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## **Stonehearth repulses a Netherese attack**

### **The Stonehearth legends made it a high-value target**

The SMC arcane capacity for producing powerful consumables made it a legend in Western Faerûn for the last 80 years. The shadow of Netheril had made overtures and threats to Stonehearth on several occasions – and been roundly rejected.

The Stonehearth cannons had a reputation that few wanted to test, but New Netheril was determined to win what techniques Stonehearth had. The Shadovar utilized an ingenious (if expensive) series of attacks utilizing teleports and portals to attack from the inside of any place that wasn’t within the mythal.

The tactic inflicted a great deal of damage and nearly worked before Stonehearth’s Sergeants-at-Arms directly counterattacked Thultanthar. At the time, the floating city was stationed across the Winding Water River, just east of the peninsula (and northwest of the Trollclaw Hills).

The presence of the city was very likely known by Larloch…

The SA’s coordinated and heavy-magic counterattack significantly weakened Thultanthar’s overall defenses.

When the rest of the Arms were able to join in the attack, artillery ranged in and inflict serious damage on the shade. Led by the 3d Battalion (Expeditionary), they also activated the forward companies to combine in the 8th and 9th Provisional Battalions and were able to bring them to bear *within hours using the portals*.

The bombardment from the surface was so intense it was on the verge cracking the platform. The magic was failing under the shock, dropping the altitude of the city, nearly splashing it over a stretch of deserted eastern grassland. Thultanthar, on fire, retreated from the area.

The power of the cannons was reinforced, to Thultanthar itself and half a dozen observers, from Waterdeep to Cormyr to the Flaming Fist of Baldur’s Gate. It was a demonstration that made a statement. It could not be matched and the statement it made depended on the faction observing…

After the SA used the Shade’s own teleport-and-portal tactic against them, delivering positive-energy damage to the negative-energy city, the Shade offered an armistice.

The exact terms of the agreement were confidential, but analysts for Candlekeep, the Flaming Fist in Baldur’s Gate and the Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep estimated it had to be generous as the Shade had overextended themselves and Stonehearth looked to be one cannon shot from destroying them.

One thing that did get out: Stonehearth gave a diplomatic gift to the Shade: 50 pounds of teeth. This strange gesture brought a certain clarity when it was realized it was 50 pounds of *phaerimm teeth*. In one respect, it was a true gesture of peace over a common enemy. In another respect, it was a profound warning: *Stonehearth owned the creatures that owned Netheril*…

### **The aftermath had a powerful effect on** **Faerûnian** **politics and policy**

The isolated growth and development of the marquisate, minding its own business (Larloch notwithstanding), was proving to be inadequate in a world that increasingly saw their non-interventionism as a sign of passive weakness.

The answer wasn’t necessarily in the knee-jerk reaction of simply laying waste to those who felt they were competitors (though there were calls for that within the marquisate). The long-term solution was an outreach, a proactive effort to educate – *in one way or another*…

How widespread was knowledge of the Stonehearth victory over New Netheril? After the single and decisive battle, the Marquis declared: “Thultanthar may yet fly, but the shadow Nether are beneath us. We shall not sink to their level…” It became the most quoted – and misquoted – statement in recent history, and helped to redefine the very perception and definition of “nether” to indicate something “below.”

Did redefining “Nether” as “beneath them” really mean the noble, ethical high ground that Stonehearth claimed… or did it indicate more imperial ambitions?

For Faerûn, it was a bellwether and harbinger.

The city of Shade, powerful though it was, did not constitute the totality of ancient Netheril’s capacity or what it represented. It was powerful enough, however, that in the century since its reappearance, it had carved an empire out of central Faerûn.

In Stonehearth’s emphatic military statement, they established political potential energy. There were equal parts respect… *and fear*. Military analysts in Cormyr started court talk about “the Ratio” – the approximate ratio that other forces would have to field to have even odds against Stonehearth.

Right now, that ratio for Cormyr was 15:1, meaning Cormyr would have to field 15 soldiers for every 1 Stonehearth infantry. If Stonehearth had a thousand-man battalion, Cormyr would have to face it with a 15,000-man division to expect to fight to a stalemate. If they met with anything less, they would be obliterated and Stonehearth wouldn’t even slow down.

In Baldur’s Gate, the cannons of Hilcross Keep gleamed blindingly bright.

The Stonehearth cannons already had a mighty reputation just from the years the Arms had been there, fighting pirates and other threats (*see:* “The Incredible Vanishing Troll Hill”). Seeing the muzzles of the cannons high on walls overlooking the city was either warmly reassuring or very ominous, depending on ones’ politics.

Bringing the Shadovar to their collective knees before releasing them…? That brought a whole new gleam to those Hilcross cannons

## **Roll Call of the Stonehearth Arms**

24 years after the finalization of 7 Stonehearth battalions, the conflict with the Shadow of Netheril inspired a policy review. Worth noting: a standing army was still enough of a rarity in Toril that mercenaries and Companies of Adventurers were commonplace, legal and a status symbol. The typical makeup started with the nuclear unit of a man-at-arms, a squire and a page, and grew from there depending on the area of operation. The command portion also arranged for administration and legal affairs.

The marquisate, with 4 vassal counties and 9 baronies, was a middle power by geographic size, but middle powers themselves were rare enough to be notable. A middle power with 7-Battalion standing army of professional soldiers was unheard of in Faerûn (most relied on a reserve army led by professional companies due to the economics). The commercial success of House Stonehearth got this professional army in the door, the fact that they had a mature tax system kept it going.

The Nether-Shade attack reinforced the value of the system that supported the standing army. It also sparked a call for a second and potential third battalion to form an expeditionary Brigade (or Regiment) – largely because the sustained nature of surrounding threats and the fact that none of the vassal jurisdictions wanted to lose the full power of their defensive units (as they did during with the provisional battalions). It was simply too great a risk.

Reference: the total force of Baldur’s Gate “Flaming Fist” Company varied between 1400-1750, itself weighing in just over a single Stonehearth battalion but without the benefit of artillery…

The limiting factor was money. There was a tax base plus there was direct SMC income that supported the Arms, but another full expeditionary battalion (or two) was expensive. There was already an extensive support structure for the regular training and maintenance of the standing units (with the CoA and so on). Given the current tax structure, Stonehearth would have to expand at least two counties worth, defend those counties with their own garrisons, populate and tax those counties – *then they could afford another expeditionary battalion*.

* 1st Battalion, Baldur’s Gate (Garrison)
* 2d Battalion, North Point (Garrison)
* 3d Battalion, Fort East Bend (Expeditionary)
* 4th Battalion, Manchester (Garrison)
* 5th Battalion, Rivergard (Garrison)
* 6th Battalion, Adlington (Garrison)
* 7th Battalion, Durham (Garrison)

## **Rebuilding efforts begin in the ruins of** **Neverwinter****.**

There had been an influx of Neverwinter refugees and expatriates. While the city was too far away by traditional means for North Point to assist, they welcomed those fleeing the damage.

Protected by 3d Batt during construction, they were recruiting locals for both a garrison battalion and an expeditionary – and there was no lack of volunteers.