Dambrath
Situated on a warm plain on the shore of the Great Sea, Dambrath is ruled by nomadic clans of human horse riders who revere Silvanus, Malar, and occasionally Selûne. Given the Dambrathans’ history of domination by the Crinti, a ruling caste of half-drow, it is no surprise that they reserve their greatest hatred for the drow.
The clans meet twice a year at a sacred site known as the Hills of the Kings, where dozens of totem sculptures are preserved. At these gatherings, each clan updates its totem with an account of its exploits over the previous seasons. Many Dambrathans seek out lycanthropy as a means of showing reverence for their favored deity and honoring their heritage.
Culture
In the centuries of rule under Reinhar I and his descendants, Dambrath was a human-centric nation focused on conquest and war with neighboring countries.5 They were known for being expert riders, and had deep connection with the horses of the Dambrathan plains.18
During the reign of the Crinti, Dambrath was a segregated and isolated matriarchy, leading the surface nation on behalf of the Drow in the Underdark. The church of Loviatar held an interesting alliance with the dark half-elves.The Crinti consolidated power and authority in the central, more populated, urban areas of Dambrath. Military service was an honor to the nobility,19 and the army was used to quell shebali uprisings, enforce the nations isolationism and defend from foreign nations.
Now that the Crinti have been destroyed, the Dambrai have returned to their original nomadic roots. They have divided into many clans, most of which have also renewed ancient connections and traditions with the horses of the plains.
History
The recorded history of Dambrath began with the Nar, an ethnic group who fled the city of Shandaular via a portal in −946 DR. The portal opened up into the Council Hills in the Eastern Shaar, where they would live for over 1000 years, calling themselves the Arkaiun people. After this time they were pushed south by invading forces, eventually settling in the coast north of the Bay of Dancing Dolphins. In the following centuries the Arkaiun were united by the Warrior-King Reinhar I; his kingdom of conquest would expand as as far as Luiren and Halruaa5 and last until 9th century DR.26
The reign of the Crinti began with the discovery of silver in the Gnollwatch mountains. Delving too greedily and too deep unearthed the city of T'lindhet, whose drow inhabitants thought they were being invaded. The drow invasion of the surface culminated in the Battle of Crimar in 831 DR, that saw the death of Reinhar IX and an alliance form between the dark elves and the church of Loviatar. Thus the reign of Queen Cathyr began, and a centuries of matriarchal regicide would follow for the next 400 years, with another century of peaceful succession after that.26
After centuries of Crinti rule, native human Dambrathans rebelled against their half-drow masters and drove them from the land in the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR.
Agriculture & Industry
Dambrath was a country wealthy in a few, specific, unrelated goods; breeding horses, silver mined from its mountains and pearls from the Bay of Dancing Dolphins. Minor exports from the nation included products made from the trees from the Amtar Forest, including arrow shafts, chairs, tables and other finished wooden goods. The area was also known for its fruit orchards and wealth of fish species from the bay.19
The horses that had been captured, tamed and bred, from the great plains north of the Gnollwatches, were prized around Faerûn and in lands as far away as Zakhara. One of few ways the Arkaiun people could make a good living during the rule of the Crinti was by operating an independent horse ranch in the plains, far from the centralized cities of the half-elves' society.6 This lifestyle had been a part of the Arkaiun people for hundreds of years before their subjugation.18
The land was also extremely rich in silver, found deep in the Gnollwatch mountains. The mine owners in that region formed several consortiums to maximize profits and utilization of the precious metal. Another prized mineral came in the form of stunning pearls. Many divers would submerge in the bay's waters for the wealth of easily-accessible oyster beds. This was also the only location for the rare Dambrathan pearl, easily worth seven to ten times the value of the standard variety.
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