Family Secrets

[Nyarlathotep]

Chapter I
The origins of House D'Rath are lost within the murky depths of history. The first verifiable appearance of the family name occurs after the fall of Netheril in the Year of Foul Awakenings (-286 D.R.). A hedge knight naming himself Anthemius D'Rath is recorded as a participant in Westgate’s battles against the mercenaries of Orlak. The House itself claims to trace its history to the founding of Netheril and beyond (but declined to offer a simple scholar such as I access to the documents upon which they stake their claims). Regardless of the veracity of such grandiose assertions the bloodline was certainly active during Cormyr’s early history. One Johan D'Rath is cited for bravery by no less a personage than Crown Prince Azoun the First during the campaigns against the Shoon Imperium. D’Rath’s actions, which are never specified, earned him his choice of lands and the title of count. Strangely he abstained from selecting a rich and prosperous plot close to the royal court, instead settling his family on a small fiefdom nestled deep within the foothills of the Storm Horns.

The D'Rath's ruled their small county in quiet obscurity for centuries, untouched by the plots and intrigues of courtly life. They intermarried with several of Cormyr’s great houses, developing a reputation for fecundity, so much so that it was not unheard of in some circles for barren wives to be set aside in favor of D’Rath brides. Persistent rumors that the brides were in fact bearing cuckoo eggs caused this practice to fall out of favor, but not before a number lesser houses were spawned including the Soandraal's of Urmlaspyr, and if rumor is to be believed the Khaitavay's of Thazalhar.

It was this fecundity that first brought the House to the attention of the War Wizards. Despite rarely stirring from their Black Keep in the Storm Horns, the House of D'Rath exerted a subtle influence throughout Cormyr and neighboring lands. The Counts of D’Rath did not possess any true authority but in some quarters their whispers were law. What caught the War Wizard's notice, especially that of the wily old mage Vangerdahast, was a series of seemingly unrelated incidents in 1345 D.R. that all served to advance the fortunes of House D'Rath, too many to be dismissed as simple coincidences.

It necessitated years of research and digging but Vangerdahast eventually uncovered a familial link between the central actors in these incidents however outside of their blood there existed no other connection, none were even recognized as legitimate scions of the house and no other commonalities existed. They did not even seem to be aware of one another’s existence, yet unknowingly their actions all served to advance the agenda of House D’Rath. Convinced that some plot was afoot but unable to devote the resources necessary to decipher this mystery Vangerdahast informed the War Wizards at large of his suspicions and focused his thoughts upon greater matters.

The War Wizards appointed Jestrel Minoas to oversee the inquiry. Minoas in turn gathered a small team of investigators, including his fellow war wizard and wife Lassa, Martin Lobar a Lieutenant in the Purple Dragons, Adel the Fox a veteran of the Arabel City Watch, and I, Jacob Byrnum. We all had worked together previously and to great effect. In the past we successfully averted a plot by doppelgangers to infiltrate Arabel, rescued the child of Somstar Mellows from slavers, and most recently foiled a Fire Knife plot to blackmail the King’s personal valet. Our success is directly attributable to our reliance upon meticulous detective work, as a team of professional investigators rather than reckless adventurers we find success where others fail. Diligence and attention to detail are more than a match for great magics or skill at arms.

The usual paths of inquiry proved fruitless, leading only to dead ends. We found ourselves in dire need of fresh sources of information. Jestrel and Lassa attempted to use magics to divine answers though in light of Vangerdahast’s failure such a course was little more than an exercise in futility. Even under the best of circumstances I hold such methods in little regard but the true professional does not dismiss any possibilities. Lieutenant Lobar interviewed surviving participants of the earlier incidents but they were unable to provide anything new, Adel also failed to uncover any leads despite a thorough probing of Cormyr's seedy underbelly. For my own part I took it upon myself to delve into the mountains of documents produced by the Cormyr’s bureaucracy, but without any leads it was akin to locating a particular grain of sand within a desert.

As a matter of course I researched the history of the family itself, in the faint hope of gleaning some additional insight but was unable to discover anything that was not already common knowledge. My reputation as a scholar and historian proved insufficient currency to gain access to the primary documentation I desired, the family proved surprisingly reticent to provide anything more illuminating than the vaguest details. This aroused my suspicions for it is a rare group of aristocrats indeed who do not wish to expound upon their families long and distinguished lineage. That is not to say they did not make the usual claims to noble ancestors and heroic deeds, they merely refused to substantiate their claims in any fashion. I strongly suspect that they are concealing something and that the information we need resides within the family’s annals. Nevertheless their intransigence makes further progress impossible.

Despite nearly two years of investigation we failed to unearth anything of relevance. We uncovered a somewhat elevated mortality rate among the male members of the line and a passing reference to a coming of age ceremony called the Droch-bheart, which was odd but certainly not proof of any nefarious dealings. Ultimately it was not skill or diligence but the vagaries of fortune that bestowed us with our first tangible lead.
In the early days of Marpenoth we received a missive from a Captain Whatley of the Purple Dragons, a compatriot of Lieutenant Lobar’s from his days in the field. Close friends they maintained an active correspondence through which Captain Whatley was made aware of the nature of our investigations. The good Captain’s letter spoke of the apprehension of a suspicious individual while patrolling the borders of the Vast Swamp. He urged Lobar to travel to the swamp, vowing that his prisoner would be of value to our investigation. Save for the lieutenant we were dubious of undertaking an arduous journey merely to interrogate a wayward bog trotter. The Lieutenant however pledged his complete faith in Captain Whatley’s judgment. He also argued that considering our lack of progress it was nonsensical to ignore a potential lead. The logic was irrefutable and so we exchanged the pleasant grounds of our Suzailian manor house for the muck and pestilence of the Vast Swamp.

Upon our arrival we learned that Captain Whatley and his men were not attached to the local garrison, rather they formed a special detachment tasked with quelling unrest among the natives of the region. Unfortunately this meant Captain Whatley and his men were bivouacked within the swamp itself. The garrison commander was kind enough to equip us for our journey and even provided an escort of five Purple Dragons. Jestrel protested that we would make much better time on our own but the commander was adamant that without an escort the dangers of the swamp would surely claim our party. After some spirited debate Jestrel was forced to acquiesce when the commander threatened to have his men escort us back to Suzail instead.

The matter settled we set out to find Captain Whatley and his prisoner. The trek into the swamp was as perilous as promised; if not for the expertise of our guides I have no doubt that we would have met our ends in its stagnant pools. The dangers of the swamp are beyond counting. Only an hour into our journey a clan of frighteningly bold kobolds ambushed us, only after a fierce fight and they slaying of their scarred shaman were we able to win free. At one point I nearly stumbled into a nest of stirges, only quick reflexes and a bit of luck averted an untimely end. One night our rest was disturbed by the sound of a large amount of water sloshing about in the distance. Visibly shaken our guides quietly led us to another locale where we spent the rest of the night huddled in the darkness praying that the source of those sounds was not hunting us. We lost one of the Purple Dragons when something pulled him beneath the water. Finally after four days of such perils we arrived at Captain Whatley’s encampment.