Dakshan Island

Monterrigioni

Dakshan Island is a fairly small island housing a single, but relatively large, villa called Monterrigioni. It is currently unclaimed and in ruins.

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189 after the Great War:

The island, which had been owned for generations by a secret assassin order, is taken during a raid led by the crusaders of a religious faction claiming to act on the behalf of Bahamut. The Assassins are publicly executed, except for a few who are rumored to have fled.

The city is pillaged, with most of its treasures taken away to be auctioned or showcased in the manor of a variety of generals.

192 after the Great War:

Dakshan Island becomes a monastery for religious zealots of Bahamut, and a training ground for war priests, who would have a safe environment to learn to wield their divine powers. The place is still rumored to have traces of godly energy within its walls.

Between 299 and 666 after the Great WarL

Monterrigioni becomes a highly strategic outpost for maritime wars, and thus becomes a very contested territory. Countless battles are fought on the grounds of the Villa. 

Out of the blood of the thousands who died on the island, a special type of grape starts to grow. It is later named Everblood Grape. It would apparently taste exactly like the pure blood of an innocent, and could produce a wine of high religious and magical value.

666 after the Great War:

The Island is besieged by dark forces, seeking to eradicate life itself. This is the first official written record of the presence of the now known and feared Strahd Von Zarovich  within Faerûn.

Dakshan island becomes a breeding ground for a new type of creature. A creature that would feed on other humans, on their fears... on their despair.

999 after the Great War:

A small regiment of mostly religious humans attack the island while Lord Von Zarovich is seen elsewhere on the continent. The surprise attack is highly effective and the menace is quickly neutralized.

The following years, the humans whom had established themselves start being more and more ''corrupted''.

1024 after the Great War:

A small independent press in Waterdeep  publishes the Story of Derick the Priest, in which the writer, supposedly Derick, claims to have ''seen the corruption of men by staring in its devilish eyes''. In his 43 pages statement, published into 5 small chapters over the same amount of months, he relates his years in Monterrigioni. There, he makes mention of ''Hellish Temptresses, white of skin with hypnotic eyes'' who supposedly had seduced a large variety of men on the Island. This eventually would have led to a new breed of creature appearing into the world, one he named ''Dhampirs''. The story was very popular and gave the publishing company a large, much needed, influx of income to further their other projects.

Later that year, the small independent press is found burned to the ground. The investigation quickly came to an halt, as every single person who had ties to said company had mysteriously disappeared. This helped the story get more and more traction, and the infamous Dakshan Island eventually became the stage of many cautionary tales for children.

During the next 300+ years, the leaders of Monteriggioni organize large amounts of raids against a variety of coastal cities and islands, seizing all the historical artefacts and riches they could put their hands on. This helped further their already, already well established, terrifying reputation.

1392 after the Great War:

A siege, successfully led by a large amount of vampire-pirates having Marcus Murdoch  at their head, leads to the capture of Dakshan Island. The attack is later pronounced as being ''the cleansing of blasphemous half-bloods in the name of Strahd Von Zarovich . During this raid, an unknown crew steals in secret their valuable treasure. During the attack, the vineyards of Everblood Grapes were all burned down to ashes.

Commander Murdoch goes on a rampage, destroying countless villages and cities neighboring the Sea of Swords, growing his ranks exponentially.