The Court of the Serpent King
I was imprisoned in Ss’khanaja, a mostly subterranean city on the Winding Water, where gathers the court of King Jarant.
During my time in the custody of the Najarans, I learned much about — and from — Dhosun Silverscale. A yuan-ti pureblood in Najara, Dhosun acts as a councilor to the king and often seeks to mitigate Jarant’s excesses. I believe that the sending out of the ambassadors was Dhosun’s idea, for while I was imprisoned, he visited me several times, asking what I knew of the arts of embassy and ambassadorship. From the talk at court, Dhosun makes no secret of his desire to help his king build a nation whose status equals or outmatches other realms across the face of Faerûn. Jarant keeps him near, it is said, because of all the king’s courtiers, Dhosun is the likeliest to attempt to steal away the Marlspire. Whether or not he is capable of such an act, I found the yuan-ti naga to be honorable — it was he who secretly arranged the opportunity I needed to escape, and I know he has done likewise for others in the past. I owe him a debt I intend to repay one day.
Another figure of note in the court is the cunning green dragon Emikaiwufeg, often called the Emerald Daughter. She is young for a dragon and still small enough to fit in tunnels leading down to Jarant’s audience chamber. Jarant is said to appreciate the twists and turns of her wit. Some courtiers believe that she is frequently kept to hand as a foil to Dhosun, as her slickly vicious nature offsets the Dhosun’s more honorable tendencies. For my part, I believe she’s biding her time. A great many metallic dragons dwell in the Serpent Hills, and a clear rival for mates, wealth, and power — the green dragon known as Ralionate — lives in the nearby forest of Wyrms.
A variety of advisors and hangers-on can be found within Jarant’s court, which is a dangerous place. A trio of yuan-ti warlocks, who claim to have tapped into the vestiges of the ancient serpent deity once worshiped at Ss’thar’tiss’ssun, leads the yuan-ti of Najara, though at court they frequently lurk in the background, simply watching.
During my time in the custody of the Najarans, I learned much about — and from — Dhosun Silverscale. A yuan-ti pureblood in Najara, Dhosun acts as a councilor to the king and often seeks to mitigate Jarant’s excesses. I believe that the sending out of the ambassadors was Dhosun’s idea, for while I was imprisoned, he visited me several times, asking what I knew of the arts of embassy and ambassadorship. From the talk at court, Dhosun makes no secret of his desire to help his king build a nation whose status equals or outmatches other realms across the face of Faerûn. Jarant keeps him near, it is said, because of all the king’s courtiers, Dhosun is the likeliest to attempt to steal away the Marlspire. Whether or not he is capable of such an act, I found the yuan-ti naga to be honorable — it was he who secretly arranged the opportunity I needed to escape, and I know he has done likewise for others in the past. I owe him a debt I intend to repay one day.
Another figure of note in the court is the cunning green dragon Emikaiwufeg, often called the Emerald Daughter. She is young for a dragon and still small enough to fit in tunnels leading down to Jarant’s audience chamber. Jarant is said to appreciate the twists and turns of her wit. Some courtiers believe that she is frequently kept to hand as a foil to Dhosun, as her slickly vicious nature offsets the Dhosun’s more honorable tendencies. For my part, I believe she’s biding her time. A great many metallic dragons dwell in the Serpent Hills, and a clear rival for mates, wealth, and power — the green dragon known as Ralionate — lives in the nearby forest of Wyrms.
A variety of advisors and hangers-on can be found within Jarant’s court, which is a dangerous place. A trio of yuan-ti warlocks, who claim to have tapped into the vestiges of the ancient serpent deity once worshiped at Ss’thar’tiss’ssun, leads the yuan-ti of Najara, though at court they frequently lurk in the background, simply watching.
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