Campaign Journal 26.5 - Interlude

The Silver Swords company and the Tombs of the Alberneth

The following is a recap of the many pages of scribbled notes, sketches, writings and maps related to the Tombs of the Alberneth.

Nath Ravenblood's Materials
An adventuring party of some note (the Silver Swords) found a well-hidden and difficult passage deep in the Underdark behind a series of waterfalls. The passage led several miles, coming out in a series of man-made (or creature-made) tombs. The party was able to use magic to read and transcribe inscriptions on some of the tombs and memorial carvings. They fought powerful undead and a number of fiends. The group lost two of its members (literally separated and lost, never to be seen again), but they were able to escape with sacks loaded with gems, jewelry, and strange gold and silver coins. [This occurred in NR 698, ~9 years ago]

Upon reaching home, the Silver Swords were able to research some of the names and carvings they had transcribed (with the aid of the sages of Talengard), and came to the conclusion that they had found the tombs of the Alberneth, a family of powerful spell casters who fled the surface world back in the time of the Elder Wars (~300 years earlier).

The Silver Swords intended to return to the tombs, but first went into the northern Tellarn Mountains (southeast of the Greenreach Woods) to investigate recent rumored sightings of the great (and near legendary) blue dragon Vassylspeere. Nobody is know to have returned from that expedition.

Years later, the Silver Swords' written materials found their way into the hands of Nath Ravenblood, a part-time adventurer and the last member of a fading minor noble family of Turil. Desperate for cash, Nath organized an expedition to recover treasure from the tombs. Shortly after entering the Deep Realms through the ruins of Kristovaria in the Greenreach Woods, Nath's party was ambushed by lizard-like humanoid creatures, and all but Nath were slain. Nath bargained for his life by promising to deliver additional slaves to the lizardmen. Later, the party intercepted Nath's hired slavers, tracked them back to Nath, and were given these materials...

The materials included detailed maps and notes on how to get from the ruins of Kristovaria to the secret entrance to the Tombs of the Alberneth.

The Elder town of Mirron (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

Alberneth Background
The Alberneth were an influential family in the Elder Days, essentially ruling the town of Mirron (in the realm of Ithilkar) in the southeastern Hills of Horeb. There were many powerful spell casters in the extended family, and they were the patrons of a famous (and somewhat notorious) wizards' school specializing in conjuration magic, the Tower of the Shadowed Veil. As the Elder Wars raged, there were concerns within the ruling circles of Ithilkar regarding the increasing use of dark magic by the Alberneth and their students, especially necromantic magic and the summoning of powerful fiends.

As the Wars raged on and things turned against Ithilkar, most of the population of the town of Mirron, including virtually all of the staff and students of the Tower, simply vanished overnight one night. Investigation by the authorities revealed that this was a planned evacuation, and that the missing people seemed to have gone down into the Underdark via old caverns and tunnels under the town.

Little was heard directly of the Alberneth thereafter, but occasional tales and rumors said that they had carved out a realm for themselves deep in the Underdark, where they devoted themselves completely to the pursuit of dark magic and demon worship. These tales said that even the drow avoided the territory claimed by the Alberneth.