#d&d 5e homebrew | dmsden (2024)

In the annals of the Seven Kingdoms, most of the heroes that are long remembered are those who hail from the Kingdoms themselves. Many are the names of humans, elves, goblinkind, eladrin, dwarves, and halflings that are told in tales again and again around travelers’ campfires or the hearths of taverns. From time to time, however, a figure from outside those kingdoms comes to hold the same kind of respect when tales are told. Such a person was Kebesh Aurumadrath, also called Kebeshkrak or Kebesh the Immortal.

Kebesh was a golden-scaled dragonborn warrior who hailed from far-off Lashakis on the southern edge of the Desolation of Azmartheon. She had made her way to the southern shores of Aldorath in search of a righteous battle to join in. For many years, she wandered, fighting various battles as a mercenary, until she came to the eladrin lands of Tavanion.

At that time, Orcs from far across the Sea of Sunken Fires in Turkhast had sailed their corsair ships across the waves to invade southern Aldorath. Their undying god-king Laminok had called for war, and they surged northward like a living tide. They took the large island off the south-eastern coast of Summerlund, which they dubbed Sharbaduk, and began constructing a temple-city to Laminok’s glory there. The island became their base from which to launch a thousand offensives.

Finally, as is well-known, Shalana Silvermyst, the Esavola (ruler) of Tavanion, called the first Conclave of the Seven Kingdoms, united those great nations into an alliance that would last 800 years. Together, they began a concentrated counter-offensive against the orcs.

Kebesh had found her cause.

She enlisted in Gryphon Company, Tavanion’s forces, and quickly became recognized for her bravery- self-sacrifice, combat prowess, and tactical genius. She rose through the ranks, achieving a command role over her own squad, the Goldenscales, in fairly short order. When a castle Shalana herself was commanding was besieged, Kebesh led her squad there in a rescue mission. In the battle that followed, Kebesh’s squad routed the orcs, and Kebesh herself found the orcish commander about to kill Shalana. She acted without hesitation, hurling herself into the fray, slaying the orc, and saving the Esavola’s life. For her bravery and quick action, she was dubbed a knight, and she used the title of Dame Kebesh for the rest of her life.

Years later, during a protracted military operation, Gryphon Company found itself fleeing through the hills in eastern Tavanion. They’d met with powerful orcish opposition on the southern coasts, and they were retreating northwestern towards allied lands. Shalana was wounded, and Dame Kebesh took the Goldenscales to be the rearward guard. She stopped her squad near a dragon-like rock formation and declared that the Orcish Hodes would not be allowed to make their way through the passes through the hills. They would hold their position until they knew their comrades were safe, then fade back to safety themselves. The orcs would be forces to go around the hills for many miles, to retreat, or to fight inch by inch through the guarded passes. Any of these options would allow the Esavola to escape, but this was almost certainly their last stand. Because this was likely to be a so dangerous, she allowed any of her squad to leave who wished. According to the tales, not one soldier turned to go…but one may have hesitated. His tale comes a bit later.

For three weeks, Dame Kebesh held the passes, repelling wave after wave of orcish raiders. Rumors came that the Esavola had been caught by orcish forces…that a coup had happened, and orcs were already raiding west of the passes…that no reinforcements were coming. Through it all, Kebesh and the Goldenscales held fast and refused to yield.

In the end, only treachery felled the brave dragonborn knight. One of her soldiers, a green-scaled dragonborn named Ythmaurg Verenthalak, rushed to fight beside her during a battle. He was a companion who had been with her since Lashakis, and she welcomed his approach, as she was beset by many orcs. As she turned to face her foes, Ythmaurg stabbed her in the side with a poisoned blade. In the shock of the moment, Dame Kebesh was caught and overwhelmed by the onrushing orcs. Dismayed and exhausted, the Goldenscales finally fled in retreat. Sensing the break in their morale, orcs moved forward, eager for easy kills. Before the slaughter could commence, however, elvish reinforcements from Faerinwold arrived to support the Goldenscales. Suddenly faced with fresh adversaries used to hit and run fighting and with superior mobility and range, the orcs were dismayed and forced to retreat.

No one is sure why Ythmaurg betrayed his commander. Some feel that it may have been fear of death, but he had, after all, fought along with her at the Battle of Kebeshkrak’s Stone for many weeks. Why betray her then? Some believe that he may have been approached by orcish spies who offered him riches to betray his commander. Other rumors state that he was secretly a servant of Tiamat and that his goddess told him to kill Kebesh.

Whatever his true motives, his final fate is similarly unclear. His fellow dragonborn were desperate to find him and bring him to justice. It’s generally assumed that he died under an assumed name, fading into history remembered only as a traitor.

Dame Kebesh achieved quite the opposite. Her body was recovered and sadly delivered to Shalana’s court. The priests of Bahamut who traveled as part of her squad honored her by declaring her Kebeshkrak – Kebesh the Immortal. No other Dragonborn would take her name, so that her fighting spirit might never be diminished by the dishonor of another’s deeds.

In honor of her sacrifice, the Argent Hills were renamed the Kebeshdrai, and the dragon-like rock formation where she’d made her stand was named Kebeshkrak’s Stone. She was given a full, formal, military burial by Tavanion, and her name was recorded in the annals of the eladrin – one of the few non-eladrin to be accorded the status of a hero of Tavanion.

((DM’s Note: Kebesh is a relatively recent addition to the history of my campaign world. I was drawing a map of southern Tavanion and began adding terrain features. The word “Drai” is one I use as the sylvan word for “hills”. I wrote Kebeshdrai over some hills, as it just popped into my head, and I started wondering what it meant. Knowing the war-torn history of the region, I began to think it might be named for a war hero. All of the rest came from that and my fascination with the historical battle of Thermopylae, which is likely recognizable as the inspiration for several elements here. I wanted to offer it as an article about how you can link together history, story, and geography in a campaign.))