Cortryn

Cortryn was a militaristic duchy of the post-Shoon Imperium period that sought to attain imperial glory between the 5–8 centuries DR.
==Geography==
Cortryn controlled a wide area of land east of Lake Esmel, ranging from the Troll Mountains in the north to the Tejarn Hills in the south. Eshpurta was its northernmost city.
==History==
The northern frontier of Calimshan was long known as the Ralamnish Ridings, as part of the greater Calishar Emirates. As the Emirate of Amin developed on the western coast, the interior region was left mostly unsettled. The kingdom of Valashar was founded in 361 DR by Lord Ashar Tornamn of Tethyr, who attempted an ambitious campaign of conquest and colonization. This resulted in the disastrous war with Cormyr in 376 DR, his own execution, and the abandonment of the realm.
Following the dissolution of the Shoon Imperium in 450 DR, Cortryn was founded on the former lands of Valashar in the , resettled by people from Tethyr and Calimshan led by the noble Kadar el Aktorral. Kadar claimed an obscure imperial title that gave him the right to the land, and marched with an army of hired mercenaries. The new duchy took control of a wide swathe of land stretching from the Troll Mountains to the Tejarn Hills, including the brutal conquest of the halfling realm of Meiritin.
The expansionist realm came into conflict with Amn in 520 DR, and King Imnel Torlath I died in battle with the forces of Cortryn.
After decades of abuse and enslavement by the domineering rulership of Cortryn, Bellabar Huntinghorn of Meiritin led an exodus of halflings away in the . They traveled far to the north and settled around Secomber with their kin, then joined with the realm of Phalorm. The remaining halflings of Meiritin mostly abandoned the province in 523 DR, leaving it empty.
At some point, the ruling lord Bevedaur went on a serpent hunt in the swamps at the mouth of the Winding Water, the future site of Lathtarl's Lantern. His party was attacked by an army of lizardfolk and the whole company wiped out.
Cortryn was overtaken in 731 DR by the Ring of Eyes, a cabal of five beholders and their minions. The ruling family of Cortryn was destroyed and lands conquered, and the beholders waged an ongoing war against the elves of Shilmista and King Strohm III of Tethyr. This lasted until the when the mage Tashara of the Seven Skulls slew the beholders and shattered their domain.
The former realm was finally absorbed by Amn in the , with Eshpurta going on to become Amn's eastern capital and major military base.
A conspiracy to recreate Cortryn emerged in 1370 DR, organized by the Knights of the Shield. They sought to restore the old monarchy of Amn via the installation of Pehllus Tanislove, and return Meiritin and Cortryn as independent realms once more. Under this scheme, the rebellious city of Riatavin would become the seat of the duchy with Mundal Krimmevol as leader.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===References===
Category:Locations
Category:Locations in Amn
Category:Locations in Tethyr
Category:Locations in Calimshan
Category:Locations in the Lands of Intrigue
Category:Locations in West Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril