Uthtower

The name Uthtower was applied to both the kingdom of Uthtower founded by Uth Myrmoran and the tower he built and declared his seat of power in 146 DR.

Geography
Uthtower (both the kingdom and tower) was located along the Sword Coast on the Sea of Swords between Neverwinter and Waterdeep. The eastern edge of the kindgdom was bordered by the Sword Mountains.

History

 * The Kingdom

Uthtower was the first kingdom established in the region known as the Twilit Land along the Sword Coast North in 146 DR. Its founder was an exiled Lord from the city of Tavaray named Uth Myrmoran. He erected a tower on a rocky pinnacle and named it and his kingdom Uthtower. He brought much wealth to the area, which was one reason the local inhabitants—fishermen, hunters, and loggers mostly—had little objection to his rule. The Shoon mercenaries he brought with him may have been another.

Uth's son, Ornoth I, succeeded his father in rule in 168 DR. Orloth soon ennobled seven families who had shown him support. These nobles came to be known as the Council of Lords of Uthtower. The families included the houses of Aunforthar, Bentather, Forkarl, Greenmarch, Hornsong, Ruldegost, and Scarthann.

In 191 DR, King Ornoth I died suddenly. His twin sons both vied for the throne, but the Council of Lords decreed that Prince Uth II would rule Uthtower since he was born a few minutes before his brother, Prince Ornoth II. Ornoth II was given rulership of a newly formed kingdom to the north of Uthtower that would be named Yarnith. New regalia was commissioned by the Council, including new magical crowns to be produced by the Mage Royal of Uthtower, Iniarv. The crowns were known as the Twin Crowns of Myrmoran, separately the Twinned Crown of Uthtower and the Twinned Crown of Yarnith. The crowns helped the two brothers rule in peace until their mutual deaths in their sleep in 272 DR.

The two kingdoms, ruled by House Myrmoran, remained in peace for centuries to come. That is, until orc hordes from the Spine of the World and later the High Moor, the Fields of the Dead, and the Greypeak Mountains descended on the two kingdoms as well as the neighboring kingdom of Phalorm from the year 523 DR through 615 DR. Yarnith was first to fall to the Everhorde army of orcs and illithids. Soon the city of Neverwinter was under siege, but the siege was broken by the combined armies of Uthtower, Phalorm, and others, as well as the dragon Palarandusk.

Uthtower befell a more sinister end. As the armies of men and demihumans regathered their strength and fought the orc hordes at Iniarv's Tower, Iniarv, now a lich, was awoken. King Uth VII's emissary begged the former Mage Royal of Uthtower for help in driving the orcs out of the kingdom of Uthtower. Iniarv complied by causing the oceans to rise up and flood the kingdom, drowning orc, man, and all other life alike. The few survivors fled the newly created Mere of Dead Men.


 * The Tower

The structure known as Uthtower was constructed by Uth I in 146 DR as the literal seat of power of his newly formed kingdom. It stood on a rocky pinnacle overlooking the coastal town below.

The tower stood nearly 70’ tall and was 40’ in diameter with a rectangular gatehouse attached on its western face. There were three stories in the tower and catacombs below connected by a central spiral staircase. The ground floor house guards and the armory. The middle floor contained the throne room, council room, and kitchen. The third floor was where the monarch and his family had their private chambers including bedrooms and a library. The catacombs served as cellars and crypts for the royal family as well as the seven other noble families of the region.

After the creation of the Mere of Dead Men and the fall of the kingdom in 615 DR, the tower stood abandoned. That is until a black dragon by the name of Chardansearavitriol, also known as Ebondeath, made the tower and catacombs his lair in 685 DR. Just as the Mymoran family ruled the land, so did Chardansearavitriol rule the swamp from the tower for centuries. In 922 DR Chardansearavitriol succumbed to the influence of Strongar Bonebag and the Cult of the Dragon and was transformed into a dracolich. The tower was also converted into a temple to Myrkul, renamed the Mausoleum of Ebondeath and was occupied by Ebondeath sect to serve the dracolich until his inevitable ascension.

The sect witnessed what they deemed Ebondeath’s second stage of ascension to Ossavitor’s Way in 1202 DR when his bones crumbled to dust upon an altar to Myrkul in the catacombs. The influence of the sect grew as more worshippers flocked to the hidden temple. They continued their work toward Ebondeath’s further ascension until the end of the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR. Upon Myrkul’s death at that time, the tower and catacombs sank into the swamp drowning many of the cultists.

The Uthtower remained below the waters of the Mere until 1372 DR when an astronomical event known as the Eye of Myrkul once again occurred and three rings of Myrkul were brought close to the tower. The waxing power of Myrkul caused the tower and catacombs to rise from the swamp and drain the filthy waters from it. The Uthtower only remained above the surface until the event passed, at which point it sank back below the marsh, possibly for good.

Notable Organizations

 * Ebondeath Sect of the Cult of the Dragon (1205–1358 DR)

Appearances

 * Adventures