Dragon's Hoard

The Dragon's Hoard was an independent trade organization that operated throughout the Underdark. The majority (if not all) of its members were worshipers of Vhaeraun.

Activities
The Dragon's Hoard was well known in Menzoberranzan as an organization that could procure anything, no matter the coast. They were particularly valued for their discreetness (such as when they stole a white rothe from House Zinard in Ched Nasad to sell to House Hunzrin in Menzoberranzan). They provided Kharza-Kzad Xorlarrin with spellbooks and forbidden books from the surface.

The band was involved with the slave trade of drow children in Skullport.

Base of Operations
The group's primary base was located near Skullport until it was destroyed in 1361 DR by Eilistraeeans and their allies. Additional bases were located in Menzoberranzan and Ched Nasad.

The group also had a surface enclave in the High Forest devoted to furthering the cause of the god Vhaeraun. Its inhabitants were mostly male drow runaways and rogues. In 1361 DR, there were few females: two drow, silver elf outcasts, and a harem of other surface elves There were a handful of children, mostly half-drow/half-surface-elf, although there was one half-drow/half-human child. Nisstyre considered the dearth of drow females a significant problem and always had his eyes out for ways to increase the female drow population of his group.

Leadership
The group was led by Nisstyre until he was killed during the attack upon his base near Skullport in 1361 DR. His son Gorlist may have taken control of the band at that point, but in any case it did not survive long in Menzoberranzan or Ched Nasad.

History
The group was founded by Nisstyre, a wizard from Ched Nasad who resented the matriarchal society of his city and ended up finding a cause to live and work for in Vhaeraun.

Around 1361 DR, the Dragon's Hoard located the magical home of Merdrith the Red Wizard in Rashemen. They raided the home for magical artifacts, running into Fyodor, a berserker who had located and retrieved the Windwalker amulet (which had been stolen from the Witches of Rashemen) from the same home. The drow obtained the amulet and attempted to return to Menzoberranzan, but they were attacked and killed by deep bats. Liriel Baenre found the corpses of the dead drow and took the amulet, a fact later learned by Nisstyre, who used his band to attempt to retrieve it, to the loss of several of his group's members.

In his search, the Menzoberranyr priestess Shakti Hunzrin allied with him, agreeing to become a "traitor-priestess" worshiping both Lolth and Vhaeraun. In order to better work with Nisstyre, she place a ruby scrying crystal in his forehead, through which she could see and hear what Nisstyre did.

Later, Eilistraeeans from the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, with the help of Liriel, Fyodor, and the deep dragon Zz'Pzora, assaulted the Dragon's Hoard base outside Skullport, effectively shutting it down in order to hamper the group's involvement in the slave trade of drow children. The Dragon's Hoard had recruited the help of Pharx, another deep dragon, but he was killed by Zz'Pzora.

After Nisstyre's death, his son Gorlist, hired the deathsinger Brindlor Zidorion to help avenge his father against Liriel. The band itself apparently did not survive intact, judging by the ruins of its headquarters in Skullport and Ched Nasad.

Members

 * Nisstyre (Called 'Misstyre' in The North p.51), Vhaeraunite wizard from Ched Nasad ; leader until 1361 DR.
 * Gorlist, son of Nisstyre.
 * Henge, Ched Nasadan priest of Vhaeraun and brother of Brizznarth.
 * Brizznarth, brother of Henge; killed in 1361 DR.

Novels

 * Daughter of the Drow
 * Windwalker