Hargram

Hargram is a predominately human kingdom to the northeast of Orodeth. It is ruled by the Hargrave dynasty from their seat at Hargrave Keep, in the city of Hargrave. They were one of the Mercantile Alliance's major trading partners before the Shattering of Orodeth.

History
Once a part of the Dragon Lands, the region was ruled over by several tyrannical chromatic dragons. Eventually, a barbarian warlord named Harg rose up and slew his draconic overlord, earning the name Harg Dragonslayer. Harg began a crusade to rid the region of dragons, his followers growing with every territory he reclaimed. In 2101 when Harg died killing the vicious red dragon Vaerothrax, it appeared that his crusade was at an end. His closest friend, Tarn, declared at Harg's funeral pyre that he would unite the freed people as a nation to defend the land that Harg had won with his life. As a final honor to the hero, Tarn took the name Hargrave and named his kingdom Hargram.

In 2171, Queen Hella Hargrave was crowned queen. The coronation was the subject of some controversy; Hella had been surrounded by rumors of being a fey changeling for all her life, after her mother died in childbirth, and it was further rumored that her grandfather, Duke Drume Stein, had consorted with fiends and made a dark bargain to put her on the throne. Nevertheless, her rule proved to be a just one, and she put an end to most of the nobles' schemes for power.

In 2498, after Queen Drella Hargrave died during a stillbirth, the Hargram Civil War began as Duke Alarik Stein attempted to crown himself king over Drella's husband, Liam of House Trell. The war raged for fifteen years until Liam's ally, Priestess Suvi of Yondalla, brought a number of goliath tribes from the Thundering Mountains to his side. House Stein capitulated, ending both the war and the so-called "Stein Dynasty."

By 2801, the corruption of the royalty and nobility had grown to dangerous levels. A royal knight named Vacrilos Azennar became a local hero in his calls for reform, leading protests against the crown. As the protests threatened to erupt into a full-scale revolt, King Zaldimar Trell chose to wed his daughter, Princess Imira, to Vacrilos. When she gave birth a year later, Zaldimar abdicated and named Vacrilos his successor. True to his word, Vacrilos instituted sweeping progressive reforms aimed at eliminating the corruption that had taken root in the government. Most notably, he established the Court of Voices, where members of all social classes could elect representatives to advise the king.

In 2897, Vacrilos's granddaughter, Queen Linolu, dealt with an incursion of kobolds from the Wyrmwaste by parlaying and, upon learning they were fleeing powerful dragons, granting them refuge and declaring that Hargram would welcome any who wished to live in peace and obey their laws, no matter their race. This offer would be extended to a clan of goblins soon after, who established the village of Gonshar.

In 2938, a blue dragon named Malzdreziret attacked Hargrave. The city's forces successfully repelled the dragon, and it was King Daerios Azennar himself who defeated the wyrm in combat and forced it to retreat. Daerios died peacefully in his sleep in 2974, and his son, Waldrann Azennar, was crowned king. Not yet 30 years of age, Waldrann already had a reputation as a renowned adventurer and a skilled warrior, and his wife, Queen Elyssa Ebrin, was loved by the people. Tragically, only a decade later, she died of an illness. The crown refused to divulge further details, citing the royal family's privacy, but this merely fueled rumors of foul play. These rumors only grew when Waldrann remarried shortly after her death, to a commoner named Lyrencia. Among the more popular of rumors was that he was having an affair with her before the Queen's death. Queen Lyrencia gave birth to Princess Aphinah a year after their marriage.

In 2987, Lyrencia was suddenly kidnapped into the Feywild by Dasmag, the Satyr King. King Waldrann and his son, Prince Kasnar, immediately rallied the royal knights and led a group to rescue her. Exactly what happened during the expedition is not clear; many different versions of the tale are told throughout Hargram, and--as with Queen Elyssa's death--the crown gave few details. What is known for certain is that while the Satyr King was defeated and Lyrencia rescued, Prince Kasnar perished in the attempt, and his body could not even be brought back for a proper burial.

Since this tragedy, however, Hargram has prospered and flourished, with plentiful food and resources providing good lives for its citizens. When Queen Vyrellis of Estorium called upon the other nations to welcome drow willing to renounce Lolth, Hargram was one of the first to join her, citing Queen Linolu's pledge to the kobolds and goblins a century earlier.