Abridged History.
1352-1353
1352 Gondegal announces his revolution, joined by a contingent of Chessentan Mercenaries from the city of Akanax Misrim, Valyan, and various minor noble houses pledge their support. The heretical knighthood of the Risen Sun also pledges support. Guerilla Style raids seize the country-side around Arabel, forces maneuver to prevent reinforcements from border garrisons getting to the city. Gondegal offers terms of surrender to the City of Arabel, they are as follows:4a. The city and environs are declared independent of cormyr.
4b. The Purple Dragon Garrison Disarms and is marched south to the newly established border along the road south of Immersea.
4c. Cormyr withdraws from the North. The Arabel Garrison refuses terms. Arabel Undergoes a siege, unprepared for one, the military garrisons seizes the storehouses in the city to feed the troops, and rations supplies to the citizenry. A week passes, and reinforcements stall to the south as poor weather prevents troop movements from eaching the city to relieve it, hunger and food riots begin to occur in the city. Military Store Houses are pillaged in the city by hungry citizens. The siege breaks through, the Arabel garrison experiences heavy butchery before finally surrendering. Gondegal sets fire to the Barracks despite their surrender, butchering the rest of the city defenders in fire. Gondegal declares the Kingdom of Arabel is formed, sends his troops south to confront Cormyrian Reinforcements. Raubagaush the Dauntless is freed from the Tower, the archmage pledging to support the nascent kingdom. Cormyr sues for peace. A peace treaty is signed by both parties in the border village of Immersea, defining borders between the two kingdoms. Lord Misrim and his wife die before the banquet celebrating the victory. Anastcha Misrim attends the banquet in the mourning gown, where she swears will never return till her grandchildren are fit to lead her House. The Former Lord and Lady are survived by the twin heirs, Obyn and Islyn, prospective heirs for the Head of the House.
1353 -1359
Gondegal forms a council with the major powers in the city. Laws and foreign policy slowly forms despite Gondegal's proclivities toward chaotic and whimsical rule. The Sembian Embassy is the first to be established. Followed soon after are the Dwarven and Elven Embassies. A great 'public works' project is performed to 'honor' the heroes of the revolution and to establish a narrative of the Heroic Army of Gondegal versus the villainous classicism of Cormyr. A quiet 'encouragement' of vandalism and other public shaming of loyalists to Cormyr undergoes, and it becomes a common method of ruining someone's reputation by declaring them 'pro-noble.' The guards seldom assist such people. Such 'noble sympathizers' migrate to Immersea, stopped at the border and prevented from leaving to Cormyr. Gondegal outlaws such immigration under pain of death, sealing his borders- declaring such actions treasonous to his reign. Immersea becomes a bustling port-town for the Wyvernwater. Traders require a paid permit to travel through the Kingdom. A dragon turtle is rumored to have made its residence in the Wyvernwater, becoming a plague for anyone fishing beyond visual distance of the shore. Cormyrian 'patriots' take up residence in the Kings Forest and begin to raid the road that runs along the forest border. Technically a Cormyrian Border, Gondegal seizes Collinswood and begins a slash and burn operation along the road to prevent such 'Cormyrian Banditry' from taking place in the future. operations are ongoing, and are opposed by many druidic circles. The Knights of the True Sun finish constructing their keep south of Arabel. The Tower of Raubagaush Arabel is established in 1357. Many wizards in Arabel and surrounding lands flock to the city, attracted by the lax regulations on Magic. Druidic Circles in Arabel begin to worry about the drastic political changes undergoing in Cormyr and Arabel, they begin to organize underneath larger hierarchies to better confront the issue. Rumors of goblin tribes and frost giants going to war in the Stormhorns begin to reach the adventuring community of Arabel. Thunderholme finds traces of an Old Hold in the Storm Horns, declares a reclamation Campaign to discover and retake old lands that 'belong to the dwarves.' The Embassy is locked in negotiations with the Court regarding proper 'payment' for settling Gondegal's territory. The time of troubles begins in 1358. Cyric becomes god of Death. A divine silence occurs at the end of the Time of Troubles.1359-1360
The city struggles to fulfill the promise of the Revolution After the murder/assasination of the True Sun Lord Commander, Seipora the Pure, The True Sun merges with a faction of the Helmite faith to create the Vigilant Sun, in a failed attempt to bring harsh law and order to the city, causing the Order to withdraw soon after. The beloved Half-Orc hero Hreth is murdered by a Ghost agent, in a failed attempt on the Crimson Lady's life causing the Guard to be put under the command of the new Viper, Saga Drakebane The Masked King is killed alongside his friend Lord Olaf Vaylan creating a power vacuum. The nefarious and mysterious tower of the Arch Wizard Raubaguash crumbles seemingly overnight, though the reasons are unclear. Obyn Misrim splits from the House after the death of the Matriarch Anastacha, surprising all by joining the White Horde and claiming his sister is an imposter. The heir to Vaylan, Crimson Lady Jastyne refuses the crown and forms the Peerage councils, with herself its leader as First Peer. The threat of the White Horde grows and Arabel descends into a besieged state with enemies all around. The First Peer summons the heroes of the city to form the new Council of Twelve and charges them to lead the efforts to defeat the Horde, alongside the new Marshal of the Legions, Viper Saga Drakebane.1360-1361
The White Horde/White Witch
The attempt by the Orcan Warlord Heur'tzh to weaken the groves has failed, weakening the White Witch's ability to harness the power of the Helmlands and other forces of corruption Recovery of Islyn Misrim by brave heroes and her imposter exposed and slain by a high ranking member Retainer of House Misrim. This restored House Misrim to ally of the city and improving Arabel's supplies, mercenary funds, and ability to drive back the Horde on the field Defeat of the Strategist and the Houndmaster - two of the White Witch's most powerful minions. Heroes discovered the source of the White Witch's power and her history. A brave hero named Kirin sacrificed the tie to her magic in return for weakening the power of the staff. Obyn Misrim broken from the White Witch once his sister was safely recovered. He turned on her like a rabid dog. Then he vied for rulership of Arabel. After tense negotiations, he was named Baron of Tilverton and he transformed the city into his image Eveningstar became a Theocratic Barony based on actions of the Order of the Aster, and their major role in rescuing Lady Islyn. The Ghosts of Cormyr aligned with Arabel and Matrim Kingsly. The "Sword that was Broken" (a seemingly sentient blade discovered by Sir Nicholas of the Order of the Aster and used to defeat the White Witch's forces) indicated that both Lady Kestrel Vaylan and Matrim Kingsley were both "worthy" as rulers. Rather than thrust the city into a civil war so soon after a war against the White Horde, the two agreed to marry and rule together. Lady Jastyne departed Arabel to join forces fighting the Tuigan horde and fulfilling her role as the Chosen of the Red Knight.1361-1363.
Frost Orcs began raiding Arabel and Tilverton under the leadership of Avalanche. Avalanche sought a power called the Azure Flame, and its cultists murdered the commander of Tilverton, Lady Drakenshield, causing the fortress to fall. In desperation, the Queen Goldfeather travels to Cormyr for aid with many of her most loyal commanders. A force of the city's greatest heroes went forth to destroy Avalanche and the Azure Flame, but failed causing a massive mystical blizzard to surround the city, the Queen is not heard from and presumed lost in the Storm. The city's regent Lord DeSchurr authorized the House of Ash to establish a force of skeletons to go into the Stormlands to rescue people and cache's of supplies that appeared mysteriously. The Stormfall arrived, many lands and villages were lost to the Storm. The majority of the population was saved by the Final Watch, the undead used by the House of Ash. Adventurers discovered the Azure Flame was the power of a dying Primordial, fought over by the witch Zerelstria - who called herself the Azure Flame - and an ancient dragon called the Beast in the Storm. They set out to a glacier that bled and through great sacrifice were able to heal the Primordial.1363 - 1365
The healing of the Primordial caused huge earthquakes around Arabel's environs opening up paths to the Underdark, as the Storm itself receded to the edges of the region it was revealed that Arabel now floated in the Tears of Selune. The House of Ash was shut down, it was revealed its leadership had been creating undead without permission from the city. Adventurer's discovered a drow house called Vyra had risen to prominence in the Underdark. Enslaving other species, building a massive army of the undead, and only a handful of refugees had escaped their dominance in a settlement in the Miruvore Basin. The Queen's forces, attended by the 14th Legion of Purple Dragons from Cormyr re-emerge, but they are now cursed and undead. Plaguing the lands while claiming to defend them from rebels against the Queen. It was discovered that the drow are enacting a terrible ritual for unknown purposes, changing the orbits of a nearby Tear of Selune to cause shadows to fall perpetually on parts of Arabel, turning the King's Forest into a land of gloom and darkness. The story proceeds from here.
