Please not that this is only what is known to players. A great deal more is happening behind the scenes, and your character can discover it!

In the year 1416, Queen Sambryl of Impiltur was a young Queen, and this year is a hard one for her country. Her once wealthy country was languishing--the harvests were hard, peasants were becoming restless and starting riots, and no other countries would trade for Impiltur's wares. And to top it off, revelations of political corruption were making the situation worse. Faced with these threats, the young queen decided to solve these problems, hopefully, in one fell swoop. In three locations across Faerun were desolate areas that were hard to colonize but held valuable and rare resources that her competitors lacked. To these three locations she sent representatives and offered land to many of the angry lower class rebels in the hope of keeping them from stirring up trouble.

One of these locations was the remote Obsidian Shores, a place both barren and rich in resources, both beautiful and hideous, home to fire and ice and the largest obisidian flow around. While the Grey Forest was rumored to be inhabited by strange spirits, Queen Sambryl ignored these rumors as superstition and sent the seed ship Wavewalker across the oceans. Among those on the ship was her distant relative, Lord Julianos, whom she established as head of the colony and mayor of the town to be built. A coolly ambitious man, he immediately took the power given to him and established a small tyranny. Commander Vastonne, one of his bodyguards in Impiltur, was appointed Commander of the Queen's Men, the guard force of the new city, which was named Stonereach. Along with the group of settlers was Lady Natalie, Lord Julianos' daughter, and several familes and smalltime rebels who had supported the riots. Jack Gill, in fact, the fierce leader of the rebellions, was among those traveling on the Wavewalker--though he disappeared while at sea and is presumed dead.

They began building the town, but soon discovered that a quiet village of natives already lived deep within the Grey Forest--the people of Skallagrim, who had never seen the outside world. It took time, but eventually the two peoples were able to understand eachother, though roughly. As relations increased, so did tension--the people of Skallagrim were unsettlingly protective of their forest, and seemed to revere it to a point approaching both worship and fear...and strange things began to happen. Animals and people disappeared into the forest, never to return, strange lights were seen and voices heard. Dreams of screaming in the forest call to the residents of the town every night. Yet, any questions asked of the Skallagrim people were met with hostility, and the forest is home to a small orc tribe, so no investigations have been made.

It has been four years, and the colony has begun to grow--the Queen's Men have become corrupt and brutal, Lord Julianos has declared the obsidian mines a huge success for Queen Sambryl, and immigrants from outside Impiltur have begun to arrive, seeking fortunes in that rare black stone. Many of the children who grew up in Skallagrim are starting to become adults and venture out on their own...

*Note: We are not following 4th edition rules and FR lore. We're sticking it out 3.5!*