The March of the Silent Dominion

[ManyAsOne]

Countless undead roam freely throughout the Western Reaches and the Storm Horns. The trade village of Isinhold and the mountain town of Skull Crag have fallen to the dead under the control of bizarre squid-like creatures. The squid-creatures have allowed trade and travel to continue, though have promised a quick death to any who oppose them. With the ability to control the minds of innocent, helpless people the armies have an unless supply of both soldiers... and hostages.

Spearheading this force is a massive undead wyrm, occasionally seen flying over towns and villages throughout the Western Reaches and the Storm Horns. Dragons of the mountains have hidden themselves in their lairs.

The Crown has issued warning urging all travelers to avoid the Western Reaches and Storm Horns and that, if they do so, they do so at their own risk.

[ManyAsOne]

Cormyr has begun to see to its defenses. Town guards have been doubled in most settlements and each have been supplemented with the presence of a Purple Dragon unit and at least one War Wizard. Griffin-mounted War Wizards constantly patrol the skies in and around Suzail and mounted units of Purple Dragons are patrolling the roads.

Still, the threat lingers in the Western Reach, every soldier it kills adding to their numbers and more dead are still pouring in from the Marsh of Tun and the Skull Crag entrance into the Underdark.

[ManyAsOne]

Soldiers carrying Sembian banners have been seen entering the Hullack forest from the Thunder Gap. They are heavily armed and are marching at a steady pace, though the forest, for the time being, is doing an excellent job of slowing them down.

Incorporeal undead have been spotted all across the country, raising up out of the ground, or floating out of walls. In all cases the dead quickly move into the ground when approached or questioned. Meanwhile, griffin-mounted War Wizards and Purple Dragons launch strikes against the massive undead wyrm plaguing Cormyr's skies, each of their attacks ending in failure.

Terror struck High Horn as a massive Red Wyrm collided with the unliving dragon in a battle that waged high overhead. Fortunately, the pair flew deeper into the Storm Horns before any Cormyrians were hurt.

Redmist lies in peril as an army of the dead waits outside its gates, armed with deadly siege equipment. The dead have yet to attack and seem to be waiting. The horde need no food, drink, nor sleep and remain completely motionless as they days pass. The Dominion has offered Cormyr an ultimatum, demanding none interfere in the siege, or the lives of the folk in Dominion territory will be forfeit. The Dominion also promises one month for Cormyr to prepare its defenses while they solidify their claim on the Western Reaches. In response, the Crown has agreed to keep their troops out of the conflict.

[ManyAsOne]

The undead army outside of Redmist vanished overnight, taking their siege weaponry with them. They have left the city intact, the forces once again spreading throughout the Western Reaches.

Meanwhile Cormyr continues to look to its defenses and ready itself for the coming battles.

[ManyAsOne]

Rumors begin to circulate that the Sembians have set up large encampments of soldiers on the easternmost fringes of the Hullack and that diplomats are now negotiating with the Crown on some manner of alliance to help combat the undead threat. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen.

Undead knights have been seen within Redmist's walls and incorporeal squads of undead have been spotted scouting out the southwestern portions of Cormyr. These spectral dead immediately move into the nearest solid object or simply sink into the ground when a threat draws near, leaving the Crown unable to respond to these blatant spies.

The Dominion has allowed refugees to travel out of their territory, though have warned that any abandoned homes will be leveled, any untended crops will be burned, and any remaining livestock will be slaughtered and left to rot. Few are able to leave for departing from their homes or farmsteads means leaving their lives behind for good.

[ManyAsOne]

The dead slowly disperse from Isinhold, leaving the small trade village to its own devices, as they travel out to the eastern most expanses of the Dominion territory and the Western Reaches. Locals of the small village claim the forces leaving Isinhold were accompanied by undead soldiers from the west clad in Zhentarim armor.

Several hundred more dead spill out of the Underdark entrance in Skull Crag, readying to hurl themselves out of the mountains and into the country below while even more dead crawl from the Marsh of Tun into the lower Western Reaches, amassing great siegeworks just north of Redmist.

On top of all of this, the great undead wyrm, more skeleton than flesh, flies over the western Storm Horns as the dead prepare for war.

[ManyAsOne]

The attack has begun, hordes of the dead spilling deep into the Storm Horns. Caves, fissures, and crevasses spew out the dead throughout the entire mountain range. Several orc tribes fall victim to the armies of the undead, each dead orc adding to the ranks of the dead. In an effort to combat the horde, the many giants of the Storm Horns align under a frost giant king to defend their holdings against the ravenous forces of the Silent Dominion.

The south western border garrison of Cormyr is battered and destroyed by massive siege engines manned by several hundred undead Zhent soldiers. The forces slowly make their way north into the country, destroying every home, farmstead, and village in their way.

[ManyAsOne]

Suzail's common folk are on edge after the events a few nights ago. The people awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of garrisons sounding alarm bells to call in the guard. Suzail's own guard regulars were accompanied by War Wizards and members of the Purple Dragon army as they rushed through the streets. A rumor has been spreading that several undead had managed to get into the Royal Palace to make an assassination attempt on the infant king.

Fortunately the attack was thwarted and now the city gates are heavily guarded and in-city patrols are now supplemented by the addition of one-hundred and fifty Sembian mercenary warriors.

The people are on the edge of panic, fearing the coming threat of the Silent Dominion.

[ManyAsOne]

The fabled Annulus fragments were found and the artifact was made whole again. A group of intrepid adventurers battle hard and the Sage of Shadowdale himself, Elminster, reassembled the Annulus.

The artifact, once whole, was teleported deep into the Underdark with a single guardian to destroy the Alhoon, T'nal, the leader of the Silent Dominion. Masses of undead in Cormyr's Storm Horns and Western Reaches dropped into a pile of bones while others now wander aimlessly, still posing a threat to the folk of the land, though the army as a whole is destroyed and the Silent Dominion now dismantled.

There are rumors that the Royal Corps. of Monster Hunters, aided by the elves of the Hullack, still have a task ahead of them in cleaning up the remaining undead which includes the terrifying Dracolich that had spearheaded the undead's forces and the mad Demilich that is now roaming somewhere in the Storm Horns.

Talks have begun with the nobles of Redmist to better define the hand they played in harboring the Dominion. It is largely considered that the mind flayers of the Silent Dominion had mentally controlled the city's leaders, or so they claim, thus exempting them from any blame.

Rumors circulate that the Steel Regent herself will publicly meet with the heroes to extend the Crown's gratitude and reward them for their efforts.



Those plagued with amnesia from the psionic weaving of the Silent Dominon's Overseers have been blacking out and awaking with all memories regained. Most sages speculate that this is the result of the death of the Alhoon.

[ManyAsOne]

In an effort to cease hostilities, both Cormyr and Redmist have reached an understanding. Though there are many skeptics, the Crown has officially declared that the actions of Redmist's guards and nobles are to be dismissed, as the Dominion was well-known for is ability to subvert others through mental domination. Neither the people nor the ruling class of the city-state are accountable for actions taken while the Silent Dominion held sway in Cormyr.

Cormyr has offered to aid in Redmist's recovery from the undead occupation and Lord Bloodstil has graciously accepted. Meanwhile, Redmist's people are receiving a boost in commerce as recently arrived Thayan merchants pump their products and coin into the diminished economy. It is said that the talks initiated with Thay by the city's Treasurer and Minister of Commerce during the undead occupation are the key attributing factor to this financial boost. Still, many believe the Thayans were simply holding back until they were certain who the victor in the Dominion conflict would be.