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Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent!
Today I’d like to deep dive, as much as I can in a short youtube video, on
Dragonspear Castle.
It has an interesting history and was featured in one of the adventures for Acquisitions
Inc.
During the Tyranny of Dragons storyline.
At a glance Dragonspear Castle is a sprawling ruin, it appears to be desolate and abandoned.
Let’s dive in!
Dragonspear Castle was created by famed adventurer Daeros Dragonspear.
A bearded half-dwarf (don’t see many of those) that made his fortune in gems by defeating
a beholder in the subterranean city of Kanaglym.
Kanaglym was an abandoned Dwarf town that was located entirely underground.
Apparently a beholder had taken up residence with his wealth and Daeros Dragonspear took
him out.
Returning to the surface with loads of money now he decided to build Dragonspear Castle
around the lair of a copper dragon named Halatathlaer.
Halatathlaer and Daeros had befriended each other early in Daeros’ adventuring career.
The copper dragon was tired of fighting of thieving orcs and goblins, but didn’t really
want to leave his home.
So Daeros built Dragonspear Castle around the copper dragon’s lair.
It’s located just west of the High Moor which is south of Waterdeep and north of Baldur’s
Gate.
Dwarves were welcomed to the new Castle and soon the outer ward was filled with small
cottages.
This occured in 1255 DR.
The castle had four towers inward, and around the keep was a spearhead-shaped outer wall
of nine great towers.
Daeros was often seen flying over the High Moor on the dragon’s back wielding a long
spear.
They repelled orcs and goblins, trolls, and other creatures away from Dragonspear Castle,
protecting it.
Wizards, evil wizards coveted the dragon’s hoard and started to use shape-shifting magics
to spy on dragonspear castle.
To see how it was guarded and any potential weaknesses in their defenses.
They wanted that treasure hoard.
A calishite mage named Ithtaerus Casalia crafted a spell that put the copper dragon into a
magical slumber.
Then he cleverly sent a vision to Daeros that falsely showed the wizard creating a gate
that teleported the dragon away.
The gate was real, created within the heart of Dragonspear Castle but it did not teleport
the dragon.
This gate was an opening to the Nine Hells, specifically Avernus.
The gate could not fully function until it received the final ingredient, death-blood
of a mortal.
Tricked and trying to protect his dragon Daeros jumped through the portal, weapons ready.
He was slain by the wizard’s spells and his death activated the portal.
The gate opened and several devils came through.
The dwarves of Dragonspear Castle battled the devils which was an elaborate distraction,
for Ithtaerus had summoned three other dragons to take the hoard away from Halatathlaer,
the copper dragon.
The dragons fought and Halatathlaer was slain.
During this fighting the wizards looted the best stuff from the dragon’s hoard.
When it came to the last survivor, a black dragon named Sharndrel, there was nothing
but coin left.
Sharndrel was enraged and searched for Ithtaerus who was gloating over his win with wine in
the upper chambers of Dragonspear Castle.
Sharndrel blasted him with acid breath until his bones crumbled to powder.
The castle now left abandoned.
Left in ruin and raided by orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, goblins, and trolls from the surrounding
areas.
All the dwarves had died or fled.
Hobgoblin chieftains seized the castle and started using it as a base to raid caravans
on the nearby roads.
These armies of trolls, orcs, and hobgoblins grew until Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate gathered
their armies to clean out the castle.
After clearing out the castle they realized the gate to Avernus seemed indestructible,
so an armed temple to Tempus was built in the cellars to guard against any type of creature
from using the gate.
Some clever spells were placed around the gate that hurled back black magics used against
it and sent forth ghosts of creatures slain in the castle to attack those approaching
it.
Much time passed and this worked, for a bit.
Eventually devils from Avernus found the gateway and pushed through into Dragonspear Castle.
They were stealthy at first but soon great numbers came through the gate into Toril.
The temple was overrun and the devils took the castle for their own.
A group of high level adventurers from Daggerford were sent out to stop the evil that lurks
within Dragonspear Castle.
The adventure “Hordes of Dragonspear” takes place after the Time of Troubles where
PCs must battle goblins, trolls, devil generals and a dragon to stop the terror that resides
within Dragonspear Castle.
Not said in the adventure it was soon after this time that the gate was magically sealed.
Dragonspear Castle is a popular destination for adventurers and thrillseekers.
As of fourth edition the castle was swarmed by undead.
They rose up from the Nepenthe River, an underdark river that flows beneath the castle.
They slew the monsters, bandits, and devils that were living in Dragonspear Castle.
Plenty of other creatures have tried to take the castle for their own but the undead have
pushed them back as well.
A creature called Born is claiming the castle as his own, and uses the graves of the High
Moor’s lost civilizations to create an undead army.
A constant fog covers the fortress now, repelling efforts to retake it.
The undead control Dragonspear Castle as of 1479.
There isn’t too much information past the spellplague on Dragonspear Castle.
I know that it was featured in one of the main Acquisitions Incorporated games.
Also there is conflicting information thanks to fourth edition where the 4e campaign guide
states that the shrine of Tempus was overrun by the undead, but Volo’s Guide to the Sword
Coast says it was destroyed by a baatezu which is a devil from the Nine Hells.
I guess that’s the Forgotten Realms sometimes.
Thanks for watching everyone.
Thanks again to Geek Tank Games for sponsoring this video.
They showed the channel some interest so I hope you too show them some interest too.
Give the website a click and check out their Table Top Tokens.Thanks for being awesome
everyone if you enjoyed this video give it a thumbs up, and share it with a friend.
Will you’re next campaign have a side trek to Dragonspear Castle?
I’ll see you all in the next video.