Kiara Shadowbreaker

Kiara Shadowbreaker is a legendary half-elf of the Sword Coast and the current ruler of Keoland. She is revered as the Mistress of the Hunt and one of the legendary champions who defended the region during a catastrophic dragon invasion three centuries ago.

The Chromatic Dragon War

Three hundred years before the current era, a coordinated onslaught of Chromatic Dragons devastated the rising Sword Coast cities of Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate, while Luskan succumbed and paid them tribute. In response, the northern settlements unified into the Lord’s Alliance. Kiara Shadowbreaker, alongside a legendary band of companions, fought at the vanguard of the alliance’s armies.

To dismantle the draconic threat, Kiara and her allies forged five powerful dragon masks—one for each chromatic color—allowing the bearers to influence and dominate the minds of dragons. The alliance successfully manipulated the Black, Red, and Blue dragons into abandoning the northern Sword Coast. To prevent misuse, the locations of these masks were closely guarded secrets, each companion hiding one so that no single person held the key to all five. The White Mask was hidden in Icewind Dale, buried by the shores of Lac Dinneshere within Hrothgar’s empty grave in Kuldahar, surrounded by the warmth of its giant world tree to counter the dragon’s icy nature.

However, the green mask failed against the wily Green Dragon Virethas, the Jade Queen. The heroes confronted the wyrm directly outside Neverwinter, resulting in the beast’s death at the hands of Lady Tanager Alagondar, who tragically perished in the duel. The surviving dragons scattered across the world: Cryovain (the Everfrost) fled north, while Skaldreth (the Red Rage), Barakis (the Sandstorm), and Nocturne (the Dread Prince) also fled into exile.

Appearance and Murals in the Dragon Barrow

Ancient carvings inside the central chamber of the Dragon Barrow—the historic burial mound of Lady Alagondar—depict Kiara as a half-elf with an eyepatch, donning leather armor adorned with a Harper pin, and carrying a spyglass on her belt.

These beautiful murals detail the historic deeds of the champions:

• The First Mural: Shows five dragons descending headfirst upon the north, leaving Neverwinter and the Sword Coast in flames.
• The Second Mural: Shows the seven heroes standing in a half-circle, examining a tactical plan on the ground. Here, Kiara stands alongside:
  • Elminster Aumar, a bearded man in pointy wizard hat and robes, holding a staff.
  • Lady Tanager Alagondar, a human in full plate armor, brandishing her sword.
  • Hrothgar Hillsfar (secretly the Firbolg cleric Farwald), depicted as a tall and bearded Firbolg.
  • Esfaloth Nightbreeze, an elf holding a longbow with a bird perched on his shoulder.
  • Gorion of Candlekeep, a rotund man with a lute on his back, clutching a scroll.
  • Uther Vendrock, a dwarf equipped with a shield and warhammer.
• The Third Mural: Depicts the climactic battle against Virethas, showing Lady Alagondar driving her sword through the heart of the great green wyrm as a single claw bursts through her chest.
• The Fourth Mural: Shows the aftermath of the war, with the four surviving dragons flying away (seen from their backs), Esfaloth entering a portal to the Feywild, Kiara and Gorion boarding a ship, and Uther and Elminster standing outside Hrothgar’s tomb alongside a frozen mountain lake with a giant tree.

Legacy of the Seven Champions

Following the war, the heroic coalition fractured. Kiara and Gorion boarded a ship and departed the Sword Coast. Over the centuries, the fates of her legendary companions diverged dramatically:

• Lady Tanager Alagondar: Slayed Virethas, but her sword (Dragon Slayer) remained lodged in the wyrm’s heart to maintain a sealing ward. Recently, her descendant Gilmore Stork drew the blade from her tomb in the Dragon Barrow, breaking the ward and allowing the Cult of the Dragon to partially resurrect Virethas, fusing the green dragon with the soul of Gilmore’s sister, Elire Stork.
• Elminster Aumar: The Sage of Shadowdale eventually became trapped against his will within the Folding Halls of Halas (the Tesseract), an extra-dimensional puzzle cube sitting on a shelf in the Cloaktower of Neverwinter.
• Hrothgar Hillsfar: Actually a Firbolg skald and cleric of the Kuldahar clans, Hrothgar used powerful Modify Memory and True Polymorph spells cast by Elminster to hide his identity as “Farwald” to protect his family from draconic revenge. He has recently regained his memories after a resurrection in the modern era.
• Esfaloth Nightbreeze: Known as “The Fey Touched” and “Reidoth,” he is the last of the Naila tribe from the Silverwood. He has waged a lonely guerrilla war against civilization’s encroachment in Neverwinter Wood and recently aided the fairy Nalini.
• Gorion of Candlekeep: Associated with the Zhentarim, he was later killed by Sarevok.
• Uther Vendrock: “The Silvered Star,” a Platinum Dragon, now lies deceased and buried on Stormwreck Isle.

Keoland Rule and the Red Mask Investigation

Kiara eventually returned to her homeland of Keoland, where she currently rules as a highly respected sovereign. In the current era, as the Cult of the Dragon stirs once more, Farwald used a Sending spell to warn her of the resurgence of the white and green dragons and the threat to Neverwinter.

Kiara quietly investigated the status of the Red Dragon Mask through her local contacts. She communicated to her old comrade that the mask was last known to be on the island of Mintarn. However, her subsequent investigations yielded a more alarming truth: the Red Dragon Mask is no longer on this plane of existence.