Dessarin Valley The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

The Dessarin Valley, also known as the Gateway to the North by its residents, is a valley region situated between the Sword Mountains and the High Forest. It is home to a diverse range of folk, although most inhabitants are either humans or halflings. The main industry of the Dessarin Valley is agriculture, and Goldenfields played a large part in the agricultural economy of the North.

The Dessarin is unlike the rest of the Savage Frontier. While it is largely unsettled, comprising many scattered, remote villages and farmsteads, the valley is much safer than the surrounding area had been in years past.

The region of the Dessarin Valley is bordered on the east by the High Forest and the Forlorn Hills, and on the west by the Long Road. The valley is named for the great River Dessarin, that flows from the Evermoors in the Savage Frontier, to the Sea of Swords just south of Waterdeep. It is fed by a number of tributaries, including the River Surbrin, Horn Stream, and Gaustar's Creek.

In −4420 DR, the shield dwarf kingdom of Besilmer was founded. Besilmer was a very atypical dwarf kingdom, built above ground with fields and pastures to support it. For years, Besilmer flourished but then fell under attack by giants and trolls. This led to the construction of Tyar-Besil, an underground city. Besilmer fell a century after its construction. Ruins from the kingdom still stood as late as the 15th century DR, most notably the Stone Bridge that spanned the Dessarin River; and, although in poor condition, the ruins known as the Halls of the Hunting Axe.

In the Year of the Raised Sword, 893 DR, the Knights of the Silver Horn discovered the ruins of Tyar-Besil. The knights set up strongholds in the ruins but came under attack by Uruth Ukrypt. This led to Dessarin Valley being dragged into the Orcfastings War, and the First and Second Trollwars. By the Year of the Circling Vulture, 942 DR, all signs of human civilization had been wiped out.

In the Year of the Forbidden Tome, 949 DR, the lower area of the valley was the location of a fallen manor for the Schooled, students taught by Magister Caldauvur Maerglauthyn until his death in the same year and at the same manor.

Around the Year of the Wailing Winds, 1000 DR, following the expansion of Waterdeep, a few small villages started to develop. This led to the founding of Red Larch, Yartar, and Triboar.

Settlements
• Westbridge
• Beliard

Notable Locations
• Jundar's Pass
• The High Forest
• The River Dessarin
• The Westwood
• Sumber Hills
• The Horn Stream
• Kryptgarden Forest
• The Stone Trail
• Sword Mountains
• Dessarin Hills
• Black Maw Bog
• Ruined Tower of Zenopus
• River Surbrin
• Forlorn Hills
• The Long Road

Halls of the Hunting Axe The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

The Halls of the Hunting Axe once stood as one of the proud strongholds of the ancient dwarven realm of Besilmer in the rugged reaches of the Dessarin Valley. Located nearly thirty miles southeast of the Stone Bridge, the halls were carved deep into the earth and stone by the master craftsmen of the Delzoun dwarves during the height of their kingdom. In their prime, the halls served not only as a fortress, but as a thriving city filled with clans, merchants, artisans, and warriors who kept the roads of the North secure for centuries.

The architecture of the Halls of the Hunting Axe reflected the skill and wealth of Besilmer at its height. Great arched corridors of polished stone stretched beneath towering ceilings supported by massive carved pillars. Colored mosaic windows once lined portions of the upper halls, casting vibrant patterns of red, gold, and blue light across the chambers during the daylight hours. Beautiful underground gardens flourished within carefully tended courtyards, fed by ingenious irrigation channels and protected by a defensive moat that encircled portions of the outer stronghold.

Yet like many dwarven kingdoms of the North, Besilmer eventually fell into decline. War, invasion, and the slow crumbling of old alliances brought ruin to the once-glorious realm. The Halls of the Hunting Axe were abandoned after fierce battles and internal collapse left much of the city shattered. By 1368 DR, little remained of the former grandeur beyond broken halls, collapsed chambers, and scattered relics buried beneath centuries of dust. Locals and scavengers often searched the ruins for fragments of the once-beautiful stained mosaics, whose colored shards became highly prized for crafting decorative bottles and trinkets.

Beneath the ruined city stretched the vast labyrinth known as the Dwarven Dungeons, an immense underground complex extending deep beneath the Dessarin Hills. These subterranean halls once formed the true heart of Besilmer, housing countless dwarven families, guild halls, armories, workshops, and marketplaces. Entire generations of dwarves lived and worked beneath the mountain in a sprawling maze of stone passages illuminated by braziers and glowing forge fires that never seemed to fade.

The Dwarven Dungeons were divided into several distinct regions, the largest being the Main Halls and the ominous Deep Halls located eighty-five steps farther beneath the surface. Ancient tales claimed the deeper levels contained hidden vaults, sacred tombs, and forgotten relic chambers sealed away behind masterfully crafted locks and concealed doors. Even centuries after the fall of Besilmer, few adventurers dared explore too deeply into the ruins, for many believed dangerous creatures and restless spirits still haunted the darkness below.

After the fall of the dwarven kingdom, scavengers, monsters, and opportunistic raiders gradually claimed portions of the abandoned halls. What had once been a shining center of dwarven civilization became a dangerous ruin whispered about in taverns throughout the Dessarin Valley. Even so, legends of lost treasure, hidden passages, and forgotten dwarven secrets continued to lure explorers into the depths of the Halls of the Hunting Axe, where the echoes of Besilmer’s glory still lingered beneath the stone.

The Forlorn Hills The Time of Troubles & Era of Upheaval Inspired By Ed Greenwood

The Forlorn Hills is a hilly region in northwest Faerûn between the Dessarin Valley and the Delimbiyr Vale. The hills were once the center of the ancient shield dwarven kingdom of Dardath—one of the three kingdoms in Phalorm, the Realm of Three Crowns—and were then called the Dark Hills.

After the triumvirate collapsed in the Year of the Lamia's Kiss, 615 DR, the Dark Hills became known as the Fallen Hills or, more commonly, the Forlorn Hills. The people of Athalantar called them the Horn Hills. Some folks mistakenly called them the Sword Hills, confusing them with a smaller range of hills on the south bank of the Delimbiyr.

The Forlorn Hills are located east of Ardeep Forest, across the swath of open land that contained the House of Stone and was once the realm of Elembar. To the south is the Delimbiyr Vale and the River Delimbiyr. The Iron Road runs southeast from Womford, skirting the northern edge of the Hills, until it reaches the village of Uluvin on the eastern edge. The town of Secomber is farther to the southeast. To the northeast is the High Forest and to the northwest is Gaustar's Creek, a tributary of the River Dessarin.

The Forlorn Hills were once part of the great forest that included Ardeep Forest, but dwarves cleared portions of it and then later humans from Athalantar put the western side of the Hills (known as the Halangorn Forest) to the torch in an effort to drive the remaining elves away from lands they wished to claim. The hollows between the hills were often in the shadow of the surrounding peaks and thick mists typically obscured vision until highsun.

By the time of Phalorm, the landscape was stony and the hills were isolated in places. The line of hills that formed the northern border of the area were known as the Watchers of the North. There is a high ridge that arcs through a portion of the Hills near the center. It is here that the mansion known as the House of Taeros once stood before it and part of the ridge were destroyed in a spellbattle around the end of the 6th century DR, leaving behind the ruin known as the Crumbling Stair.