Page 109 - Serpent Kingdoms

REALMS

western edge of the Forest of Wyrms—and hence the ruins of in the forest, Aluena is so preoccupied with keeping her holdings
Ss’thar’tiss’ssun. and the village of Serpent’s Cowl safe that she can spare little
Ere the death of Terpenzi, fi rst king of Najara, the yuan-ti time for policing the tent city downstream. She continues to sell
took over the Great Petrifi ed Serpent and transformed it into a trained pegasi to wealthy adventurers for 5,000 gp each.
fortress. The tail had already been hollowed out by a Netherese Illith’arear: In the eastern reaches of the Forest of Wyrms
archwizard during the Netherese Age of Discovery (–1205 DR lies the Redwood Ring, an ancient druid circle thought to
to –696 DR) and turned into a sorcerer’s tower (now home to date back to the height of Shantel Othreier. Unlike most such
Ssenstyr Sresshin, CE male halfblood yuan-ti sorcerer 16 of circles, which consist of stone menhirs, the Redwood Ring is a
the Coiled Cabal). Deep beneath the serpent’s tail, ophidian circle of living redwood trees, each of which has a rune-graven
craftsmen have since fashioned a stunning palace built around menhir embedded in the depths of its trunk. This abandoned
a pool that has magical healing properties—a favorite retreat druidic circle is barely identifi able as such because so many
for wounded nagara. other trees have grown up in and around the original ones.
The central arch of the serpent, which spans the River Potent weavings of the Art still linger amidst the trees of
Catherine, has been hollowed out to serve as both a covered Illith’arear, but the jaculis that infest the region quickly devour
bridge and a merchant’s trading area. Beneath the serpent’s most interlopers.
head, one tunnel leads away into some ancient, gnome-dug Ithkyxan’s Lair: Ithkyxan, one of the twelve spirit nagas
salt mines, which now serve as waystations for visiting yuan-ti currently serving King Ebarnaje, is also the appointed guardian
and connect to the network of tunnels that crisscrosses the of a pair of portals linking the border of the High Moor and
Serpent Hills region. Lower still, another level serves as a the Serpent Hills with the depths of Halaster’s Halls. The portal
subterranean prison. from the Slitherswamp level of Undermountain opens onto an
The mouth of the great petrifi ed serpent is the destination area of rolling grasslands in the shadow of the Serpent Hills.
of a one-way portal from the outskirts of Surkh, and the obser- Some 3 miles away, in a bowl-shaped valley between two rocky
vatory atop the tip of the tail holds a skull-shaped portal that ledges, lies an ancient Anaurian tomb that Ithkyxan plundered
leads to Skullport (specifi cally the bowels of Zstulkk Ssarmn’s two decades ago. Now guarded by a company of fi fty yuan-ti
private residence) when used with the correct key (a live snake warriors, the old tomb opens onto the subterranean Lake of
or snake and skull). The wrong key (a disembodied skull alone) Bones, which is fed by an underground waterfall from a spring
deposits the unwary in the Barrens of Doom and Despair. The deep in the hill. An ancient shrine to Mask lies in the depths,
two portals are now part of a network linking the Black Jungles, near a portal that has two keyed destinations. One key operates a
the outskirts of Surkh, the Serpent Hills, and the depths of one-way portal that opens in the depths of Skull Pool on Level
Undermountain. The portal to Skullport, however, dates back Three of Undermountain; the other opens a two-way portal to
to the era of the Netherese, when it connected a Netherese the Dungeon of Swords. Only Ithkyxan and its fellow spirit
demesne with the Sargauth Enclave. nagas know the secret of the portal keys.
Harkstag: The ruined village of Harkstag lies northeast of Keep of the Lizard King: King Amiskal rules the lizard-
neighboring Serpent’s Cowl. Because it lacked the protective folk and muckdwellers of the Serpent Hills from an ancient
wards of Ss’thar’tiss’ssun, Harkstag was destroyed in the Year Anaurian tomb that, once plundered, was converted into living
of the Snarling Dragon (1279 DR) by one of the green dragons quarters. The former crypt is carved into a hillside in the north-
living in the Forest of Wyrms. ern reaches of the Serpent Hills, and Amiskal’s throne rests atop
Before its destruction, the village was home to Garshond the dais where the sepulcher once lay. A secret portal somewhere
of Helm and his fl edgling temple-keep, the Watch-Tower of in the crypt connects with the portal network centered on the
the Vigilant. Backed by the merchant families who attended Dungeon of Swords.
his Council of Helm, Garshond founded the Vigilant Riders to Lyran’s Hold: Due east of Boareskyr Bridge, on the western
protect the roads linking Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and Irieabor edge of the Forest of Wyrms, lie the ruins of a stronghold built
in the Year of Flowers (1265 DR). Garshond’s efforts incited the by Lyran, a well-known bandit lord. The ravages of time and
brigands and goblin tribes of the region, uniting them against several battles between green dragons in search of lairs long ago
him in a series of battles that became known as Garshond’s War destroyed the keep itself. All that remains is a dark, overgrown
(1266 DR to 1268 DR). stone tower atop an extensive underground complex of storage
Today, the ruins of Harkstag and the Watch-Tower serve as caverns and passages—now monster-infested.
a secure base for the yuan-ti of Najara. From there, the serpent- Harpers and other heroes used to journey to the forest to
folk can keep a close eye on events in and around Serpent’s Cowl, battle a fallen archlich who lived here, but two adventurers
the Trade Way, and the banks of the Winding Water. fi nally slew him and occupied the tower in the Year of the
Heartwing Estate: Heartwing Estate is a pegasus-breeding Prince (1357 DR). Durg Earthforge (NE male shield dwarf
farm owned by Aluena Halacanter (N female human wizard rogue 10) and Songya of Baldur’s Gate (LE female Tethyrian
9/Harper mage 3), one of three adventurers who used to main- human cleric 11 of Loviatar), now the self-styled lords of
tain order in the tent city south of Boareskyr Bridge. With the the hold, nurse ambitions of controlling the lucrative trade
departure of her companions and the rising threat of the yuan-ti that passes over Boareskyr Bridge. Skeletons and zombies, still

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