The Sons of Alagondar
Nationalist rebels of Neverwinter, the Sons of Alagandor now stand at a crucial crossroads. For decades, the order has waged both guerilla warfare and subtler a war of ideas, constantly mustering public opinion against Lord Dagult Neverember. Now, the first of these two wars is all but lost, while the other is close to a form of victory, and this tension has already divided the sons, and threatens to tear the order in two. All members of the Sons of Alagaondar believe in honor and in restoring Neverwinter to what it once was—a symbol of peace and goodness in the savage North—but they disagree on the path to this goal.
History
The history of the Sons of Alagondar begins with their namesake. Lord Nasher Alagondar was the fearless former adventurer and ruler of Neverwinter who held his city firmly in the Lords' Alliance. Nasher was responsible for laying many plots and magical contingencies against assaults from the city's enemies. Brave in the face of his enemies but affable when among his people, Nasher was noted for his steadfast opposition against Luskan and the orcs of the North. He was especially vigilant against Neverwinter's warlike rival, Luskan, even going so far as banning maps of the city being made in order to throw off that city's spies and their potential invasion plans. A beloved figure, also known for his great love of music and hearing tales of faraway lands, Lord Nasher was always accompanied by his bodyguard, the Neverwinter Nine, to whom he gave many magic items from his adventuring days.
Nasher rejected the position of King of Neverwinter for much of his life, accepting the title only in old age. His descendants were powerful royals who kept the city stable and prosperous. Then Mount Hotenow, deep in Neverwinter Wood, awoke with the power of an angry god. The earth yawned open and broke apart. The river, running warm throughout winter, exploded into hissing steam and lava as scalding clouds of ash roared through
the streets like an advancing army. Thousands lost their lives and the royal line disappeared in the disaster. It is from this royal line that the Sons of Alagondar take their name.
Most of the Sons' members trace their lineage back to Lord Nasher Alagondar's loyalist servants, who refused to abandon the city after the eruption of Mount Hotenow. Many of the most prominent members are descendants of the storied Neverwinter Nine. Its members all swear the same oath, one of loyalty to Neverwinter alone.
After the destruction, many who had fled at the first tremors returned. Opportunists and looters arrived.
People began to rebuild. Lord Dagult Neverember, at that time the Open Lord of Waterdeep, arrived as well, along with an army of Mintarn mercenaries, citing an ancestral tie to Lord Nasher. Dagult declared himself the “Lord Protector” of Neverwinter as the city struggled back to life.
Yet not all Neverwinter citizens were won over by the beneficent smile of this charming noble. The Sons of Alagondar emerged as a band of rebels agitating for selfgovernance.
From 1474-1479 DR, a female Harper named Cymril led the Sons. Her leadership and life came to a brutal end, however, and her absence created a power vacuum. Even though treason or subterfuge could not be proved, suspicions and accusations were hurled fiercely at a variety of suspects. Confused and disorganized, the group chose to strike out on its own rather than risk associating with potential kinslayers. Scattered and leaderless, the rebels might have perished in Lord Neverember's brutal reprisals if not for the support of some new allies, including members of the Thayan Resurrection and the thieves' guild called the Dead Rats.
From that time, allthough nominally still a single organization, the Sons of Alagondar became increasingly divided over how to give self-governance to the people of Neverwinter. The split occurred largely along generational lines.
This resulted in two sub-factions. The smaller one is called the Nashers, named after Lord Nasher himself, and they are more radical and militant. Primarily made up of the younger members of the group and led by Arlon Bladeshaper, who claims to be descended from one of the Neverwinter Nine, the Nashers have become desperate, practicing extreme methods. They are waging a desperate insurgency against a far superior force, and their cause may be lost at this point. As a result, they welcome almost any aid that's offered. allying themselves to the shadier side of Neverwinter's underworld such as the Dead Rats and Thayan agents, even using a former Kraken Society building as their headquarters.
The sub-faction that has largely won out is the Graycloaks, named after the old Neverwintan militia and led by the proprietor of the Driftwood Tavern, Madame Rosene. These members of the order found great success pursuing more diplomatic ends. They put pressure on Lord Neverember to give Neverwintan citizens more political power, using subterfuge to advance their aims rather than force. At first, they accomplished little, especially compared to the violent uprisings masterminded by the Nashers, but eventually the Graycloaks' more patient and subtle approach was rewarded. Over time, they made real progress in improving life for Neverwinter's residents. It is this success, in fact, that has pushed the factions divide into a crisis of purpose.
Recent Status
With the threatening orc hordes moving on to other conflicts, the Chasme that rent the city sealed by powerful magic, and the High Road cleared and rebuilt to allow trade with Waterdeep and other realms to the south, The faiths of Tyr and Oghma have returned to the local temples. Neverwinter seems to at last be recovering from the cataclysm that broke it. Prosperity is the one event few rebel movements can survive. With Neverwinter reborn as an exciting, thriving center of trade and civilization in the North, most citizens see little need to overthrow Lord Neverember.
In fact, thanks in larger part to the influence of the Graycloaks, Neverember has grown into a capable and inspiring leader. Where he failed in Waterdeep, causing him to be deposed as Open Lord there, here he seems to be succeeding. His reprisals for acts of defiance are now mostly fair matters of law rather than grapsing brutality, and he engineered the sealing of the Chasm and the restoration of the High Road. There is even talk of dismissing the mercenaries of Mintarn who have provided law enforcement and replacing them with local guards.
The Graycloaks faction takes credit for many of these positive changes, and see them as more important victories for Neverwinter's people than any violent uprising could be.
In fact, many of the Graycloaks have put forth the idea that it should bethe Sons who replace Neverember's hired soldiers as the city's law enforcement. The citizens who grew up defending the makeshift wall from threats out of the Chasm are well-equipped to become a proper military force. Therefore, it is members of the Sons of Alagondar have led many neighborhoods in organizing their own local militias. This has, in many ways, forced Neverember's hand, as he seeks to avoid conflict between his own hired mercenaries and these homegrown groups of volunteers. Therefore, he he has been slowly drawing down the number of Mintarn mercenaries, in another example of the Graycloaks' indirect influence on the Lord Protector.
Membership
To be clear, the Sons of Alagondar are still a resistance movement fighting for Neverwinter to be ruled by Neverwintans, but many of the locals now accept Neverember—who has been a part of the city for over 15 years—as one of them. With no unified leadership and no other power in the city to which they can appeal, most of the Sons of Alagondar are turning away from rebellion to focus on rebuilding.
The new possible path of the Sons' reforming the city guard seems like a peaceful resolution amicable to all sides, but it still sticks in the craw for many members of the Nashers sub-faction. Their rebellion was against this outsider from Waterdeep, and solutions that leave him in power are unpalatable. On the other hand, they have been fighting this battle for more than a decade and a half, and it seems like they are now farther from any kind of victory than they have ever been. Every tenday, more members of the group trade in the black-clad garb of their covert operations for the embroidered tabards of a local militia.
Even though the Nashers and the Graycloaks frequently meet in separate, private locations, the more even-keeled members of the Sons of Alagondar are trying to hold the factions together. So far, the strength-in-numbers argument has held the day. For their joint meetings, the Sons gather in the Nashers' headquarters, an old Kraken Society building near the graveyard called Neverdeath.
Members wear a symbol that incorporates the black octopus of the old Kraken Society, in part because the headquarters' guardian kraken recognizes the image and refrains from attacking those who bear it. Although the organization's overarching planning occurs in the dilapidated structure, members can be encountered anywhere in the city, and they have many safe houses throughout the inhabited areas. In fact, many Sons had homes in the old merchant quarter—the River District— so they know the area far better than the ever-dwindling number of Mintarn sellswords that have been tasked with hunting them down.
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