Harpshield

Harpshield was a small human realm in northwest Faerûn, created from the destruction of the kingdom of Delimbiyran in 697 DR.
==Geography==
Harpshield lay in the Delimbiyr Vale on the southeast edge of the Ardeep Forest, in the former territory of Delimbiyran.
==History==
Harpshield was originally a territory of the kingdom of Delimbiyran. After the fall of Phalorm in the , Delimbiyran overtook many of the lands formerly held by the dwarven and elven realms of Dardath and Ardeep. The local Harpshield family was ennobled in the , ruling from Harpshield Castle.
In the , the Sharran high priestess Lalondra Worul became a lich, in the process killing her faithful True Servants of Shar who controlled an extensive network of Sharran temples across the Sword Coast. Completely uncontrolled, the leaderless faithful of her church caused mayhem and destruction across the region, and threatened numerous cities and realms. When King Davyd Snowsword of Delimbiyran deployed his soldiers in force to counter the violence, he was assassinated by a Sharran fanatic turned martyr. Lacking a clear heir, King Davyd's realm fell into civil war and broke apart, creating the independent realms of Harpshield, Calandor, Scathril, Talmost, Loravatha, Dauntylgar, Secomber, and more lost to history. The Harpshields continued to rule their traditional territory as an independent kingdom.
Shortly after, in the , the High Forest orcs of the Horned Horde invaded and destroyed several of the weakened and disunited claimants. The Duke of Calandor managed to form an alliance with his rivals, and together they threw back the invasion. Though the surviving realms remained independent, their wars largely ended thanks to this instance of cooperation.
In the , drow raiders struck hard along the Sword Coast, with Harpshield and Talmost pillaged and the people enslaved. The Harpshield Lands were destroyed, and the royal family fled and resettled in Nimoar's Hold at the invitation of Warlord Gharl. They became officially ennobled in Waterdeep as the Majarra family in the .
By the 14 century DR, the realms of Delimbiyran had largely disappeared, with Daggerford and Secomber as notable exceptions. Harpshield Castle lay in ruins, largely forgotten, with the Dungeon of the Shield below it. The Majarra family had also forgotten its royal history and claim to the lands of Harpshield, with the western lands taken over by the elven Floshin Estates.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Countries
Category:Former countries
Category:Monarchies
Category:Human locations
Category:Locations
Category:Locations in the Delimbiyr Vale
Category:Locations on the Sword Coast North
Category:Locations on the Sword Coast
Category:Locations in Northwest Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril