The Lost City of Goldriver

A thousand years ago, rich veins of Gold and Iron were discovered in the Iron Mountains by prospectors from Three Rivers. The gold and iron were of the highest quality and attracted miners and merchants from all over the continent. Within three generations, a busy mining camp became the city of Goldriver; within a hundred years it was the most famous supplier of metals throughout the region. It even became known across the seas as the source of some of the best gold and iron in the world. The people and city were prosperous, and great wealth was shared.

Two hundred years after it’s founding, Goldriver attracted the attention of Duke Kalabos. Nothing is known of his past other than rumors of a royal connection to an ancient family to the north. It is said that he was a sight to behold, and his charisma swayed any and all around him. Kalabos soon came to power in Goldriver, gaining the support of the richest merchant families and establishing the first standing army of Goldriver. He built the city into a fortress to protect the people and resources from becoming easy targets for raiders and bandits. Within two decades of his appearance, Duke Kalabos was the de facto ruler of Goldriver. Most had no issue with this at first, as all prospered under his rule.

But they say this power changed him. Kalabos increasingly enforced strict trade regulations and agreements, and and seemed to exert his control over every transaction in the city. Trade slowed to a trickle as the fortress city became more and more isolated from the surrounding lands. A few of the families that felt this discontent left the city and founded a small village in the valley below. Those that didn’t wagered on Kalabos…a wager they couldn’t hope to win.

Tragedy struck and the city was destroyed. No one in living memory knows exactly what happened. Some say there were massive earthquakes that swallowed the city. Some say an ancient dragon set its eyes on the treasures of Goldriver and tore it apart to find every last trinket. Some say demons and creatures of darkness rose from the mines and devoured the city. Whatever the case, the city was doomed to cataclysmic destruction. A few that had the mind to flee early —or were apparently favored by Tymora—made their way out of the city. A few of these survivors homesteaded with dissenters to Kalabos’ rule. They traded the golden ore of the mines for the golden grains of the fields, from the fortunes of Tymora to the care of Chauntea, from the city of Goldriver to the farming community of Goldglen. Duke Kalabos became known as the Duke of the Damned, and was the scapegoat and bogey man of every children’s story in Goldglen.

The moniker was not without some truth. Many tried to return to Goldriver to salvage what they could. Some even had dreams of rebuilding the city. However, any that ventured to the city never returned. With no travels to and from Goldriver, the exact location of the city became lost within a few generations. After several hundred years of searching, no one that set out for Goldriver either found it or returned…that was, until two hundred years ago.

A man named Daryan Firebrand lead a party in search of Goldriver. He claimed to have found it, but it cost the party greatly. He never revealed what exactly happened, but more than half of his band of adventurers did not return with him to Goldglen. The two that did, left the town the following day in a foul mood and never returned. Daryan claimed the city was in tragic ruins. He returned empty-handed save the small scrap of a note. Stories say the partial note referred to a cave nearby the city where a small cabal of the wealthiest merchant families had hid their treasures when they fled Goldriver. They had intended to come back for them after the catastrophe had passed. However, it was unclear whether or not that such a retrieval came to pass. Given that very few survived the fall of Goldriver, and that any who had attempted to return never did, he felt there was a good chance the treasures where intact.

It took Daryan a year to gather the mercenaries and supplies to make his second journey to Goldriver in search of the treasure. However, Tymora was not with him this time and—like all the others—he and none of his crew returned from his venture.

People still seek out the Lost City of Goldriver to this day, though any foolhardy enough to try have met the fate of all who attempt. Tales of the city are common in Goldglen, and everyone has their favorite stories of its fall, the Duke, and what is there now.