Northern Coast of the Moonsea

The Cult of Dragon has come to Phlan and the northern Moonsea region. Sorceror Tarik Bloodwhirl seeks to further the Cult's aims by obtaining dragon eggs and resurrecting a fallen black dragon as a dracolich. The town of Phlan has become the site of a desperate struggle between the Cult and the Harpers of the Quivering Forest, who have temporarily put aside their usual concerns about the growing power of the Zhentarim in order to focus on their energies on opposing the Cult's nefarious aims.   Ector Brahms, the Knight Commander of the Black Fist, has proclaimed himself Lord Regent in Phlan, effectively usurping the Cinnabar Throne previously held by the House of Daoron. Thanks to his declaration of martial law, trade has slowed, and resentment builds among the people as the ranks of the Black Fist swell. The Sokol Merchant's Guild, closely allied with the Zhentarim, has been pressuring Brahms to attack the neighboring town of Melvaunt, while Garomo Kovel, local representative of the Kovel Lords of the Arcadian Plains to the west, seeks to forge an alliance with orcish mercenaries from the moors of Thar. While Garomo's real motivation is to build a large enough army to oppose the extension of Zhentarim influence from Zhentil Keep north to the Arcadian Plains and west to Phlan and the other towns on the northern coast of the Moonsea, he needs the financial support of Sokol Keep and the other merchant houses of Phlan in order to achieve this goal. As such, he has offered to unleash the armies of Thar on Melvaunt in order to dupe the merchants into financing his larger aims.   Tarik Bloodwhirl has also made contact with the Welcomers, a local network of thieves, assassins and enforcers lead by self-proclaimed Roguemaster Khemnon the Drow. Drawing on connections developed through the Welcomers' smuggling operations, Bloodwhirl was able to find a potential source for a dragon egg. He sent Sokol merchant Bartholomay Fandron to purchase the eggs from a Welcomers' contact, but Fandron was kidnapped by the Harpers before he could complete the exchange. Having learned that Fandron was kidnapped, Bloodwhirl has returned to the Welcomers seeking another chance to purchase the egg. While Khemnon the Drow, self-styled Roguemaster, and his lieutenants remain skeptical of Bloodwhirl, they cannot resist the riches he offers if they broker another deal. As such, they have alerted their spies throughout Phlan and beyond to find out what happened to Kaldara Strangefell, the elven ranger who was supposed to sell the dragon egg to Bloodwhirl.