History of Luskan

Sometime in approximately -3000 DR, the settlement of Illusk is founded by Northmen seafarers at the mouth of the River Mirar.

A massive orc horde, led by frost giants, destroys the city of Illusk.

Netherese settlers refound the city of Illusk as a magocracy under ruling control of a group of arcanists known as The Grand Cabal.

Illusk becomes a major refuge for Netherese fleeing Low Netheril as it succumbs to mass desertification. The influx of Netherese mages brings significant magical knowledge to the city, culminating in the building of The Host Tower of the Arcane, although the exact details of its construction were lost to the ages.

Northmen raiders, led by the barbarian hero Uthgar Gardolfsson, sack the city of Illusk. Many members of the Grand Cabal are killed, and those who remain retreat to The Host Tower of the Arcane, abandoning the city to the raiders. Illuskans eventually rally, burn invaders' ships, and drive the raiders into the interior. After the failure of the Grand Cabal, all mages are exiled from Illusk.

After a nine year siege, Illusk falls to an orc horde, who use the ruined city as a base of operations to raid settlements of The Sword Coast North

After a year of battles and sieges, a mercenary army hired by Waterdeep and Neverwinter rout the orcs from the fallen city of Illusk. Rebuilding and repopulating efforts are largely funded and organized by the nobels of Neverwinter, who rename the city Luskan.

A vast pirate fleet attacks and conquers Luskan. The five leaders of the fleet declare themselves the new High Captains of the city, organizing their government into "Ships" named for each pirate captain and overseeing their own aspect of governance. Under the rule of the High Captains of Luskan, Luskan became a successful, bustling trade port; however, it also became a haven for pirates, thieves, smugglers, murderers, and many other unsavory elements.

The archmage Arklem Greeth comes to Luskan, takes residence in The Host Tower of the Arcane, and founds The Arcane Brotherhood. Over the next 40 years, The Arcane Brotherhood grows in power and influence in the city, cooperating significantly with The High Captains of Luskan.

Beginning in the Year of the Worm, 1356 DR, Luskan embarks on a number of military and naval expeditions to conquer islands in The Sea of Swords, which met with mixed success. Sensing a resurgence in Luskan imperialist tendencies, The Lords' Alliance began military and diplomatic campaigns to rein in Luskan and bring peace to the region. During this period, the Arcane Brotherhood stepped out of the shadows and began displaying increasingly direct control over the governance of Luskan and The High Captains of Luskan.

The Lords of Waterdeep could no longer abide the militarism and piracy of the Luskan and send an expeditionary force to take control of the city in the name of the Lords' Alliance. The army is lead by the famous pirate hunter, Deudermont, who gathers significant support from the populace of Luskan to remove the Arcane Brotherhood.

After weeks of street battles between the forces of The Lords' Alliance, backed by the Luskar citizens' rebellion, and The Arcane Brotherhood, Arklem Greeth and the remaining mages of The Arcane Brotherhood retreat to The Host Tower of the Arcane. Instead of giving over to his loss, Arklem Greeth detonates a magical explosion that destroys The Host Tower of the Arcane and causes massive damage to the city of Luskan. Thousands of Luskan citizens are killed and hundreds of buildings are damaged or destroyed.

Captain Deudermont is named Governor of Luskan, and quickly begins efforts to rebuild and resupply a city in ruins with winter quickly setting in.

After months of unexplained failures in the efforts to bring supplies into Luskan and to rebuild the broken city, The High Captains of Luskan stage a rebellion against the Governor of Luskan, Deudermont. Deudermont is killed in battle with one of the High Captains and the remaining soldiers of The Lords' Alliance are forced from the city. The High Captains of Luskan retake control of Luskan, announcing it as a "free port" open to any and all who seek unfettered commerce.

The Spellplague did not effect Luskan as severely as it did elsewhere; however, the already precarious state of the city and its governance made recovery from the disaster even more calamitous. Rulership of The High Captains of Luskan changed hands more times than could be counted due to infighting and constant struggles for power. Infrastructure of the city continued to deteriorate due to lack of upkeep or rebuilding efforts. Eventually the city became a haven for demon-worshippers, roving bands of goblins and kobolds, thieves' and assassins' guilds, and escaped criminals. A once proud beacon of civilization in The North slowly crumbled into a mockery of a true city.