Graveyard

Graveyard

Herein lie the many enemies of the Hand of Valor�those who have sought to do evil to our kin, our friends, or our countries; those who have placed the importance of their own power over the happiness or well-being of others, those who directly opposed us whether by choice or circumstance, and sometimes those that simply pissed us off. Of course, some of our enemies remain undefeated, and many of them belong to strong brotherhoods of evil. Of others, we know little, leaving them in the indetermite middle ground of neutrals and unknowns. May Lord of the Dead grant them rest--and here's hoping that they don't come back to life.

Dragon Tally: 10; Half-Dragons: 2

Zenser Tem: Leader of the terror teams infesting Deepingdale and dabbler in the Shadow Weave on the sly, Tem framed Leyodin Umanthar for the death of a merchant. He could not see through Centas' lies, and even with the power of flight he could not escape Tossel's deadly quarrels. Many questions remain, however. What were the Zhentarim doing in Deepingdale? Why did Tem seek the Songs of the Bitter
Heart? Was he truly allied with the Monks of the Dark Moon, unholy servitors of Shar? And how was he able to learn
the secrets of Shadow Weave magic?

Nimira the Duergar: Leader of the duergar claiming the Glitterhame, she led the resistance to Geode's reclamation of
his ancestral home. Ambushing Rog while he was separated from the party, she proved less of a warrior than he.

Nightscale: Cruel black wyrm, agent of corruption and decay, Nightscale laired in the lowest depths of Khundrukar,
preventing Geode from reestablishing his lordship. Though the fight claimed Sagerious' first life, Nightscale was defeated.
                                     She lives on in a tooth necklace and the beloved scale shield of Rog Uinta.

                                         Daros Hellseeker: A tiefling crusader in the name of Bane and other infernal powers, Hellseeker took control of the
                                         Temple of Lathander in Brindinford during the Speaker in Dreams incident. Though we were able to destroy him and his
                                         fellow cultists, it is still unknown why he chose to publicly reveal his presence, and to what extent his activities were
                                         connected to the mind flayer controlling Baron Euphemes.

                                         The Blessed: Leader of the Ones Who Hear in Brindinford, the alienist cabal dedicated to the Ones Beyond who dwell in
                                         a realm of pure madness, the Blessed masterminded the wyste attacks on the streets of Brindinford. We were able to stop
                                         her and her fellow cabalists in the Reality Wrinkle, but her madness made it impossible to discover her true motives. Was
                                         she a pawn of the mind flayer Axom? Was she a pawn of greater powers? Or was she the conduit for ancient and
                                         unspeakable powers?

Ghaerleth Axom: The inscrutable illithid masterminding the conquest of Brindinford, Ghaerleth Axom's true origins
and motives remain a mystery. Why did he choose Brindinford? Was he a rogue mind flayer, or merely part of a
greater conspiracy? Though we defeated him on the balcony of the Baron's manor, it is unlikely that we can ever
know the truth.

Motley Crew: An unfortunate encounter--this band of mercenaries was encountered in the woods of Cormanthor, in
the vicinity of Ossington. Their aggression led to hostilities, though we knew not why. Later, it was revealed that
this band was under the sway of the nameless mind flayer.

Dyson: A vizard lairing in the tiny hamlet of Ossington, Dyson and his allies--the shadowdancer Tully and the mad
druid Henwen--engineered the genocide of local fey and wild elves. Heedless of the destruction, Dyson pressed
                        forward with his plan to create a race of servitors by transforming animals into humans. Though he
                           attempted to lure us into destroying the remaining fey skirmishers, we instead allied with the fey and killed Dyson and his allies.
                              Though nominally successful, larger questions remain: why did Dyson want to create so many faux-humans? What did he plan
                                   to do with them once he transformed them? Why was the Cuckoo aiding them? And who is the Cathezar, who seemed to
                                       have author over Dyson himself?

                                       Mind Flayer: The second mind flayer that we encountered, this one tried to kill us after we played the role of his thralls--
                                       or so the illithid said. Though we were able to make quick work of it, the creatures role in the Standing Stone affair remain
                                       murky. Did he manipulate us somehow? Were we controlled through his mind rings? Was this creature in working alone,
                                     or was it in league with Axom?

                             Negushta Negast: Diabolic ruler over the yuan-ti of Chichen Itza, this blackguard of Sseth orchestrated the slavery of the entire
                            Otakungurua Uinta tribe, as well as the Cormyrean adventurers of the Blazing Band. We were forced to battle through several
                            layers of Nagast's underlings--the batiri tribe, the Mansa Musa and the other slavers of the Wyrmheart Mines, and finally the many
                            yuan-ti and other ophidian creatures of Chichen Itza itself--before finally defeating Nagast in the midst of a ritual to transform Kuitu Eskim (Rog's betrothed) into an evil tainted one.

The Storm King: A halfbreed giant, part cloud and part storm, the Storm King gathered to himself an army of orcs, ogres,
and lesser giants. For several months he extorted tribute from Deepingdale, until the actions of unnamed adventurers--
staging an incursion into the Thunder Gap--prompted a counter-invasion of Deepingdale. His armies cut a swath of
destruction up to the gates of Highmoon, but were stopped by the Swords of Deepingdale and their heroic commanders--
us! We followed up the destruction of his army by invading his citadel in the Gap, facing the Storm King himself and
prevailing against his overwhelming physical strength.

The Fire Bitch: The Fire Bitch was Atreides' name for the eldar fire elemental tha barred our way in Nightfang Spire--
the first enemy against whom he fell in battle. The Fire Bitch wais neither a particularly influential nor cunning enemy--
rather, it represented the triumph of solid tactics, as Atreides cold-bloodedly plotted the utter destruction of his enemy,
and mercilessly slaughtered it.

                                    Gulthias: Long ago the leader of the Cult of Ashardalon, Gulthias willingly entered unlife--along
                                     with the rest of his cult--many thousands of years ago, waiting in his crypt until the time of
                                       Ashardalon's return. Though his unholy fortress--Nightfang Spire--proved a difficult obstacle,
                                         Gulthias himself could not hope to stand against us. However, his defeat did little to comfort us, as his awakening
                                           pointed to alarming portents not only of Ashardalon's return.

                                             Thraxata: Ally of the Storm King and scourge of Archendale, Thraxata strafed the defenders of Highmoon with her
                                             fiery breath during the Deeping War, and later destroyed two entire Rides of
                                                Archendale's army. The red wyrm had become a disciple of Ashardalon, we
                                                discovered--taking a demon heart for her own--and terrorized the area around the
                                                Thunder Peaks until we took it upon ourselves to destroy her. She still rests in her
                                                volcanic lair beneath the Bloodhorn in her skeletal form, an undead guardian loyal
                                                to Atreides. But how did she learn of this vile fiendish bonding? Who brought her
                                                the demon heart? Was her rampage a result of the brewing Rage, or was it part of
                                                some other plan within Thraxata's demonic soul?

Sevoth of Shade: We knew little of Sevoth, save that he was the senior Shadovar in Mistldale, orchestrating the
destruction of the Dales' food supply (the Abbey of the Golden Sheaf) and the Siege of Glen. Regarding Sevoth,
there are far more questions than answers. Why the outright attack on Mistledale? Was he acting on the orders of
the Princes of Shade, or was he a rogue? Why was he seeking the Elfhold of Amaratharr? Was he also in command
of the team that took control of the Wishing Well?

                         Jade/Jhespias Silverblade: Slaver and spymaster for the yuan-ti in the Wyrmheart Mine deep in the heart of Chult, Jade tangled
                         with the Hand of Valor and lost, fleeing for her life. Unbeknownst to the Hand of Valor (but knownst to us), she traced us back to
                          the Thunder Peaks portal, and even unto Highmoon itself. Watching her hated enemies closely, Jade effortlessly infiltrated and took
                            control of the local underworld in a short and brutal gangwar, thereby establishing Highmoon's first organized thieves' guild in
                            history. When Sage made efforts to track her down, she threatened his employees and his shop. We tracked her down to a secret
                            guildhouse deep in the dungeons underneath the Tower of the Rising Moon, obliterating the Silverblades and Jade herself, despite
                              her calling her ally Praxis and his brother.

                            The Tenfold Trio: Atreides' name for the three beholders holding the ruins of Sschindyrlin (known to the Desmodu as Chal-
                                rekshar), these three eye tyrants were principally responsible for enslaving a number of desmodu. More importantly, in this
                                     case, they were sitting on piles of riches, and we wanted those riches. So they had to go.

                             Rourmed: Rourmed and his band, for reasons unknown, conspired to murder Eldar Bendar of the Demodu Enclave. Though
                             Loven's alertness allowed us to save the Desmodu priest and destroy the majority of Rourmed's band, we were able to learn from
                             the survivor only that Rourmed was somehow in league with the salamanders. Declining to involve ourselves any further, having
                             bigger problems to deal with, we then left the desmodu and the salamanders to solve their own problems.

                            The Nameless Mercenaries: This band of three mercs--a fire giant warrior, a halfling conjurer, and an unfortunate sun elf--ran
                             into us near the crater formed by the Fane of Scales. Though deploring the needless violence, the mercs left us little choice; we never learned why they fought us or who employed them to harass the survivors of Wormtower.

Norionil: Advisor to Amathor Talltree of Tangled Trees, Norionil manipulated Talltree into expelling all humans and half-elves from Tangled Trees. We later learned from Luvon Greencloak that Norionil belonged to the Eldreth Veluuthra, an extremist organization dedicated to the genocidal cleansing of all humans from elven lands. Though Norionil opposed us in our attempts to open diplomatic negotiations with the Amathor, eventually even resorting to assassination. Without other options, we turned the tables and assassinated him and his Veluuthra guards. Though this allowed Greencloak to install a more tolerant ruler in Tangled Trees, we know little about the Veluuthra and its reach. How many of them exist in
Cormanthor? Why the bold move in Tangled Trees? How will they react to the loss of that community?

The Bloodmoon Circle: A vicious band of People of the Black Blood--lycanthropes devoted to Malar--the Bloodmoon Circle
was another unfortunate enemy. While there was no love lost between us, the Bloodmoon lycanthropes simply stood in our
way when we needed to gain access to the Wyvernstone Circle, making violence inevitable. One by one we destroyed them,
leaving only a few alive--including Djalia Amaratharr, the bearer of her family's ancient kiira, Grolshar Twintusk, the were-
boar who betrayed his former leader, and Talgaerth Volspaan, the wearbear circle leader who we had to raise in order to
achieve Djalia's cooperation.

Erethun Rivenstave: Burgher of Harrowdale for over a decade, Rivenstave claimed power in Harrowdale soon after
a pair of dragons apparently killed the rest of the council. Inviting the Zhent Alliance into Harrowdale, he then champione
d a repressive policy that spawned vigorous resistance among the Harrans. After contacting the Resistance fighters, we
quickly scouted out Rivenstave's tower, and soon after killed him in a vicious and bloody battle. Soon after, Lhaennyl
                         Stormfist brokered an agreement that would result in the Zhent Alliance's departure, even helping us to find the still-living Harran
                                             Burghers. Several questions remain unanswered, however: whom did Rivenstave serve? Did he control the dragons
                                             that nearly killed the Burghers? Who set the fire that ravaged much of his tower? And what was the role of Bagol-
                                           Orzab, the slaad captive in his magical laboratory?

                                        Markosian, the Devil Behind Thrones: A member of the Zhentarim inner-circle, Markosian was considered by many to
                                    be Manshoons's sucessor--both for his magical skill and his his position as Fzoul Chembryl's foil. Representing a magical
                                  faction of the Zhentarim that chafed under Fzoul's rule, he sought to increase his own power by a diabolic pact with
                                 Asmodeus--freeing an aspect of the baatezu lord in exchange for a regiment of bearded devils that would allow him to conquer
                               kingdom after kingdom. We tracked him to the Rabid Dawn, fighting the pirate crew and interrupting his infernal ceremony...
                               though we weren't able to defeat him before he completed the ritual.

                                Nyxtheseht: Freed by Markosian from Lathander's iron flask, Nyxtheseht emerged intent on destroying us. It was his
                                arrogance that allowed us to prevail--for, being a devil prince, he believed that he could defeat us easily, and toyed with us at
                                first rather than battling us outright. Though sorely pressed, a combination of Loven's sure aim and the faith of Atreides and
                                Elros allowed us to forever destroy this infernal commander--and his disciple Markosian.

Antharikkan the Dracolich: An undead dragon lairing beneath Aencar's Manor, little is known about Antharikkan. We entered
his lair at the behest of Jarith Burlisk of the Abbey of the Sword, searching for ancient weapons of great power.
Making quick work of his draconic guardians, we stood before the terrifying presence of the dracolich, weathering
his corrosive breath and his fell magic and finally destroying the abomination and his attendant Dragon Cultists. Was
this a battle as simple as it seemed? What are we to make of Antharikkan's cryptic reference to Disarion? And why
does everyone keep calling Anthynian the Scion?

                                                      The Dusk Lord (?): Over a century ago the Riders of Archendale annihilated
                                                      Sessrendale, claiming that the Dusk Lord who ruled that Dale was dangerous and
                                                       evil. Now, as the Circle of Growth tries to make the salted earth of Sessrendale
                                                    bloom once more, we were asked to destroy an evil lurking in the mines, knowing that
                                                       the dead of that traumatized place could not be put to a final rest until the evil was
                                                           lifted. Penetrating the mines, we found a vasuthant--an undead creature formed
                                                             from individuals of great pride, who felt cheated by their untimely deaths. We will
                                                             never know if the vasuthant was the last remnant of the Dusk Lord, but we do know
                                                                that now it has been destroyed, Sessrendale will live again.

                                                  Imperagon, "the Lord of Iron": For many months we searched for clues to the mysterious deaths of blacksmiths across the Heartlands, finding only cold trails and cryptic riddles. Finally our enemy revealed himself: Imperagon, Lord of the Iron Fortress of Zandikar, Scion of Ashardalon the Rogue, bearer of the Blade That Was Broken. He ordered the deaths of hundreds of smiths and stole the souls of thousands more, sending his steel predators across the planes in search of craftsman that would be able to reforge the Blade of Fiery Might.We broke his power, destroyed his guardians, freed his captive souls, and finally did battle with the Lord of Iron himself deep within the gloomy fortress of the Fiend Lord Zandikar. With his death, the threat of imminent invasion of hellish hordes came to an end; yet one question remains. If Ashardalon was killed more than twenty millenia ago, how is it that he fathered Imperagon? For if it is true that the Rogue Dragon lives, then only he can be behind the doom that falls across Faerun.

Blade of Fiery Might: This ancient efreet artifact was broken long ago by djinn lords, its pieces scattered across the multiverse. Long before we met and destroyed him, the Iron Lord gathered the shards of the Blade, then embarked on a systematic program of murder and soul-theft in order to gather the greatest smiths in history to reforge the Blade. Now that the Blade's evil has been renewed, it is strong, hungering for a wielder that it can dominate or manipulate into wholesale slaughter and destruction. It may have overwhelmed Anthynian in time, but we fed the Blade to an elder spellgaunt, eater of magic, and the Blade that was Broken was broken again.