Rallyhorn Riches was the name given to the treasure sequestered in the tomb of Theldrin Rallyhorn in a vault below Castle Obarskyr in Suzail, Cormyr, circa the Year of the Iron Colossus, 147 DR.[1] It disappeared sometime after his death and was never recovered. The agency and method of robbery was never determined.[2]
Description[]
The Rallyhorn Riches were stored inside a large, room-sized "coffin" made of adamantine. This was the only part of the treasure that did not mysteriously go missing. This tomb was half-filled with trade bar–sized ingots of gold. Theldrin's brass coffin was placed on top of the stacks of gold at the time of his burial. His remains were interred with his rod of office, a black metal rod encrusted with many rubies and emeralds, and capped on either end by golden spheres about the size of a man's fist. The weight of the gold was roughly estimated to be over 500,000 lb (230,000 kg) and the value to be 25,000,000 gold pieces.[note 1] The value of the rod of office was likely in the tens of thousands, but historical descriptions were not detailed enough for a more accurate estimate.
History[]
A helmed horror guarding the Rallyhorn Riches.
Theldrin Rallyhorn was a wealthy man, having inherited two sizable fortunes from his uncles. Toward the end of his life, he desired to put a significant portion of his wealth away for use by his descendants in case of dire need and/or for the service of Cormyr. With the help of his friend, Baerauble Etharr, the Lord High Mage of Cormyr, he secretly commissioned a large adamantine "coffin" that was ensconced deep below Castle Obarskyr in a chamber protected by spells and guardians laid down by Baerauble. Over the years, Theldrin and Baerauble periodically went down to the vault to deposit gold bars and renew and improve the spellworks that protected the room and the coffin from mundane attacks, like tunneling, and magical means to gain entrance, eventually filling half the room with gold.[1] Baerauble added helmed horrors to protect the perimeter of the adamaintine room, amounting to a full dozen of them by the time Theldrin passed away.[2]
In 147 DR, at the conclusion of Theldren's funeral, his body was laid to rest in a simple brass coffin along with his opulent rod of office and placed on top of the pile of gold. The adamantine coffin was then sealed with many spells by Baerauble and began levitating in the middle of the surrounding vault, guarded by the horrors. The outer chamber that held the hovering tomb was also sealed with multiple spells.[2]
It was not until after Baerauble's death in the Year of the Cat's Eye, 429 DR,[3] that the existence of the Rallyhorn Riches was made known to the Obarskyrs (presumably Duar "Longyears" Obarskyr who was king at the time)[4] by a letter delivered posthumously. Beyond this event, the history became elusive. Famed explorer and researcher Volothamp Geddarm noted that the name of the monarch in search of an influx of funds to the royal coffers who eventually opened the Rallyhorn vault (after many days of carefully deactivating or bypassing Baerauble's spells and controlling or destroying the guardian horrors) was conspicuously absent from the court records. When the floating box was finally breached, it was found to be completely empty, and the frustrated king had to console himself with a large amount of precious adamantine.[2]
Of course, investigations ensued, but the perpetrator of the theft and the means by which it was accomplished were never discovered. Most mages agreed that the gold, the brass coffin with Theldrin's remains, and the rod of office must have been teleported out or physically carried out through some sort of dimensional portal, but they also agreed that Baerauble's spells should have prevented that from happening, or at least left some trace behind. Baerauble himself could have removed and then replaced all of his magical protections, but he was not known to be avaricious or acquisitive and truly had no need for wealth. As of the 1370s DR, no further information about the Rallyhorn Riches had been uncovered.
Appendix[]
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ed Greenwood (January 2001). “The New Adventures of Volo: Lost Treasures of Cormyr, Part 2”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #279 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 81.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ed Greenwood (January 2001). “The New Adventures of Volo: Lost Treasures of Cormyr, Part 2”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #279 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 82.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (January 2001). “The New Adventures of Volo: Lost Treasures of Cormyr, Part 2”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #279 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 80.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.