Well of Dragons

The Well of Dragons was the name of the fortress operated by the Cult of the Dragon, built within a dormant volcano that once served as an ancient dragon graveyard. While it originally served as the location where cultists would facilitate dragons' transformations into dracoliches, it was later converted into a temple dedicated to the Dragon Goddess Tiamat.

"Severin's Cult of the Dragon is gathering an army with their new Thayan allies in a place called the Well of Dragons...they've been raiding towns up and down the Sword Coast, amassing a vast hoard of treasure, and taking prisoners...Severin is planning a ritual to summon the dragon goddess, Tiamat from the Nine Hells!

Elminster himself is calling upon representatives from all over to meet him at the Well of Dragons. We could also use any support we can get..."

- Boward, agent of the Harpers.

Description
The citadel was built at the bottom of the caldera of a once-active volcano. Its steep walls led down the deep crater, the floor of which was lined with the remains of hundreds upon hundreds of dragons. Natural caverns and volcanic tunnels wound through the earth surrounding the caldera, alongside crude tunnels and chambers that were dug by the Cult's laborers.

The site was a legendary graveyard of dragons, shrouded in shadow magic. Historically it was the place many dragons would travel to to when they were ready to die a natural death. It was filled with much of the riches and treasure they had hoarded in their life.

Following the Cult's takeover of the site, it was no longer a site to where dragons went to die, rather the place where they could negotiate their future immortality.

Geography
It was located the canyonlands north of the River Reaching and Sunset Mountains, southeast of the Battle of Bones and some ways east of Skull Gorge.

About a mile to the east was a small—and appropriately named—Dire Dragon inn. This inn was all that remained of the village of Ladydove, which itself destroyed by the actual Dire Dragon, Uthagrimnoshaarl, guardian of the Well of Dragons.

Structure
Within the Well of Dragons was a large cavern referred to as the Chamber of Ascendance. This space was used by the original Cult of the Dragon to transform living dragons into "Sacred Ones". These dragons were set upon a large ritual platform as the transformation process began.

Decades later, the floor of the caldera was repurposed to house construction of Tiamat's Temple. This was the site where the Cult of the Dragon planned for Tiamat to make her triumphant return to Toril and the Prime Material plane.

Activities
Throughout the late 14 century, the Well of Dragons served as the sole location where the Cult of the Dragon attempted to transform dragons into dracoliches.

Leadership
Throughout much of its existence the Well of the Dragons was overseen by the dragon cult leader Vargo Kent. Little was heard of "Vargo the Faceless" after Severin Silrajin took over as leader of the cult and altered its driving cause.

Defenses
To dissuade invaders, the landscape around the Well of Dragons was concealed with illusory terrain that originated from the inherent shadow magic that permeated its depths. This line of defense was weakened when moonlight was more prevalent.

The citadel itself was well defended as it often came under attack from treasure hunters and dragons angered by the cult's beliefs. Over the decades, these defenses were bolstered significantly. As the Cult rededicated itself to Tiamat, it amassed a powerful army, that included thousands of mercenaries, monstrous beasts, giants, and even devils from the Nine Hells.

Origins and Cult Takeover
The origins surrounding the discovery of the dragon graveyard varied slightly between recounts. Some scholars stated it was uncovered by the Cult of the Dragon cell based in the Western Heartlands, in the, while others attributed its discovery to the the Sembian cell, made in the. Regardless of which group arrived first, those cultists found the site was guarded by an undead shadow dragon known as Uthagrimnoshaarl the Dire Dragon. Initially, Uthagrimnoshaarl merely allowed the cultists to say their peace and flee his domain, before graciously allowing them to leave with their lives.

Eventually, the dragon cultists managed to somehow free Uthagrimnoshaarl from the magic that bound it to the dragon graveyard, allowing them to begin construction of their grand citadel. The cult's efforts were fraught with missteps however, as construction was poorly planned out. The fact that mere humans were disrupting a site sacred to dragonkind led to numerous dragon attacks during initial excavation of the Well. Other groups attempted to interfere as well, including bands of adventurers, sages, numerous groups dragonkin, and even yuan-ti, each out for their own interests. In the end, constriction of the citadel was taken over by the Sembian cell of the Cult, led by the warlord Naergoth Bladelord. Over 250 laborers worked tirelessly for years, and the fortress at the Well of Dragons was finally completed in the.

It was that same year that Vargo Kent's apprentice Reveilaein Brant uncovered an ancient tablet of Kalzareinad that detailed the process of how even a half-dragon could undertake a process to become a dracolich.

Rededication to Tiamat
By the late 15 century DR, the Cult of the Dragons' plots had shifted. As the group came upon the leadership of Severin Silrajin, they forewent their obsession over dracoliches and other undead dragons for veneration of the goddess Tiamat. As of the 1480s DR, they intended to summon Tiamat to Toril from the Nine Hells.

To achieve this, the dragon cultists began to amass treasures of all sorts—including piles of gold, finely-crafted weapons and armor, gems of all sorts, and valuable tomes —from across the Sword Coast and beyond, and hoarded them at the Well of Dragons as an offering to the Dragon Queen. They amassed all their numbers at the Well in anticipation of her arrival, and even forged an alliance with the Red Wizards of Thay.

As the cultists neared their goal in the 1480s DR, they managed to sound the Draakhorn, summoning chromatic dragons far and wide to the Well of Dragons. With their massive hoard and draconic allies en route, Severin and the cultists merely had to perform their ritual and sacrifice innocents they had captured to entice Tiamat to the Prime Material plane.

Groups of across the Western Heartlands and Sword Coast—such as the Lords' Alliance, the Harpers, and even the Zhentarim—banded together to work against the cult's schemes. Heroes like Laeral Silverhand, Connerad Brawnanvil, King Melandrach, Linu La'neral, Fitzhugh Montgomery, and Elminster himself each played a role in helping prevent the ascendance of draconic domination. Even cult traditionalists like the vampire Sandesyl Morgia played a role in the assault on the Well of Dragons.

Despite everyone's efforts, the Cult of the Dragon did manage to finally lure Tiamat from her lair in the Nine Hells and summoned her to her temple within the Well of Dragons. The cult's efforts were thwarted however by a group of adventurers and their allies from the Council of Waterdeep, with help from the treacherous Red Wizards.

Rumors & Legends
Tales about the Well of Dragons spread across taverns across the Realms. Most people believed them to be mere fanciful stories, with no source of truth to them.

A grand opera, entitled The Fall of Tiamat, was written and performed following the Dragon Queen's defeat at the Well of Dragons. It was still being performed in Waterdeep as of 1492 DR.

Inhabitants
In addition to its own members, the Cult of the Dragon employed a variety of magical creatures to guard the Well of Dragons, including guard drakes, numerous flesh and stone golems, and at least one air elemental used to continually sound the Draakhorn.

Notable Inhabitants

 * Arleanda, an especially academic Wearer of Purple and cleric of the god Velsharoon.
 * Arsekaslyx, the "Guardian of the Well", a pseudonatural red dragon that offered much protection to the cultists at the Well for over a century.
 * Uthagrimnoshaarl, the great shadow wyrm that transformed into a dracolich.