Teshendale

The Shame over the Destruction of Teshendale

A summary from what is written in A Grand Tour of the Realms.

Situated along the valley of the River Tesh, the region that was Teshendale is now piles of ruins overgrown by brambles and shrubs.
Teshendale was overrun by the orcs in the mountains and the forces of Zhentil Keep in the Year of the Gulagar (1316 DR). Its people were slain, driven off, or enslaved.
During the destruction of Teshendale, both Daggerdale and Shadowdale were under pressure from Zhentil Keep agents, and could not have aided even if they wanted to. However, the shame of their lack of action remains on both communities. 

The Teshendale Field Campaign

A noncanon campaign.

In the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR), lord Randal Morn and lord Mourngrym Amcathra decided to take the Dalesmen to battle against the zhents in old Teshendale and drive them away from the Dale.

Lord Randal Morn gathered a 700 men strong army, while lord Mourngrym gathered around 1,500 men under his baner. And, from Mistledale came 100 men. The armies consisted mostly of common folk from the Dalelands's countryside, but there were also a big detachment of purple dragons from Tilverton, disguised as mercenaries, and a small mercenary company from Sembia.
The Dalesmen split their army in three, and the main army, which consisted of 1,400 men, followed the Tesh Trail towards Teshwave, while the second army, which consisted of 700 common folk from the countryside and was called Freemen from the Dales, followed the south bank of the River Tesh towards Teshwave. The third army, consisting of 200 "fylkingsmen", made the main army's reserve. 

The main army met the Zhentish army from Teshwave. The commander of the Zhentilar was Guthbert 'may not be killed' Golthammer. He was fooled by Harper spies that the main objective was Zhentil Keep, that the attack would come from the south, and that the attack towards Teshwave was only a diversion. So he met the Dalesmen with a much smaller army that he had at his disposal. Neverthelee, the battle was horrible. Zhentish war wizards launched spells at the Dalesmen and the Cormyrian war wizards returned the fire. When the wizards were ready, many of the Dalesmen's longbowmen lay dead or badly wounded, and the zhentish heavy cavalry whent to attack. Here, the Dalesmen were about to commit a tremendous error. The commander of the Cormyrian detachment had been arguing that he should lead the frontal attack against the Zhentilar, but the Dalesmen were too praud to let a foreigner take all the credit. In the last minute, the Dalesmen were convinced that the Cormyrian commander should play a major role in the battle, and he and his detachment of cavalry rode together with the Mistrans against the zhentish cavalry. Infantry from the both armies followed the attack. The remaining longbowmen shoot as best they could, and took down many zhentilars. At the end of the day, the battle was won, one could say. Both armies were almost destroyed, but it was the zhentilar that retreated first. But, this battle would not have been won, if not for the "fylkingsmen".

During the battle, the 200 "fylkingsmen" from Shadowdale waited anxious to join the battle. Sudlently, against all information that Harper spies had gothered, an zhentish army from the Citadell of the Raven arrived. It is said it was 1,000 men strong, but other say it was double the size. The battle was fierce, and led by their war chief, the "fylkingsmen", commoners who served as part-time soldiers, held their ground. By the time the zhentilar were finnished with the third attack against the Dalesmen's vanguard, the main zhentilar army was in the retreat. Half of the army from the Citadell of the Raven was still standing, and ready to ride down the remaining "fylkingsmen", less than ten, when the Zhentilar commander received the order of retreat.

To be continued ...

Page last updated 2005-05-09.