Keoland

Keoland is a small island nation, historically renowned as the homeland of Kiara Shadowbreaker, the legendary Mistress of the Hunt, a prominent agent of the Harpers faction, and the island’s current ruler.

Historical Significance and the Dragon War

Three centuries ago, Keoland became permanently entwined with the grand history of the Sword Coast when Kiara Shadowbreaker joined a legendary band of vanguard adventurers to combat a catastrophic draconic threat. A coordinated coalition of Chromatic Dragons had launched a devastating assault on the northern cities of Luskan, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate, laying waste to vast stretches of the region.

In response to this devastation, the major northern settlements of Silverymoon, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Baldur’s Gate established the Lord’s Alliance. Kiara and her companions served as the alliance’s frontline defenders, ultimately turning the tide of the war through both martial valor and extraordinary arcane craftsmanship.

The Five Dragon Masks and the Scattering

To defeat the draconic scourge, the heroes constructed five dragon masks—one corresponding to each chromatic color. These powerful artifacts granted their wielders immense influence over dragons, even allowing them to control a dragon of the matching color.

• The Scattered Coalition: Using the masks, the party successfully influenced the minds of the Black, Red, and Blue dragons, convincing them to fly away and never return to the northern Sword Coast:
  • Cryovain, the Everfrost (White Dragon), was driven to the northern Throat of the World.
  • Skaldreth, the Red Rage (Red Dragon), fled into hiding.
  • Barakis, the Sandstorm (Blue Dragon), retreated from the region.
  • Nocturne, the Dread Prince (Black Dragon), fled into exile.
• The Secret Safeguards: To prevent the masks from falling into the wrong hands, the heroes kept their locations strictly secret from one another. The White Dragon Mask was secretly buried within Hrothgar’s empty grave—a tomb erected by the shores of Lac Dinneshear, a frozen lake near the Firbolg settlement of Kuldahar.
• The Fall of the Jade Queen: The masks worked flawlessly against most of the coalition, but failed against the smartest and most wily of the wyrms: Virethas, the Jade Queen (a powerful Green Dragon). The heroes were forced to confront her directly outside the city of Neverwinter. In a historic clash, Lady Tanager Alagondar slew Virethas by driving her sword through the beast’s heart, though she was tragically killed in the process when the dragon’s claw pierced her chest.

Kiara’s Legendary Allies

As a representative of Keoland, Kiara Shadowbreaker fought alongside several of the most illustrious figures of the era:

• Elminster Aumar: The legendary Sage of Shadowdale, a leader of the Harpers, and later the Sage of Waterdeep.
• Lady Tanager Alagondar: The celebrated human hero of Neverwinter, who was buried in the Dragon Barrow with her legendary sword, Dragon Slayer, still embedded in Virethas’s heart to power a ward preventing the dragon’s resurrection.
• Hrothgar Hillsfar: A giant-kin Firbolg cleric of Kuldahar. To protect his family, the sacred world tree of Kuldahar, and the secrets of the dragon masks from draconic vengeance, Hrothgar beseeched Elminster to cast a powerful version of Modify Memory and True Polymorph upon him. Stripped of his memories and transformed into an elderly human named Farwald, he went missing from history for three centuries before recently recovering his true form and recollection.
• Esfaloth Nightbreeze: The enigmatic Druid known as the “Fey Touched,” who entered a portal to the Feywild after the war.
• Gorion of Candlekeep: An associate of the Zhentarim faction.
• Uther Vendrock: Known as the “Silvered Star,” a devout follower of the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut, who was buried on Stormwreck Isle.

Modern Events and the Cult’s Awakening

In recent months, the dark machinations of the Cult of the Dragon have threatened to undo the heroes’ ancient victories. The cult, which seeks to locate the remaining dragons and resurrect Virethas, successfully initiated a flawed resurrection ritual at the Dragon Barrow. Though weakened, the skeletal form of Villathas has broken free and is once again loose in the skies of the Sword Coast.

Recognizing the escalating peril, the recently restored Hrothgar (Farwald) utilized a Sending spell to contact Kiara Shadowbreaker in her seat of power on Keoland. He warned her that “the sleeper under the ice is waking,” that the cult is actively hunting the five dragon masks, and that Neverwinter is preparing for an impending war.

In response, Kiara confirmed she is investigating the threat and believes she may know the current location of the Red Dragon Mask (originally linked to Skaldreth). She promised to initiate a quiet, targeted check on its status through a trusted local contact, aligning Keoland once more with the defense of the Sword Coast.