Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

DARKHOLD CASTLE
When l first beheld the great black walls of Darkhold,
I thought all the legends about it must be true. On my
second visit, I thought I'd try to confirm my suspicions.
According to legend, Darkhold's story began more
then a millennium ago, when it was known as the Keep
of the Far Hills. It was built as a summer capitol for the
so-called "giant empires." Situated in the Far Hills, the
castle was in a position to dominate trade routes north
out of the Iriaebor Valley. It could also dominate river
trade down the Yellow Snake Gorge.
The role of the so-called Giant Emperors is still a
matter of conjecture and discussion today. However,
there are some, scattered among the giant tribes of the
North, who claim to be heirs to the ancient thrones.
Whatever the truth of the empires might be, the castle
itself was definitely built for giants. Its size and con-
struction support no other explanation.
Legend has it that Darkhold was lost to the giants

due to internal strife-a pair of brothers quarreling over

their inheritance. Through poison, magic, and merce-
naries, the brothers thinned the castle's population until
only the brothers themselves were left. The two fought
and mortally wounded each other, and each dragged
himself off to die alone. The brothers' spirits are still
said to stalk the castle, each still seeking his brother's
destruction.
The keep was then occupied by a successioh of
owners, including a dragon of some repute, but it was
not until a lich claimed it that the castle came to be
known as Darkhold. The lich was called Varalla, and
supposedly she conjured all manner of evil creatures
to serve her, sending them out to dominate the lands
beyond and establish an empire of evil. Varalla ruled
Darkhold until the infamous leaders of the old Zhen-
tarim-Manshoon and Fzoul-heard tales of her wealth
in magic and gold. Lured by the promise of such rich
rewards, the pair defeated her and claimed the castle for
themselves.
Upon my arrival at the great gates to the fortress, I
found that I was expected, as I must have been watched

since entering Darkhold Vale-perhaps even before

then. After a short wait, I was met by a seneschal, a

forthright woman with a strong handshake, who warmly

referred to the person who secretly supplied me with the

history of the Zhentarim. I found myself taken aback by

this because I had thought my source and I had spoken

in confidence. As you no doubt have noticed, I've avoided

mentioning the name, gender, or physical description of

my source, for I swore an oath of secrecy. Besides my

initial shock, my exchange with the seneschal was pleas-

ant, and I was given a tour of some of the mighty castle.

When I asked about the legends of Darkhold's cre-

ation and occupation, she told much the same story as I

have told, adding a few characters from its history that I

hadn't heard of before. When asked about castle haunt-

ings, the seneschal only smiled in reply. Although it

seemed a genuine.smile, I could wring no truth from it.

Of the castle's defenses, I can say little. My tour was

limited. But I did note that, while some things on the

giants' scale have been modified to suit humans (such as

stairs and most doors), other things remain titanic. For

instance, I have no idea how they managed to open the

gates for my entrance without the use of magic.

DENIZENS OF DARKHOLD

I didn't see the Pereghost during my visit, so I can't

confirm anything about the man. But the seneschal

and everyone else with whom I conversed spoke of

the Pereghost in awed tones. Whatever the truth of

this savior of the Zhentarim, he is apparently too busy

to entertain curious visitors. While at Darkhold, I

heard the name of another leader of some importance,

Manxam, but my queries about this figure were redi-

rected to other topics, and I didn't feel comfortable

pressing the seneschal on the matter.

Of the rest of Darkhold I can relate only a little more.

The Zhentarim maintain two war units within Dark-

hold: the Storm Watch, a cadre of veteran Zhentarim

soldiers who act as heavy infantry, and the Gray Feath-

ers, archers primarily responsible for the defense of

the fortress.

These aren't the only forces Darkhold can bring to

bear, however. The years when a contingent of giants

lived in Darkhold are long gone, but in their place is an

aerie of wyverns, bred and trained to defend Darkhold

and to obey the Pereghost. Their trainer is a ranger

named Grigarr, whose body is pocked with myriad scars

from wyvern stings. The man is a greedy wretch who

claims he is now immune to the wyverns' venom, after

having been stung so many times. He loves telling sto-

ries in the Rookery about how he got his many stings,

and thinks himself an entertaining storyteller because

people listen and applaud. The truth is that the locals

are terrified of him, so they humor him while he is

in his cups.

ELTURGARD

Ah Elturgard! If any place in the world exemplifies

humanity's potential for greatness, it is this nascent

nation. Who could forget the shining sight of a host of

its Companions, paladins all, riding out on the field,

banners taught and snapping, breastplates and shields

agleam with the symbol of Elturgard, and each bearing

a holy symbol of his or her god-armor for the soul. We

have no shortage of the good and the just among my

people, but the sheer zeal and genuine bravado the Com-

panions have in pursuit of righteousness seems to me

something uniquely human. And it's not just those few

touched by the gods who seek these high ideals; Eltur-

gard's armed forces swell with men and women who

aspire to join the Companions. They are the Hellriders,

so named because long ago warriors of Elturel literally

rode through a gate into the Nine Hells to pursue and

destroy devils that had been plaguing their people. With

these bright examples to look up to, is it any wonder that

the common people of Elturgard also tend to be devout

in their pursuit of justice and worship of the gods?

Oh how bright Elturgard's light burns! If only it could

last. Humans are, after all, short-lived creatures, and

fickle in their faith and attentions. Elturgard is the prod-

uct of just a generation or two of humans, and it seems

implausible that it will last many more. Sadly, I think I

shall witness Elturgard diminish. But it was a miracle

CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH

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