THE HISTORY OF DAGGERFORD: CENTER OF THE REALMS
The story of Daggerford begins long ago, when mostly humans, but other races as
well, clustered near the Deliambyr River in a ramshackle group of huts and
lean-tos and began farming and trading with residents of other nearby villages.

Truly recorded history of the now bustling city doesn't even begin there, but
on an unnamed island in the house of a man named Grey.

Grey was born to a well-off family and even as a youth showed signs of
leadership and military prowess. He harbored a secret desire, however, to
learn the ways of magic, and bribed a local minor wizard to teach him
spellworking. He was making progress when disaster struck. A power-hungry
prince from the other side of the island attacked his home. Warduke, as the
Prince has come to be known, swarmed onto Grey's family land with some kind of
battle magic never-before seen.

Grey remained sheltered in the Keep, his father having stated that he wanted
one of the family to live through the day, no matter what the battle's outcome.

As he watched his family fall one by one, Grey became more and more enraged at

being kept inside, and when he saw his father fall, burst forth from the gates
and fell upon Warduke in a great fury. He single-handedly rallied the Keep's
defenses and the Warduke was forced to retreat. Shamed, he wanders the Realms,
plundering and destroying cities whereever he roams.

Grey, an orphan and alone, decided to leave the island. He spent many hours in
his teacher's library before he left, studying his tomes of magic. He decided
to seek training as a student of Delfen. Even at this early point in his
career, Delfen's fame had spread to remote islands such as Grey's home, and the
teacher of the young man had spoken of him often.

The Daggerford that Grey wearily walked into was quite different from the city
it is now. In its only tavern, The Lady Luck, Grey met up with a young trader
named Tyrax. He told Grey of a city with promise, but he also spoke tiredly of
frequent raiding by the drow, who most people believed to have an entrance from
their Underdark Tunnels into the nearby swamps. The leaders of Daggerford,
said Tyrax, were looking into forming an army to protect the city, and if young
Grey wanted to make a name for himself, that should be his path. Grey laughed
bitterly, or so the story goes, and announced that he had no need for killing.
He had seen enough bloodshed in his short life.

Grey and Tyrax talked long over many glasses of beer. They talked about their
experiences, and their new home, and how it could be made better. One idea
that arose from this discussion was the building of stronger walls to protect
the residents from the raiding. The current walls were broken in places,
weakened in others, and Grey asked Tyrax what held up the building of new ones.
Hearing the problem was money, he convinced the trader to go with him to the
city leaders, where a plan was hatched to pay for the walls with a loan to the
city from Tyrax's new venture: Daggerford's first bank.

One day the drow finally decided it was time to take the city. Close to 500 of
the Underdark menaces gathered at the gates and stormed the city. Many guards
lost their lives, as did many Drow. Yet it seemed hopeless for the city, until
Grey charged into the fray wielding nothing more than two long swords and
wearing a studded leather armour. He saw that his new home was threatened, and
he would not lose another. Again, his charisma and leadership strengthened the
failing troops, and as he struck down the last Drow, he spoke these memorable
words: 'This day we have sent a message to the Drow, and they will not soon
forget.' Then he lifted the Drow corpse and took it the Altar of Timion, and
sacrificed it. There was a great flame, and Daggerford was safe once more.

Grey grew to love the city, and when word reached him of the WarDuke mustering
again in a nearby land, he decided he needed to take on the title of Protector
of Daggerford. He trained a group of guardsmen in the way of resisting the
Warduke's mighty magics, and when he began calling himself "Lord Grey," and
bought a large house inside the city walls, the better to hold court, the
people cheered him, for he was their savior.

Grey formed an unofficial coalition government of Daggerford consisting of
Delfen, his former teacher, Baergon, leader of the Timion priests, and Tyrax,
the money behind the mission. They began the process of making Daggerford a
stronghold and trading power. The city was corrupt inside its newly-built
walls and dangerous outside. The Black Masks held the city in a grip of fear.
Mercenaries and bandits roamed the roads between Daggerford and the rest of the
world. They enlisted the money of Tyrax again, as they had for the building of
the walls, and he quietly paid out money for new guards and expansion of the
city's defenses in other, more subtle ways.

Timion's priests gained prestige with Grey's gesture and gained many new
followers. Baergon took advantage of stories of his priests' prowess in battle

and his "divine right" to protect the citizens as bestowed by Grey to make
"changes" in the city's citizenry. He began a campaign to rid DF of the
"undesirables" making a home behind Grey's new walls. A large witch-hunt and
general scourge of crime drove the Black Masks underground and made the Central
Square a murder zone for months. Citizens of Daggerford and even their small
children
were decapitated, burned, and hanged all in the name of cleansing. Baergon
presided over the gore and destruction that saw many innocents slaughtered.
The small and relatively unprotected coven of true witches managed to escape
relatively unscathed, they haven't been heard from except in rumor.

Hokemj gained followers in the wake of the bloodbath, a small temple always,
they were suddenly a larger guild. They gained power for the use of good, and
Maryovna saw to it they didn't abuse it. Present day sees them at the zenith
of their power, with a priest sitting in the mayoral seat of the city.

Political and religious groups have made their home in and around the city,
most notably the Silver Fists, a militaristic cult of law. They are housed in
the center of the city, their entrance well-known, the contents of the Hall
closely guarded.

Current times see Daggerford as a large city, insulated and somewhat
small-minded. It tolerates very little rambunctiousness on the part of its
citizenry, although for a price you can pay off the keepers of the peace. A
well-organized prison is run by the burly guards, and prisoners can't complain
(they daren't). In short, it's a safe place. As long as you're not into
anything "exciting."

The History of Daggerford: Center of the Realms [ Q to quit ]