Silver Dawn Company

The Silver Dawn Company is a freelance mercenary organisation formed in 1873 DR, who's members specialised in the tracking and eradication of fiends, aberrations and other dark monstrosities.

Consisting of thousand's of members at its peak, with guild halls found throughout the Sword Coast, the Silver Dawn Company suffered a great decline in public support when its leaders openly accused the Lords of Waterdeep of concealing an intricate network of vampire clans operating within the city.

Subsequently outlawed for treason for their continued action against the Lords of Waterdeep, the Silver Dawn Company was effectively disbanded following a series of battles fought against the Lords' Alliance; which culminated in the bloody siege at the Silver Dawn Company's fortress of Tyr's Peak.

In recent times, the company has begun to re-consolidate within the West Marches under the leadership of Grandmaster Alicia Ferngaze.

## History

### Founding

*"Darkness fears Celestia's fury."* - motto of the Silver Dawn Company.

Following the resurgence of the Lords' Alliance in 1750 DR, the Sword Coast was battered with almost a century of bloody conflict against the Zhentarim. Whilst the major cities of Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate had been restored to the Lords' Alliance control, the Zhentarim's extensive use of dark magic, and deployment of monsters upon the battlefield, began to grind down the Lord's Alliance expansion. Minor towns and villages suffered the worst under the Zhentarim's prolonged withdrawal, as villagers would be used as both food and fuel for the various undead and fiendish armies under Zhentarim control.

Witnessing first-hand the plight of the common-folk, Varys Lightstone, a travelling paladin of Tyr from the far-east, sought a means to resolve the conflict. Whilst the Zhentarim were evidently the major cause of the despair amongst the populace, Lightstone identified that the Lords' Alliance had failed to serve the needs of the realm. Upon liberating the major settlements along the Sword Coast, the Lords' Alliance had claimed a premature victory, ignoring the villages under the thumb of the Zhentarim, and treating them as though they were in league with the enemy.

The decision was made by Lightstone to form an independent guild, specialising in the eradication of fiends, aberrations, undead and any other monstrosity devised to harm the populace. The organisation would remain impartial, politically neutral, and would accept a contract from any employer as long as the interests of the common-folk were upheld. In aligned with these goals, the Silver Dawn Company was formed in 1873 DR, with Varys Lightstone serving as first Grandmaster.

Recruiting within the towns and villages affected by the conflict, the Silver Dawn Company's numbers swelled with valorous paladins, holy clerics and many a vengeful citizen seeking a swift end to the conflict; as well as retribution against the monstrous horde ravaging the land. With the Silver Dawn's prowess against the Zhentarim horde demonstrated in several small skirmishes, the Lord's Alliance was quick to employ the company's services. With the financial backing of the Lord's Alliance, the Silver Dawn Company continued to grow. By 1890 DR, the Zhentarim's presence on the Sword Coast had been all but eradicated. In a gesture of gratitude, the Lord's Alliance granted the Silver Dawn Company ownership of the mountain fortress of Tyr's Peak, which would serve as the company's headquarters for years to come. For the next several years the Silver Dawn Company enjoyed a period of growth and renown as one of the most trusted and sought after mercenary companies throughout Faerûn.

It was during the guild's peak that it suffered the loss of their first grandmaster. In 1896 DR Grandmaster Varys Lightstone was killed alongside his veteran adventuring party, whilst investigating rumours of an elder vampire den nestled along the Sword Coast. Lightstone was succeeded by High-Captain Alicia Ferngaze. The death of the Silver Dawn Company's first grandmaster and the ensuing investigation marked the turning point that lead towards the organisation's downfall.

### Decline

#### The Vampires of Waterdeep

Following Varys Lightstone's death, an extensive investigation was launched by newly appointed Guildmaster Alicia Ferngaze into the incident. Following leads first established by Lightstone, the Silver Dawn tracked the movements of the vampire clan to the city of Waterdeep, where all leads into vampiric activity came to a halt. Further investigation into the matter was prevented at the authority of the Lords of Waterdeep, who cited "unnecessary public distress" and the "protection of citizens' personal privacy" as reasons for the cease and desist order. With appeals to the Lords' Alliance dismissed, and an increase in vampire activity throughout the nearby countryside, the Silver Dawn Company launched a covert investigation against the Lords of Waterdeep. After several weeks of investigation, the Silver Dawn agents involved in the matter publicly presented the gathered evidence before the Waterdeep Lords' Council. The agents were subsequently arrested and summarily executed for treason, and the Lords of Waterdeep declared the Silver Dawn Company an outlaw organisation for conspiracy against the Lord's Alliance.

For the next three years members of the Silver Dawn were hunted down across Faerûn. Hundreds of minor skirmishes against the Lords' Alliance took place. Despite having overwhelming numbers, the Lords' Alliance only managed a handful of Pyrrhic victories against the mercenary company. With the Silver Dawn Company losing the support of the local populace that they swore to protect, the surviving members retreated to the fortress of Tyr's Peak. With the Silver Dawn Company concentrated in one place, the Lord's Alliance took the opportunity to launch a massive offensive to take the fortress. In 1899 DR, Tyr's Peak was under seige by the Lords' Alliance.

#### Siege of Tyr's Peak

With the defenders vastly outnumbered, several attempts to take the fortress were pressed early by the Lords' Alliance. Each assault was easily repelled, thanks to the fortress' high walls and elite, seasoned defenders. After facing substantial losses with little gain, the order was issued to pull back from the walls and to continue to lay siege to the fortress. This breathing space allowed Silver Dawn operatives the time to escape Tyr's Peak and continue the investigation into the Lords of Waterdeep.

As time passed, resources dwindled within the fortress, and the Silver Dawn Company became desperate for a peaceful resolution. In the Winterfell of 1899, the Silver Dawn Company found that opportunity. Operatives positioned on the outskirts of Waterdeep intercepted correspondence between Waterdeep aristocrats and the Zhentarim, whom appeared to be responsible for the entrenchment of a vampiric cult within the city. With these documents, it became evident that the Zhentarim were responsible for the conflict between the Silver Dawn and the Lords' Alliance. The documents were rushed to the Council of Lords at Neverwinter, who directed that the siege be halted, and called upon Grandmaster Alicia Ferngaze to travel to Neverwinter in order to broker peace and reconciliation between the belligerents.

Ferngaze and a selection of high ranking members of the Silver Dawn travelled to Neverwinter as directed. Several days following their departure, Waterdeep's High-General Rasem Kiv ordered an all-out assault to take the fortress, with no prisoners to be spared. It was later suspected that High-General Kiv was in-league with the Zhentarim, and had received word of the impending peace talks. At the time of the assault however, Kiv remained in-charge of the besieging army. After a prolonged and bloody battle, the Silver Dawn garrisoned within the fortress were reportedly wiped out.

### Reinstatement and Current Status

Following the siege, the Silver Dawn Company's membership stood at less than 2% than that of their peak size. Rasem Kiv was ultimately arrested and executed for conspiracy and insubordination, however the damage to the Silver Dawn had already been done. Whilst being reinstated as a legitimate guild, Grandmaster Ferngaze refused any remuneration attempt from the Lords' Alliance. Silver Dawn members would proudly retain their rank and affiliation with the guild, however without a base of operations or any effective communication network, most members began to go their separate ways. The name 'Silver Dawn' continued to be associated with the very best monster-hunters money could offer, however the stigma of their persecution remained for many.

With the West Marches ever-growing, many guild members took to the New World for a renewed start and to escape the stigma of the past. In 1902 DR, a significant number of Silver Dawn veterans travelled to the West Marches under the leadership of Grandmaster Alicia Ferngaze, with hopes to re-consolidate the Silver Dawn outside of the overbearing influence of the Lords' Alliance.

## Notable Members

* Varys Lightstone - Founder, former Grand-master. Killed in battle and succeeded in 1873 DR.
* Eadric - Captain and current member of the West Marches Adventuring Company.
* Alicia Ferngaze - Current grandmaster. Currently leading remnants of the Silver Dawn within the West Marches.
* Síle - Aasimar paladin and captain of the Silver Dawn. Presumed to have died during the Siege of Tyr's Peak. Whereabouts unknown.