Phalorm

Phalorm (known as the Realm of Three Crowns and later as the Fallen Kingdom) was a kingdom in the North made up of dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings and humans. It was closely tied to the legacy of Illefarn and attempted to preserve the power of elves and dwarves in the North, but collapsed after less than a century and was succeeded by Delimbiyran, Bloodhand Hold, and other human realms.
Phalorm was commonly known as the Fallen Kingdom, and was conflated with other realms and alliances in the same area. It was usually mistaken for the ancient realm of Illefarn, the alliance of Illefarn of 342 DR, the kingdom of Delimbiyran, and the second alliance of Illefarn of 882 DR.
==Geography==
The realm encompassed much of the lower Dessarin Valley and lower Delimbiyr Vale. The northern border ranged from the sea at Mount Helimbrar to the River Dessarin crossing near Rarg's Hold (later Ironford), along the Forlorn Hills to Secomber, and along the Highmoorflow to Highstar Lake. It wrapped around the High Moor, the eastern and southern edges of which was secured by a string of human-built fortifications. Skirting around the Trollbark Forest, the edge of the realm met the sea again at the Seatower of Ilinyth.
Cragmaw Castle in the Neverwinter Wood was a distant holding of Phalorm, built by a wizard noble of the realm. It was part of a wide network of distant patrols the realm maintained, and was intended to provide advance warning of orc hordes from the north, in addition to ostensibly supporting any tenuous territorial claims near Neverwinter.
==Government==
The Realm of Three Crowns was, as the name indicated, governed by a triumvirate of kings representing the dominant kingdoms of Ardeep, Thaltekhth (commonly known as Dardath), and Delimbiyran. The duchies of Gloraela and Imristar were also subjects of Phalorm. As the realm was formed in a time of constant invasions, the most important challenge it faced was whether it could unify and defend all of its constituent peoples. Although there were internal issues, the ties between the realms were good, with the dwarves of Dardath digging and building tunnels and chambers beneath the Ardeep Forest on behalf of the elves.
===Relations===
Phalorm maintained good relations with its neighboring realms, fighting alongside them against mutual threats. Among its allies it counted Uthtower, Neverwinter, Yarlith, and Bloodhand Hold. It was assailed repeatedly by armies of orcs, goblinoids, trolls, and the manipulations of Najara.
==Society==
Elven and dwarven heroes were entombed in the Ardeep Forest near the Selpir. In the ages since, the watercourse breached many of the tombs and scattered the burial treasures along its course.
==Religion==
Phalorm inherited a strong worship of Mielikki from Athalantar, and passed it on to Delimbiyran. The Green Regent lived throughout all three realms.
==History==
===The Old North===
The era of Phalorm's founding was marked by repeated setbacks and disasters for the people of the North. In the , the Illuskan city of Tavaray sank into the Lizard Marsh and was abandoned. In 342 DR a horde of orcs from the High Moor destroyed the realm of Athalantar, but was itself destroyed by a temporary alliance between the elves of Ardeep and the dwarves of Dardath. Shortly afterwards at the final Council of Illefarn, the ancient elven realm of Illefarn was formally dissolved after centuries of decline and fragmentation, and the populations of Iliyanbruen and Rilithar largely retreated to Evermeet. As the last remaining elven realm of the region, Ardeep found itself especially isolated. Realising the changing state of the world, King Ruardh Lightshiver of Ardeep and King Torghatar of Dardath began working together in earnest to create a lasting partnership that would unite the civilized peoples of the North in mutual protection. Formed in the , they named this alliance Illefarn, to the exasperation of later scholars.
Following the destruction of Tavaray and Athalantar in the Delimbiyr Vale, waves of Tethyrian human and halfling migrants from the Shoon Imperium largely subsumed the remaining Illuskan inhabitants of the region. The Barony of Steeping Falls was abandoned by its own people by the due to the evils emanating from Morlin Castle. The largest remaining human realm of the Vale, Elembar, finally came to ruin in the at the hands of another orc horde that destroyed much of the kingdom before in turn being destroyed at the House of Stone. The capital of Delimbiyran survived, and Javilarhh Snowsword I reformed the realm as the kingdom of Delimbiyran. Further up the Delimbiyr River, halflings and humans from the Vale were joined by refugees from Meiritin fleeing the depredations of Cortryn, and founded Secomber in the atop the ruins of Hastarl.
===Founding===
The plans of elves and dwarves came to fruition in the at the Council of Axe and Arrow in Laughing Hollow. Those who participated were the elven King Ruardh Lightshiver of Ardeep, the dwarven King Torghatar of Dardath, the human King Javilarhh Snowsword I of Delimbiyran, the gnome Darrath Ulbrent Handstone of Dolblunde, and the halfling Arbaern Corcytar Huntinghorn of Meiritin. They collectively agreed to form a kingdom under the joint rule of the elves, dwarves, and humans in the face of the ever-present threat of orcish invasion. Ulbaerag Bloodhand of Bloodhand Hold (later Waterdeep) rejected the opportunity to join the kingdom, though his son would later form an alliance with Ardeep.
===Struggles===
In the , the Howltusk orc horde was destroyed at Stoneturn, though King Javilarhh I was killed as well.
The dark naga King Nejizar of Najara felt threatened by the new border fortresses that Phalorm built along the western edge of the Serpent Hills, and in the sent yuan-ti to infiltrate and incite the hobgoblins of the Reaching Woods in a great invasion of Hunnabar.Serpent Kingdoms lists this as 577 DR but is presumed to be a typo due to contradicting other sources. The agents of Phalorm in turn infiltrated the invading army and halted them at the Battle of Notched Axes, then threw them into confusion at the Battle of Blunted Fangs by assassinating their yuan-ti handlers. Although the goblinoids were driven back near the future site of Dragonspear Castle, King Ruardh Lightshiver perished in that battle.
In the , Phalorm came to the defense of Yarlith when it was attacked by orcs under the command of the frost giant Horthgar.
Troll attacks on Hunnabar in the led to the abandonment of the duchy, with the dwarves resettling in Dardath. Kanaglym was abandoned in the process.
Secomber was besieged by a horde of orcs in the . An army of elves and halflings led by King Ellatharion of Ardeep pursued the horde into the High Forest, but never returned.
In the , an illithid-led orc army known as the Everhorde destroyed the kingdom of Yarlith and laid siege to the city of Neverwinter. The combined armies of Phalorm, Uthtower, and the dragon Palarandusk fought at Neverwinter's side and broke the siege. The combined armies continued to fight the Everhorde and finally destroyed it in the at the Battle of Firetears near what would later become Triboar, though King Lathlaeril "Leafspear" of Ardeep perished in the battle, and no new king of Ardeep rose to replace him. The Helmite hero Helbrace Orthorn also suffered grave physical and mental injuries at that battle, and retired from service. The army of Phalorm remained in the area for the next two years, hunting down the warbands of orcs that fragmented from the main horde.
In the , more orc hordes arose in the High Moor, the Greypeak Mountains, and the Fields of the Dead to lay siege to the Realm of Three Crowns. The city of Dolblunde was sacked by the Horde of the Wastes, and King Oskilar of Dardath was killed. The orcs were met at the Battle of Shrouded Stars by the returned army of Phalorm, which was forced to retreat and regroup in nearby Uthtower.
The weakened armies of Phalorm and Uthtower were joined by forces from Bloodhand Hold at Iniarv's Tower, and confronted the Horde of the Wastes in a final battle there in the . Unknown to the defenders who had garrisoned the tower, it was still inhabited by the former court mage Iniarv, now a lich. Iniarv was awakened by the battle, and was so enraged at the disturbance that he began attacking all sides, forcing the defenders of Uthtower to retreat and allowing the Horde of the Wastes to invade. When King Uth VII desperately begged the lich for aid, Iniarv mockingly honored his alliance by causing the sea to flood inland, drowning both armies and washing away Uthtower. Only a few survivors from either side managed to escape, and the lands of Uthtower eventually became the Mere of Dead Men.
===Collapse & the Kingdom of Man===
With the horrific events at Iniarv's Tower concluding centuries of bloodshed and decline, most of the remaining elves of Ardeep retreated to Evermeet, abandoning their realm and leaving Phalorm to its own fate. With the diminished dwarven population also withdrawing to more defensible settlements in the Forlorn Hills and Ammarindar, Phalorm ceased to exist in the , and was thereafter referred to as the Fallen Kingdom.
In the following year, King Javilarhh Snowsword II of Delimbiyran declared the Kingdom of Man the rightful successor of Phalorm, claimed the lands that had made up the fallen realm, and absorbed the remaining halfling and gnome populations. Over the next century it fought fiercely to defend the region, but splintered apart when King Davyd Snowsword was assassinated by rogue Sharrans in 697 DR, also becoming known as the Fallen Kingdom, to the ceaseless confusion of scholars. It was succeeded by the independent realms of Calandor, Scathril, Harpshield, Talmost, Loravatha, Dauntylgar, and Secomber who briefly fought amongst themselves before allying to defeat an orc invasion in 702 DR. They fell into serious decline after the city of Delimbiyran was destroyed in 714 DR.
===Legacy===
In the , moon elf refugees from Eaerlann settled in the Ardeep Forest and rebuilt the realm. With the aid of Elorfindar Floshin, the elves of Ardeep formed a new alliance of Illefarn with the humans of the Delimbiyr Vale and the dwarves of the Forlorn Hills. However, the alliance quickly fell apart due to the elves' suspicions of human involvement in the destruction of Ascalhorn and also became known as the Fallen Kingdom, to the endless frustration of historians.
The small alliance of Phandelver's Pact evoked the spirit of Phalorm in the 10 century DR, uniting dwarves, gnomes and humans. It was overtaken by the orcs of Uruth Ukrypt in 951 DR, who also created the Bloodbone Throne of Uruth. The grisly artifact was made from the skulls and bones of the human defenders of Uthtower and Phalorm, with steps made from the skulls of six princes of Phalorm.
The stubborn Clan Ironeater dwarves continued to occupy Mount Illefarn up to the mid-13 century DR, when their lack of numbers caused Derval Ironeater to abandon the mountain and live in nearby Daggerford. Around the mid-14 century DR, his brother Korin Ironaxe led a company of dwarves and gnomes back into Mount Illefarn, fighting orcs and necromancers as they tried to recover the crown of King Devin.
The House of Stone continued to be guarded by the remaining elves of Ardeep, but the Retreat diminished their population until it too was abandoned by the mid-14 century DR and became the domain of adventurers looking for treasure. The elven legacy in the region was extremely limited, with the most prominent example being the Floshin Estates of Elorfindar Floshin. The Eldreth Veluuthra operated two cells in the Forest, one guarding the ruins and harassing adventurers, the other stalking Eilistraeean drow as they performed their rites. Isolationist green elves continued to live in the Laughing Hollow, ruled by King Melandrach.
By the 14 century DR, the most enduring survivor of Phalorm was Secomber, which was continuously inhabited since its founding and continued to be a successful community of humans and halflings. Calandor struggled on in decline over centuries, eventually reforming as Daggerford and continuing to hold influence over the lower Vale. The ruins of Phalorm, especially in the Ardeep Forest, became known for their mystery and the treasure that could be found within.
==Realms of Phalorm==
===Kingdoms===
;Ardeep: Ardeep was a surviving subrealm of Illefarn, and the woodland kingdom was eventually abandoned by 615 DR.
*The Laughing Hollow, a Seldarine-blessed vale that sat in the shadow of Mount Illefarn and was home to elves.
*The Seatower of Ilinyth, an elven watchtower that guarded the southern border of the realm.
;Thaltekhth: ThaltekhthPage 56 of Dwarves Deep describes the three realms of the Fallen Kingdom as 'Ardeep, Delimbiyran, and Thaltekhth.' It is used here to differentiate the member-kingdom of Phalorm from the independent kingdom of Dardath that existed before and after Phalorm, and the duchy of Dardath within it. was a dwarven kingdom that contained the duchies of Dardath and Hunnabar, with its capital at Mount Illefarn.
*Mount Illefarn, an isolated peak above the Laughing Hollow where the dwarves of Dardath built their royal capital.
*Dardath, a duchy that was a powerful founding member of Phalorm based in the Forlorn Hills, but contracted and declined over time.
**Stoneturn, a fortress of Dardath was used by Phalorm to defeat invading hordes, and continued to be used for centuries afterwards.
*Hunnabar, an independent dwarven realm near the High Moor that became a duchy under Thaltekhth, built along the south-eastern edge of the High Moor.
**Kanaglym, a dwarven hold at the southern edge of the High Moor, and the center of Hunnabar.
;Delimbiyran: The remnants of Elembar reformed as the human realm of Delimbiyran, one of the three kingdoms.
*Delimbiyran, the former capital of Elembar that continued as the capital of the new kingdom.
===Duchies===
;Gloraela: Also known as Glorea, the gnomes joined Phalorm as a duchy.
*Dolblunde, an Upperdark city of rock and deep gnomes represented as Gloraela.
;Imristar: Halflings from Meiritin joined with local hin and human populations along the Delimbiyr River around Secomber, founding the new duchy of Imristar under Phalorm.
*Secomber, a town of humans and halflings of the Delimbiyr Vale, founded a short time before Phalorm, built atop the ruins of Hastarl.
==Appendix==
===See Also===
* Delimbiyran
* Eaerlann
* Illefarn
* Phandelver's Pact
===Notes=== 
 
===References===
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