Lady Tanager Alagondar

Lady Alagondar, also remembered as Lady Tanager (and occasionally recorded in historical documents as Lady Nashar Alagondar or Lady Tanager Alagondar of Neverwinter), is a legendary historical figure of immense renown along the Sword Coast. Her name is deeply intertwined with the noble history of Neverwinter, ancient covenants, and the heroic defense of the North against the forces of darkness.

The Dragon War and the Slaying of Virethas

Approximately 300 years ago, a devastating coalition of chromatic dragons coordinated a massive assault on the emerging cities of the North, including Luskan, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate. While Luskan capitulated and paid tribute to the invaders, the other cities—including Silverymoon—formed the historic Lord’s Alliance to push back the draconic threat. Lady Alagondar of Neverwinter stood as one of the alliance’s legendary heroes, fighting alongside a legendary band of champions.

As depicted in ancient carvings, the true identities and appearances of this heroic band of seven were:

• Lady Tanager Alagondar: A brave human warrior clad in gleaming full plate armor, holding her legendary sword.
• Elminster Aumar: The bearded Sage of Shadowdale (and later Sage of Waterdeep), depicted in a pointy wizard hat and flowing robes, holding his staff.
• Hrothgar Hillsfar: A tall, bearded Firbolg of Kuldahar (the true identity of the disguised adventurer Farwald, who was later polymorphed and mind-wiped to protect his family).
• Esfaloth Nightbreeze: The Fey Touched elf, holding a longbow with a faithful bird perched on his shoulder.
• Gorion of Candlekeep: A rotund man with a lute strapped to his back, holding an arcane scroll (who later aligned with the Zhentarim).
• Kiara Shadowbreaker: Mistress of the Hunt and Harper agent from Keoland, depicted as a half-elf wearing an eyepatch, with a Harper pin fastened to her leather armor and a spyglass on her belt.
• Uther Vendrock: The Silvered Star, a dwarf wielding a shield and warhammer (the mortal guise of a noble Platinum Dragon).

The Dragon Masks

To combat this overwhelming threat, the champions constructed five legendary Dragon Masks—one representing each chromatic color. These powerful artifacts allowed their bearer to influence and directly control the minds of dragons of the corresponding color. Through the use of these masks, the heroes successfully convinced three of the great wyrms to fly away and never return to the northern Sword Coast:

• Skaldreth, the Red Rage
• Barakis, the Sandstorm
• Nocturne, the Dread Prince

Meanwhile, the white dragon Cryovain, the Everfrost, was banished to the frozen north. In truth, Farwald and his allies buried Cryovain in Hrothgar’s empty grave—a tomb situated on the shores of Lac Dinneshere near Kuldahar—trusting the warmth of the settlement’s giant world tree to counter the dragon’s icy influence on nature.

To protect the secret Firbolg community of Kuldahar and his own family from any future acts of draconic vengeance, Hrothgar chose to have Elminster cast a powerful combination of Modify Memory and True Polymorph on him, erasing his past and turning him into the human known as “Farwald.”

The wily and highly intelligent green dragon, Virethas (also known as the Jade Queen, Jade Serpent, Villathas, or Villethas), proved immune to the green mask’s mental influence. With the mask failing to subdue her, she had to be dealt with directly.

During the decisive battle outside the city of Neverwinter, Lady Alagondar engaged Virethas. In a dramatic and tragic climax captured in the recovered memories of Farwald, Lady Alagondar delivered the killing blow to the Great Wyrm just as the dragon’s massive claw burst through her chest, causing both combatants to perish together on the battlefield.

The Dragon Barrow and the Sacred Carvings

Following her heroic sacrifice, Lady Alagondar was laid to rest along the road to Neverwinter. This tomb, known as the Dragon Barrow, was built directly within the cavernous, skeletal remains of the slain dragon Virethas, whose rib cage formed the barrow’s stone-like stalagmites and whose poison lingered in its acid pools.

The Four Murals

The central chamber of the Dragon Barrow contained a beautiful, four-part stone carving depicting the saga of the ancient heroes:

1. The First Carving: Shows five chromatic dragons descending headfirst upon the North, with Neverwinter in flames and the Sword Coast laid waste.
2. The Second Carving: Depicts the seven champions—Hrothgar, Esfaloth, Lady Alagondar, Elminster, Uther, Kiara, and Gorion—standing in a half-circle, closely studying a tactical plan laid upon the ground.
3. The Third Carving: Illustrates the battle against Virethas in profile. The massive Jade Queen takes up the majority of the frame, while Lady Tanager Alagondar stands defiantly, her sword plunged deep into the dragon’s heart as a single great claw bursts through her chest.
4. The Fourth Carving: Serves as a mirror to the first. The four remaining dragons fly away with their backs turned. The surviving heroes depart in different directions: Esfaloth enters a portal to the Feywild on the right; Kiara and Gorion board a ship on the left; and Uther and Elminster stand in the center beside Hrothgar’s empty tomb, located near a giant world tree by a frozen mountain lake.

An ancient poetic inscription was etched alongside these murals, recounting their legendary struggle:

The Breaking of the Ward and Resurrection

For three centuries, her legendary sword, Dragon Slayer (a legendary +1 greatsword that deals an additional 3d6 damage against dragons), remained resting in her tomb, fixed directly into the stone-like remains of Virethas’s heart. The sword was actively powering a magical ward that prevented the resurrection of the Jade Queen. A plaque on her tomb bore a solemn warning: