Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent.
Today we’re covering information on the Dalelands.
It has a rich history and in its history is the Dale Reckoning which is where we get the
DR calendar from. A question I’ve been asked many times is where does DR come from.
Hopefully this will clear things up.
Located west of the Sea of Fallen Stars the Dalelands is a region in northern Faerun full
of dense forests and after they were cleared rich farmland.
The Dalelands are interesting because there isn’t one central government for this region.
Instead it’s a loose grouping of villages or cities called the “dales.”
And they are located around the Cormanthor forest.
These “dales” are not necessarily friendly with one another but war is pretty much off
the table.
Each Dale is its own independent territory with its own military, industry, and culture.
They are mostly a small group of farming communities scattered throughout an Elven Court.
Way back in time, at around 0DR…
Humans began to settle the regions surrounding the ancient forest of Cormanthor.
These “Dalesmen” immigrated from older cities to start a new life for themselves.
They asked the Lords of the Elven Court permission to settle on the borderlands of the forest.
The elves said yes, in return for help from the Dalesmen.
They wished their aid in pushing back attacking orcs and goblins that encroached upon their
kingdom.
Since the Dalesmen will be sharing this area together they agreed and a partnership was
born.
To commemorate this the Standing Stone was raised in the heart of the Elven Forest.
This event was known as the Dalereckoning, and is the beginning of the most commonly
used calendar in Faerun.
The Standing Stone is a glossy gray rock with elven runes that wind around it.
It stands over 20 feet high.
The winding script states the terms of the pact with the Dalesmen.
It reads that while there are elves in the forest the people of the Dales may settle
in those lands at their borders, but not reduce the woods or invade elven territories.
It was a pretty smart compromise between the two races and ended up protecting them for
many years from Orc tribes.
Farming and trade are important to the people of the Dales.
They firmly believe that industriousness and virtue will overcome foreign schemes and exotic
magic.
Their lands will remain theirs and will remain strong.
So far this has worked out, with the help of the Dalesmen banding together against larger
threats such as Orcs and Drow.
Mentioned earlier the Dales are a group of small towns and villages that don’t have
a unified government to be considered a kingdom.
However representatives once a year in Midwinter gather together to discuss issues that relate
to the Dalelands.
These mostly focus on trade, but end with inter-border disputes.
The debates often lead to no conclusion but an understanding is met between the villages.
If there is a common foe the villages will work together more quickly and strive to protect
all the people in the Dalelands.
News of Zhentarim schemes or organized goblins is all it takes for the people of the Dalelands
to come together for a greater purpose.
Over the years several people have tried to unify the Dalelands, some have come close.
Aencar Burlisk is the only man who ever succeeded, for a time.
In 1030 DR Aencar became the Warlord of Battledale.
Orc tribes were encroaching on the Dalelands and in 1038 DR Aencar united the Dales to
face the common threat.
He was known as the Mantled King, and his reign involved constant battles to drive out
invaders.
In 1044 DR he was finally killed by a sorcerer’s minions.
Without his leadership the Dalelands drifted apart into their separate villages once more.
Aencar sadly didn’t die a heroic death in battle.
He was trapped and tricked into coming to a feast in Essembra when a group of evil mages
summoned a dracolich and slayed him.
However justice was served when one of Aencar’s lieutenants defeated the dracolich.
A statue of Aencar exists today in the center of Essembra.
The Dalelands are neighbored by the kingdom of Comyr to the Southwest, Sembia to the South
and the forest of Cormanthor to the northeast.
The vast Anauroch desert is to the northwest.
A lot of locations within the Dales are something-dale.
So Daggerdale, Shadowdale, Harrowdale.
But then there’s also Essembra and Myth Drannor.
Shadowdale is home to Elminster, and home to two of the Seven Sisters; Storm Silverhand
and Sylune.
Originally Shadowdale was known as the Land Under Shadow and was controlled by the drow.
They maintained a population of humans and other races on the surface as slaves.
Now Shadowdale is a farming community.
It is the most legendary of the Dales, and the most open towards strangers.
The Elven Court was home to the royal family of Cormanthor and where most of what elven
government consisted.
The elves lived in peace with the Dalesmen for many years, living in the forest.
Nearby Cormyr would like to incorporate the Dalelands within its borders.
They’ve begun a campaign to not take the Dalelands by force but to bring them into
the fold piece by piece.
They use persuasion to convince the Dalelands that joining them would be within their best
interest.
Sembia has a different approach.
While Cormyr’s attitude is “The Dales would be better off with us,” the Sembian
feeling is “We’d be better off if we controlled the Dales.”
They want to master the woods and take it for themselves.
That area being greatly desired by Sembian merchants who wish to get a grasp on the local
economy to manipulate it in their favor.
And that’s it for today.
There is a lot of other battles that happened in this area.
I’d recommend my Myth Drannor video for more information on that subject.
Lots of potential for you to be from the Dalelands either as a human, elf, drow or orc.
Thanks for watching everyone and I’ll see you next week with another video here on Forgotten
Realms Explained.