Vanesci Hamlet, or simply Vanesci, was a town in Konigheim in the Utter East of southeast Faerûn. It lay outside the Phantom Pass, which connected it to the Kingdom of Nix on the Forbidden Plateau.
Description
Vanesci Hamlet was built upon a bed of gravel or stones, with cottages with light beige walls, arched or half-circle windows with flower boxes, and peaked turquoise-tiled roofs with chimneys; the ruined settlement in the Phantom Pass was of the same architectural style. There were granaries on the outskirts of town and a fountain in the middle.
The land around the settlement was mostly brown dirt with patches of green grassland and trees. To the east was a farm of some green plant. North of the town, a canal ran west to east, with sides supported by logs. Beyond it were fields of wheat and pumpkins.
To the north, the land grew rocky, with cliffs rising upwards.
History
During the time of the Bloodforge Wars (648–657 DR), the monstrous Redfang, ruler of the Kingdom of Nix, developed a taste for human flesh and instituted a reign of terror upon neighboring Vanesci Hamlet. Yearly, his harpies swooped down from the air, snatching people unawares to carry back to the cookpot. The seasonal appearance of Nix was a sick irony: as the villagers brought in the harvest, so too did the harpies of Nix. The folk of Vanesci could do naught but live in fear, posting missing persons notices and maintaining an outward air of contentment as they dreaded the coming of harvest-time.
At last, a mage known as Haradan the Hermit heard of the disappearances, and decided to investigate and put a stop to it, leading to the Harvest of Horrors.
When harvest time came, he used his magic to fend off the harpies and protect the villagers, and not one was taken. Unsated and unwilling to give up his feast, Redfang sent a dark bloodforge army down from the Forbidden Plateau, assaulting Vanesci Hamlet directly, with Haradan leading a successful defense with bloodforges of his own.
Following their victory, the Vanesci folk celebrated, but Haradan tracked the army back to Nix, intent on getting there before it vanished for another year. This trail took him through Phantom Pass, and another bloodforge battle with Nix's forces, before he made it to the Forbidden Plateau.
Finally, with his bloodforge army, he invaded the Kingdom of Nix itself, facing Redfang the Reaper and his dark forces. Haradan was victorious, and his quest seemed to be at an end. The townsfolk could at last relax and feel safe.
A bloodforge army sent by Haradan invaded the Kingdom of Nix. Fortune favored Redfang, this time, as he received reports ahead of their advance. He even captured some of the enemy forces, deciding they would make either good slaves or good meals. Forewarned and ready for the coming bloodforge battle, Redfang's forces slaughtered the invading army.
Redfang allowed the survivors to run back to Haradan, in a ploy to locate his foe and this source of slaves and flesh. As Haradan and his Vanesci forces camped in Phantom Pass, Redfang and his horde stole upon them under cover of night and defeated them in bloodforge battle.
Those who escaped fled down the Pass and back to their homes in Vanesci Hamlet, raising the alarm and bearing news of the terrible fate that awaited them. Harvest was abandoned and folk sought shelter in their houses, but Redfang's bloodforge horde fell upon the town, overcoming its bloodforged defences. In a frenzy of savagery, Redfang and his minions cooked and devoured every villager they laid claws on, until their bellies were bloated and their vile hunger sated. Leaving behind an empty, razed village, Redfang's horde returned to Nix, mapping a trail to Vanesci as they did. Redfang predicted that others would soon settle the area, a new crop for the pot, and he could repeat his blood harvest next year.
During the Legendary Campaign
Hjerik Broadkin, an inhabitant of Vanesci, publicly challenged the leader of the Legendary Campaign to a duel as they passed through the streets. This took the form of a bloodforge battle, waged in and around Vanesci Hamlet.
Later, the bandit Niro Longtooth extorted the folk of Vanesci into giving up their food supplies, else the town would be raided. When the leader of the Legendary Campaign returned, with followers starving for food, the villagers had none to spare. The leader surprised Longtooth, confronting the bandits in a bloodforge battle in the streets and fields of the town.
Jesse Hearthe, a popular and politically influential mage who had retired to Vanesci Hamlet, later denounced the Legendary Campaign, which aimed to unify the Utter East through conquest. To defend their honor, the leader faced Hearthe in a bloodforge battle.