The Dragon Coast
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The Dragon Coast he phrase Dragon Coast refers to the independent cities on the southern shore of the Lake of Dragons (Dragonmere) and the Sea of Fallen Stars. In a larger sense, it is used to blast the predatory and opportunistic tendencies of these various cities, and the term usually includes the pirate kingdoms that are sprinkled irregularly throughout the Sea of Fallen Stars and appear and fade with passing time. This discussion includes the Pirate Isles, as both the pirates and their prey are one of the chief rea- sons for the existence of the Dragon Coast. While one great supply of caravans swoops down through Cormyr from the Moonsea, another great wave comes across the Sea of Fallen Stars to the Dragon Coast ports, bypassing Cormyr and Sembia and moving directly into the Western Heartlands. These caravans carry rare spices (and mages) from Thay, strange balms (and gods) from the Old Kingdoms, and finely made weapons (and poisons) from the Vilhon Reach. In short, all that is profitable (and ille- gal) passes through the Dragon Coast. There are but three important cities on the Dragon Coast: Elversult, Teziir, and Westgate. Only Westgate truly lives up to the regions reputation as a sin-laden festhall of intrigue and dark adversaries, but as Westgate is the largest and oldest of the three, it sets the tones for all others. The other towns in the region are mere waystops in comparison with these three. The merchants rule along the Dragon Coast much as they do in Sembia. But unlike Sembia, on the Dragon Coast there is little drive toward cooperation on a larger goal that benefits all. Each merchant on the Coast seems to value his own property and his own hide above all. For this reason thieves guilds, long ban- ished from Cormyr and Waterdeep, have flourished along the coastline, and bandits are very active. Still, some shipborne merchants sneer at the idea of Cormyrean or Sembian officials pawing through their belong- ings and decide to take their chances with the type of bandit who uses a sword instead of a counting book. Adventurers find themselves in high demand on the Dragon Coast, but usually are sought out by shadowy masters through smooth-talking intermediaries. Respectability and honesty are a keynotes in the lands of the Dragon Coast, but that does not mean that all should be respectable and honest, only that all should appear to be respectable and honest. Travelers are warned that when dealing with a Dragon Coast merchant (or worse, a noble), one should shake hands and then count ones rings, ones fingers, and ones remaining horses. History he history of the Dragon Coast is the history of money, particularly the darker side of the coin. T Situated on the main trade routes between the Inner Sea and the Sword Coast, these lands never coalesced into a solid, coherent nation, like Cormyr or Sembia. Instead small petty city-states have risen and fallen, powered by greed and the most powerful merchant or pirate faction of the day. As a result, the Dragon Coast has always been the home of the smuggler, the pirate, the rogue, and the hired killer. It has been the place where those seeking to skirt the laws of more civilized nations to the north make landfall. It is here that the Red Wizards gain their access to the Western Heartlands, and where the Cult of the Dragon launches its plots to the south. And it is here that independent secret societies and assassin guilds have their greatest power. The last semblance of organized resistance to this trend was the reign of Verovan, last of the kings of Westgate. The monarchy of Westgate had long worked closely with the various mercantile and pirate factions, but Verovan attempted to stem the growing power of the merchant houses and petty lords. His sudden and mysterious death without acceptable heirs in 1248 DR opened the door for much of what now is commonplace in the Dragon Coastcorruption and treachery. 78 It should be noted that while Verovans name is still venerated Thinking of the Dragon Coast as a gathering of thieves and in these lands, better known is Immurk, the greatest of the Inner vultures is slightly off the mark. To think of the natives of the Sea Pirates, a brash and flamboyant rogue who united a pirate region as intermediaries and facilitators, people who make things fleet beneath him and ruled from 1164 DR to his death in 1201 happen, is much more accurate. Everyone has a price, it is said, DR. Such it is in the Dragon Coast, that good people are venerat- but the price is more reasonable in the Dragon Coast. ed, but the power of darker rogues is imitated. The natives of this land see the Cormyreans and Sembians as vul- gareven potentially evilbullies, organized gangs that may at any The Dragon moment force the cities of the Coast to obey the same rules they sad- dle their own peoples with. The Western Heartlands are a land of Coast Mindset opportunity, and many a native has caught that caravan west to set- tle in Berdusk or Soubar, leaving behind those who truly like it here. he typical native of the Dragon Coast does not think of himself Not all natives of the Dragon Coast are grasping, greedy T or herself as a Dragon Coaster, as opposed to the Cormyreans or manipulators and confidence beings. The ruler of Elversult has Dalesmen to the north. In fact, this native rarely thinks of nationality struggled to make a city worthy of the respect of its citizens, and and home city at all. Each man, woman, and other sentient is a fair merchants and good mercenary companies live in the land. nation of one, seeking to protect him-, her-, or itself from the dangers They are just extremely outnumbered by the rest of the cynical of the outside world. As a result, most of the natives here are thought society of the Dragon Coast. of as selfish at best, and rapacious and greedy in their worst moments. The natives, of course, consider themselves to he merely sensible Interesting and reasonable. Their lands see a continual progression of caravans and trade bearing wondrous items from far-off lands. A bit of the rich- Features es and exotics stays in the area, but more passes on to Waterdeep or to Thay. Is it any wonder that the typical native would wish to see a lit- he following are prominent locales and points of interest on tle more remain in the areain ones pocket, perhaps? T the Dragon Coast, presented in alphabetical order. 79 away and think this may be the true source of his goddesss grace. Elversult Located just off Temple Hill is the House of Hands, the temple Elversult is a rich merchant city located where the Overmoor to Gond. A small temple by Gondryr standards, it is captained by Trail meets the Traders Road south of the Lake of Dragons. It is a High Artificer Daragath Morliir (N hem P13). The High Artificer common place for shipments heading for Cormyr to be separated is a bright, scheming man, intent on finding out secretsevery- from those heading west to the Sword Coast. From Elversult such ones secrets. packages are routed either along the High Road north to High Elversult is the jousting ground for a secret war between the Horn or to the lake ports of Ilipur and Pros. Harpers and the Cult of the Dragon. The Cult of the Dragon con- The city is situated in a pleasant, lightly wooded area sur- trols the drug, poison, and assassin trade through a network of rounded by small lakes and kettles. Many copses of the original priests, thieves, and a few sympathetic monsters. The Harpers woods still remain, since Elversult has always been under the con- have friends in high places, reportedly including Vaerana Hawklyn trol of strong rulers, and even the most corrupt and evil of them herself. In the midst of this battle, a gang of small-timers known as have valued the woods. The center of town is dominated by a the Purple Masks is trying to make its felonious living. tall, bare tor called Temple Hill, since it is where the temples of Lathander and Waukeen have been built. Ilipur and Pros Elversult has long had a reputation as a hive of smuggling The small ports of Ilipur and Pros are called the eyes and ears of activity and intrigue, a reputation which the present ruling lady, Elversult, for it is through these cities that ships cargoes reach the Yanseldara (NG hef F11/W12) is trying to shed, aided by her Elversult, should their captains choose to avoid the thieves guilds of adventuring companion Vaerana Hawklyn (CG hf R19), with Teziir and Westgate. Ilipur and Pros are little more than villages with varying degrees of success. While open brawls in the streets are no shallow harborages and no real docks to speak of. Ships cargoes are longer common, the illegal activities in the town now take place unloaded onto flat barges and brought to shore, and new ships are underground, under magical protection, and under the cover of constructed on land and muscled into the sea (as opposed to the ship- darkness. Yanseldara took command after leading a popular rebel- wrights using dry docks, as the larger cities can afford). Pros has such lion that overthrew an older, more oppressive regime. a problem with its harbor silting up that a pilot must be rowed out to Two of the three main temples in town are located on Temple approaching ships to allow them to avoid the sand banks and bring Hill.