The Forest of Wyrms led by the dark naga, Terpenzi.
-224 DR
While traveling through the High Moor the bard, Verraketh Talembar, discovers the Shadowstar in the Vale of Ebenfar. He discovers that the artifact allows him to shape and animate shadows with his music. His performances become famous throughout the two kingdoms of the Talfir.
-220 DR
Birth of Talek Talembar. It is later discovered that he has inherited his father's mastery of shadows.
-218 DR
Verraketh flees into exile when a member of his audience dies under bizarre circumstances. His wife refuses to go with him, and she takes his son, Talek, to live in Valorë.
-209 DR
Verraketh becomes the chieftain of a clan of the 'wild men' of the High Moor.
-198 DR
The ophidia errect a temple in the Forest of Wyrms. This marks the beginning of the Kingdom of the Snakes.
-182 DR
The tribes of the High Moor are united under King Verraketh Talembar, and the kingdom of Ebenfar is proclaimed. Verraketh raises his throne in the Vale of Ebenfar. The Marring of the Valesong.
-158 DR
The dark naga, Terpenzi, begins summoning yuan-ti to serve as soldiers in his army.
-140 DR
The Birth of the Shadowking. Verraketh Talembar undergoes a monstrous transformation into a demon-like creature: ten feet tall, black as basalt, wings like a great bat, and horns sprouting from his forehead. The creature becomes known as the Shadowking, and the barbarians of the High Moor worship him as a god.
-133 DR
After a long campaign, the Kingdom of Endorë falls to King Verraketh, now known as the Shadowking. The land becomes a fief in the Kingdom of Ebenfar, and in the language of the barbarians of the High Moor it is called the Duchy of Indoria.
Arloneden is sacked and looted, but not abandoned. The name, however, is changed to Arylon.
Refugees from Endorë flee to the west and establish small homesteads on the Sword Coast north of present day Baldur's Gate.
-115 DR
The yuan-ti of the Kingdom of Snakes discover the ruins of a Netherse outpost and storehouse where some of the empires treasures were taken for safe-keeping. They begin studying the artifacts to learn the secret of their magics.
-100 DR
After a series of border wars, the Kingdom of Valorë is forced to cede its western marches between the Reaching Wood and present day Elturel to the Kingdom of Ebenfar. A yearly tribute is also exacted.
-59 DR
War breaks out between Ebenfar and the Kingdom of the Snakes. The Netherse magics of the yuan-ti prove to be effective against the armies of the Shadowking.
-48 DR
Uprising against the Shadowking. The Kingdom of Valorë, attempting to take advantage of Verraketh's setbacks against the yuan-ti, mobilizes for war against the Shadowking. They are joined by a rebellion within the Duchy of Indoria.
-45 DR
Suffering losses at home, the Shadowking puts forth all his magics into the defeat of the yuan-ti. Terpenzi is overthrown and his temple is razed. He flees to the Serpent Hills with those followers who are able to escape. It is unknown what happened to the Netherese artifacts, but they are now believed to have been buried beneath the temple when it was destroyed.
-39 DR
The rebellion in Indoria is put down. Many people are slaughtered in the reprisals that follow.
-26 DR
Fall of the Kingdom of Valorë. In retribution for their war against him, the Shadowking has every man in the kingdom over the age of 13 put to death. The women and the young boys become slaves.
19 DR
The horsemen of Urdrath are conqueored by the Shadowking, and the Sunset Vale becomes part of the Kingdom of Ebenfar. The city of Urdrath is razed and many of the tombs are looted.
50 DR
Beginning of the Goblin Wars. Humanoids from Tunland and the Goblin Marches battle with the armies of the Shadowking.
102 DR
Battle of Bern'eb'Orech. The armies of the Shadowking win a decisive victory over the goblins at Bern'eb'Orech.
c.110-190 DR
The Long Peace, also known as the Years of Waiting. After years of constant warfare the people of the former Talfirc kingdoms are given a respite. Although still living beneath the heel of the Shadowking, the years without war are a relief. There is a slight economic recovery and trade with the south resumes. Still, there is a sense of forboding for it seems as if the Shadowking is only waiting to regain his strength before embarking on new conquests.
c. 185 DR
The beginning of the Forging of the Nightstone. The Shadowking begins the creation of an artifact that will give him the power to take over all of Faerun.
190 DR
The Completion of the Nightstone. The Shadowking completes the forging of the Nightstone, but in his first attempt to wield it he discovers that he has been tricked. The mute troll who was his assitant in the forging casts aside his disguise and reveals himself as Talek Talembar, the Shadowking's son who has become a great bard and a master of the shadow-magic. While the forging of the Nightstone was being accomplished Talek wove a melody into the magic, a portion of the Valesong which could control the stone. He begins to play the tune on his pipes and he struggles with the Shadowking for control of the Nightstone. The struggle goes on for a whole year until finally the Shadowking is destroyed.
191 DR
The Fall of the Shadowking. Talek Talembar emerges victorious from the battle with the Shadowking. He buries him, and the Nightstone and Shadowstar with him, beneath a great cairn as high as a hill. This cairn is the tor on top of which Iriaebor now sits.
200 DR
The city of Talis is built by the People Who Await- a group of Talfir following a prophecy that proclaims the Return of the Shadowking, and the Child Wizard who will overthrow him.
227 DR - Year of the Raised Banner
The Kingdom of Shavinar is formed on the Sword Coast north of the River Chionthar.
321 DR - Year of the Blessed Sleep
Southern invaders again "conqueor" the hinterlands east of Meiritin. Lord Ashar Tornamn, the youngest nephew of King Karaj Tiiraklar II of Tethyr, takes the lands east of the Tejarn Hills and north to the Amstel River, as well as a few other lands south, and calls this realm Valashar.
335 DR - Year of Seven Stones
Ashar's March: Lord Ashar Tornamn, acting without orders from the Shoonite emperor or the King of Tethyr, moves his armies north, reaching the High Moor by late summer. The overzealous lord claims the Sword Coast from the Moor to Shoonach for the Shoon Empire.
The city of Arylon offers no resistance to Lord Tornamn, and he uses it as an outpost for his troops. He has them build a small fort on Mhadanae Sangh and a post house at the foot of the hill.
King Azoun I of Cormyr finds trade routes to the west blocked by Shoonite troops demanding tarrifs for "passing through the empire's lands." Azoun orders a weapon made with which he can fight Lord Tornamn; the short sword Ilbrantha, Mistress of Battles, is ready by year's end.
336 DR - Year of the Whipped Cur
King Azoun leads his army on a forced march to battle Shoonite forces on the Fields of the Dead. The overextended Shoonite army is easily broken. Cormyr's knights then march on Ithmong, putting it to the torch as a warning to never again impede trade on the Sword Coast North.
During the campaign the city of Arylon is sacked. The hill fort on Mhadanae Sangh is razed, and the defenders slain. The post house is used to house Cormyrean troops.
The Shoon Empire (also called Calimshan) moves its northern border to the northern end of Valashar. Lord Tornamn is executed for antagonizing King Azoun and other dignitaries along the coast.
450 DR - Year of the Solitary Fist
The Shoon Empire begins to fall apart after King Strohm I of Tethyr sacks the capital, Shoonach, and kills the last Shoon, Emperor Amahl VII.
Since the withdrawal of Cormyrean forces, the people of Arloneden have begun to rebuild. The fall of the Shoon Empire disrupts trade to the south, and causes some merchants to abandon the village.
460 DR - Year of Scorching Suns
The Western Emirate of Amin becomes the country of Amn under King Esmel Torlath, an ex-Shoonite general and native of the area. Amn exists as three major city-states west of Lake Esmel.
Major droughts bake southern Faerun and cause many forest and brush fires along the Sword Coast.
A fire in the Wood of Sharp Teeth rages out of control for most of the summer. Although the flames are stopped by the River Chionthar, the smoke covers Arloneden and causes most of the villagers to evacuate. Some of them return the next year after the fires have gone, but many do not.
491 DR - Year of Faltering Fires
Unnaturally heavy precipitation falls all year long. The Chionthar river valley is flooded and the village of Arloneden is nearly destroyed. The river docks are swept away. The villagers who survive the initial flooding find themselves homeless and destitute. Many leave the village for the more civilized lands to the south and east. Those who stay are mostly farmers.
500 DR - Year of the Flametongue
A new race of people calling themselves the Talfric migrates into the Western Heartlands. They establish the Duchy of Indoria and the village of Arloneden is peacefully abosorbed into the duchy. The old post house is garrisoned and a new fort is built on Mhadanae Sangh. A rampart with a wooden palisade is built to protect the town. The name of the town becomes Ar'Loniden in the Talfric tongue. The Talfric live primarily by farming in the Fields of the Dead, trade with other cities is almost non-existent.
598 DR
An army of goblins from the Goblin Marches raids down through the Chionthar river valley. The Duchy of Indoria is overrun, and Arylon is sacked. Its walls are torn down, and the hill fort on Mhadanae Sangh is burned to the ground. The town's food supplies are looted and the surrounding farms are put to the torch. Many of the Talfric die in the fighting; of those who survive a few are able to flee, but the rest are taken as slaves for the goblin kingdom.
Very few buildings are left standing, but the old post house built by Lord Tornamn is one of them. Over the next five hundred years the village is occupied at various times by humanoid or human raiding parties, and the occasional would-be warlord, but there are no permanent settlements. Over the years the Talfric name for Ar'Loniden becomes corrupted into the present form of Arylon.
1038 DR - Year of Spreading Spring
Global warming. Lands of Narfell, Vaasa, and Damara are fully free of ice. Large-scale immigration begins to those lands.
The Anauroch desert begins to move southward encroaching on the Goblin Marches. With water and arable land becoming scarce in the region, the goblin kingdoms begin to fall on hard times.
1089 DR
Driven by desperation the humanoids of the Goblin Marches and the High Moors begin to mass near the abandoned village of Thandril. An army of 200,000 goblins and tens of thousands orcs, kobolds, and hobgoblins forms under the banner of Izac Uthor. The goblinoids call themselves the "Thugs of Uthor" and their rallying cry is "overrun the North!"
1090 DR - Year of Slaughter
The Battle of Bones - The goblin army attempting to invade the north is met by a large force of humans, and demihumans at Torgor's Triangle. In the ensuing slaughter the casualties on both sides number about 400,000. Torgor's Triangle becomes known afterwards as the Battle of Bones.
The Imnel Concession: Numerous monsters in the eastern grasslands and financial troubles (including paying the army) forces King Amnel IV of Amn to forge a treaty that returns all lands south of the Tethir Road to Tethyr in exchange for military and monetary support.
c. 1098 DR
The destruction of the humanoid army from the Goblin Marches at the Battle of Bones opens up the area north of Amn to colonization and trade. With the loss of their southern lands in the Imnel Concession, Amn begins to expand northward. They begin an extensive road building campaign to link themselves to the cities of the Sword Coast.
Arylon is chosen to be the site of an Amnian colony. The area is cleared of bandits and the River Chionthar is secured for trade traffic. Amnian troops refurbish and garrison the old post house, and build a prison on the site of the current Justice Hall. Immigration to the new city begins.
1105 DR
A new fort is built on Mhadanae Sangh and a wooden palisade is erected on the old ramparts.
The town and surrounding lands begin to swell with new people arriving in the city daily. In the countryside, Amnian nobles build fortified villas with plantations farmed by serfs. The old quarry is discovered and a company is formed by the city to open it back up. Another company is formed to begin logging in the Wood of Sharp Teeth, now over a day's ride from the river. Travel on the river brings merchants to the area, and tradesmen begin arriving to support the demand for goods and services.
1118 DR
The burgeoning civilian population of Arylon petitions the Amnian government to grant the city a charter. After due consideration the King appoints a Grand Magistrate to act as ruler of the city. The Grand Magistrate combines in his person the positions of judge, lawgiver, and commander of the local garrison. Jhorvanys Dakkar is named the first Grand Magistrate of Arylon.
Under the terms of the charter the city must pay a yearly tribute to the Amnian government, and a percentage of all moneys from the quarry and logging operations.
1121 DR
Amn contracts with a mercenary group known as the Silver Crescents to defend the city of Arylon. They replace the regular army garrison by the end of the year and take up residence in the post house. They have their own commander but he answers to the Grand Magistrate.
1132 DR
Gazim Qafar becomes the second Grand Magistrate of Arylon when Jhorvanys retires. Gazim begins the practice of appointing judges to preside over trials in his name. He maintains control over their decisions in important cases, but allows them to take the blame for unpopular rulings.
1145 DR
Akhiba the Beloved becomes the third Grand Magistrate of Arylon. His rule is marked by prosperity and justice for all of Arylon's citizens. Major reforms are instituted to grant rights to the serfs held by local nobles. Nobles can no longer kill their serfs with impunity, and serfs accused of crimes have their cases tried by the city magistrates rather than the lord of the villa.
Whereas the serfs were essentially slaves before, the new reforms make them more like tenant farmers. Part of the noble's desmesne is divided among his serfs for them to provide their own sustenance. The remainder of the land is farmed by the serfs for the benefit of the nobleman. The serf does not own the land he farms, but neither is he (or his children) forbidden to leave the nobleman's service. Serfs who save their money are able to purchase land of their own, and from them a small yeoman class begins to form.
Akhiba also establishes a Council of Advisors made up of citizens from the nobility, merchant, and trades classes. The Council advises him in the making of laws, setting taxes and in spending city funds on public works.
He continues the practice of appointing lesser magistrates to hear cases in his name, but he makes them independent of his direct control. The only cases he continues to hear are appeals from the lower courts.
1150 DR - Year of the Scourge
Plague throughout the Sword Coast. The city of Arylon suffers losses, but is not hit as hard as other cities due to its out of the way location, and a quarantine instituted by Akhiba the Beloved.
1175 DR
Grand Magistrate Dartlansh becomes the fourth ruler of Arylon after the death of Akhiba the Beloved.
1178 DR
Dartlansh closes the old prison in Arylon. He claims the surrounding land for the city government and builds a grand manor house on the site. The land around the manor is turned into a park with a promenade leading down to the main gate on the inner wall.
In order to finance the new building projects taxes are raised, and Dartlansh begins siphoning money from Amn's share of the quarry and logging operations.
1180 DR
The Grand Magistrate's manor house is completed, but Dartlansh lives in it only 48 days before being recalled to Amn and imprisoned for his misrule. He is replaced by Illivec Lurraxol of Athkatla who becomes the fith Grand Magistrate. Illivec makes his quarters in the west wing of the manor house, but the rest of the building becomes home to the city government. Illivec's reign is marked by conservatism, both fiscal and social.
1182 DR - Year of the Tomb
Trade roads now link Amn and Tethyr to the Sword Coast Cities of Baldur's Gate, Dragonspear Castle and Ahghairon's city of Waterdeep.
1197 DR
________ becomes the sixth Grand Magistrate of Arylon. He begins replacing the wooden palisade around the city with stone walls.
1209 DR
________ becomes the seventh Grand Magistrate of Arylon. This is the first time that a nobleman of Arylon has been named to the position.
1223 DR
________ becomes the eigth Grand Magistrate of Arylon. He is the second Arylonian nobleman to occupy the position. His appointees to the Advisory Council are primarily other noblemen.
1228 DR
Work on the city walls is completed. The wall extends from the Sunrise Gate on the east end of the city to River Gate on the west. Mhadanae Sangh is located in the northeast corner of the and is itself encircled by the wall. The North Gate is west of the hill and gives access to the Fields of the Dead. An inner wall runs parallel to the river and separates the Dock Ward from Inner Ward. The three gates in this wall from west to east are called River Gate, Promenade Gate, and ______ Gate.
1230 DR
The Legitimization of the Silver Crescents: The government of Amn no longer funds the Silver Crescents. They are paid for by Arylon and are now made up primarily of citizens of the city. Rather than a mercenary group, they are now an extension of the city government. They move out of their quarters in the old post house and into new quarters in the fort on Mhadanae Sangh.
1235 DR - Year of the Black Horde
Largest orc horde in history masses out of the north. Waterdeep beseiged, Calimshan threatened.
Amnian armies fighting humanoids this year capture many orcs, bringing them to Purskul where they are forced to work in a series of agricultural and stone-working labor camps.
The city of Arylon is beseiged but manages to hold out until the seige is lifted by Amnian forces.
________ becomes the ninth Grand Magistrate of Arylon, and the third Arylonian nobleman to hold the position. Merchants and tradesmen have only token representation on the Advisory Council. In addition, the number of magistrates is expanded to five, all noblemen.
1238 DR - Year of the Lone Candle
A major trade war occurs between Amnian houses. This dispute over rights to the Zakharan spice trade fuels future conflicts between the Ophal and Ulvax families, and ignites numerous other trade wars in its wake.
Internal strife within Amn allows Arylon to establish greater financial independence. Although Arylon continues to pay a yearly tribute to Amn, all profits from the quarry and logging operations go directly to the city.
1241 DR - Year of the Lost Lady
A well-respected Tethyrian noblewoman is captured and slain by orcs. In her memory orcs are wiped out throughout the South in a genocidal slaughter. Orcs call this the Year of Pushing Too Far.
Amnian armies, back from the great war against orcish forces, bring additional orc slaves to the labor camps near Purskul. Many orcs legally gain their freedom after 40 years; they and their half-orc children become Amnian citizens.
1276 DR - Year of the Crumbling Keep
King Dhanar of the Parhek Dynasty is assassinated, and merchant families squabble over the succession, each with an heir to the throne (legitimate or otherwise) in its control. The merchant families begin a long war over trade and succession.
The noble landowners of Arylon go to great lengths to distance the city from the dynastic war occurring in Amn. Those who openly take sides in the dispute are exiled from the city.
The city government ceases to pay tribute this year. Amn is too pre-occupied with internal strife to enforce the payment collection.
1284 DR - Year of the Dying Stars
The new Grand Magistrate of Arylon is selected by the Council of Advisors from among the members of the council.
1306 DR - Year of Thunder
The last heir to the throne of Amn, the self-styled Exile Prince Rohav, dies of poison at the hands of his vizier, Arlen Bromul.
1333 DR - Year of the Striking Falcon
The Great Amnian Trade War erupts; Amn is locked in a broad civil conflict. Thayze Selemchant founds the Council of Six and ends the war with Amn reunited.
The rulers of Arylon negotiate a treaty with the Council of Six whereby the city receives Protectorate status and agrees to billet Amnian troops during times of war.
1356 DR - Year of the Worm
Arylon becomes an outpost for the Lords' Alliance troops during the Dragonspear Campaign. The