The Lost Refuge
This ancient keep was built by the Cormyreans long ago to keep watch over the Vast Swamp and the trade road to Sembia. Over time, the keep and its surrounding town fell to a combination of orc attacks and the slow, natural expansion of the swamp, leading to its eventual abandonment. The keep itself lies atop a planar rift that connects to the Plane of Shadow. Rumours persist that the Dusk Lord of Sessrendale fled through this portal after abandoning his homeland. These stories drew the attention of Sharran cultists and the Shadowscales, a tribe of lizardfolk warped by prolonged exposure to the Plane of Shadow. While their numbers were greatly reduced by adventurers who drove them from the keep, scattered groups of Sharrans and Shadowscales remain to this day, lurking both in the surrounding swamps and the Shadowfell itself.
The Lost Refuge Today
Following the defeat of the Sharrans, the Sharptooth tribe of lizardfolk took control of the Lost Refuge. Under their leadership, the tribe established a surprising alliance with the kingdom of Cormyr, fostering regular trade between the lizardfolk and nearby settlements. While the arrangement has brought a fragile peace to the region, some within Cormyr argue that this accord is unnatural and cannot last. Voices in the court have begun urging the queen to break ties and preemptively strike against the lizardfolk, fearing an eventual betrayal.Notable Features
The Lost Refuge remains a place of uneasy balance—shaped by shadow, conflict, and a fragile peace. Whether it will remain a neutral ground or become a battlefield once more is yet to be seen.
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