The Nerathi empire was the second greatest human empire that arose out of the City State of Nera and moved mostly north to conquer the former holdings of Bael Turath. During it's zenith it was a center of great learning, temples of Ioun flourished and warriors and heroes practiced the arts of Martial, Primal, Psionic, Divine, and Arcane power. They built great structures and a king built the warforged, before Elidyr the last king of Nerath lost against a gnoll hoard led by the ruler of ruin. Today a petty king of Nera bay lays claim to the throne of Nera while the old capital is still haunted by gnolls. Elidyr haunts the world as a vestige, conjured by warlocks to do their bidding, and a fractured league of Nerath hides out in the halls of Mithralfast beset by the Karkothi and the Iron Circle.

Sites of Nerathi significance are littered across the North West of the known lands.

The History of Nerath

The Founding (CY-600 to -500)

When elven forests or dwarven mines are overran by monsters, the survivors often flee to the nearest human town. (PHB, p.47) The power vacuum left behind by Bael Turath and Arkhosia unites many different peoples. (Dr393, p.12).

King Magroth founds the Empire of Nerath. At fifteen years of age, Magroth founds the imperial capital, lights the legendary Flame Imperishable, and leads the growing Nerathi legions on decades-long marches of expansion that claim most of the known world within his lifetime. (Dr393, p.12) Nerath expands, claiming fields and mountains as wise kings bring justice and order to a world still ravaged by Bael Turath’s iniquities. (Du194, "War College")

Sometime during the Nerathi Kingdom...

• Albrect the Unworthy, Nerath’s fourth king, cowers on his throne as orc hordes tramp out from the mountains to pillage. Captain Michael Forsythe the Cunning leads his Third Legion, comprised of criminals enlisted as punishment for their crimes, in a suicide mission to hold off the hordes. They hold off the hordes, at a cost of two-thirds of their soldiers. As reward, they receive only pardons. (DR396, "The Last Legion")
• Aslief, a white dragon mount for a Nerathi dragonrider, chase an evil demonologist into the frozen wastes, and for ten days fight his minions. The dragonrider dies in battle, binding Auslief to the site of his death. Auslief changes her name to Rime, and plagues the north in winter. (Drc1CD p.242)
• The Collectors are a group dedicated to Ioun. (Dr385, p.78.)
• Erathium was the prosperous jewel of culture and trade in the empire of Nerath. The covenant between the temple of Erathis and the imperial rulers was strong. (Dr387, p.36)
• The Ghost Blades are an order of battleminds charged with protecting the nobility of the empire and its far-flung kingdoms. (DR381, p.38)
• The Kaorti, an order dedicated to Ioun, became corrupted by the influence of the Far Realms, eventually migrating to the Far Realms themselves. (DU161, pp.73-74)
• Mistwatch was granted to the great knight Boris Zaspar for his deeds, foremost of which was slaying the red dragon Pyrothenes. (Du186, "Backdrop: Mistwatch")
• King Pedrawd begins using the avengers of Erathis in Erathium to hunt his political enemies. (Dr387, p.36)
• Sarthel, a city-state, falls under the influence of the Nerath. (DR398: "Nerathi Legends: Sarthel")
• Solaneillon breaks apart into smaller states, and a charismatic half-elf noble named Althier Merind succeeds in uniting the human towns and elven forest-holds into a single realm, establishing the Barony of Merindaelion. (DR401, "Nerathi Legends: The Emerald Blade")

A Timeline (CY-500 to -200)

CY-410: Saruun Khel, the minotaur city, is abandoned after a civil war. Baphomet curses the surviving minotaurs with mindless fury. (One source dates the ruins to 300 years ago; another to 100 years before the founding of Fallcrest.) (DMG, p.208; TL, p.2)

CY-400: Chaos Scar is created when a meteor collides with the world and leaves a nasty gash across the face of the Nentir Vale. (DU192, "Scarred for Life")

CY-400: Vendar, a hero, adventures with the dragon of Nentir. (DMG, p.198)

CY-350: Yazadoun's Folly is created when Yazadoun, a tiefling warlock, erects a fortress overlooking the fields of Vor Kragal. It is destroyed by a meteroite. (DR364, p.23)

CY-310: Human settlers from Nerath move north into the Nentir Vale, establishing Fastormel, Harkenwold, and Winterhaven. Aranda Markelhay builds the Moonstone Keep, around which Fallcrest begins to grow. (DMG, p.198; KotS, p.20)

CY-310: Valthrun’s Tower is possibly built around this time. (DMG, p.198; KotS, p.20)

CY-300: Karkothi Empire and Nerath go to war. (Dr399, "The Seven Kings of Karkoth")

CY-300: Rumor, the secret academy of magic, is founded by a charismatic illusionist named Pog who tricks his longtime companion Melphor out of his staff of the magi and becomes the local arcane guildmaster. (Dr403, "Academies of Magic")

CY-300: Shivs of Sorcery is coined by the eladrin bard Lynadallin to describe a loose assortment of like-minded individuals who concentrate on dagger-based sorcery, particularly a sorcerer named Almates. (Dr390, pp.24-25)

CY-300: Society of Imperial Artificers is commissioned by King Eothyr III to create an adaptive artificial being. (W&M, p.21; DR364, p.30)

CY-300: Tarmagel, the Nerathi prince, invades the Iron Wolf lands at the head of a mighty army to put an end to the barbarian raiding of Nerathi lands. They ally against a common orc threat. Tarmagel marries the chieftain's daughter. (Dr400, "NL: Iron Wolf Barbarians")

CY-300: Thaliessal is sacked by sahuagin hordes. (DR401: "Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade")

CY-240: Karkoth is defeated by Nerath and stripped it of its conquests. (Dr399, "The Seven Kings of Karkoth")

CY-200: Cape Saris in Merindaelion is the site of a lighthouse and fortress built by the Nerathi Empire (DR401: "Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade")

CY-200: Eladrin build a shrine that they use as a fey crossing between the Feywild and natural world near where the village of Elkridge will eventually settle. (Du190, "Force of Nature")

CY-200: Kalton Manor is raised by Lord Arrol Kalton, but the tenants are driven off by monsters from the Witchlight Fens. (DMG, p.207)

CY-200: Shadowfell Keep is built by Nerathi legions to seal a gate to the Shadowfell built by cultists of Orcus that flooded the world with undead. (KotS, p.2)

The Fall (CY-200 to -190)

The fall of Nerath involves an invasion of orcs, gnolls, goblins, demons, and perhaps a secret curse. (W&M, p.21; R&C, p.18; DR364, p.30) The mysterious "Ruler of Ruin" leads the hordes. (Dr.393. p.12) King Elidyr recalls the garrisons from the frontiers, urging them to surrender their posts to shore up the cities against the hordes. Many return to their native lands, but some stay behind to shield the flagging kingdom against the other arrayed enemies as they had since the kingdom first spread beyond its first cities. (DR386, p.12) King Elidyr redirects the Society of Imperial Artificers for war, resulting in the warforged. (W&M, p.21; R&C, p.18; DR364, p.30) King Elidyr leads his armies against gnolls marching beneath the Ruler of Ruin’s banner. More than half of Nerath’s strongholds are razed in the war. (W&M, p.21; DR364, p.30) King Elidyr, along with his heirs and trusted nobles, falls in battle. The battle breaks the Nerath Empire and leads to its downfall. (HoS, P.6)

Aftermath of Nerath's Fall

CY-190: The True Born were a group of humans who stood fast as savagery replaced civilization around them. (DR386, p.49)

The commander of the Empire's War College secured the valley and opened the war college to any able-bodied person who wanted to learn. (Du194, "War College")

When Nerath fell, the Ghost Blades were destroyed in the chaos that consumed Nerath. The few survivors were hunted down in the aftermath by those forces quick to claim territory and power where the empire once stood, and also by those once loyal to the empire, who blamed its greatest warriors for its destruction. Within a generation, the Imperial Guard was destroyed and all but forgotten. (DR391, p.38)

It is rumored that Uhon Nerika, the last Ghost Blade, rescued a girl, who was the last of the Imperial line. Nobody knows what happened to the girl or Uhon Nerika. (DR391, p.39)

he Stained Page, a sect of devotees of the Raven Queen, is born on the battlefields of the fall of Nerath. (DU171, p.87)

The mithral dragon Aelmedrion hatched while the edifices of the empire of Nerath crumbled (DU173, p.80)

The order of the Collectors was nearly destroyed in the chaos surrounding the fall of Nerath, and their collections were lost to the winds. They splintered into three distinct branches: the chroniclers, the excavators, and the seekers (Dr385, p.78)

When the armies of evil encircled Gardmore Abbey, the abbey’s paladins entrusted a messenger with a map indicating the locations of their greatest artifacts and begged him to deliver it to the emperor. (Dr400, "The Wandering Tower").

CY-186: A teenager called Maldeen joined the militia ordered to the Red Rock Pass to stop an orc invasion. His wits enabled the militia to turn the tides of battle. After he reprimanded the local baron, he was imprisoned. His followers beseiged the baron’s castle for three years, after which the baron was killed by his own general. (DR364, p.49)

CY-183: Maldeen restored the baron’s son to power and acted as an advisor for 40 years before retiring from service. (DR364, p.49)

CY-150: Gardmore Abbey was destroyed by evil forces after the paladins reputedly brought back a dark artifact for safekeeping. (DMG, p.206)

CY-130: A teenaged boy named Aurtus hired himself out as a messenger, delivering messages and packages in the city of Fallcrest. (DR387, p.57)

CY-120: Varain Cawdorai, a raven-haired elf, encountered the retired Maldeen as an old man and became the first Gray Wolf. When she was past her middle age (100+ years old), she became a pack master of the Gray Wolves. (DR364, p.53; PHB, p.41)

CY-120: A fortified town called Fort Dolor was built in the hinterlands "more than a century ago". Its growth provoked repeated attacks by the white dragon Frystiomagythant. (DU157, p.83)

CY-120: Aurtus heard the call of Pelor and began studying at the House of the Sun in Fallcrest. (DR387, p.57)

CY-116: Refugees from Delkarem’s Vale fled into Starfall Forest. Maldeen, then 84-year-old, died after scattering the pursuing ogres. He became a folk hero and the Gray Wolves began to grow in numbers. (DR364, p.49)

CY-105: Sir Malagant challenged the alienist cult leader to single combat in the Warwood. Both leaders died, resulting in the scattering of both armies. (DU155, pp.61-63, 78)

Generations ago, the Library of Highforest was a small center for learning operated by priests and sages of Ioun, until a scholar named Ulferth fell under the influence of a demon that served Kyuss. In his madness, Ulferth drew a horde of nightmare creatures up from the depths. Spawn of Kyuss overran the library. (DU188, "The Legacy of Baelard")

CY-100: After “a few decades” without a king, Nerath finally disintegrated into independent states. Talon Pass was sacked by barbarians shortly before the collapse. (DMG, p.198; ToTP, p.1; DR364, p.30)

CY-100: The Nerathi lord of Graefmonte slew his own son rather than see his own son slain in battle, causing his town to be transported into the Shadowfell. (DR375, p.63)

CY-100: Tetherya Acrid founds the Moon Catchers. (DR382, p.103) Shortly thereafter, Iltani explodes. (DR382, p.102)

CY-100: With the collapse of imperial authority, the leading noble families of Sarthel established a Council of Lords to govern the city. (DR398, "Nerathi Legends: Sarthel")

CY-100: The arid plains and dry woodlands east of Lake Sarn are virtuallydepopulated in the great wars that marked the end of Nerath. (DR398, "Nerathi Legends: Sarthel")

The circle at the Witchlight Hermitage was created by lizardfolk over a century ago. (Du191, "Battle at the Witchlight Hermitage")

When Nerath fell, the world descended into chaos. While civilization was weak, the demon lord Yeenoghu, ancient enemy of the minotaurs, sent an immense horde of gnolls to stake his claim upon the world. The Guardian Clan of minotaurs, led by Asteron Stonesplitter formed an alliance with the civilized races, and with their combined might they defeated the gnolls and drove them back into the wild. Other minotaur clans attacked the Guardians as traitors to the Horned King. After many years’ journey, they followed the Mistroad River through the Stone Forest valley and up the side of Sentinel Peak and founded Mistwatch. (Dr385, p.18)

In the frozen north, a cobalt dragon named Niflung awakened for his longest slumber and dominates the region. A tribe of giants and Shifters named the Talons of Winter where subjugated a dominated by the dragon to enforce his will in the region. (Drc2MD p.212)

The site of the Witchlight Hermitage has been occupied for nearly 100 years. (Du191, "Battle of the Witchlight Hermitage")CY-90: The Bloodspear War began as orcs from the Stonemarch swept across the Nentir Vale. Fallcrest, Kobold Hall, and Fastormel were razed. (DMG, pp.198, 207, 208)

CY-90: When Fallcrest fell to the Bloodspears, Aurtus compiled the histories of the nearby lands into a tome called The Living Tome of Pelor. (DR387, pp.57-58)

CY-80: Shadowfell Keep was abandoned. Sir Keegan slaughtered the keep’s residents. (KotS, p.34)

CY-75: An earthquake collapsed the upper towers of Shadowfell Keep after “a few years”. (KotS, p.34)

CY-50: Upn its founding, the dwarf Zirka Havenstone becomes the town of Silvergrail's first sheriff. (Du194 "Leader of the Pack")

CY-30: An earthquake caused a large portion of Vor Kragal to rise out of the ashes. (DR364, p.19)

CY-30: The bugbear Graala Bloodghost founds the Bloodghost Syndicate. (DR366, p.64.)

CY-30: Lord Bandor Imbran, a half-elf noble, is born in Sarthel. He will eventually seek to expose the Asmodean cult of the Iron Circle. (DR398, "Nerathi Legends: Sarthel")

CY-25: The wizards Hasifir, Niame, and Samazar came to Saruun Khel and established the Seven-Pillared Hall. (TL, p.2)

CY-20: The Iron Circle rose to prominence, portraying itself as a warrior society dedicated to stamping out disorder and driving back the encroaching desert raiders and jungle monsters. (Dr402: "Nerathi Legends: Adretia, the Citadel of Iron’s Grasp")

CY-12: Volarn, the leader of the Kaorti, a corrupted Ioun cult trapped in the Far Realms, contacts his last living relative in the World and begins to manipulate him. (DU163, p.51)

Other articles regarding Nerath:

• Playing Warforged Talks about the Nerathi king who built the Warforged
• Class Acts: Barbarians, Legends of the True Born Details a human tribe that was allied with Nerath
• Legacy of Nerath
• Class Acts: Battlemind, The Ghosts of Nerath
• Quests for Humanity
• Channel Divinity: Ioun Details the Imperial Library