Mere of Dead Men The Mere of Dead Men ( or Merdelain , meaning " Slow Marching Court " in Elvish ) was a swampy area located along the Sword Coast North . Etymology . The name " Mere of Dead Men " referred to the thousands of dwarves , elves , and human s of the Fallen Kingdom who were slain here during the invasion of an orc army . Geography . The Mere was located along the Sword Coast on the Sea of Swords between Neverwinter and Waterdeep . The High Road skirted its eastern edges on its way through the foothills of the Sword Mountains to the east . The nearest significant settlement was Leilon to the north . Description . The Mere of Dead Men was a cold saltwater swamp roughly 100 miles ( 160 km ) long by 30 miles ( 48 km ) wide along the shore . It was a desolate place full of monsters and few members of the civilized races . The swamp constantly grew over time , swallowing homes and property located close to its boundaries . It was believed that the eastern boundary of the Mere was magically bound to the High Road ( perhaps via a " wish " spell from the Mere ' s creator ) , since attempts to reroute the road were futile and only caused the expansion of the swamp . The Mere itself was full of trees , vines , quicksand , and hidden islands , and it was generally covered in fog , making visibility very poor . The bones of fallen creatures were clearly visible throughout the Mere . The water was deep enough that it could be navigated on a flat - bottomed boat , but the dark water and hidden obstructions made that choice dangerous . Inside the Mere were the flooded ruins of a number of castles and settlements . Many of the castles had strange wards that would either strengthen certain magic or negate it . History . Creation . The Mere was created in 615 DR . After the armies of Phalorm were overrun by the Horde of the Wastes in 614 DR , the few that had rallied made their stand at Iniarv ' s Tower , a tower that had once belonged to Iniarv , the former Mage Royal of Uthtower . Unbeknownst to all , Iniarv had retreated into the tower ' s crypts to become a lich . He was awakened by the orcs and enraged by the commotion . King Uth VII begged him for help , calling upon Iniarv ' s ancient alliance with Uthtower . Iniarv acquiesced , calling on the ocean to flood the entire area , killing all goblinoid s and humanoid s alike . When the waters receded , all that was left was a saltwater swamp . The land was never permanently resettled , although there were a few attempts that were thwarted by the wetlands and strange monsters released by Iniarv . Ebondeath ' s reign . In 631 DR , the dragon Chardansearavitriol ( called Ebondeath ) laid claim to the area , making his home in Uthtower and ruling all surroundings . He disappeared in 922 DR , becoming a dracolich at the behest of Strongor Bonebag , a priest of Myrkul . The Ebondeath Sect of the Cult of the Dragon began worshiping him at a mausoleum created at the Uthtower . Troll s surviving the Trollwars against Waterdeep ( 932 DR – 952 DR ) found refuge in the Mere of Dead Men . There they were met by Aviss and Fellandar . The trolls believed the traitors could bring them victory in a third , and final , Trollwar , and promised them power over the city . Aviss and Fellandar chose to give up their humanity and swore a bond between them . As the trolls watched on , Aviss and Fellandar entered a certain pool where the fell magic of the Mere transformed them into inhuman creatures of raw and primal power . Empowered , the pair led a new troll army out of the Mere and south toward Waterdeep in the Year of the Thundering Horde , 963 DR , but the attack was ultimately thwarted . In 1202 DR , under the Eye of Myrkul , Ebondeath ' s body disintegrated into dust , due to the god Myrkul ' s influence , although his spirit was still tethered to his remains . Worshipers from the Ebondeath Sect traveled to the Mere of Dead Men to see the remains and the sect grew . However , the Ebondeath Sect collapsed around 300 years later in 1358 DR when Myrkul was destroyed . Sect members ' powerful " rings of Myrkul " were lost to the swamp monsters . Rise of the undead . When Myrkul ' s avatar was destroyed over the Sea of Swords , fragments of his bone dust were carried north and entered the waters of the Mere . This dust animated some of the drowned corpses of the orcs and people of Uthtower into a variety of lesser undead creatures . They displaced many of the living residents of the swamp , though the undead lacked any kind of direction , having no greater undead or necromancer to lead them . As the undead began to make an appearance , members of the Cult of the Dragon cell in Leilon began searching for the mausoleum . " The Black Death " . The Cult of the Dragon cell of Leilon requested the aid of Voaraghamanthar , a black dragon who had moved into the Mere , in their search for the mausoleum . He aided them in return for treasure , including the " Twinned Crown of Yarlith " ( created by Iniarv and discovered in the Mere ) . Voaraghamanthar had moved into the Mere seeking to find the treasure rumored to be there , both the hoard of Chardansearavitriol and the wealth of ruined Uthtower and Yarlith . However , unbeknownst to the Cult and locals , Voaraghamanthar had a twin brother named Waervaerendor ; the two dragons posed as the same dragon to prevent discovery . The two dragons were in reality not interested in the lichdom the cultists extolled , but they nonetheless used the alliance to their benefit . The two dragons also approached adventurers to find the treasure that they sought , including the " Twinned Crown of Uthtower " . Inhabitants . A variety of creatures were found in the Mere , including bullywug s and lizardfolk ; siv s ; aballin s , behir s , flying fang s , giant frog s and giant toad s , gibbering mouther s , giant leech es , hydra s , meazel s , monitor lizard s , nyth s , scrag s , shambling mound s , snake s , and will - o ' - wisp s . A pair of black dragons ( known as a single dragon , Voaraghamanthar ) made their homes in the swamp . Doppelganger s dwelt in some of the ruined settlements , posing as humans in order to lure unsuspecting travelers to their doom . Troll s also once lived in the Mere . After the Time of Troubles and the death of Myrkul ( 1358 DR ) , the taint of the dead god infected the remains of the dead in the Mere , causing them to turn into undead ghoul s , skeleton s , and zombies that attacked travelers on sight . Legends spoke of lich es , a penanggalan , sea zombie s , darktentacle s , yuan - ti slavers , and other monsters , but their presence was not confirmed .