Voaraghamanthar

Voaraghamanthar

Voaraghamanthar was an adult black dragon who laired in the depths of Garmok's Mine in the Mere of Dead Men. He was slain by Deez Nuts and the Bronze Blades in an epic battle through the mine's tunnels — though his corpse was later stolen, and he may not have stayed dead.

Background

Voaraghamanthar made his lair in the abandoned dwarven mine beneath the Mere of Dead Men, claiming the treasure-filled depths as his domain. The dragon was known to the local lizardfolk as a "giant black lizard of death" that moved with outrageous speed across the Mere. The lizardfolk reported seeing the dragon in one area, then on the opposite side of the Mere just a day later—leading Keyleth to speculate there might be two dragons. This proved closer to the truth than anyone knew: Voaraghamanthar has an identical twin, Waervaerendor (twins being all but unheard of among dragonkind), and the two share their hunting grounds in the Mere — which explains the dragon's seemingly impossible speed.

The dragon's presence in the mine coincided with an infernal rift sealed by Garmok the Chainbearer centuries ago, though whether Voaraghamanthar was connected to the devils or simply claimed the mine afterward is unclear. The Cult of the Dragon left offerings of treasure for him, and he had previously attacked the nearby Myconid grove, destroying part of it and killing many of the Myconid Sovereign's people.

Role in Campaign

In Session 43, the Bronze Blades used magic to confirm a dragon was within a few miles of their location in the mine but couldn't find it initially. The party learned about the "giant black lizard of death" from the lizardfolk at Castle Naerytar.

In Session 44, Voaraghamanthar attacked the combined parties of Deez Nuts and the Bronze Blades just after they defeated the infernal devils. The dragon's initial breath weapon—a line of acid—caught the parties by surprise. Gootcha barely dodged, Cedric, Thistle, and Alexios were downed immediately, and most of the group was burned by acid.

Karma used the power of Eldath to pacify the dragon temporarily while Sister Alira's Mass Heal Wounds brought the fallen back into the fight. Xanphina picked up Garmok's flail and attacked the dragon, driving it back.

Voaraghamanthar's preservation instincts kicked in—he cast Darkness to cover his retreat and began moving away from the parties. The group healed and planned carefully. Alexios summoned dire rats to test for traps (they got stuck in roots), then used Burning Hands to clear the path. Karma sent a bat familiar to scout, revealing the dragon in a treasure room.

Keyleth used Pass Without a Trace for stealth, and Alexios dimension doored into the room, opening with a Fireball that caught both the dragon and his kobold servants. The battle raged through the tunnels as Voaraghamanthar tried to escape.

The dragon knocked Xanphina prone with his attacks, then cast Invisibility on himself and continued fleeing toward an underground pool. Boomer cast See Invisibility on Xanphina, allowing her to track the dragon. Gootcha used her Gem of Seeing to spot the invisible dragon.

As Voaraghamanthar prepared to dive into the water, Alexios cast Guiding Bolt. The radiant energy flew true, hitting the dragon "squarely in the b-hole" as he fled. The massive bolt melted Voaraghamanthar's insides, and his body floated back to the surface as the life left him.

The parties successfully salvaged scales from Voaraghamanthar's remains to fashion into armor.

Body Stolen — and a Possible Revival (Session 45)

When the party returned the next day in Session 45, they found that Voaraghamanthar's corpse had vanished from the flooded depths. The drow researcher Ilyra, scrying at the party's request, revealed the reason: the dragon's identical twin Waervaerendor had recovered the body and was likely working to revive him. Both dragons are obsessive seekers of immortality who keep several distant lairs precisely so that death need not be final. Whether Voaraghamanthar walks again is unknown — but the company should not assume the kill was permanent.

Combat Abilities

• Acid Breath Weapon (line)
• Darkness spell (to cover retreat)
• Invisibility spell
• Swarms of Insects (to slow pursuers)
• Fear gaze (caused Keyleth to flee)
• Ability to consume kobold life energy to deflect damage

Relationships

• Waervaerendor – identical twin black dragon; recovered his body, likely attempting his revival
• Kobolds – Servants in his lair
• Garmok's Mine – Claimed as his territory
• Cult of the Dragon – Left him offerings of treasure
• Myconid Sovereign – Whose grove the dragon had attacked and partly destroyed

Current Status

Slain in Session 44 by Alexios's Guiding Bolt; scales salvaged for armor. Body subsequently stolen by his twin Waervaerendor (revealed Session 45) and possibly being revived — status now uncertain.

Appearances

• Session 43 - Detected by Bronze Blades' magic
• Session 44 - Epic battle and death
• Session 45 - Body discovered missing; revealed taken by his twin Waervaerendor

The Lost Hoard

The treasure recovered from the mine was not Voaraghamanthar's dragon hoard — it was an offering left for him by the Cult of the Dragon. His true hoard lies elsewhere, location unknown: an open thread for the party to chase, and a reason the dragon may be worth questioning even in death (his corpse was deliberately left intact for Shade's speak-with-the-dead ritual, though whether it works on dragons was an open question — and the body vanished before it could be tried).

Name (table lore)

The name "Voaraghamanthar" defeated the entire party at the table, and the running inability to pronounce it became canon. Across the session he was variously called "Tim," "Pam," and most enduringly "the Vorgmeister" (plus "Vorgmonther," "Morgemeister," and "Borg Hamantar"). "Tim" and "the Vorgmeister" stuck as the party's affectionate shorthand for the dragon.