Tugard Dynasty¶
The royal house of Alghert, "the Jewel of Dalmar", and the coven of witches that rules through it. "The kingdom has been controlled by the Tugard dynasty for almost 200 years. It is an absolute monarchy" (S319). "The kingdom is a beacon of prosperity, hope and light in an otherwise bleak landscape. But it is?" (S127). To the outside world the Tugards keep the most orderly and secure of the Riven Kingdoms; in truth "the king and princess harbor many secrets and have made pacts with dark creatures to keep their country safe and prosperous" (S127), and in the Sancturi campaign's present they let a demon lord's hollow spread over the south of their kingdom.
Also called: the Tugards.
The crown¶
In 704 SM the house was King Baellin Tugard, 48, and his only child and heir, Princess Ewe Tugard, 24 (S319). The king "is consumed with paranoia. Some call him the mad king, however he is far from mad. He is cunning but careful, isolationist but loyal, protective but pragmatic. His greatest desire to keep his kingdom separated from the dirty and corrupt outside world. He sees his kingdom as infallible and perfect" (S319). The princess is "renown as a great beauty and diplomat" (S319), and a witch (S154).
The crown's law forbids "magic use of any sort other than from the Priests of the patron God Kalar"; penalties "are harsh, especially for outsiders", and "slavery and the Undead are not tolerated" (S319). Outsiders must carry papers and "refugees are turned away" (S319). Neighbouring kingdoms "are all but vassals, which depend on Alghert for protection and prosperity" (S319).
A statue of King Ullric Tugard, a dragonslayer "pre-dark sun" with a two-handed hammer, stands in the Temple Park of Pemeril (S184).
The Alghert Coven¶
"The king and his daughter are witches and will suffer no rivals. There is a small coven under their direction that orchestrates things" (S127). The king "knows he is guided by witches, but does not realize the full extent of their control" (S154).
| Member | Seat | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Governess Jehanna Motters | Lady of Blackbush | "Mentor and friend to Ewe. De facto leader of the Alghert Coven, though she often defers to Ewe" |
| Lord Radulf Erkenger | Lord of Gaverat | "Manages much of the handling of refugees" |
| Lord Emory Tiebald | Lord of Mossglen | Master of Coin; "manages the Hollow and is proxy Hollowlord" |
(S181, S182.) The coven is "not exactly always a happy witch family, Jehenna keeps Radulf and Emory in line", and it has "almost two dozen goblins in its service" (S154, S181).
The pact with Bhaal¶
Alghert hides part of the Mithis Heartstone, the Kalamite Chestplate of the Rising Sun, in a vault (S181, S182). The forces of Bhaal set out to reach it by raising "a very powerful hollow around the vault". "The King and princess have agreed to the plan so long as the hollow is stable, they regain control of Alghert and they have been promised great powers from the long term hollow. The hollow covers most of the southern area of Alghert. This also represents an opportunity to throw off the impotent Kalari priesthood into something more liberal" (S181, S182). The royal pair "head a coven of witches and serve Demonlord Adramycos", the fungal demon lord who serves Bhaal (S181), and the coven's Lord Emory Tiebald is Adramycos himself "in disguise" (S184).
The bargain went sour. "Ewe is unhappy with the deal they have made" (S182). When the north ward of Pemeril failed and devils came into the city, "a deserter reports that Princess Ewe has been taken prisoner by her father (the King). Even the royals are in chaos!" (S184).
Royal Guard¶
The Royal Guard "sealed off the castle" when Pemeril fell into panic (S184). Its captain, Madarn, is an "old man, knows the king well. Veteran warrior", with forty men (S184).
Relations¶
Before the hollow, Princess Ewe was the voice of caution at court, "concerned that they are ignoring the rising storm (Sancturi, Hollows) and that when the storm hits, they will be helpless" (S133). The king put a bounty on an exiled Prince Immeron "of Alghert", who "ran before he was killed" and was carrying a Kalari relic with an Eldritch soulcrux hidden inside (S138); the figure using that name is the Eldritch Amer. The White Fire "knows but looks the other way. Their new philosophy is that it is ok to sacrifice the weak to bolster the strong", and the Brotherhood of the Sun is investigating (S127).
Gap
The sources do not say how the Tugards came to the throne, how a dynasty of "almost 200 years" relates to a Tugard king from before the Dark Sun, or what became of the crown and the coven after the failure of Pemeril's wards.
The Tugards of Arnyr¶
A Fourth Age source, the Marshford campaign, has a King Aderik Tugard of Arnyr, 55, freed by the party and in need of "help recovering his kingdom from the imposter", with a son, Prince Dolgon, 36, "imprisoned for treason", and a daughter, Princess Syllia, 31, who "has disappeared", while the high councillor Serevon Ashmark "seems to run things" (S359). That is a different Age and a different crown; the two houses are not to be read as one. Aderik and his children are described among the Minor Figures of Marshford, and the campaign in the Marshford Campaign.
Earlier accounts¶
The 2018 profile makes the king 52 and the princess 22 (S154); the 2019 accounts give 48 and 24 (S319, S181). The same profile leaves the coven lords' seats blank, which the session notes fill in (S181).