The tales of power-seeking mortals like Ottylyn Mor or Larloch were well known to the dragons. When these simpletons attained enough power to challenge the gods, then dragons took their efforts as an object lesson. Dragon forebearers are, after all, gods and world-shapers themselves.
Whisperings of the Tresendar Project therefore piqued the interest of the dragons and Venomfang in particular. He was, at his heart, little more than a child who longed for his mother. That his mother was an all-powerful dragon goddess who had been banished to the nine hells mattered little to Venomfang. He knew in his heart that she'd love to inhabit Faerun - to sunder it, burn it, cleanse it of the mortal blight, and transform it into a paradise for her children. He knew she'd love to mock the other gods by devouring their pets and destroying their projects.
Mormesk was descended from Ottylyn Mor and this fact was fascinating new information for the ambitious young green dragon. He quickly surmised the Tresendar Project, which Oghma now deigned to investigate, must certainly be connected to the legends of Mor's resurrection device. Venomfang was confident such a prize could easily be turned to the task of unleashing mother Tiamat upon the world.
He set himself immediately to work after hearing the first news of the Tresendar Project as uncovered by Hamun Kost, a seceded red mage of Thay. The mage had come into possession of a sheaf of correspondence between Mormesk and Makith Tresendar, from back in the days of Wave Echo Cave's prime production. While attempting to understand the project referenced in the letter, Kost contacted Reidoth, who promised to study the documents.
Reidoth was well known to Venomfang because the two had been passively combating each other for many years. Reidoth was a fixture of Neverwinter wood who had impeded many of Venomfang's earliest attempts at grasping power. Reidoth's own experiments with twig blights proved an amusing pastime for the green dragon, who took up residence in the tower of Shulkith Traeban. Both were aware of and happy to frustrate each other. However, they mostly ignored one another otherwise.
After hearing of the correspondence's recovery, Venomfang contacted his drow allies in Szithlin to shift their interest toward Phandalin. He used the Forge of Spells as a convenient lure. He also used Hamun Kost to spark an interest between the Thayan expatriates and the Cult of the Dragon. Venomfang found it easy to control the efforts of each of these groups, laying groundwork for his master plan to resurrect Tiamat.
This also proved an excellent opportunity to test the effectiveness of his mouthpieces in Waterdeep. He had great successes infiltrating the houses of Silmerhelve, Brokengulf, Talmost, Raventree, and Urmbrusk. From these associations, he could easily corrupt the more careless or ignoble members of the organization called the Lords' Alliance. More than any other group, the Lords' Alliance had the influence to stymy or bolster Venomfang's plans.
His most useful recruit, Iarno Albrek, actually hailed out of Neverwinter. This one made great progress under the guidance of the drow Nezznar. However, Venomfang's machinations took an unexpected turn for the worse when a group of adventurers began hunting Iarno, then Nezznar and, eventually, Venomfang himself.
Although thoroughly prepared for the attack, Venomfang somehow found himself trapped helplessly in the Traeban tower and wilting under the relentless assault of the mythical Oathbow. His unexpected death left a vacuum of power into which the drow gladly stepped. His former associate, Magmar Philiom, took up the threads of infiltration into the Lords' Alliance and leveraged this weakening influence to allow his master, SiNafay, an opportunity to wrest control of the troublesome Zhentarim from Manshoon and thus grant the drow access the Black Network.
In death, Venomfang's focus on restoring Tiamat reverberated through the Cult of the Dragon, just as the great dragon goddess had intended. The Thayan mages were also easy fodder for her influence as they had become obsessed with the destruction of their former ruler, the lich Szass Tam. Her promises to destroy the lich secured their cooperation in devising resurrectionist spells powerful enough to summon her from her prison in Avernus.
Whisperings of the Tresendar Project therefore piqued the interest of the dragons and Venomfang in particular. He was, at his heart, little more than a child who longed for his mother. That his mother was an all-powerful dragon goddess who had been banished to the nine hells mattered little to Venomfang. He knew in his heart that she'd love to inhabit Faerun - to sunder it, burn it, cleanse it of the mortal blight, and transform it into a paradise for her children. He knew she'd love to mock the other gods by devouring their pets and destroying their projects.
Mormesk was descended from Ottylyn Mor and this fact was fascinating new information for the ambitious young green dragon. He quickly surmised the Tresendar Project, which Oghma now deigned to investigate, must certainly be connected to the legends of Mor's resurrection device. Venomfang was confident such a prize could easily be turned to the task of unleashing mother Tiamat upon the world.
He set himself immediately to work after hearing the first news of the Tresendar Project as uncovered by Hamun Kost, a seceded red mage of Thay. The mage had come into possession of a sheaf of correspondence between Mormesk and Makith Tresendar, from back in the days of Wave Echo Cave's prime production. While attempting to understand the project referenced in the letter, Kost contacted Reidoth, who promised to study the documents.
Reidoth was well known to Venomfang because the two had been passively combating each other for many years. Reidoth was a fixture of Neverwinter wood who had impeded many of Venomfang's earliest attempts at grasping power. Reidoth's own experiments with twig blights proved an amusing pastime for the green dragon, who took up residence in the tower of Shulkith Traeban. Both were aware of and happy to frustrate each other. However, they mostly ignored one another otherwise.
After hearing of the correspondence's recovery, Venomfang contacted his drow allies in Szithlin to shift their interest toward Phandalin. He used the Forge of Spells as a convenient lure. He also used Hamun Kost to spark an interest between the Thayan expatriates and the Cult of the Dragon. Venomfang found it easy to control the efforts of each of these groups, laying groundwork for his master plan to resurrect Tiamat.
This also proved an excellent opportunity to test the effectiveness of his mouthpieces in Waterdeep. He had great successes infiltrating the houses of Silmerhelve, Brokengulf, Talmost, Raventree, and Urmbrusk. From these associations, he could easily corrupt the more careless or ignoble members of the organization called the Lords' Alliance. More than any other group, the Lords' Alliance had the influence to stymy or bolster Venomfang's plans.
His most useful recruit, Iarno Albrek, actually hailed out of Neverwinter. This one made great progress under the guidance of the drow Nezznar. However, Venomfang's machinations took an unexpected turn for the worse when a group of adventurers began hunting Iarno, then Nezznar and, eventually, Venomfang himself.
Although thoroughly prepared for the attack, Venomfang somehow found himself trapped helplessly in the Traeban tower and wilting under the relentless assault of the mythical Oathbow. His unexpected death left a vacuum of power into which the drow gladly stepped. His former associate, Magmar Philiom, took up the threads of infiltration into the Lords' Alliance and leveraged this weakening influence to allow his master, SiNafay, an opportunity to wrest control of the troublesome Zhentarim from Manshoon and thus grant the drow access the Black Network.
In death, Venomfang's focus on restoring Tiamat reverberated through the Cult of the Dragon, just as the great dragon goddess had intended. The Thayan mages were also easy fodder for her influence as they had become obsessed with the destruction of their former ruler, the lich Szass Tam. Her promises to destroy the lich secured their cooperation in devising resurrectionist spells powerful enough to summon her from her prison in Avernus.