Dalereckoning is taken from the Year of Sunrise, 1 DR, when the Standing Stone was raised by the elves of Cormanthyr and the humans of the Dalelands. Since this time, humans were permitted by the Elven Court to settle in the more open regions of the forests. In some texts, primarily those which do not have direct ties to Dalesfolk history, Dalereckoning is called Freeman's Reckoning (FR). The calendar is widely used in Faerûn but has not spread beyond its shores.
Beginning in the year -700 DR, all years have an individual, proper name recorded in The Roll of Years. The Roll of Years is derived from the work of two prophets, Augathra the Mad (c. -400 DR) and Alaundo the Seer (c. 75 DR), who built upon a body of elven lore and prophesy by adding their own foretellings of the future. The names of the years are often vague and cryptic; nonetheless, a significant event fitting the moniker has always occurred in the corresponding year.