Illusk
An ancient city located where Luskan stands today.
History
The city was founded around -3000 DR by Ruathen seafarers at the mouth of the River Mirar, displacing the local population of ice hunters. The city and its people were crushed in -2103 DR by a giant-led ord-horde. Even the support of Netherese acanists didn't help.
The Netherese returned in -425 DR to refound the city as a magocracy ruled by a Grand Cabal. Nearly a century later, mages from Netheril were seeing refuge from the phaerimm life drain that plagued their homeland. One of them set up the Host Tower of the Arcane, which is still the home for the Arcane Brotherhood.
In -111 DR several orc hordes swept down from the Spine of the world at once and wiped out both Illusk and Gauntlgrym as well as most of Delzoun. Most of the citizens of Illusk managed to flee and the local elf population united to defeat the orcs. The resiliant netherese descendants then begin rebuilding their homes three years later, restoring Illusk to it's former state.
The city was under attack many times and laid more or less to ruins a handful. During one rebuilding of the city, the mage Laerel Silverhand locked the litches of the original Grand Cabal into the Host Tower.
In 1235 DR, another band of orcs, calling themselves the Bloody Tusk tribe attacked and besieged Illusk. They continued the siege for 9 long years, ruining the city, until the last human resistance was defeated. The orcs used the ruins as a fortified bandit camp for 57 years until a Waterdhavian mercenary army cleared the ruins. With help from Neverwinter, the city was rebuilt and renamed Luskan by the next year.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
1235
Type
City
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