Dragonbone Vale

The Dragonbone Vale was an ancient mountain valley located high in the southwestern part of the Sword Mountains of the Sword Coast North.
==Description==
The Dragonbone Vale was divided into four areas by perilous ridges. The wooded area was known as Whetstone Thicket, the dwarven ruins of Quellwater Tarn laid in the crags, and Wyrmbone Marrows – an area of sharp rocks with ancient dragon remains scattered all over. Lastly, the Scaleblight Summit was a mountain wrapped in corruption and foul magics. Quellwater Tarn was the remnants of an ancient dwarvish civilization – Keldegonn, long gone and forgotten by the 15 century.
==Geography==
===Flora & Fauna===
The slopes of the valley were inhabited by bears, deer, toads, sheltered by massive pine trees. On occasion, dragons were known to call the valley a home.
The area was known for its healing herbs, most – killed by the Cult of the Dragon's corrupting magic. One curative herb of note found there was a vibrant blue flower – the Vale Blossom that was said to be able to cure nearly any ailment.
==History==
Many centuries before the 15 century DR, the unnamed vale was claimed by the ancient dragon named Baruloxis. An aggressive creature, they still believed that there was enough space in the valley for other dragons to have lairs of their own and keep their hoards secure in safety and peace. Baruloxis was hailed as the leader of their kin and respected by the dwarves of Keldegonn. Legends claimed that Baruloxis developed an obsession over their mate, the obsession that led the ancient dragon to practice necromancy. Baruloxis' necromancy was what gave the Dragonbone Vale its name.
In the late 15 century DR, Elminster Aumar uncovered a sinister plot by the Cult of the Dragon in an ancient vale deep within the Sword Mountains. The cultists uncovered an ancient Netherese mythallar that had enough magical power to make the prophecy of the Chronicle of Years to Come true. With Elminster's help, factions and adventurers of the Sword Coast North gathered their forces under Sergeant Alphonse Knox's command and set up camp in the Dragonbone Vale to thwart the cult's plot. The allied forces named the camp – the Shield of the North.
The cult was spreading corruption with the use of malignant conduits across the Dragonbone Vale, with the help from the dreaded Red Wizards of Thay. The parasitic corruption was designed to feed sapped lifeforce from the vale and its creatures back into the mythallar, fuelling it. This needed the attention of Neverwinter's heroes, guided to the malignant conduits locations across the valley by Xuna, a hero and a supplier for the Shield of the North. Meanwhile, the Emerald Enclave and Etrien tried to restore depleted wildlife and keep the cult's corruption at bay. Celeste and the Order of the Gauntlet focused their radiant magics on cleansing and repurposing malignant conduits, turning them into devices to cleanse the spreading corruption.
Thayvian agents were led to the valley by Valindra Shadowmantle. She ordered draconic remains to be exhumed and dragged to the Wyrmbone Marrows from where the corrupting magic was spreading its vile tentacles. Ancient dragon bones were used to create more powerful malignant conduits, leading the Red Wizards to desecrate draconic graves.
To combat the growing corruption and enter the Scaleblight Summit, Elminster and his friend Gisentraxia developed magical protection using an ancient ritual scroll recovered from the ruins of Keldegonn – the Decree of the Mad King, crystalised remains of dragon Baruloxis, who was murdered by their own mate after delving into necromantic magics, a Thayan periapt of shielding, and the Vale Blossom.
Once the protective magic was distilled into radiant foci, the adventurers and troops of the Shield of the North marched to the Scaleblight Summit just in time as Valindra Shadowmantle was casting the mythal spell, using the fully-charged mythallar. The mythal was charged with the Rite of the Dracolich that was to convert all dragonkind into dracoliches.
With an intervention, Valindra managed to cast a flawed version of Scaleblight mythal and faced heroes in battle on the back of a dracolich. She faced yet another defeat at the hands of Neverwintran heroes and fled as Elminster shielded heroes from the destructive magics of the mythal's demise.
==Notable Locations==
* Whetstone Thicket, a patch of idyllic forested land teeming with healing herbs and animal life, driven away by the cult's malignant conduits in the late 15 century DR. Most of the healing herbs were killed by the cult's dark magics.
* Scalerot Caverns, cave tunnels underneath Quellwater Tarn.
==Notable Inhabitants==
* Commander Drakken, a traditionalist commander of the Cult of the Dragon in the late 15 century DR.
* Old Oghi, a massive and powerful bear, strong enough to scare away a young blue dragon, who lived in the late 15 century DR.
* Orgnir the Lost, a giant undead guardian of the mythallar.
* Master Aelioth, a Red Wizard necromancer in the late 15 century DR.
* The Mad King, the spirit of an ancient leader of Quellwater Tarn, trapped in a cursed Netherese chalice, ready to possess anyone foolish enough to drink from it.
==Appendix==
===Gallery===
Dragonbone-vale.jpg|A map of the Dragonbone Vale.
Dragonbone Vale map.png|The location of the Dragonbone Vale in the Sword Mountains.
Dragonbone Vale camp.png|The Dragonbone Vale camp used by the Harpers, the Emerald Enclave, the Lords' Alliance, and the Order of the Gauntlet.
Neverwinter-dragonbone-vale-valindra.jpg|Valindra Shadowmantle atop an undead dragon in the Dragonbone Vale.
Neverwinter-dragonbone-mythallar.jpg|Heroes of Neverwinter observing Valindra's corrupted mythallar.
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Valleys
Category:Dragon locations
Category:Dwarven locations
Category:Locations in the Sword Mountains
Category:Locations on the Sword Coast North
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril