Shadowdale

Overview
The most famous of the Dalelands, Shadowdale's notoriety would appear to be at odds with its pastoral lifestyle. It is a quiet, wooded land of dense forests and prosperous farms  and it happens to  e home to a surprising number of very powerful and important people. The reputation of Shadowdale's  residents has spread from the Sword Coast to the farthest reaches of the Moonsea.

Of all the Dalelands, the land of Shadowdale is the most common stop for parties of adventurers. The town has long looked  to adventuring companies for security and leadership. A large number of ancient ruins, accesses to the Underdark, and hidden treasure caches ensure that most heroes will find something profitable and useful to do in Shadowdale.

Shadowdale lies along the road from Shadow Gap to Voonlar, controlling a major trade route from Cormyr to the cities of the Moonsea. Most people are familiar with the town of Shadowdale, but the greater portion of Shadowdalesmen live as independent farmers and homesteaders in the open lands northeast of the town.

Shadowdale stretches almost 100 miles from the Dagger Hills to the Elvenwoods, and is more than 30 miles wide. Like Mistledale to the south, the Dales lands of the Dale have open since before humans came to Cormanthor. Unlike Mistledale, the lands of Shadowdale are broken by large areas of light woods and rolling hills.

Most travelers come to Shadowdale along the Shadow Gap-Voonlar road, but major trails lead south along the Ashaba to Mistledale and west through the Dagger Hills to Daggerdale. The trails have not been very safe lately, with raiders and brigands reported in the area.

The emblem of the rightful lordship of the Dale is the Pendant of Ashaba, a magical necklace that has been handed down since the time of Shadowdales first human ruler. The pendant names the Lord over Shadowdale. In the case there is no Lord chosen, Shadowdale would be run by a mayor or Elder.

The Final Battle of Rebellion
The following account of the battle to liberate Shadowdale is to be treated as "factual history" from this date forward. It was written after taking all the information from DM and player accounts and intertwining them to make the differences make some sort of sense while making the story sound as epic as it should. If any feel some of the events went differently in game, that is because they probably did. Multiple groups in different areas with different DMs sometimes makes things in one area not match up with another. This account is in no way meant to slight anyone and is merely a way of making the server lore fit as closely as possible with the events of the battle. I hope you enjoy the read and that no one feels slighted. Everyone that participated did a phenomenal job and it was a great pleasure to watch the event play out.

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For years, the Zhentarim ruled Shadowdale with an iron fist. And for just as long a time, heroic people had been rebelling against that rule. After years of waiting, watching, and planning, the opportunity finally arose that could allow these heroes to finally wrest control from the hosts of Bane.

A plan was hatched in the darkest of holes where the rebellion lay in wait. A plan formulated by a few and modified by many others. The paladin, Vincent, also known as simply “Hero”, was given leadership over finalizing the battle plans as well as coordinating all the various assets so they would be the most use. Many planning sessions later, and the plan was finalized and set. What was needed was a turn of luck and a way to exploit a weakness in the defenses.

That opening came when it was learned that a wedding between the Zhentarim Commander and the Imperceptor of the Church of Bane was to take place at the recently finished Castle Krag. Through the intelligence gathering of groups such as the Harpers and other rebellion sympathizers, it was learned that a detachment of troops would be reassigned from Shadowdale to the castle for added security for the event. It was widely expected that the rebellion would attack the castle during the wedding in hopes of taking out the various high-ranking Zhentarim officers in attendance.

But that was not to be the case.

The elf, Arjay, learned and passed on the date and time of the wedding ceremony, and the plans were put into motion with haste. A toxin was developed using the knowledge of dragon anatomy supplied by a pair of Cormyran dragon hunters that was designed to target the beasts the dreaded Skymages rode into battle. Without their mounts, the mages were restricted to more mundane means of maneuvering about the battlefield and were easier to target. The ingredients were gathered as quickly as possible and the toxin brewed. As soon as the location of the mounts’ drinking water was scouted out, some of the more stealthy of the rebels proceeded to lace the water with the toxin. The timing was critical as too early would allow a remedy to be found and too late would leave the mounts still active and usable. Luckily, their timing was impeccable and the mounts were taken out of the battlefield equation.

The dwarves of the Ironhouse clan, led by Grendal, were tasked to dig a tunnel from the ant caves to the river bridge. It was filled with flammables and explosives and designed to be able to be collapsed on command, turning the tunnel into a flaming pitfall. They also dug another tunnel to reopen the old one that lead into town after the Zhentarim had sealed it off. This allowed an attack force to get into town after the fighting started.

The rest of the available troops were given their instructions and positions for the battle. The farmer militia that had been trained in the Lathander farms by Karovir and others were to go to the north gate along with the Chauntea warriors and priests to form a distraction team and the rest were sent to the main force that would hit the eastern gate as soon as the signal was given.

All the planning and meetings paid off when the attack started just after midnight. The farmers, with their armor and weapons hidden, approached the north gate with torches and farm tools as if they were a peasant uprising. A lone farmer went forward and threatened the Zhentarim with a spoon. This drew out a single soldier to investigate. The guard was cocky and belligerent and jokingly called to his comrades that they were under attack. The guards on duty, seeing this as a revolt and a way to show the power of the Zhentarim, sent out an attack force to crush the peasants and quell the uprising. When they reached the tunnels, the flammables were set ablaze, catching many of the Zhentarim soldiers in the inferno. The screams of the burning soldiers filled the night air with a chorus of death and pain. Their comrades on both sides who had managed to stay out of the firey trap paused for a split second at the horrific sights and sounds. The troops behind the wall of fire retreated to the relative safety of the wall and gate. Several fell to arrows from seemingly nowhere, but the majority made it back.

Those who had made it past the tunnel were shocked to find these mere peasants turn around and brandish their hidden weapons. They were even more surprised when their blades met not only the rags of farmers, but also slid off the chainmail they had mostly worn beneath their clothing. The sight of the armored leader of the force and the Chauntean priests and warriors further unnerved them. The battle was hard fought, but with spells from the priests and warriors, the farmers managed to cut down the soldiers and make their way over the fire breaks to reach the gate and resume the assault. The archers at the gate, along with the skymage throwing spells from atop Storm’s house, fell to the spells of the force’s leaders and the main troops were slain by the farmer force. Their victories making them more confident in the training they had received and making them fight harder than they had believed possible.

Those that had turned back towards the gate when faced with the flames and stench of burning flesh found themselves face to face with dwarves from the Ironhouse clan. They had managed to reopen the tunnel into town and, once the battle was started, burst forth in a virtual fountain of muscle and steel. They hit the forces that had remained at the gate from behind and met the retreating forces as they came back. When the dwarf force and the farmer force met, they simply obliterated any foes between them like a hammer hitting and anvil. As soon as victory was assured, the force turned and headed for the main force to join the battle for central Shadowdale.

Amidst all the chaos and hurried orders in the central part of town, the Dark Doom and Scyllua Darkhope emerged from the temple and made their way to the area near the bulletin board. Orders were given to have some check to the north and others to prepare for an attack from the east. The Zhentarim in the area seemed bolstered and in extremely high morale with the pair of leaders in their presence. All orders were carried out immediately and with military precision. Even the adventurers standing around the town were conscripted into the defense and given permission to bear arms in town.

As soon as the fires and explosions were heard from the north, the pair of Banites headed for the eastern gate. When they had passed the general area, the Zhentarim troops were surprised when many of the adventurers they had just ordered to take up arms turned on them almost in unison. It was as if an unspoken command had been given to strike at the Zhentarim soldiers from behind. The barracks entrance was firebombed to cut off any reinforcements from within and the lone skymage was quickly stabbed to death before he managed to get off a single spell. The culprits of this back stabbing maneuver then went about attacking the rest of the troops while the main force moved on the eastern gate.

With the epic battle in full chaos, the greatest of the warriors of light fought their way towards central Shadowdale. They slowly cut through the Zhentarim soldiers and mercenaries in a bloody scene of carnage. As they inched closer to the gates, one of the Cormyran War Wizards prepared a spell to decimate the enemy ranks. But, as he neared the end of his incantation, he found his voice lost to him. He looked around in stunned silence and caught a glimpse of two dark figures just before a giant black morning star smashed him and his steed to pulp.

The battle seemed to pause a bit as all eyes looked to the gates to see the Dark Doom quickly switching to her next prayer after unleashing the Hammer of Bane upon the mage. Her black armor glistening in the fire light from the battlefield, she unleashed another barrage of evil divine energies into the ranks as another figure emerged from the smoke.

Clad in the darkest of full plates and astride a flaming nightmare, Scyllua Darkhope, the left hand of Bane, joined the battle. Her blade cut swath after swath through the forward ranks of the assault force. In seconds, the black armor was covered in the blood of her enemies. The nightmarish steed cut down any who found themselves beneath its flaming hooves as it carried Lady Darkhope into the midst of the most dangerous appearing group of the attackers. She showed no hesitation and not sign of mercy as she tore through all who stood in her way. Cormyran Purple Dragon knights, Lathanderite paladins, and the various other regular troops all fell to her blade as if they were wheat before a scythe. The dark wards of the Dark Doom protected her against most attacks as she headed straight for the leaders of the assault. The Dark Doom was mere steps behind as her morning star smashed any that managed to escape Scyllua’s blade. The two were a seemingly unstoppable force.

The warriors of light braced themselves for the coming storm and met the pair head on in an epic clash of steel, magic, and blood.

The battle seemed to go more in favor of the pair of Banites as the Dark Doom would heal any damage done to Lady Darkhope as fast as it was done. Her own wards healed and kept her from serious harm for some time before they finally collapsed under the assault of the collected warriors of light. Once the Dark Doom fell, those focusing on her moved to add their might against Scyllua.

Facing the full force of the warriors of light and having lost her divine support, Scyllua fought on, fought hard, and never gave up. The battle was one of legend with this beacon of darkness and tyranny standing against the combined might of all the greatest forces of good in the Dales. In the end, it was inevitable that she would fall to such a focused force.

Many claim to have made the kill. Was her death from the many dwarvish axe cuts? Perhaps it was from the multitude of wounds from a holy sword. Or maybe it was the cuts from a simple farmer’s tool. Or perhaps, just perhaps, her death was the result of none of these. Perhaps she was finally defeated not by the blades of her enemies. But, rather, by the sheer force of goodness and will of the combined force. Perhaps it took the teamwork and shared purpose of those involved to fell the most hated member of the Zhentarim.

And perhaps we will never know.