Szarlnaxi

The Szarlnaxi coven was a group of Shar-worshiping vampires that laired within Dragonspear Castle during the late 15 century DR. They took their name from Count Voltan Szarlnaxi a Tethyrian noble that brought them altogether in devotion to the Mistress of the Night.

Activities
They spent the majority of time in their "hybrid" form, humanoids with large leathery wings and features that resembled those of a bat. They only appeared as humans when they were forced to travel through civilized regions of the Western Heartlands.

Base of Operations
Although they originally hailed from Baldur's Gate, the coven was more recently established within the ruins of Dragonspear Castle. They slept in the keep's northern tower and kept their treasure hidden away in the southern tower.

Unlike other vampires, the Szarlnaxi coven didn't have coffins within which they took refuge in during daylight hours.

Relationships
Sometime around the, the group came under the influence of the rakshasa Nadir. He forced them to believe he was an "emissary of Shar", sent to be the vessel for the soul of Count Voltan Szarlnaxi after it was released from the portal to the Nine Hells.

History
Count Szarlnaxi was once an influential and powerful noble within the nation of Tethyr. That changed when he was accused of conspiring against the monarchy and was forced into exile, disappearing into the norther city of Baldur's Gate. Within the city he amassed a small gang of loyal criminals, and together they found a shared connection under the worship of Shar. Even before their transformation, the group began consuming the blood of the city's poor and destitute.

After some time, Tethyrian agents tracked down the count and killed him outright. Szarlnaxi's followers prayed to Shar and drank from his wounds. For their devotion, the gang of thugs were made undead, and transformed into vampires. Unfortunately for them, the newly-formed coven was ousted from the city. They eventually took refuge within the ruins of Dragonspear Castle in the High Moor.

Around the, Nadir lured the Tempuran cleric Darrondar Gweth to Dragonspear. The Szarlnaxi vampires dominated him and imprisoned him within their lair.

Later that year, the gate to Avernus beneath Dragonspear Castle was opened for a brief time. It was believed that the remnants of the Szarlnaxi coven cowered away during this event, and later allied themselves with the death knight Queylar Karrault.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle