D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

eventually ceded control to Methrammar, leader of the
city’s army and son of its most famous ruler, Alustriel.
Though Methrammar remains leader of Silverymoon
and a member of the Lords’ Alliance, he is too forthright
and earnest to succeed as a diplomat. As such, Taern
was sent to the Council of Waterdeep in his stead.
Silverymoon has a large army and many wizards who
would greatly assist in the coming battle, but Taern has
not lived this long by being rash. He is one of the most
cautious delegates, knowing that Silverymoon’s great
wards of protection have stood against dragons before.
Fearing that committing soldiers to the effort against
the Cult of the Dragon might leave the city weakened,
Taern needs to know that the party w ill protect any
troops he lends to the coalition. As such, he seeks
to gather as much information as possible about the
adventurers and other potential allies.
S i r I s t e v a l
Law ful good male human paladin
Ideals: Tradition, honor (“Against Tiamat, we
either stand together or fall alone. W ho w ill stand
with Cormyr?”)
Interaction Traits: Honorable, wise, dour
Pledged Resources: The might of Cormyr, including
Purple Dragon Knights and War Wizards
Sir Isteval is a former adventurer and Purple Dragon
Knight of Cormyr. Though not an actual member of
the Lords’ Alliance, he is present at the Council of
Waterdeep as the alliance’s nominal representative for
Daggerford. That small settlement can contribute little
to the effort to defeat the Cult of the Dragon, however,
and in truth, Isteval has been drafted by Cormyr to
gain insight into what looks to be a war brewing on its
western border.
Isteval has too much respect for the other delegates to
hide this information from them, and he assures those
present that his loyalties—to Daggerford, to Cormyr,
to the Lords’ Alliance, and to all good folk—are not at
cross-purposes. This forthright approach nevertheless
causes an uproar among other delegates, and the
adventurers must take a hand in insuring that Isteval is
not expelled from the council meetings.
A veteran dragon slayer, Isteval bears a wound in his
leg that resists magical healing, and he walks with a
cane made from a bone of the green dragon that dealt
him the injury. The paladin can be a helpful source of
dragon lore, but his advice is always guarded. He sees
his infirmity as a reminder from his god Lathander of
the dangers of hubris. As befits his deity’s ethos, Isteval
has chosen to treat his injury as a reason to encourage
the heroics of others even as his own legend fades. Still,
at times like these when the world needs heroes, he
doesn’t like being reminded that he must watch the fight
from the sidelines.
Isteval believes in heroes as the spark that can ignite
the flames of righteousness in others and the light that
chases away the darkness of evil. Seeing this spark in
the adventurers makes the paladin one of the party’s
strongest advocates at the Council of Waterdeep, as long
as they pursue a principled path.
S ir Isteval has much in common with Ontharr Frume
of the Order of the Gauntlet. The two are potential allies
in all things, which worries some of the other Lords’
Alliance members.
T h e Z h e n t a r i m
The Zhentarim—also known
as the Black Network—is a
loose affiliation of merchants,
mercenaries, and malefactors.
Common folk know the
Zhentarim as the people to
talk to when you need the best
guards or mercenaries money
can buy. And if the cargo is
shady or the cause you’re
fighting for is questionable or
even unjust, the Zhentarim
don’t mind.
Affiliation with the Zhentarim
can be profitable to sellswords,
thieves, and rogues of every stripe. It’s plausible that
adventurers in your campaign might become members
of the organization—but like most residents of Faerun,
they won’t know the full extent of the Zhentarim’s
operations and goals.
Unknown to all but a few, the heart of the Zhentarim
is a cabal of evil and sometimes monstrous leaders
who seek to extend the Black Network’s blood-soaked
reach into every assassination, black market, and illegal
deal that happens in Faerun. The order’s crim inal
connections burrow into every major city and thieves’
guild in the Western Heartlands and along the Sword
Coast. Wherever a city’s coinage is disastrously
undermined by counterfeiting, wherever an up-and-
coming business runs roughshod over its established
competitors, and wherever a political struggle turns
to widespread intimidation, it’s a safe bet that the
Zhentarim are involved.
However, engaging in mainstream corruption and
wanting to see Tiamat ascendant are two different
things. The Zhentarim have no illusions about what
the Dragon Queen’s return would mean for their plans.
Wanting to secretly rule the world from the shadows for
themselves, the leaders of the Black Network have no
desire to become agents and errand-runners for some
petty god and her dragon cohorts.
This viewpoint makes the Zhentarim an interesting
addition to the characters’ possible allies. Under normal
circumstances, the Harpers, the Lords’ Alliance, the
Order of the Gauntlet, and the Emerald Enclave would
shun ties to the Black Network—and possibly arrest
its emissaries. However, the crisis created by the Cult
of the Dragon is unprecedented. Every resource that
can be mustered w ill be needed in the final showdown
against the cult, and the Zhentarim’s network of spies,
assassins, and mercenary armies cannot be ignored.
Even with the fate of the world and the Zhentarim’s
own future hanging in the balance, the order demands
payment for services—and where need and risk are
greatest, the pay is expected to be equally great. This
mercenary attitude does not sit well with the Lords’