The Origins of House D'Rath

[Nyarlathotep]

Though this short story doesn't cleave exactly to ALFA canon (some of my older PCs who died in different ways make cameos and such) it serves as the basic background information for a fallen noble house that several of my PCs were connected to and that was introduced and alluded to several times in the course of my DMing. Figuire some of the peeps who played with those PCs and NPCs may be interested.

Note this updates and replaces my earlier Family Secrets tale.

[Nyarlathotep]

As per your request here is my report on the disturbing and regrettable D'Rath Affair. I do hope that they prove of some use to you as there is still much that I do not understand.

Yours in Truth,

Jacob Byrnum

[Nyarlathotep]

Chapter I

The origins of House D'Rath are lost within the murky depths of history. The first verifiable appearance of the family name occurs after the fall of Netheril in the Year of Foul Awakenings (-286 D.R.). A hedge knight naming himself Anthemius D'Rath is recorded as a participant in Westgate’s battles against the mercenaries of Orlak. The House itself claims to trace its history to the founding of Netheril and beyond (but declined to offer a simple scholar such as I access to the documents upon which they stake their claims). Regardless of the veracity of such grandiose assertions the bloodline was certainly active during Cormyr’s early history. One Johan D'Rath is cited for bravery by no less a personage than Crown Prince Azoun the First during the campaigns against the Shoon Imperium. D’Rath’s actions, which are never specified, earned him his choice of lands and the title of count. Strangely he abstained from selecting a rich and prosperous plot close to the royal court, instead settling his family on a small fiefdom nestled deep within the foothills of the Storm Horns.

The D'Rath's ruled their small county in quiet obscurity for centuries, the plots and intrigues of courtly life passing them by. They did however manage to intermarry with several of Cormyr’s great houses. In truth they developed a reputation for fecundity, so much so that it was not unheard of in some circles for barren wives to be set aside in favor of fertile D’Rath brides. As the years passed this custom fell out of favor because of persistent rumors that some of these brides were already in the family way before their marriage’s consummation, but not before a number lesser houses were spawned including the Soandraal's of Urmlaspyr, and if rumor is to be believed the Khaitavay's of Thazalhar.

It was this fecundity that first brought the House to the attention of the War Wizards. Despite rarely stirring from their Black Keep in the Storm Horns, the House of D'Rath exerted a subtle influence throughout Cormyr and neighboring lands. The Counts of D’Rath rarely possessed the power to command but in some quarters the whispers of the Count were tantamount to law. What caught the War Wizard's notice, especially that of the wily old mage Vangerdahast, was a series of seemingly unrelated incidents in 1345 D.R. that all served to advance the fortunes of House D'Rath, too many to be dismissed as simple coincidences. After years of research and digging Vangerdahast eventually uncovered a familial link between the central actors in these incidents however outside of their blood there existed no other connection, none of them were even recognized as legitimate scions of the house and no other commonalities were uncovered. They were unknown to each other, indeed they did not even seem to be aware of the existence of the others and yet their actions appeared to be directed towards the same common goals. Convinced that some plot was afoot but unable to devote the resources necessary to decipher this mystery Vangerdahast informed the War Wizards at large of his suspicions and focused his thoughts upon greater matters.

The War Wizards appointed Jestrel Minoas to direct the inquiry into this matter. Minoas in turn gathered a small team to assist him including his fellow war wizard and wife Lassa, Martin Lobar a Lieutenant in the Purple Dragons, Adel the Fox a veteran investigator from the Arabel City Watch, and myself Jacob Byrnum. We all had worked together previously and to great effect. In the past we successfully averted a plot by doppelgangers to infiltrate Arabel, rescued the child of Somstar Mellows from slavers, and recently foiled a plot by the Fire Knives to assassinate the King’s personal valet. Our success is directly attributable to our reliance upon meticulous detective work, as a team of professional investigators rather than reckless adventurers we find success where others fail. Diligence and attention to detail are more than a match for great magics or skill at arms.

Since the usual paths of inquiry led only to dead ends we found ourselves in need of fresh sources of information. Jestrel and Lassa attempted to use magics to divine answers though in light of Vangerdahast’s failure such a course was little more than an exercise in futility. Even under the best of circumstances I hold such methods in little regard but the true professional does not dismiss any possibilities. Lieutenant Lobar interviewed surviving participants of the earlier incidents but they were unable to provide anything new, Adel also failed to uncover any leads despite a thorough probing of Cormyr's seedy underbelly. For my own part I took it upon myself to delve into the mountains of documents produced by Cormyr’s bureaucracy, but without any leads as it was akin to locating a particular grain of sand within a desert.

As a matter of course I researched the history of the family itself, in the hope of gleaning some additional insights but was unable to discover anything that was not already common knowledge. My reputation as a scholar and historian proved insufficient currency to gain access to any of the primary documentation I desired, as the family proved surprisingly reticent to provide anything more illuminating than the vaguest details. This immediately aroused my suspicions for it is a rare group of aristocrats indeed who do not wish to expound upon their families long and distinguished lineage. That is not to say they did not make the usual claims to noble ancestors and heroic deeds, they merely refused to substantiate their claims in any fashion. I strongly suspected that they were attempting to conceal something and that the information that we needed could be located within the family’s annals. Nevertheless their silence made any further progress impossible.

To our chagrin it was not skill or diligence but a rather strange a bit of luck that finally provided us with solid evidence. Despite nearly two years of investigation we failed to unearth anything of relevance. We did discover a somewhat elevated mortality rate among the male members of the line and a passing reference to a coming of age ceremony called the Droch-bheart. Odd but certainly not proof of any nefarious dealings.

Then in the early days of Marpenoth we received a missive from a Captain Whatley of the Purple Dragons, a compatriot of Lieutenant Lobar’s from his days in the field. Close friends they maintained an active correspondence through which Captain Whatley was made aware of the nature of our investigations. The good Captain’s letter informed us of the apprehension a suspicious individual in the course of one of his patrols. He urged Lieutenant Lobar to travel to the edges of the Vast Swamp to assist in the interrogation, giving us his solemn vow that it would shed light upon our investigations as well. Save for the lieutenant most of us were quite dubious of the value of traveling to a fetid swamp to question a wayward bog trotter. The Lieutenant however pledged his complete faith in Captain Whatley’s judgment; additionally he felt that considering our lack of progress it would be nonsensical to ignore a potential lead. The Lieutenant’s logic was irrefutable and so I soon found myself exchanging the pleasant grounds of our manor house in Suzail for the muck and pestilence of the Vast Swamp.

On our arrival I was surprised to learn that Captain Whatley and his men were not attached to the local garrison but were instead part of a special detachment dispatched to deal with some festering wickedness. Unfortunately Captain Whatley and his men were bivouacked within the swamp itself. The garrison commander was kind enough to equip us for our journey and even provided an escort of five Purple Dragons. Jestrel protested that we would make much better time on our own but the commander was adamant that without an escort the dangers of the swamp would surely claim our party. After some spirited debate Jestrel was forced to acquiesce when the commander threatened to have his men escort us back to Suzail instead.

The matter settled we set out to find Captain Whatley and his prisoner. The trek into the swamp was as perilous as promised; if not for the expertise of our guides I have no doubt that we would have met our ends in its stagnant pools. The dangers of the swamp are beyond counting. Only an hour into our journey we were assaulted by a pack of frighteningly bold kobolds led by a scarred shaman chanting blasphemies and hurling foul magics. At one point I nearly stumbled into a nest of stirges, only quick reflexes and a bit of luck averted an untimely end. One night our rest was disturbed by the sound of a large amount of water sloshing about in the distance. Visibly shaken our guides quietly led us to another locale where we spent the rest of the night huddled in the darkness praying that the source of those sounds was not hunting us. We lost one of the Purple Dragons when something pulled him beneath the water. Finally after four days of such perils we arrived at Captain Whatley’s encampment.