Castle Naerytar

Castle Naerytar is an abandoned ruin in the Mere of Dead Men that has served as both a base for the Academy of Stargazers and the Cult of the Dragon at various points in its history.

Purpose / Function

Castle Naerytar was originally built for the Academy of Stargazers, an order dedicated to their study of the cosmos. The remoteness of the Mere of Dead Men allowed them to install a massive magical telescope, the Farseer of Illusk, without risk of it being stolen.

Alterations

Following the Cult of the Dragon's settling of the castle, many of the rooms were rearranged and organized. A forge was added at the bottom of one tower while another was turned into a garbage dump.
The bullywugs that took up residence in the tower created a cavernous system beneath the castle that they turned into a temporary home. This system included pens for frogs, mud baths, a hatchery, and more.

History

In the early 14th century DR, Castle Naerytar was built by the Academy of Stargazers to house the Farseer of Illusk. At some point before the start of the 15th century, it was abandoned and fell to ruin.
In the early 1490's CR, Castle Naerytar was rediscovered by the Cult of the Dragon, who converted the castle into the headquarters for their smuggling operation based out of Carnath Roadhouse. The castle also served as the primary location by which the cult could convince the dragon Voaraghammanthar to join them and to search for Yssondreneth's Tomb and the Gauntlet of the Black Dragon that rested within.
This operation was headed by Starlin Castro, who recruited a bullywug tribe, under Pharblex Splattergoo, and the lizardfolk Scaly Death Tribe to assist him. Occasionally, the leader of the Cult of the Dragon, Don Rel, would personally stay at the castle, as well as the Red Wizard traitor, Azbara Jos.
In Tarsakh of 1492, the Breadwinners, accompanied by Agent Viné Seraph of Force Grey, arrived in the Mere of Dead Men to put an end to the cult's presence in the swamp. The adventurers teamed up with Snapjaw a disgruntled member of the Scaly Death Tribe to incite the lizardfolk into uprising. They succeeded in driving out the cult, killing or chasing away all the inhabitants of the castle, and Castle Naerytar once again fell into ruin.

by Wizards of the Coast

RUINED STRUCTURE
Late 1300's

Founding Date

Early 1300's

Type

Castle

Parent Location

Mere of Dead Men