The Border Kingdoms - A Forgotten Realms Campaign Supplement

1490S DR BORDER KINGDOMS PLOTS

CONSPIRACIES AND PLOTS ABOUND WITHIN these names for mighty items: the Targe of Eidolons,
the Border Kingdoms. What follows is just a the Oroandar, and the Vorlstar.
smattering of the schemes in play at any given
time. Whatever item hidden in (or under) the Grand
Duchy of Shantal, that powers its gone-wild wards,
Hunt for the Mighty might well be one of these “Mighty.” Or, something
else entirely…
During the Sundering, one of the reasons High Prince
Telamont Tanthul of Thultanthar wanted Myth Usurpers in the Making
Drannor conquered was to seize the power of its
manyfold mythals, or failing that destroy them and Azoun IV of Cormyr was notorious in his younger
take possession of the magic items he was certain days for fathering many bastards, and more than a
were anchoring them. few of them found their ways to new lives in
obscurity all over Faerûn, including in the Border
In ancient times, several cultures (including those Kingdoms. Where a handful of their descendants
of Jhaamdath, Mir, and Imaskar) separately have now been traced by the offspring of disgraced
developed a habit of investing enchanted items with and exiled Cormyrean nobles, notably Alaskar
power upon power, and eventually magically linking Goldsword and Arphoind “Swordscar” Bleth and his
such “mighty” items to lesser enchanted items or sister Anamarra Bleth, who are preparing these
ongoing magical effects (such as “fields” or “wards”) “rightful Obarskyr claimants” for various bids to
and using them as what we real-world moderns seize the Dragon Throne, covertly seeking support
might refer to as both a “control switch” and a among disaffected nobles resident in Cormyr as they
“battery” for the entire network. locate and judge suitable mercenary troops, and
amass coin enough to engage them.
A few such items, notably from the Jhaamdathan
city of Corrant, have long lain scattered and hidden All of the five major factions are aware of some of
across what is now the Border Kingdoms. these schemes; the Zhentarim want them to succeed
(their thinking being: it doesn’t matter who prevails,
In the 1330s DR, the Wearers of the Purple (Cult of so long as Cormyr is shattered in the strife), and the
the Dragon) became aware of this through perusal of other factions want them to fail for a variety of
crumbling diaries from mages’ tombs they reasons, so nipping such bids in the bud right now,
plundered, and started hunting these items. All of in the Border Kingdoms, is something being
the searchers perished before finding much of ferociously but covertly pursued.
anything, but some of their records fell into the
hands of certain mages, and thence by misadventure Right now, Alaskar Goldsword is backing two
into the grasp of some renegade Zhentarim—and claimants (without telling either about the existence
now, the hunt is on anew, by certain agents of the of the other), Arphoind is readying one claimant
Zhentarim, the Lords’ Alliance, and the Order of the with the knowledge and assistance of his sister, and
Gauntlet, who are scouring the Border Kingdom for Anamarra has three more claimants up her sleeve
hints of the whereabouts and natures of these but hasn’t enlightened her brother or any of the
mighty items, but keeping what they’re doing secret claimants about her schemes.
even from many fellows in their factions. Both the
Harpers and the Emerald Enclave know something is Alaskar has—by means of trusted go-betweens
afoot, and are trying to capture and interrogate, or (veteran traveling merchants who know very well
better yet overhear unguarded converse of, various which side of their loaves are buttered)—contacted
hunters, so as to find out what’s going on. Sedmond Scoril, Vhondyn Braerwinter, and Balontar
Calantar, the patriarchs of their houses, to see if
The precise form, means of wielding, and powers they’ll support Dazark Malanchar, a great-grandson
of these “mighty” items—which may well be of Azoun IV, in a bid for the throne. It is understood
damaged or failing, after so much time and that the three patriarchs would personally gain
mistreatment, and the ravages of the Spellplague— dukedoms, with much land and coin to go with them,
are unknown, but popular forms Jhaamdathan become the privy council advising (controlling) the
enchanted items took included bracers and what installed King Dazark, and that various Scorils,
later observers sometimes called “stars” (that is, Braerwinters, and Calantars would gain offices (paid
floating metal items that had projecting-in-many- positions of authority) at Court.
directions spikes). Old and confused legends yield
Arphoind is offering very much the same sort of
arrangement to Flondar Tavernant and Houl Illance

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on behalf of his claimant, Trest Sandrannar (a Inside, the ship has been hollowed out by its
grandson of Azoun IV and a man of advanced years current owner, a death tyrant known as
whom Arphoind is promising would marry one of Quurlanxlam (“Koo-url-ANGS-lam”), to be its lair.
the Tavernant daughters and make her his queen). It There, surrounded by four devoted mindwitnesses
is understood that the Bleths would be restored to (altered beholders mind-linked to their undead
their lands, properties, and good standing, their exile beholder “lord”) and served by a handful of flind and
rescinded, and that Arphoind would become Lord of living gnolls and a small army of gnoll witherlings, it
the Treasury. Houl Illance would be named Lord plots world domination, intending to fly and conquer
High Marshal of the Realm, and given control of the fortresses and towns around the Sea of Fallen Stars.
Purple Dragons and all Obarskyr-owned ships to use To accomplish this, Quurlanxlam sees the need for
for his own trading-enrichment. The new king, armed hosts to fight on its behalf, and intends to get
marshal, and treasury lord would work together to them by offering goblins of the Underdark, who have
swiftly and ruthlessly execute all War Wizards not been cautiously exploring up through the dungeons
willing to swear personal loyalty to all three. of Launshar to raid the surface world, with an eye to
However, Tavernant and IIllance are wary of eventually plundering the Bright Realms Above in
Westgate (still ruled by the patriarch of the Bleth earnest, transport to raid and then conquer target
family, Jaundamicar), and of the Fire Knives thieves’ after coastal target; a few villages and keeps at first,
guild whom the First Lord of Westgate controls, and then perhaps the city of Westgate.
gaining influence in Cormyr, and are proceeding
with Arphoind’s scheme very slowly. Quurlanxlam has heard (false) rumors that
Westgate is home to some beholder cults (of the
Anamarra has made common cause with two urban sort: secret societies that each worship a lone
great-granddaughters of Azoun, Ilandra Maraster beholder hidden somewhere in or under a city; there
and Lalyra Prendrar, and one great-great-grandson, are such beholder cults in certain Chessentan and
Brace Farandar, without proceeding beyond the “I’m Sembian cities, and a distorted description of the
gathering support for you, but you must keep very Xanathar in Waterdeep might lead a hearer to think
quiet, as Cormyr has sent out assassins to find and it was the center of yet another beholder cult, but to
dispose of possible threats to the Crown” stage. Quurlanxlam, “the Xanathar” is a title once held by a
beholder it knows was killed, long ago). So the lord
All of these claimants are living in the Border and helm of The Night Arrow wants Westgate
Kingdoms under various assumed names, under the conquered and the beholder there found and
protection (and watchful scrutiny) of Alaskar, destroyed; thereafter, it intends to hire the best
Arphoind, and Anamarra respectively; they have human adventurers it can to hunt down all other
been moved about, are guarded, and can be whisked beholders they may hear of, so the armies of
hurriedly away to other strongholds and hideholds if Quurlanxlam can rend them, too.
need be.
Quurlanxlam is as paranoid as any other beholder;
The Night Arrow the mere existence of beholder rivals make it
restless, and it aches for them all to be found and
Thus far unbeknownst to the Border Kingdoms and destroyed. It has a whimsical sense of humor (hence
other realms of Faerûn, a Halruaan skyship of the name it bestowed on its skyship home) and a
maverick design sits hidden in the Realm of the particular brilliance for devising magical rituals by
Mount; it resembles a weather-mottled stone keep observation, deduction, and experimentation—
tower and stands within the crumbling stone walls which is how it managed to acquire its mindwitness
of Launshar, a onetime baronial castle and later servitors and create so many gnoll witherlings.
wizard’s stronghold whose central buildings were so
magically altered that they exploded during the Right now, Quurlanxlam needs human
onset of the Spellplague—so to most scrutiny, today, adventurers to act as go-betweens, contacting the
the skyship is simply part of a long-abandoned castle. goblins and bringing them to it for negotiations (it
will promise both the adventurers and the goblins
In the air, The Night Arrow looks like a cylinder of just about anything to get their cooperation, as it has
stone torn up from its foundations—jagged lower no intention of ultimately being bound to any
end and all—and given the magical power of silent bargains it makes), and also as scouts to glean
flight (which can be horizontal, vertical, inclined in a intelligence about how best to assault its targets
diagonal manner, end-first, side-first, rolling, around the Inner Sea. (Quurlanxlam sees wealth as
tumbling, or hovering in place, as its helm desires). merely a tool to move lesser creatures to do its
The long-dead Halruaan eccentric who designed and bidding, and will be quite content to pay or bribe
crafted this flying home for himself fashioned it to anyone handsomely to carry out missions for it, or
look like a tower; despite its dilapidated appearance, refrain from doing certain things. And where offers
its enchantments remain strong.

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of payment fail, perhaps fear or blackmail will takeovers are going to be quiet, with conquering
succeed.) adventurers setting themselves up as replacement
“barons” of each place, not announcing a new
So any adventurers exploring The Night Arrow will kingdom or their allegiance to it. With Malantar
be lured by “fleeing” gnoll witherlings into the having holds over them with fictitious poisons and
presence of the death tyrant, surrounded by a antidotes (as in, “I’ve already poisoned you; you’re
protective ring of mindwitnesses (who float above doomed if you don’t obey me, because I’ll stop giving
plenty of melted-together, wagon- to warchest-sized you tiny doses of antidote”), and equally fictitious
“big spiky balls” of melted-together metal javelins, (for new) spying mages.
spears, swords, axes, and spikes they can telekinese
at or to drop atop intruders), for a parley. As The Emerald Hand
adventurers approach the open heart of the ship,
where Quurlanxlam floats, the death tyrant will helm One of the secrets of the Emerald Enclave faction is
the skyship to gently rise up out of the castle ruins to that they’ve come to view the Border Kingdoms as a
hover 200 feet or so in the air (so fleeing PCs will vital battleground where the infiltration and
face a long, long drop). If negotiations go well, the increasing influences of other factions must be
ship will gently return whence it came; adventurers thwarted (a “line in the sand” they will defend). In
may never even know it moved at all. particular, attempts by agents of the Zhentarim, the
Lords’ Alliance, and even the Order of the Gauntlet to
Adventurers who learn too much of what the improve roads, lawkeeping and surveillance, and
death tyrant wants of them and then refuse to work settlement, at the expense of the wilderness and
with it must be destroyed before they can warn wild beasts (“monsters”), must be thwarted.
anyone, or spread damaging rumors (that rival
beholders may hear). Adventurers who play along The clearing and taming of Border Kingdoms lands
may earn handsome pay for scouting or envoy must be slowed, by keeping local Border rulers
missions—but may well learn the hard way that feuding and opposed to each other if need be—and,
Quurlanxlam, like all beholders, believes in setting as the Harpers have traditionally sought to do, to
layers of spies to watch over its underlings. keep rulers weak and small in reach rather than
allowing large kingdoms or empires to arise, which
Rise of the Sword King the Zhentarim can more easily corrupt, and the
Lords’ Alliance co-opt.
Right now, all Jureth Malantar has is a cave home in
the wild southern fringes of Qurth Forest, a small Agents of the Enclave are numerous and energetic
fortune that he’s spending fast, and grand dreams. in the Borders, working constantly (often in small,
subtle ways) to slow power gains among local rulers,
Specifically, he dreams of conquering many to “balance out” skirmishes and prevent clear victors
realms—the Border Kingdoms first (yes, all of them), and especially one land conquering another. In the
and then as much as he can of the lands around Border Kingdoms, Enclave agents will ruthlessly
(starting with the cities of Ormpur and Sheirtalar). eliminate known agents of other factions if it seems
However, he’s not as crazed as most “everything best to their goals. In the Borders, aid from another
shall be mine!” folk. Rather, he’s sly and shrewd. Enclave agent is never far away—and deeply-
Knowing full well he hasn’t coin enough to assemble, undercover Enclave spies watch everyone, including
feed and house a large enough mercenary army, fellow Enclave agents, for signs of treachery or
without forewarning all Borderers with the imminent failure, so they can send in unlooked-for
mustering, he’s hit upon the notion of hiring bands assistance and “save the day” for the Emerald
of adventurers to conquer hamlet, thorp, village, city, Enclave.
and land after Border land by stealth and storm,
using the resources of what’s been taken against the The Harpers are collectively aware of these efforts,
next target. He’s assembled four adventuring bands but the other factions have been slow to realize it;
already, but is looking to recruit more, as they begin the Zhentarim, the Lords’ Alliance, and the Order of
with a covert sidle-and-murder-by-night assault on the Gauntlet are still at the “individual members
Syrnt. His strategy is to “take” weak places all over starting to realize something’s going on, without yet
the Borders, not conquer one and then assault the quite grasping what it is” stage.
place next door in a predictable manner. And his

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ART CREDITS Irlian friendship ring image: public domain from
openclipart.org
Farm landscape: A Farm in the Sunlight, by
Meindert Hobbema (1668), public domain from Ruined towers image: Fantasy Art Pack, from
Wikimedia Commons Arcana Games on dmsguild.com by Ekaterinya
Vladinakova
Doppelganger image: Stock Art: Blackmon
Doppelganger, from Rogue Genius Games on Castle guardians image: DMs Guild Creator
RPGnow.com by Jacob E. Blackmon Resource - Construct Art, by Wizards of the Coast on
dmsguild.com
Ghost lancer image: DMs Guild Creator Resource -
Undead Art, by Wizards of the Coast on Halargh Orlum image: Stock Art: Half-Orc/Half-
dmsguild.com Ogre, from Purple Duck Games on RPGnow.com by
Michael Scotta
Durlusk market image: Environment Stock Art Pack,
from Arcana Games on dmsguild.com by David Dread King Helemvo image: DMs Guild Creator
Revoy Resource - Undead Art, by Wizards of the Coast on
dmsguild.com
Emrystarl’s ghost image: DMs Guild Creator
Resource - Undead Art, by Wizards of the Coast on Rymdan wraith image: DMs Guild Creator Resource
dmsguild.com - Undead Art, by Wizards of the Coast on
dmsguild.com
City image: Environment Stock Art Pack, from
Arcana Games on dmsguild.com by David Revoy Horse in pasture landscape: Gray horse in pasture,
by Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1806), public domain
Cask of Old Oakey image: public domain from from Wikimedia Commons
openclipart.org
Fishing village landscape: Fishing Village on the
Four Stags image: Environment Stock Art Pack, from Exe, by Robert Gallon, public domain from
Arcana Games on dmsguild.com by David Revoy Wikimedia Commons

Meadow landscape: Old Orchard at Newport, by Teland Arkarkur image: Classic Stock Art Pack,
William Trost Richards (1875), public domain from from Arcana Games on dmsguild.com by Mariana
Wikimedia Commons Ruiz Villarreal

Paersraede Mythlyn image: ART008 Female Border Kingdoms map: Wizards of the Coast, used
Human Wizard Stock Art, by Matthew Richmond on with permission
dmsguild.com

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