Orlbar
Orlbar is a small village of about 850 on the junction of the Loagrann and Greyflow rivers in the Delimbiyr Vale.
History
Originally a simple logger's outpost, Orlbar grew to a small but bustling trading post during the Rensha rule of the Delimbiyr Vale, reaching some 600 or so inhabitants by the turn of the 14th century DR. It continued on after the Renshas were defeated by Nanathlor Greysword in 1317 DR, shrinking somewhat due to both the reduced mining along the River Loagrann imposed by the returned Green Regent, and the inability to continue logging the Tanglefork Woods becuase of the newly-cursed nature of the woods after the Battle of Tanglefork.
In 1369 DR a Zhentish lieutenant, one Felishar Ivarzin by name, managed to take power in the formerly sleepy trading village. Kalahar Twohands, Lord of Loudwater, who opposed Zhentish power spreading further west from Llorkh, attempted to prevent Felishar's subversion of the town through a coup, but was betrayed by a wealthy merchant's daughter, Emeline Rein. With the coup revealed, Falishar and the Zhentari agents had no difficulty in putting down the uprising of the locals and securing their power.
With Felishar now the unapposed ruler of Orlbar, and the Zhentari mercenaries loyal to him (and his purse), Kalahar and Loudwater were faced with a potentially wrathful neighbour only one day's sail upriver of them. Facing possible reprisal for the attempted coup, and with an antagonistic enemy greedy for excuses to further their influence, Kalahar and the leadership of Loudwater signed the Oath of Orlbar, granting political control of Orlbar and all lands north of the Greyflow and east of the Delimbiyr to the Zhentarim. The two towns have enjoyed an uneasy peace in the ensuing years.
Now secure in both political and military positions, Felishar almost immediately broke with the Cyricist faction of the Zhentarim, joining the Xvimlar instead. With the help of Fzain Nerist, a minor Hatemonger of Iyachtu Xvim, Godson of Bane, they quickly built an imposing temple to Xvim over the village and Felishar enacted strict regulations on trade. The people of Orlbar soon learned that those who practiced unauthorized trade would disappear, and Felishar promised rewards to those who informed him of such. The townsfolk became an insular and paranoid people, effectively forced to convert to the worship of Xvim (and then later Bane) and unwilling to talk with their own neighbors, let alone visitors.
Founding Date
500 DR
Type
Village
Location under
Characters in Location
Comments