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{{Organization
| image          = Gost-coat-of-arms.png
| caption        = The Gost house insignia.
| name           = Gost
| aliases        = 
| type           = Noble family
| base           = [[Waterdeep]], [[Sword Coast North]]
| leader         = [[Djarrus Gost]] in [[1372 DR]]
| symbol         = A deep green coiled snake with a white eye and red pupil on a field of yellow.
| favored deity  = [[Lathander]], [[Siamorphe]] {{former}} [[Mask]]
| favored weapon = 
| domains        = 
| formed         = [[168 DR]] ([[Uthtower]], as [[Ruldegost]])<br />[[1151 DR]] (Waterdeep, as Ruldegost)<br />[[1197 DR]] (Waterdeep, as Gost)
| disbanded      = 
| basicrefs      = <ref name="WatN-47">{{Cite book/Waterdeep and the North|47}}</ref><ref name="WWiW-15">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Who's Who in Waterdeep|15}}</ref><ref name="NHoW-3">{{Cite web enhancement/Noble Houses of Waterdeep|3}}</ref><ref name="PP-58">{{Cite book/Powers & Pantheons|58}}</ref>
| members        = 17 in 1372 DR
| memberstable   = 
| memtableheader = 
| alignment      = {{Alignment grid|off|on|on|off|off|off|off|off|off}}<br clear="all" />{{former}}<br />{{Alignment grid|off|off|off|off|off|off|off|on|off}}
| races          = [[Human]] ([[Illuskan]])
| memrefs        = <ref name="NHoW-3" />
| allegiances    = 
| enemies        = 
| relrefs        = 
| showmembers    = yes
| orgname        = the Gost family
}}
The '''Gost''' family was one of the many [[Nobility of Waterdeep|noble houses]] of [[Waterdeep]] as of the {{YearlinkName|1372}}, but were direct descendants of the [[Ruldegost]]s<ref name="CKforum">{{Cite web/theedverse/2018-11-07 - On the Splitting of House Ruldegost}}</ref> who could trace their lineage all the way back to the ancient kingdom of [[Uthtower]] in the 2{{nd}} century DR.<ref name="NHoW-3" /><ref name="DU73-45">{{Cite dungeon/73/Eye of Myrkul|45}}</ref> At first, they were interested in obtaining quick wealth through illegal means,<ref name="CKforum" /> but over the years the family turned to more stable businesses such as caravan mastering, general trading, and armor smithing.<ref name="WatN-47" /><ref name="WWiW-15" /><ref name="NHoW-3" />

==Organization==
The patriarch of the Gost clan in the {{YearlinkName|1372}}, was Lord [[Djarrus Gost|Djarrus]], the eldest son of Lord [[Bhaedulph]] (recently deceased<ref name="Du126-76">{{Cite dungeon/126/Vampires of Waterdeep: Blood of Malar|76}}</ref>) and his consort [[Aurora Gost|Aurora]]. Djarrus had no consort at this time, and the heir to the family title was his younger brother, [[Dundald Gost|Dundald]]. At this point in history, there were seventeen members of the noble family.<ref name="WatN-47" /><ref name="WWiW-15" /><ref name="NHoW-3" />

==Activities==
The Gost family primarily worshiped [[Lathander]],<ref name="NHoW-3" /> but were also major contributors to the [[church of Siamorphe]].<ref name="PP-58" />

==Tactics==
In the early days of this noble house, the members focused on high risk, high reward schemes to generate wealth, such as looting the tombs of other nobles, cheating various guilds, and even kidnapping. They even worked and consorted with [[yuan-ti]],<ref name="CKforum" /> so some members of the Gost family exhibited a [[snake]]-like agility and were fairly resistant to [[poison]].<ref name="NHoW-8">{{Cite web enhancement/Noble Houses of Waterdeep|8}}</ref><ref name="PGtF-43-44">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|43-44}}</ref>

==Base of Operations==
[[File:North Ward-Gost Villa.png|thumb|right|270px|''The Gost family villa (labeled <code>N57</code>) ''circa'' 1372 DR.'']]
The Gost family villa was located in the [[Waterdeep/North Ward|North Ward]] on the northwest corner of the intersection of [[Golden Serpent Street]] and [[Geltoon Street]]. Directly across the alley behind the residence was the [[Grinning Lion]] tavern.<ref name="CS-12">{{Cite book/City System|12}}</ref><ref name="CS-map9">{{Cite book/City System/Map09}}</ref><ref name="WatN-24">{{Cite book/Waterdeep and the North|24}}</ref><ref name="VGtW-239">{{Cite book/Volo's Guide to Waterdeep|239}}</ref><ref name="VGtW-map">{{Cite book/Volo's Guide to Waterdeep/Map}}</ref><ref name="CoS-CG-45">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Campaign Guide|45}}</ref><ref name="CoS-map">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Map}}</ref><ref name="CoSW-94,101">{{Cite book/City of Splendors: Waterdeep|94,101}}</ref> Inside the walled compound was a four-story mansion, a courtyard with some green space, and a three-story gatehouse that served as stables and quarters for most of the guards.<ref name="Du128-90">{{Cite dungeon/128/Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level|90}}</ref>
[[File:Map09-Wands-Gost-Hothemer-Helmfast-Villas.png|thumb|right|270px|''The Gost family compound (labeled <code>136</code>), ''circa'' [[1357 DR]]'']]

==Possessions==
The Gost family once owned an underground complex (eventually known as the [[Fireplace Level]]) beneath their villa and an adjoining warehouse (on the site where the Grinning Lion was eventually built) that they used for smuggling, hiding illicit treasure, and quick movement of goods through ''[[portals]]'' to undercut their competitors. It was built by Lord [[Geldirth Gost]] in the {{YearlinkName|1219}},<ref name="Du128-73">{{Cite dungeon/128/Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level|73}}</ref> but was abandoned in the {{YearlinkName|1308}}. Filled with the [[ghost]]s (both literally and figuratively) of their past transgressions, the (known) entrances were sealed, and the Gosts expunged all mention of it in the family records.<ref name="Du128-74">{{Cite dungeon/128/Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level|74}}</ref> By 1372 DR, the only hints of the existence of the subterranean structure were in private diaries and none of the living members knew how to access the mythical vaults even if they were real.<ref name="CoSW-117-118">{{Cite book/City of Splendors: Waterdeep|117-118}}</ref>

==Relationships==
The Gost family were descendants of the [[Ruldegost]] line that split off in the {{YearlinkName|1197}}, when two sons and a daughter were excommunicated for worshiping [[Mask]] and advocating building wealth more rapidly by illegal means.<ref name="CKforum" />

The Gosts had an agreement with the [[Gundwynd]] family to use their [[hippogriff]] couriers when the ''portal'' network was unreliable. The Gosts were also early backers of the [[Shadow Thieves]]. During the upheaval caused by the [[Guildwars]] in the mid–13{{th}} century, Lord [[Geldirth Gost II]] terminated the agreement and sent hired agents to storm the Gundwynd villa, kidnap as many of the noble family as could be taken alive, and ransack the family's treasure. The captured Gundwynds were caged and left to starve to death in the Gost's underground lair. When the Gundwynd ghosts made the complex unusable, Geldirth II had to relinquish the family's stake in the Shadow Thieves in exchange for help in containing the revenge-driven ghosts. A member of the Gundwynd family that lived elsewhere returned to Waterdeep and managed to rescue the family's business and their name from oblivion. After this sordid incident, the two noble families eyed each other with suspicion and distrust.<ref name="Du128-74" />

In the early 14{{th}} century, the family dungeon was abandoned<ref name="CoSW-117-118" /> and eventually forgotten as they turned to more legitimate businesses<ref name="Du128-74" /> and began revering Lathander and Siamorphe.<ref name="NHoW-3" /><ref name="PP-58" /> In the {{YearlinkName|1361}}, Lord Djarrus became an anonymous patron of the [[Foes of the Fang]] adventuring company primarily because his half-sister [[Corinna Lathankin]] was a founding member.<ref name="Du126-76" /><ref name="CoSW-41">{{Cite book/City of Splendors: Waterdeep|41}}</ref>

==History==
The Gost family split off from the Ruldegost clan in 1197 DR but retained their nobility under their new name. They were of [[Illuskan]] stock and venerated Mask, the Lord of Shadows.<ref name="NHoW-3" /> Their "get rich quick" schemes included tomb raiding and swindling whatever guilds they could dupe.<ref name="CKforum" /> In 1219 DR, Lord Geldirth built a secret underground complex using slave labor and set up a ''portal'' network to quickly move goods to destinations normally served by caravans. In 1233 DR they expanded the network with branches to new destinations to bring in exotic beasts and monsters for illicit sale to local clients. Keeping a series of ''portals'' secure and operational proved to be challenging, so Geldrith's son, Lord Harthar, negotiated a deal with the Gundwynd family to move goods by hippogriff whenever deliveries were delayed.<ref name="Du128-73" />

Eventually Harthar's son, Lord Geldrith II, took over the reins of the family business and, being a Mask worshiper, formed an alliance with the newly created Shadow Thieves crime syndicate in 1255 DR or shortly thereafter. This new association meant the Gosts were no longer dependent on the Gundwynd hippogriffs and, under cover of the chaos surrounding the Guildwars in 1262 DR, Geldrith II hired thieves to kidnap or kill every member of that noble house that resided in Waterdeep and bring the survivors to the underground complex. There, he left them in cages to starve. Many of the prisoners returned as ghosts that sought revenge on the Gost family, which made life in the villa above extremely dangerous. Geldrith II was forced to turn to the Shadow Thieves for help in containing the ghosts. In exchange for the Gost's stake in the syndicate, the [[necromancer]] [[Marune|Marune the Masked]] put ghost-proof barriers and traps around the ''portal'' nexus which allowed the family to sleep securely again.<ref name="Du128-74" />

The Gost clan resumed their shady commerce, but entering the underground complex was still very dangerous and the risks caused a slow decline in traffic through it. With the wealth plundered from the Gundwynd villa, the Gosts rebuilt their overland trading business, giving them even more incentive to avoid the ghosts. The last straw occurred in 1308 DR when a [[purple worm]] came through one of the ''portals'' and was trapped in a ''[[temporal stasis]]'' field. The sheer size of the creature cracked and crumbled most of the stonework in that area and (unbeknownst to anyone at the time) opened up a fissure that connected to the flue of a fireplace located in the [[Dungeon of the Crypt]]. The Gosts calculated that it was not worth the cost of removing the beast, so they sealed up the passage from their villa and removed all mentions of it from their family records.<ref name="Du128-74" />

[[Artor Morlin]], the Master Vampire of Waterdeep, had his primary lair in the Dungeon of the Crypt and used the fireplace flue as a way to reach the surface world. He soon discovered the new connection to the Fireplace Level (as it was dubbed by the [[Company of Crazed Venturers]]) and made it his secondary lair. In the {{YearlinkName|1341}}, the Crazed Venturers fought the Baron of Blood in the Dungeon of the Crypt and he fled up the flue to the Gost complex. The Company followed him and explored the place, but never discovered Morlin's coffin. After the danger had passed, Morlin made the Fireplace Level his primary lair while assessing the threats to his existence from the surface dwellers. Eventually, he created a new secondary lair in the basement of the Gost villa and took on the persona of Delinth Oberlin, the seneschal for the noble Gost family. In this guise he was able to prevent any of the Gost clan from discovering the mythical entrance to the large underground complex that was hinted at in the private diaries of their ancestors.<ref name="Du128-74" /><ref name="CoSW-117-118" />

Lord Bhaedulph Gost became too crippled and infirm to fulfill his duties and responsibilities as patriarch of House Gost in the {{YearlinkName|1365}}, and his heir, Djarrus, was the ''de facto'' head of the family until it became official in the {{YearlinkName|1370}}, when Bhaedulph passed away. Unbeknownst to anyone in Djarrus' public life, he was under the thrall of Artor Morlin and worked to rid the cities of the [[Lords' Alliance]] of all vampires other than Morlin by gathering information and feeding it to his half-sister Corinna.<ref name="CoSW-41" /><ref name="Du128-91">{{Cite dungeon/128/Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level|91}}</ref> In 1372 DR, the next in line for leadership of the family was Djarrus' younger brother, Dundald. Dundald occupied his time by making forays into [[Undermountain]] with the [[Deep Delvers]] adventuring company.<ref name="NHoW-3" /><ref name="WWiW-67">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Who's Who in Waterdeep|67}}</ref><ref name="RoU-19">{{Cite book/The Ruins of Undermountain II/Adventures|19}}</ref><ref name="D227-16">{{Cite dragon/227/The Reports from Undermountain|16}}</ref>

==Notable Members==
* [[Djarrus Gost]]: Patriarch in 1372 DR. Under control of Artor Morlin.
* [[Bhaedulph Gost]]: Father of Djarrus, Tasmia, and Corinna. Died of the sweet sickness.<ref group="note">The sweet sickness is a Realms name for diabetes.</ref><ref name="Du128-91" />
* [[Aurora Gost]]: Consort of Bhaedulph and mother to Djarrus and Tasmia.<ref name="WWiW-15" />
* [[Tasmia Gost]]: Sister of Djarrus. Moved to [[Silverymoon]] with her consort, [[Motryth Bladesharp]], to explore trade opportunities.<ref name="TN-CC-54-55">{{Cite book/The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier/Cities & Civilization|54-55}}</ref>
* [[Corinna Lathankin]]: Half–[[moon elf]] half-sister of Djarrus. Famed vampire hunter and member of the [[Order of the Aster]].
* [[Dundald Gost]]: Younger brother and heir of Djarrus.<ref name="NHoW-3" /> Member of the Deep Delvers adventuring company.<ref name="WWiW-67" /><ref name="RoU-19" /><ref name="D227-16" />
* [[Geldirth Gost]]: Split (or expelled) from the noble [[Ruldegost]] family in 1197 DR. Worshiper of Mask and builder of the Fireplace Level.
* [[Harthar Gost]]: Geldirth I's second son and heir. Negotiated pact with the Gundwynd family for delivery of goods by hippogriff in 1233 DR.<ref name="Du128-73" />
* [[Geldirth Gost II]]: Son of Harthar. Allied with the Shadow Thieves and betrayed and murdered most of the Gundwynd clan in 1262 DR.<ref name="Du128-74" />

==Family Tree==
{{/Family tree}}

==Appendix==
===Notes===
{{Notes}}
===References===
{{Refs}}
===Connections===
{{Waterdhavian houses}}
[[Category:Families]]
[[Category:Waterdhavian houses]]
[[Category:Human houses]]
[[Category:Noble houses]]
[[Category:Organizations in Gost Villa]]
[[Category:Organizations on Gelthoon Street]]
[[Category:Organizations on Golden Serpent Street]]
[[Category:Organizations in the North Ward of Waterdeep]]
[[Category:Organizations in Waterdeep]]
[[Category:Organizations in Silverymoon]]
[[Category:Organizations in Luruar]]
[[Category:Organizations on the Sword Coast North]]
[[Category:Organizations in Northwest Faerûn]]
[[Category:Organizations in Faerûn]]
[[Category:Organizations on Toril]]