Vethka was a lizard queen living in the Lizard Marsh near the town of Daggerford during the time of the Second Sundering.[2]
History[]
At some point prior to 1479 DR, Vethka rose to power over her tribe of lizardfolk and took the ruins of an old temple to Amaunator the Yellow God as her personal palace. However, the lizard queen soon discovered the lair of the adult black dragon, Sjachmalsvir, within the caverns below the ruins, and soon took to worshiping him, proclaiming him "Thoss Fyurnen", meaning "Sun Swallower" within the racial tongue of the lizardfolk.[2]
Not long thereafter, the dragon now known as Thoss Fyurnen felt the urge to create offspring and found a mate in the female black dragon, Cheleen, with whom he soon had a clutch of four dragon eggs.[2][3]
Around the same time as this pairing was made, the lizardfolk of Vethka's tribe found themselves struck by a strange illness, slowly rotting away the infected lizardfolk. The lizard queen interpreted this plague as a gift of Talona the Mistress of Disease and proclaimed Thoss Fyurnen to be the Chosen of Talona, a title he happily accepted, though having no idea what that truly meant.[2]
What neither Vethka nor Thoss Fyurnen knew was that the true source of the rotting plague was Cheleen herself, her having magically cursed the waters of Thoss Fyurnen's lair to be rid of the lizardfolk, whom she didn't want moving about her mate's lair and worshiping him as a deity.[4]
However, regardless of the true nature of the plague, in her madness, the lizard queen interpreted it and the fruitful union between the black dragons as a sign of Talona's favor, believing the coming draconic wyrmlings to be divinely blessed harbingers of war and destruction, and so she began preparing her tribe for her holy war on the town of Daggerford and the rest of civilized Faerûn.[2] All the while, Thoss Fyurnen himself expressed no interest in waging such a war.[5]
Rather than caring about a war on the civilized world, Thoss Fyurnen's priorities were elsewhere, as Cheleen eventually left his lair for a time to take care of her own matters, leaving him with their eggs. During this time, Thoss Fyurnen was approached by a Red Wizard of Thay calling himself Arvik Zaltos, who offered the dragon an alliance and attempted to bribe the dragon into stealing an altar dedicated to Olhydra from Cromm's Hold, a fort lying just outside Lizard Marsh. Thoss Fyurnen declined the offer, and soon after found that one of his eggs had been stolen. Thoss Fyurnen initially took out his rage on his lizardfolk worshipers, devouring several of them alive, but soon was calmed by Vethka, who rightly pointed out that he likely had been the target of the wizard's treacherous ways.[6]
Fearing the oncoming wrath of his mate, Thoss Fyurnen flew off to extort the people of Cromm's Hold out of the water altar to better his chances of reclaiming his lost egg, soon receiving what he came for from Baroness Wynne and returned to his lair with it.[6][7] In the meantime, Vethka prayed to Talona inside the shrine.[8]
Not long after, something unexpected occurred: a band of adventurers, led by a rakshasa in disguise, arrived within Thoss Fyurnen's lair. They had recovered his lost egg, now hatched and imprinted on them, and offered it back to him in return for the altar he had stolen, a deal he was quick to accept.[9]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 248. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 30. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ DChristopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 978-0786965311.