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 brothe r's
destruction.
The keep was the n 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
s upposedly 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 defeate d her and claimed the castle for
the mselves.
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
referre d to the person who secretly supplied me with the
history of the Zhe ntarim. 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 pl eas-
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, a dding 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. Forinstance, I have no idea how they manage d to open the
gates for my entrance without the use of magic.DENIZENS OF DARKHOLD
I didn't see the P ereghost 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 P ereghos t 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 r edi-
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 a ren'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
na me d 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 te lling sto-
ries in the Rookery about how he got hi s many stings,
and thinks himself an entertaining storyteller because
people lis ten a nd applaud. The truth is that the locals
are terrifie d of him, so they humor him while he is
in hi s 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,
banne rs taught and s napping, 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 me n and women who
aspire to join the Companions. They are the Hellride rs,
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 miracleCHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD COAST AND THE NORTH
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