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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jan 2020 : 00:43:29
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Asbar Aralius
Calishite. Older man with graying hair, dark, leathery skin, and a wide face. An affable, habitual liar. Recruits sellswords, recently-arrived Dessarin farmhands and back-alley bullyblades for the arenas of Calimport. "Mountains of Jools, Glory to rival the gods, and the finest shalieras Sune ever created" is his main selling pitch. Escape from debtors or the law is the other.
Ascarae
Proprietor of Ascarae's Puissant Pets (Feamyng Both Faithsome and Fearsome), a shop where trained ferrets are kept (for chasing out rats, mice, and blackroaches from your domicile, the sign says. Giant versions available for home or shop defense!), The High Road, South Ward.
Ascarla
Short, stocky, red-faced. Tireless, full of energy. Wears a patch over her ruined right eye, the color and style of which varies according to whim and season (but is usually dark brown, filigreed with silver thread). An officer of the Waterdeep Guard, commands the stables and patrol wayhouse located in Ilmeth's Rest (a hamlet astride the trade road a days ride south from the city walls). Helps to settle disputes between farmers over field boundaries or livestock ownership; cares not what sort of brawling, theft or even murder goes on in the caravan paddocks to the west, unless it spills over into the village itself (in which case she will seek to detain the offenders or alert the guards at the Southgate to detain them there).
Aslūndra
"A purveyor of the tender enchantments of myrtle-bark and sweet-cress*, and all the arrayed scents of resin and herb known to Man and Elf" (a seller of herbal balms and ointments and aromatic sachets). Usually has a cart-stall in the Market. Short, plump, dark-haired, nasal-voiced. Genial, gossipy. Hoplessly attracted to any bardling or hearth-harp that happens to sing a few notes or strum his instrument in her general direction.
(* That's "sweet-cress" as in basil, not "Sweet Cess!," one of her most favorit-est swear words)
Asluth's Lament
Minor phantasmal apparition or faded haunting, South Ward. A curious, low, sobbing note heard only on nights when Selūne is new and the sky is covered in thick clouds. The name has remained even though there are none now who remember who Asluth was or the cause of her quieted despair.
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Asmrele Staglar [ Source: Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms, p.173. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 08 Jan 2020 02:07:26 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2020 : 16:49:39
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I do love the story of the Fire Giant King's Daughter. Its going to be considered non-canon by most folks as shown (and of course, that's fine... its probably meant to be a bard's fancy), and if you permit me, I'd recommend one simple change. Instead of Cloud Giants, perhaps Fog Giants. Cloud Giants came from Annam. We have the idea that "fog giants" are the kin of cloud giants.
Well, embellishing and adapting a tale is a proud tradition for as long as there have been tales, so I say no "permission" necessary. 
But I don't think it really fits within the scope of this particular (as you correctly point out) bard's fancy ("Helm Fullsails" himself being a figment of Northern fireside tales and chapbook adventures). And it is a human story (the cloud giants, as you say, are quite fine with their own origin myths, and the fire giants certainly do not sing of it!), so I don't know if it would even ping on the giant's radar.
The other thing I think is that the imagery doesn't quite work for the story; in the framing of the tale Othlarra gains agency (she doesn't even have a name until she decides to start living her own life) and ends up transformed, free and happy, by her own decisions. Clouds are free and happy (just ask Bob Ross!), whereas fog is considered cold and damp, and earth-bound (because that's just how humans simplify things).
Good points, and my first thoughts were mist giants, and then I went and searched for that and found them in some old melnibone lore and man they don't fit either. Just knowing that cloud giants are typically evil and so it also makes me hesitant.
You know, again, only if you actually wanted to make this "true" and not a bard's fancy, what if this could be traced back to the creation of another race. For instance, something akin to a djinn. Hmm, which if she was a fire giant "genasi" born of an efreeti/giant union, given the hatred between two elementals could be interesting. But now I'm going down a rabbit hole. This could be an interesting story for Abeir as well I guess, especially if somehow "Helm Fullsails" somehow crossed the world boundaries. Gonna think more on this, as it could be an interesting alternative story idea even if it were with different players.
Essentially, I like the story enough that I'd like there to be some hidden kernel of truth in it that's been lost over time. Maybe the bards SAY cloud giants... but its something else. Maybe Helm Fullsails DID exist and he could travel between Toril and Abeir using some ability... and maybe one day he disappeared to there. Maybe he never truly understood that he'd travelled between worlds even and one day he set out to see chasing a voice on the wind that was the former fire giants, and she led him to a portal that led him to Abeir. The bards wouldn't know the truth. Just spitballing ideas at this point. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 07 Jan 2020 17:04:05 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2020 : 02:06:58
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Some of the best parts of Candlekeep are found at the bottom of rabbit holes
I posted an entry for Helm back on 18 Nov 2018, re-posted here:
Helm Fullsails
A fictional Northman seacaptain and adventurer, popular in folklore across the North (not to be confused with Helm Hard Alee). Widespread in bardic songs and shadowplay or "oldboots" (puppet or shadowbox) shows and, more recently, in a number of chapbooks written by a number of authors (the bestselling of which, Thornum of Port Llast, died recently of a coughing sickness). Such chapbook titles always follow the same naming convention of "Helm Fullsails and" (...The Fortunes of Gild,
The Shores of Silver, ...The Beast-Men of Thūl, ...The Slaves of Sarguth, to name some of the more popular).
Helm is said to be a prince of long-fallen Illusk, tall and passionate and powerful, unmatched in swordplay and seasmanship. He roams throughout the North and the Trackless Sea as adventurer, outlaw, mercenary, and pirate, fighting a variety of goblinkin, sea monsters, reavers and Netherese sorcerers. In his later years he is said to rule Mighty Illusk as king, and battles dragon lords and endless southern despots. Some of the more recent Waterdhavian chapbooks have even depicted Helm at the end of his life, as an aged and landless wanderer come to early Waterdeep to advise and pass along his mantle to the young heroic warchieftan Nimoar.
Again, feel free to take it wherever it leads you.
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2020 : 03:13:22
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| Thank you, I knew I'd seen him earlier and was thinking about looking him up. I'm favored of the idea that he tells these stories of places he went, and then other people go there and they don't exist. So, they call his stories tall tales, but I think I like the idea that perhaps he was running across paths between Toril and Abeir (or even some other world) that no longer exist. Maybe he was visiting the feywild. Maybe he was visiting the spirit realm. But the bards of later centuries "followed the clues" and went to the same places and the things didn't exist, so they chalked it up to just tall tales. Then, maybe some of those pathways reopened after the second sundering. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2020 : 23:07:40
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Just having some fun here...
Aylsuh Arunsdottir of Arun's Dell
This woman, known as "Queen of the Durthans" and "the Snow Witch" is a daughter to Arun Maerdrym and a witch of Rashemen named Ildunna in the late 300's while he was on a mission for the Harpers in Twilight. Her father, a half elf of Myth Drannor that would go on to father Khelben Arunsun, lived with Ildunna, forming a small community of humans and half-elves within a valley on the oortheastern border of Rashemen in what would have been considered Raumathari lands. This small valley would become known as Arun's Dell after he lived there for a little over sixteen years. During this time he helped raise his young daughter Aylsuh and her younger sister Aynya, while working as a harper agent. However, the day came when Aylsuh was tested for magical ability, and she was taken away from him by the Wychlaran. This broke Arun's heart and drove a wedge between him and Ildunna.
Born with silver-white hair and thought to be touched by "the Hidden One", she proved to be adept with powers related to ice, snow, water, and wind. Aylsuh helped form the secret society of Durthans within the wychlaran, and many of their secrets of ice magic can be traced back to Aylsuh. She also soon comes to learn that she has a brother who lives in Myth Drannor, who is apprenticed to Mentor Wintercloak, a mage who also shows exceptional aptitude with spells of ice and snow. Aylsuh was betrayed by her fellow Durthans several decades after its founding and frozen in a block of ice, along with her sister, which recently melted as a result of the magic failing after the second sundering. It appears that she has come to Waterdeep in search of her brother, who went on to become Khelben Arunsun. She has been seen to be in the company of Open Lord Laeral, and some have remarked on the resemblance of their hair and believe them to be kin. Aylsuh has been heard to be asking questions about a fabled elven city named Rhymanthiin (also known as the City of Hope). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2020 : 06:47:22
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Just having some fun here...
Aylsuh Arunsdottir of Arun's Dell
Hey, it's (relatively) Waterdeep, it counts. 
And I dig it, though given her description I would think "Queen of the Durthans" would be whispered by only an obscure handful of sages and wychlaran, at best. I do wonder why she was betrayed and frozen by her sisters; was she truly that evil (and her sister, too?), or was it the opposite, as she tried to oppose them in their attempt at seizing power in Rashemen?
Also,
Of Arun's Dell and the Herilaskra which traverses it much has been written; but of her mountainous south-westerly reaches, still largely wild and untamed, less so. The first notch hereabouts is a rugged, steep-sided ravine split by the rolling cascades of the Herilaskra, and largely guarded from prying eyes by towering basalt boulders and dusky stands of fir and aspen trees. On the west bank, far against the scarp sits a dilapidated ranger-moot of rough-hewn log and rooted peat and a still-extant stone chimney, now roofless and owl-haunted; and on the eastern slope can be found traces of pigment and gilding on a series of rough grey stones set in the ferny floor here, long marking an egress-point for the gate-road known as The Windings of the Way ("The last step is always latent in the first; but the intervening windings of the way become clear only as I tread," as saith the hathran Eddaetha, discoverer and greatest explorer of the ancient many-branching elf-road).
In the lively waters close to the end of the dell, half-buried amid drift and pebble, lies The Maid of Many Aspens, glinting with quartz and tinted in green algae, a carved depiction of the place-spirit bound to the Herilaskra. It is supposed that this chiseled effigy originated from the rangers-house of old, and was despoiled and deposited here at some point; it is further supposed that the Heril-Maid prefers this arrangement better, as she may now leisurely overlook the statue on her warbling ramble, as opposed to having to set delicate foot on the dry and searing surface of solid land. At any rate, no one has seen fit to restore it thus far.
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AJA
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2020 : 13:30:04
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Oh, quite true... it was "First of the Durthans"... not "Queen of the Durthans"
She tried to oppose them and was overthrown. Bheur hags had infiltrated the Durthan society and were later overthrown (or were thought to be overthrown, but in truth these hags did continue to support Rashemen against fiery Thayan aggression using masks to hide their true selves even from their fellow durthans). Oddly enough it was her snowman intelligent construct (whose intelligence was minimal at best) that saved her and her sister finally. He had been scattered to the winds, but something happened during the second sundering that reconstituted him. Oyaf (for that's his name) found Aylsuh and Aynya in a giant ball of ice, and somehow through his touch he absorb all of its coldness, and thus he can now walk around even in areas of high heat.
Before leaving Rashemen, it seems Aylsuh also reaffiliated herself with the telthor spirit of an Aughisky water horse whom Aylsuh had befriended in life. This spirit being, rather than being ethereal as other telthors are, has combined its essence with that of actual water from Lake Herilaskra, and to an outsider appears to be a horse of pure water. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2020 : 00:42:37
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Chuldroon Sunspear
A former "Sword of the Frozenfar," roving envoy (ambassador) and commander of Waterdeep's northern forces in times of war (1354-1369DR). Met his doom in an ambush by the Ice Bear's forces in Flamerule 1369DR. Chuldroon gained fame early in his career as an officer of the Watch, for his actions in uncovering and smashing a growing guild of were-rat thieves and assassins. Survived by his wife Laeren; son Aslaurn; and two young daughters, Venna and Tharalae.
Laeren
Widow of Chuldroon Sunspear, a late warcaptain ("Sword of the Frozenfar") of Waterdeep. Graceful (and quite nimble, when such situation arises), silver-shot hair, weary-eyed. Daughter of Askul, a dealer of spirits-and-water ("jorum and cask, of all manner of glib liquid"), in whose shop the young Chuldroon was given to linger. Survived the attack of Myrkul's Minions during the Time of Troubles, though she has the scars on her arms and jawline to show for it. Lately found spending increased time in the company of the Watch civilar, Durnan Foehammer.
Aslaurn Sunspear
A young aumarr (captain) of the Guard and former acolyte at the Spires of the Morning. Son of Chuldroon Sunspear, the former Sword of the Frozenfar (Aslaurn's detractors whisper that his elevation in the ranks was mainly due to his father's influence). A great fancier of gold jewelry, spicy foods, and fast horses. Can often be found watching (and betting on) the horseraces at the Field of Triumph. Aslaurn was taken under the tutelage of Jardwim of Force Grey after the elder Sunspear was killed in battle in 1369DR.
Tharalae Sunspear
Younger of the two young daughters of the late warcaptain Chuldroon Sunspear. Young child; bold, inquisitive; thick fair hair, long thin legs always scratched and bruised from too much "adventuring." Has excellent aim in playing at littlestones (marbles), or in the use of the sling to bring down high-hanging fruits and birds in flight alike.
(future notes) Tharalae took an number of lovers, both male and female, before coming to the realization that she felt no real need or interest for such things. As an adult she heeded the call of the wilderness and of Gwaeron Windstrom (though she heavily flirted with the faith of both Tymora and Lliira) and left the comforts of civilization behind. She eventually disappeared into the uncaring snows and pines and her fate thereafter is unrecorded.
Venna Sunspear
Older of the two young daughters of the late warcaptain Chuldroon Sunspear. A nervous, delicate-looking girl, with long, lean, awkward legs, and great, expressive brown eyes. Has an absolute enthusiastic love of all learning; has tried to cast magic; crushed to find out she can't.
(future notes) Venna never grew into her full given name of Vendralandra, and eventually most people who knew her forgot it entirely, and wondered why her siblings sometimes called her 'Vendy.' When of age she eagerly approached the churches of both Denier and Oghma, only to learn that neither god had Called for her. She found lengthy employment as a clerk and collator at the Tower of the Watchful Order, and penned an astonishing number of poems on the subjects of melancholy and depression in her spare time. She married an older clerk at the Tower; they were never able to have children of their own, but she has become quite a beloved and doting aunt to the three daughters of her brother, Aslaurn.
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 15 Jan 2020 00:13:49 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2020 : 17:05:31
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| just curious.... littlestones
canon name for marbles or your own? I like it. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2020 : 00:12:42
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
just curious.... littlestones
canon name for marbles or your own? I like it.
I'm reasonably certain that is from me, although I wouldn't swear to it in front of a magister or war wizard.
If I didn't make it up there's also a good chance that I found it somewhere in the 1800's section of gutenberg.org.
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AJA
YAFRP
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2020 : 00:43:03
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Dunstryn the Blue (LN HM Abj)
The apprentice of the hire-mage Ghemmer Ulanther. Rather ordinary in appearance, with an overlarge nose and an unruly mop of sandy brown hair. His nickname is actually a Northern corruption of his Halruaan surname, Belheuu.
Durgas "Tusk-n-Tall" (LN ½OM)
An underling of the Lords (he often acts as a bodyguard/watcher for visiting dignitaries of the Lord's Alliance) and a member of Force Grey. Proficient with scimitar and axe, as well as the longbow. Towering, muscular, possessed of pronounced brow and lower jaw and a braided topknot that reaches to his mid-back. Far more intelligent and perceptive than he lets on.
Durnadrym Tyrfellow (NG HM Aris1/F9)
One of the "Three Old Lions" of Lord's Court (the other two being the retired mercenary Tovryn "Hammer-Shanks," and the noble Kelvar Helmsfast). A long-time officer and commander in the Guard (held the office of "Sword of the Dessarin," 1352-1370DR, now largely retired). Stout of build and belly, wide shoulders and nose. Shoulder-length, greying hair. Wide, toothy grin partially hidden under a bushy moustache. Skin permanently sun-darkened and weathered from exposure. A younger son of a minor Tethyrian lordling, has equal parts forestry and courtly skills. Still a formidable jouster, despite his advancing years. Has a sharp mind (and wit), and a love of strategy games, Tethyrian music, good southern wines, and holding court in front of roaring fires.
Durnan Foehammer (LG HM F)
A civilar (captain) of the Watch (Dock Ward). Seconded by the armar Jaern Prettyjohn. Medium of height and build. Warm, shining brown eyes, heavy moustache and jowls. Blinded in one eye, the legacy of battle with Myrkul's Minions. Laconic, though his words do convey both wisdom and the weight of command. In his youth, Durnan was co-leader of the Roaring Rogues, a Dock Ward street gang. Wields Midwinter's Dawn, an enchanted broadsword that glows with a peculiar bluish-white radiance and chills the nearby air when unsheathed and wielded.
(Durnan's father was a member of the Cellarers' & Plumbers' Guild, a violent drunk and a man of large boasts and small deeds. He spent many a drunken night in the Yawning Portal, listening rapt to the deeds and braggings of sellswords and adventurers, and found himself enamored of the tavernkeeper in particular, whom he named his son after. His fellows among the guild paid no mind to his chuffing having heard many of the tales he co-opted firsthand themselves aside from the one where he claimed to have shanked an elf-maid in the alleys of Dock Ward and cut off her hair, to spread it over his marriage-bed, to guarantee him a son of great strength and powers for that seemed the one most likely for him to have done. Slipped and cracked his head open on the cobbles returning home one night in a violent stupor; was mourned by no one, least of all his wife and children)
Dursus Falconhallow
Strings-of-Silver. A native of Red Larch. Bard and forester, and boon companion to Jardwim, the Grey Walker. Author of The Roads I Have Travelled (1337DR), a famous work that includes the well-known songs "Of Ladies Dead and Lords Unmasked" ("All the world knows your moments are golden") and "Fallen Leaves" ("The dying Year lies almost dead; and nature awaits her pall of snow"). Killed by undead some twenty winters ago while delving the catacombs under Shadows Alley. His shortsword and shield, both of ancient Dardathan make, are now in the service of Sereven, Jardwim's eldest son and a knight of the Castellan Order.
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Durndatha Helmfast [ Source: Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms, p.165. Name/Occupation given ]
Duroamyn "Deathstrike" Steelhawk [ Source: Waterdeep News: Double Wedding On Spindle Street <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wdn/20051130a>. Name/Description given ]
Durth Merrilees [ Source: An 11/03/04 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Occupation given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 13 Mar 2020 13:30:52 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2020 : 00:21:19
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Marthamur
Socialite and panderer. His fashion of ridiculously ornate lace cuffs and collars was all the rage in the summer of 1361DR. While his fashions and fame have faded since, he has proven quite adept at remaining in high social circles by attaching himself to those who do matter. He also contributes quite a large amount of gossip and innuendo to several local broadsheets, and peddles sometimes useful information to interested parties (neither of which quite manage to pay well enough to cover either his wardrobe or his gambling debts).
Maunmirra
Priestess of Eldath. Lives in Clamber-Merry, a small cottage-farm nestled in the rolling foothills of Mount Sar, on the Long Road to Rassalantar. Her plot is tangled and overgrown in every direction with golden honeysuckle and grey-green rosemary, upon which she uses her holy powers to manifest and draw forth the very essences at the core of the plants, deep down where the gods placed flavor and scent long ago at the dawn of Faerūn, which she then mingles and bubbles into wines and teas like no other, more akin to divine mead than common tissane. She also makes black currant and gooseberry jams of outstanding flavor, but these are due to an excellent jam-making ability and not any sort of innate power. Hard-working, no-nonsense. Speaks calmly and firmly. Dark hair going to gray at the temples, kept swept up into a large bun. Her husband and child both died of chromatic fever some years ago, shares her hearth now only with her old wolf-hound, Tyr.
Mhurgos Zel (LE HM F12/divine champion5 of Umberlee)
The Vengeful Hand of Umberlee. Unwavering bodyguard of the Umberlant high priest Meritid Archneie. A towering, always-alert, always-scowling warrior trained from birth to serve the Bitch Queen. Zel wears heavy full plate armor decorated with tentacle-and-tooth motifs, and carries the monstrous double-headed battleaxe, Gormos (a battleaxe of wounding +3).
Milamber
An itinerant bard and storyteller, can usually be found at New Olamn or the taproom of the Yawning Portal. A tall, middle-aged man with a patch over his missing right eye and a bluff manner. A member of the Red Sashes. He is always accompanied by his companion, a black-and-white alleycat of surprising intelligence, named Tassel. There are rumors (mostly spread by Milamber himself) that Tassel can shapechange into a ferocious crag-cat if it so desires.
Milist Ulpharsin (N HM)
The Effulgent Envoker. An obese, effete man. Has black eyes, bushy blond eyebrows, and a hawks-nose. Keeps his balding pate close-cropped. Wears spotless blue and white robes and a number of large silver finger-rings. Can often be found at Lord's Court or strolling through the Market, followed by his manservant, Thallan. Milist is a belly-god and hedonist of the highest order. His deities are Sune and Lliira, and he uses his contacts within those churches in his job as an organizer for the mage-revels held at the Tower of the Watchful Order.
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Martrym Eltorchul [ Source: A 09/21/05 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
Martul [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2007: The Weaver of Dreams. Name/Description given ]
The Masquerade [ Source: FR15 Gold & Glory, p.30. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2020 : 00:34:43
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Gaspar Throgbottom
Formerly the self-titled "Guildmaster" of the Ancient and Revered Order of Merrymakers (more commonly known as the "Jester's Guild," a motley collection of bardlings, harlequins, street urchins and pranksters disbanded by the Lords under charges of being a front for a thieving fellowship). In the time since, Gaspar has found employment as an advocate (a paid orator who will appear in Lord's Court with an accused and give advice and speak and engage in debate with the magisters and the assembled court; as his coin-cry plainly states, "oration clean and precise, designed to convince and impress. A firm knowledge of the Code Legal and all manner of subsequent codicils and mis-rulings"), and as self-publisher of the Young Blade chapbooks, highly popular with young folk across the city.
These latter offerings contain such adventurous (and simply written) fare as "How I Swam the Sea of Swords" "Bror Battleswift, Ranger of the Evermoors", and "Old Carvas and the Sorcerer of South Ward". Still retains his (highly-annoying) penchant for practical jokes. [ Source: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons comic book, issue #6. Name/Background given. Additional detail by me. ]
Gefglas Hurglanroot (N GM Exp2/Adp3 of Garl Glittergold)
(JEFF-Gloss) The Chiurgen of Snail Street. Gained a powerful patron in Halthos "the Hammer" Blund, Master of the Carpenters and Roofers Guild, when he healed the latter's wounds during the guild fighting of the High Road War. Halthos now provides Gefglas with a small monthly stipend, and steers guild members suffering from minor ailments towards the gnome's Snail Street parlor.
Gelflaunder Geln
(GEL[hard 'G']-Flaunder JELN) Gnomish proprietor of Geln's Gimcrackery (otherwise known as Geln's Grand Emporium of Ineffable Geegaws and Inestimable Gimcrackery). Despite the impressive name he is generally regarded as a middling-tier purveyor of objects, but he does have a few contacts within the gnomish realms of Ulversdeeping and Demurra's Delf, which occasionally net him a truly wonderous item of interest. Not currently though currently his most outstanding offering is a woodsmoke-belching, steam-gouting, ear-splitting iron contraption that will stamp and cut lozenges in a perfect manner. Of what use such an apparatus would have to Faerûn at large is presently unknown, but the Lantannar trader he acquired it from promised great things.
Gelthorm Haendlarr
(GEL[hard 'G']-Thorm) Retired far-trader and caravan master. Draymaster (guilded member of the Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen) of the Six Coffers Market Priakos. His skin is dark from a lifetime of exposure to the sun, and there is a fair amount of grey in his red hair.
Gerengados the Orc
Half-orc sellsword. His name is used in derision and rough teasing by his peers. Has very few markings of orcish heritage. Easygoing; slow to reply and slower to anger, although implacable and immoral when in combat. Carries a hefty jack of ale like most carry their coinpurse. Can be found for hire at any number of Dock Ward tankard houses, enjoying his favorite meal (giant plates of fresh oysters washed down with huge tumblers of firethroat whiskey). Wields the battleaxe Iskaravor, which glimmers cold and blue in the darkness.
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The Gauntyl Ghost [ Source: A 05/26/04 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Steven Schend. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 31 May 2024 23:32:08 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2020 : 00:40:36
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Five Further Entries Extracted From Marlstag's 'Road-Farings': A Gazetteer of the Lesser-Known North
Presently we found ourselves at four crossroads, with a four-fingered post in the centre. We had agreed to leave our destination to chance. We read the sign-post.
"Which shall we choose?" I said, "Aucassin, true love and fair, To what land do we repair?"
"Don't you think this one," she replied. "this one? To the Moon!"
"Certainly, we couldn't find a prettier place; but it's a long way," I replied, looking up at the sky, all roses and pearls, "a long way from the Morning Star to the Moon."
"All the longer to be free," cried Nicolete, recklessly.
"So be it," I assented. "Allons to the Moon!"
The Quest of the Golden Girl, Chapter VII: From The Morning Star to The Moon, Richard le Gallienne
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The Blue Maiden
The huge shining ridge of a cold, glittering glacier high in the Spine of the World; named after Baeliira, the priestess of Auril who would dance and do spell-battle there with ogre and giant in the cool bluish twilight (not to be confused with the Blue Rampart, overhanging the Valley of Khedrun furthur to the east). The ice here is known to suddenly shift into avalanche or give way to deadly crevasse under the feet of intruders; during such times a faint, haunting, musical laughter is heard upon the swirling air, though whether this is due to the restless spirit of Baeliira or to the bleak whims of Auril herself is unknown. It is said that there is a great singular king's tear here, shed by Auril herself for the joy and doom of her beloved snow-maiden, resting in the hoard of the white wyrm Inangurotauth "The Ruin of Kith and Kine," who lairs under the glacier, in a giant cavern carved with giant runes whose ineffable energies once powered the opening of an extra-planar gate to Cania, the frigid Eighth Layer of the Hells (and once provided the bugbears who first laired here with the means to forge their infamous frost-hardened weapons of war).
The Embowered Bed of Elaedra (Elaedra's Green Rest)
"Where dryads weave their mysteries and the vine-wreathed wild oaks shudder in sympathetic ecstasy" (Mintipur Moonsilver, 1347DR).
In the north-eastern reaches of the Neverwinter Woods, where the leafy green of the trees mingles with the rocky foothills of the Crags, is a place of pleasant murmurs and blue shadows, a rocky dell, split in twain by a cool forest stream, thick with fern and moss and ringed in with birch and blueleaf and maiden-ash. It is known that one resting overnight in this glen and bedding down on the soft moss-beds will be relieved of all poisons (cure disease and +1 to all constitution saving throws/endurance checks until the next sunset) and nightmares (continual remove fear and +1 to morale checks for a similar period) and granted great vitality (an extra 1d10HP, deducted first on damage rolls, non-recoverable once spent). Of course, there is also good chance that such a sleeper may be enthralled by the nymphs that gather here or, even worse, waken to find themselves bound as a woodwose of Silvanus (a manling geased in service of the forest), tasked to perform a service revealed in dream during their rest.
The Argraladath
Deep in the Trielta Hills there is a yellowed standing stone, quite out of place in an otherwise placid meadow valley; local legend has it as the left eye-tooth of the giant-lord Argrar, a local terror of yore, knocked out in engagement with the god Tempus, challenged en route to his infamous participation in the Battle of the Bones. It is true that followers of the war god come here to offer their blades in tribute; local legend also states that they must strip down to their underclothes and scale the slick, treacherous stone, to place their offered weapon atop it; it is sometimes said that those who fail in the attempt are marked and stalked by the giant Argrar, who punishes them for their failure by collecting their left eye-tooth and that, when he has collected enough, he will then forge them into a weapon powerful enough to revenge himself upon Tempus for his defeat.
Shaelshar
On the basilary slopes of Mount Sar, opened like an ulcer or abcess in the stone of the mountain itself, lies a cavern of deep gloom and oddly mobile echoes or, as is known to Selūnites and trail-wise bards, "Those protruding depths where no moonlight e'er stained." Said to have once been a gathering-place for worshipers of the Lady of Loss. Or worshipers of something else; chanting, malevolent menaces that were snail-eyed and frog-footed. Also said to have birthed a crawling night horror that devoured said worshipers to a man. Those who have since braved the glooms here say that there is an altar, horrid and stained, and that there is more to be found deeper in the depths, but it should be noted that the number of those who exit with such tales is far, far less than the number of those who enter in search thereof.
Maiden's Dell
A lonely little clearing in the Northdark of the Reaching Woods, wreathed in overhanging boughs of evergreen and spangled with wild thyme and cowslip-bell, home to the Murmuring Maiden (The Maid of the Moonlight, the Moonlight Haunt), said to be a vision of the goddess Selūne or Lliira, or instead an ancient place-spirit now faded into near-obscurity (as sung of by the bards of the Heartlands, 'Where all the zephyrs of the night / Come to bask in the silver sheen / And behold the Goddess / In her moonlit revel'). In truth, the haunt is none of those, though it may also be all of them; it is instead an echo of a Talfir shadow-mage of great and terrible powers, who long ago sought to purloin the power of a goddess and paid dearly for her mortal treachery. What is left of her now hangs here, insubstantial and seemingly unaware of her condition, but the mighty energies she unleashed in her Quixotic power grab remain in her in some small part, and so the insensible voice of a goddess still sometimes ripples through, gently, murmurous in the moonlight.
(note: "The Murmuring Maiden" is also a variant name for the Immenor, a stream in the Ardeep; and for a fern-girted cave of reputedly oracular properties in the clefts south of the Star Mounts as well as public fountains located in both Neverwinter and Silverymoon. So far as this author is aware, aside from the name there is no common-thread unifying them)
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Calashaera Vondryn (CG HF P6 of Selûne)
High Sister of the Waning Moon (caretaker of the House of the Moon chapel of the same name). Short and well-rounded, with a plump, rosy-cheeked face. Bright blue eyes, silvered hair habitually pulled up into a severe bun. Intelligent, stern-voiced, serious demeanor towards all but the clergy of the House.
Calaunthra the Umbrageous, Dark and Shadowed of Shar
The Darkseer, the Damasked Darkness. Blind priestess of Shar. Seems to have legitimate, although undefined, god-visions. Can also "see" alignment auras, as per the spell, know alignment. Always arrayed in the finest and most costly dresses and veils. Accompanied by the shadowmaiden Illandra and four chairbearers/handsmen. Consulted by the heads of the Lord's Alliance for matters of guidance and divination. "The entireity of history is simply one incestuous circle, a frenzied snake swallowing its own tail. Who better to know what the caliginous past and the beshadowed future hold than that ancient Lady who was there from the very first, and who will reign 'till the very last?"
Calazymn the Ever-Ready
(Kala-ZEEM in his native South, Kala-ZIMM in the barbarian North). Round face and pocked cheeks, ever-ready smile. Alert brown eyes, strong chin, slim quick body. A self-proclaimed "excellent blade-hand, map-reader, trail-finder and forthright man of adventurous intentions" (thief-for-hire). Willing to sign on to dungeon expeditions. Wears boots bearing an enchantment that renders things stuck down in their concealed sheaths invisible, which is why he carries two daggers +1 in the left and a wand of paralysis (18c.) in the right.
The Calim Lady
Phantomnation or spectral presence, hanging oils-on-canvas and dark-rimmed frame, the Hall of Clouds, second floor balcony-level of House Hawkwinter. The dark and regal Lady of Shoon, painted with enchantments and bounded by energies beyond the ken of mortal men. Her dark eyes and bemused indifference seem to follow strollers across the railed walk. Comes down from the framing that binds her against the wall on the Midwinter gloaming. Just for this one night in the year she steps out from the canvas to majestically glide up and down the rooms surrounding her. She does not exchange a word with anybody; it is quite probable nobody would understand her if she did. Does not harm living onlookers. It is unknown if she would display any malevolence towards those who would attempt to harm her or impede her rounds; the Hawkwinters have never pressed their luck.
Cathrialla Moonstar
An elderly noble of House Moonstar (aunt of Lord Helve Moonstar). Cathrialla ("Cathae" to close friends) is a cat-lover of the first order. She is the main reason for the dozens of felines that lounge around the family villa (one of the cats, the black tom called Seftar, is the familiar and agent of the Shaaran shadow adept Ilvhost). Her prized companion is Rastar, a tortoise-shell tressym brought back from Moonstar trade missions to the Forest Kingdom of Cormyr. Has a husband, Andrannath Obelier, and a son, Haradel.
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Callashantra [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 22 Nov 2020 01:12:58 |
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AJA
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Posted - 02 Feb 2020 : 00:27:58
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Thesklin (LN HM)
An armar (sergeant) of the Watch in Trades Ward. He has a quiet, calm demeanor, but is not a man to anger, having little patience for miscreants and other lawbreakers. Thesklin is convinced that agents of the High Captains of Luskan, the Black Network, the Shadow Thieves and others are continually infiltrating the city, and he is constantly on the lookout for "suspicious behavior." His reflexive stroking of his great bristling blonde moustache becomes extremely agitated anytime he believes to have uncovered evidence of such aforementioned malfeasance.
Theslaé's Hunting Sword
A silent, floating, enchanted sword that drifts, point-down, through the darkened streets of Dock Ward, seeking opponents to combat. The enigmatic blade takes its' name from Theslaé Steeleye, a paranoid local swordsmith who uttered a curse on her deathbed that she would return to seek revenge on all her many enemies. Local lore claims this is Theslaé's restless spirit, seeking her promised blood debt. In reality, the blade is possessed by the spirit of a glyptar (a male medusa) which resides within the crystal stone set into the pommel. The Hunting Sword seeks out lone travelers noble fop, drunken sea reaver and unwary adventurer alike and accosts them until they fight back. The glyptar cares not whether its' crystal prison is destroyed, and acts fearlessly and recklessly as a result. It is no fool, however, and when mages or groups of men come seeking it, the glyptar uses its' pass through stone ability to hide within the walls of buildings or to sink down into the flagstones underfoot, emerging again once the seekers have passed.
Thizraen "Shamble-Staff" (NG HM Exp12/P4 of Chauntea)
The Sacrosanct Seed of the Goddess. Said to be the offspring of the Harvest Mother herself. His eyes are inhuman, overlarge and solid green in color. Has displayed command of several unusual fertility and healing powers in the past. Creator of the renowed blue rose of Elvaldenh, the only such flower to be bred true outside of the legendary Evermeet of the Elves. A noted collector of rare and unusual plants and flowers, and one of the foremost experts on the identification of and care for such foliage in the North today.
Thundroum Boldskill (CN HM T8/W3)
Self-titled "Jester and Magician Extraordinaire." A "sharphands" and beguiler (or, "an insolent invoker of wonderment and fear, Master of All Illusions, both noble and vile," in his own words) wanted in cities across the North and Amn for using his skills to rob and swindle people. His favorite trick involves juggling glass globes that contain swirling mists. Upon breaking, the globes emit a cloud that obscures vision and irritates the nose and mouth, allowing him to steal the coinpurses and jewelry of affected onlookers.
Tlasko Fethelspar (N HM Aris1/T1)
More commonly known as "Trades Ward Tlasko." Born to a noble house of Tethyr, fled during the Ten Black Days. Now a dissolute, down-on-his-luck tavern-singer and gambler. A fixture in the festhalls, gambling dens, and back-alley dice games of Trades Ward. Sports a pair of local warmflanks, Thevra and Illith, on his arm when he can afford the coin to keep them. Sometimes used by the Red Sashes to lure targets seeking an "easy game of chance" into pre-arranged ambushes.
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Thesp Eltorchul (NG HM W10) [ Source: The novel The Dream Spheres and City of Splendors: Who's Who In Waterdeep, p.14. Name/Description/Stats given ]
Thestus Thongolier (N HM Aris2/Exp9) [ Source: "Dungeon of the Crypt," Eric L. Boyd, Dungeon Magazine #127, p.72. Name/Description/Stats given ]
Thirayar Hawkwinter [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
Tholdomor "the Wise" Rammarask [ Source: Chapter header, Chapter 1 of the novel Elminster's Daughter. Name/Description given ]
Tlannada Gralhund [ Source: "The New Adventures of Volo: The Urge To Hunt," Ed Greenwood, Dragon Magazine #282, p.73. Name/Description given ]
Tloster Maerimmon [ Source: A 01/19/13 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 02 Feb 2020 00:31:51 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
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770 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2020 : 00:24:41
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Helmadder Ulbrinter
A noble of House Ulbrinter (father of Bereene, Nomus, and Mohrgan). Called "Halfling Helm" for his short stature. Died peacefully, 1347DR.
Helmar of Teloutar
A northern adventurer and hero of Silverymoon. Bore the sword Narfang "Glimmer-Edge" (a sword of the planes), the curved starmetal blade of which legends claim the ancient Netherese "forged in the darkness 'twixt the stars." Helmar and the sword were both lost in 886DR when the pegasus he rode on was shot through by orc archers and plunged downwards, deep into the crystal depths of either the Eolhar (Elkwater) or the Jannalar (Wonderful Mirror), the two glacial lakes nestled under the looming cliffs of the Black-Horn (that weathered summit which pokes out above the massed ice sheet west of Raven Rock).
Helvard the Hunter
A bountyhunter and Tchazzam armsman of some repute. Famed for fighting in the Second Trollwar and for defeating Vhos Rhūk, "The Bloody Claw of the Trollmoors," in single combat. Retired to the keep of Tiir Kantar, in the Moonshaes. His daughter, Evholeyne, later returned to the mainland and married Lord Embos Tchazzam. His sword, Filaeglin (a longsword +2 which burns with a blue light in the presence of evil creatures) is now wielded by Cirdhann, the current Baron of Tiir Kantar.
Hobbomattock the Fourth
The fourth awakened simulacrum of the great Netherese arcanist Hobbomattock the Profuse. This iteration is prone to speaking in rhyme and verse, and his fields of study have veered into proving the superiority of dwarven bone matter in the construction of undead servitors (given their increased calcium density and racial resistance to the weal and woes of the Weave) and attempts to decipher the great rituals (undoubtedly) encoded within The Chronomancer's Epithalamiums Evergrowing of the First Netheril Age.
Hobin Boldfoot (N HaM Exp2)
A local merchant. Hobin owns and runs Boldfoot Woodfinery, a South Ward shop that sells home furnishings built especially for folk of the smaller races. Known for his girth, florid face, self-important airs, and rather slow wits. Hobin is the leader of the Belts, a "secret society" of halfling and gnomish sages, moneylenders, local merchants and (increasingly) young roustabouts. During society meetings Hobin goes by the title "Old Leather," and is attended by four "Forthrights" (members whose duty it is to hold ceremonial torches, call out the roll and the by-laws of the society, and to serve the refreshments). The Belts started out as a way for merchants of the Small Folk to band together for mutual trade and profit, but eventually devolved into social gatherings marked by long-winded pontifications and copious amounts of food and drink. More recently, since their discovery by the young Hin rogue Halvas "Halfhand" and his companion, the acolyte Jaster Winterwink, the Belts have become inundated with young thrillseeking halflings and gnomes, who have brought with them radical new ideas for the society, such as leading the charge to reclaim the ancient Hin realm of Meiritin, or placing one of their number among the Lords of the city. Hobin is none too happy about these young blades upsetting his "playground," or of their drinking of all his ales and wines, but he has yet to find a way to bar them from attending society meetings.
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Posted - 09 Feb 2020 : 00:47:09
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Elaevyn Bambrusk (N HF)
Cousin of the lady Kyrin Bambrusk-Hawkwinter. A sculptor of middling talent and strange tastes (her busts, although recognizable as the subject they portray, are all intentionally deformed with troll-like features). Her odd creations are currently all the rage in certain circles, with overly-wealthy patrons lining up to purchase one of her "troll-castings."
Elaundae of the Elves (CG ½EF P6 of Selūne)
The High Sister of the Waxing Moon (caretaker of the House of the Moon chapel of the same name). Tall and slender, bluish-white skin, large black eyes. Has long straight blue-black hair which she keeps in a single ornate braid. Often keeps company with an ivory-white, spindle-limbed faerie dragon named Valla.
Elluth, The Shepherd of the Foredawn
There were (and mostly still are are) an almost numberless legion of stars in the night sky and the ancient Talfir, carrying on from those who came before them, had names for every single one of them. In a later age many societies and faiths attributed (or had revealed to them) these names as servitors and celestial messengers of various deities. One of these that has survived into present-day is the legendary "Elthauntra Olombor," who spoke the truth of the sun god direct to the face of the goddess Auril, even as her lips frosted over and her lungs froze to ice. To Auril she is forgotten, but Lathander saw fit to slip the bounds of frozen winter and place her high, among his scintillating host as "The Shepherd of the Foredawn," the deva Elluth who minds the foredawn, that potent time when possibility and potential strut and crow like a brilliant bantam, and the cold dew of Auril is soon to be driven away by the light and majesty of Red-Crownéd Lathander and whose name is also echoed in Elluth, one of the twinned pair of the Luthlorn (The Insolent Eyes of Luth), the stars of one of the last-fading constellations of the eastern morn.
Elmrauna of Red Larch
Bard, wrote the popular sailors' ballad Softly When the Siren Calls (1274DR). "'Tis winter now upon the shore / Winter, winter evermore / So share a kiss and come with me / To the faeried lands that be / Down a'deep the silvern sea."
Emmerlund "Brighthands" (CG HM F12)
A retired adventurer-turned-wine merchant and gem collector (ancient Netherese-cut rhomboids, ellipsoids and spindels are his favorite). Emmerlund is darkly handsome, with a close-trimmed moustache and an everpresent half-smile. He lives in a building on the corner of Melshar's Street and Trader's Way (commonly referred to as "The Mouths on Melshar's Street," due to the supposedly enchanted carvings that line the roofline of the building). Emmer is a member of the Silmerhelve noble family and is continuing the family tradition of serving in the city's armed forces through his membership in Force Grey. He is often (falsely) rumored to be allied with either the Harpers or the Red Sashes.
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Eldran Roray [ Source: Excised header, Epilogue of the novel Elminster Must Die! <wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drrl/20100802>. Name/description given ]
Eldrar Outcrown [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]
Eldreth Zanderraum [ Source: "Eyes on the Ball," Derek Myers, Dungeon Magazine #206. Name/Description given ]
Eldrus Wands [ Source: FOR13 Secrets of the Magister, p.41. Name/Description given ]
Elglor Eagleshield [ Source: Forging The Realms: I Gloat In Your General Direction!, <dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/i-gloat-your-general-direction>. Name/Description given ]
Elmrose Hunabar [ Source: A 09/21/05 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
Elphoros [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
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Posted - 12 Feb 2020 : 00:49:37
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Illurbraea Alaskance
A slim, wiry woman of hard and flat muscle, clever tongue, and keen, staring blue eyes. A true Raurlor-cultist, avidly holds forth on the subject of Waterdeep as mighty empire to any foolish enough to even glance on the subject. Wielder of The Gold-Green Bough (an enchanted rod whose gnarled head strikes as a mace +3 and carries the powers of barkskin 2x/day, spike growth 1x/day, and summon nature's ally III, 1x/day. Anyone relying overmuch on the powers of the Bough will find themselves merging with the celestial energies of Elysium, transforming steadily into a knotty and twisted pine, with dusky foliage and golden fruit. After an indeterminate number of months, the fruit of such a tree will drop and give form to 1d4 hollyphants).
Imazu of Thosh
Former adventurer and mad priest (high priest, and likely the only known worshiper) of "Thosh the Unyielding" (the Stout, the Ever-Enduring). Imazu found his new faith in the depths of the Undermountain after receiving a nasty orcish club to the head ("failed 'is save 'gainst quite the crushing blow," as the delvers say). Thosh apparently promises his followers the strength to protect themselves and their possessions against the cruel pressures of the Multiverse (Imazu demonstrates this by casting stoneskin on himself and inviting passerby to strike him with the weapon of their choice). Can be found most days proselytizing at the Plinth, and nights at the Yawning Portal offering to ward aspiring adventurers (and their paraphernalia, glass bottles and phials especially) against various forms of physical harm.
Imbeldyn Green-Eyes
The Bard of Many Meetings. A devout Sornyn and ranger of the wild woods. Hosted a number of Tablewinds, informal tavern and way-moot gatherings of skalds and bards that were the precursors to both Olamnh and the later New Olamn bards colleges. She is still invoked by elder bards and local rangers alike, through the oaths "Beldyn's Bells!" (an off-color reference to her rather well-rounded figure, used both as a sign of surprised appreciation and as a wishing of good luck) and "Green-Eyes on thee!" (A more general form of well-wishing and safe-keeping).
Imbrym "Storm-Brow" (LG ½EF War3/P2 of Helm)
The "Mistress Mother" of the Starn Street House of the Helping Hand (one of Waterdeep's longer-lived orphanages). An aging crone, though still sharp of mind and tongue (and quick with a switch of willow wood). By all accounts she was an accomplished adventurer in her earlier years. Has a soft spot in her heart for foundlings and wayward children of all races, though she can be a tough and demanding taskmaster. Guided the paladin Dannil Balambar to the faith of the God of Guardians.
Immerthas "Master of Coin"
Trades Ward moneylender. Red-faced, puffing. Constantly sweats, constantly mops at his face and neck with a hand-cloth. Not nearly as important nor as influential as his (self-given) sobriquet suggests. Employs two towering Shiertalan sellswords, Narinda and Narimda, as bodyguards (he has trouble distinguishing between them, and so simply addresses them both as, "you, Nar").
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Imbram Sarrulk [ Source: A 07/21/12 Post to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
Immarsk Tanthuulen [ Source: Small Presses of Waterdeep, Part Four <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rl/20031210a>. Name/Description given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 22 Nov 2020 01:14:03 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2020 : 04:10:09
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| Hey, AJA, have you ever thought of making a collection of your various "realmsian terms". For instance, in the above "Tablewinds" being a term. I think it would be a good thing to have. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2020 : 04:27:32
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Theslaé's Hunting Sword
A silent, floating, enchanted sword that drifts, point-down, through the darkened streets of Dock Ward, seeking opponents to combat. The enigmatic blade takes its' name from Theslaé Steeleye, a paranoid local swordsmith who uttered a curse on her deathbed that she would return to seek revenge on all her many enemies. Local lore claims this is Theslaé's restless spirit, seeking her promised blood debt. In reality, the blade is possessed by the spirit of a glyptar (a male medusa) which resides within the crystal stone set into the pommel. The Hunting Sword seeks out lone travelers noble fop, drunken sea reaver and unwary adventurer alike and accosts them until they fight back. The glyptar cares not whether its' crystal prison is destroyed, and acts fearlessly and recklessly as a result. It is no fool, however, and when mages or groups of men come seeking it, the glyptar uses its' pass through stone ability to hide within the walls of buildings or to sink down into the flagstones underfoot, emerging again once the seekers have passed.
Thizraen "Shamble-Staff" (NG HM Exp12/P4 of Chauntea)
The Sacrosanct Seed of the Goddess. Said to be the offspring of the Harvest Mother herself. His eyes are inhuman, overlarge and solid green in color. Has displayed command of several unusual fertility and healing powers in the past. Creator of the renowed blue rose of Elvaldenh, the only such flower to be bred true outside of the legendary Evermeet of the Elves. A noted collector of rare and unusual plants and flowers, and one of the foremost experts on the identification of and care for such foliage in the North today.
Love both of these. Thizraen might be interesting as well if he's cross pollinated with several women, and maybe he's got his own fledgling group of young Chaunteans in training who are half-brothers and sisters.
On the hunting sword, it might be interesting if the sword is also intelligent and with a purpose and the ability to speak. Maybe it has some abilities that it can bestow to protect itself. Maybe the sword wants to seek out those who break promises or welch on debts or somesuch. Thus it might like the glyptar enabling it to accomplish its goals and may help it pick targets. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2020 : 23:57:24
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Hey, AJA, have you ever thought of making a collection of your various "realmsian terms". For instance, in the above "Tablewinds" being a term. I think it would be a good thing to have.
It's certainly possible, though it's not something I have ready at hand.
It would also be continually asterisked with "I'm fairly certain that I made this up, but I may have nicked it from Ed instead, somewhere along the way." 
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AJA
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Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 00:17:35
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The Five Favorite Sayings (and the books they were taken from) of Javroun Lithkind, Waterdhavian Wisebeard of History and Politics
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"Somewhere betwixt fear and hope do kings place their thrones."
Dredolair Illascar, First Lance of Stornanter
The Book of Crimson Pages
"The Art is the chosen truth of Faerūn."
Naraela Naurun, Willing Instrument of the Mother of All Magic
Letters Written Under the Light of Selūne
"A king or lord ought never to be struck except on the head, where they are least likely to be affected."
Arbold of the Delicious Fancies
The Rewards of Pedantry
"The wise farmer gives much honor to the lord; in truth, it would be much wiser for the lord to give honor to the farmer."
Jerothyn, Harvest-Hand of Chauntea
Sayings Born In the Soil
"The poor and the pious will tell you, ''Tis better to be a knight in adversity than a knave in prosperity.' Feel free to disregard them all; the gods certainly do."
Tammelbold "The Coin-Hound," Master Merchant of Elturel
said to Master of Hammers Baerth Orralus
on the consecrating of the Cupped Hands shrine to Ilmater, 1309DR (later preserved in Orralus's collected Memoirs of a Master Craftsman)
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AJA
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Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 00:20:57
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Roosh Rednose
A jester character in the popular lowcoin play, "All A Night's Work." Has also become Waterdhavian slang for any type of buffoon or merryandrew. The word "roosh" itself was originally Dock Ward slang for nonsense or prattle, bastardized from the Calishite baraush (rumbling waters; nonsense, empty talk).
Rorel Faelthro
Whip-thin, agile. Grey hair, medium-length salt-and-pepper beard. Alert brown eyes. Soft-spoken, charming. Well-versed in the manners of the nobility. A former sellsword turned to one of Waterdeep's better-known dance-masters (teach popular dances of the day, and invent new ones or arrange variants as the need for coin strikes them. Many of them, such as Rorel, began as trainers of sword-play, their superior agility and sense of balance serving them well in both professions). Also uses his contacts in the mercenary world to facilitate armed bouts and "swords against" (man-vs.-monster or man-vs.-animal) shows at the Field of Triumph and other private venues when his coins run low. Bemoans his former career (despite the profit he still indirectly makes from it) and often laments that "if the Field would run The Lay of Loralyre instead of base bloodletting, Waterdeep would be a brighter and better place."
Roritha Starnspells
Freestave (mercenary) wizard. One of the seven apprentices who took their surnames from the ruined-in-spellflame Starnspells mage academy in Elturel. Tall and slender, with dark curly hair and delicate features. Given to thunderous cursing outbursts when angered or flummoxed. Impaled by a piercer in the Undermountain. Her life was saved by clerical weal, but she now sports an ugly, scarred concave depression where her right breast once was. Carries a wand of paralyzation (36c.) and wears the Collar of Jelgath (allows passwall at will).
Rorlassra
Small, sharp eyes, hard, wrinkled face, and thin, sourly down-drawn lips. Coldly ambitious, but not wantonly cruel. From somewhere "east past Impiltur." A wizard of indeterminate manner. Has made her way to Waterdeep in search of The Spell That Lurks ("in brazen highlight and pages furled") which may or may not be the same as The Lost Spell of Azuthan legend (she certainly thinks so).
Roselendra "Old Rosy" Waywinter
A hin-maid of indeterminate years; weathered and wrinkled, but with bright and steady eyes and gait. Makes her way by means of sling and axe, and fish-net and berry-basket. Comes irregularly to Red Larch to trade furs, and forest-herbs and wild eggs, and to sometimes sign on for local monster-clearing jobs. Loath to travel any further south down the Dessarin Vale though, as she finds nothing of use in the civilization there well, besides the occasional aniseed cake resting over a glowing hearth. And turnip-dishes of all manner (she absolutely adores turnips; Felstan Spindrivver at the Cliffwatch Inn serves a plate of turnips sliced and roasted with leek and butternut squash and smothered in qum'azho [KOOM-äzo; a rich, buttery Calishite cream sauce] and thick shavings of Elturian grey cheese, and that is the one and only reason she would ever step foot in Waterdeep).
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Roral Readysword [ Source: Small Presses of Waterdeep, Part Three <archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rl/20031126a>. Name/Description given ]
Rorel the Conquering Blade [ Source: A 01/13/09 post to the Candlekeep.com boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
Ruegrel Rausdyn [ Source: A 02/01/20 Twitter reply to @TheEdVerse by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
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Edited by - AJA on 19 Feb 2020 00:40:42 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 23:32:20
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
The Five Favorite Sayings (and the books they were taken from) of Javroun Lithkind, Waterdhavian Wisebeard of History and Politics
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"Somewhere betwixt fear and hope do kings place their thrones."
Dredolair Illascar, First Lance of Stornanter
The Book of Crimson Pages
"The Art is the chosen truth of Faerūn."
Naraela Naurun, Willing Instrument of the Mother of All Magic
Letters Written Under the Light of Selūne
"A king or lord ought never to be struck except on the head, where they are least likely to be affected."
Arbold of the Delicious Fancies
The Rewards of Pedantry
"The wise farmer gives much honor to the lord; in truth, it would be much wiser for the lord to give honor to the farmer."
Jerothyn, Harvest-Hand of Chauntea
Sayings Born In the Soil
"The poor and the pious will tell you, ''Tis better to be a knight in adversity than a knave in prosperity.' Feel free to disregard them all; the gods certainly do."
Tammelbold "The Coin-Hound," Master Merchant of Elturel
said to Master of Hammers Baerth Orralus
on the consecrating of the Cupped Hands shrine to Ilmater, 1309DR (later preserved in Orralus's collected Memoirs of a Master Craftsman)
I absolutely love these, but most especially the one on the art. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 23:41:10
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Roritha Starnspells
Freestave (mercenary) wizard. One of the seven apprentices who took their surnames from the ruined-in-spellflame Starnspells mage academy in Elturel. Tall and slender, with dark curly hair and delicate features. Given to thunderous cursing outbursts when angered or flummoxed. Impaled by a piercer in the Undermountain. Her life was saved by clerical weal, but she now sports an ugly, scarred concave depression where her right breast once was. Carries a wand of paralyzation (36c.) and wears the Collar of Jelgath (allows passwall at will).
I think the surname is misspelled, I think you meant Stlarnspells  |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2020 : 01:58:48
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ARAUMYKIN
"Caffeine has yet to settle on my brain, so take this for the sleep-deprived babble it may be..." (Steven Schend)
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In some locations of the High Forest are found eerie, sentient beings that display strange and unusual powers. These inscrutable entities take differing shapes and speak in differing voices, but their method of interacting with others seems to be the same; in the manner of the local beast-cults, they call to and recruit followers and helpers from a wide variety of races, both civilized and monstrous, and provide them with powers or knowledge in return for attention and....devotion.
These creatures have come to be known as Araumykin, for their unknown origins and generally fungoid appearance and their presence in the wooded expanse of the High Forest, beneath which the great other, the inscrutable fungus-like Araumykos, lairs and thrives and occupies much of the deep ways there.
Are they spores or children of Araumykos? Corrupted or demented offshoots? Envoys to an alien surface world?
Or are they perhaps the flickering remnants of a pantheon of fungal-based folk? Or sentient chrysalis from which will one day be born a new assemblage of godlings?
If these 'Araumykin' themselves know, they aren't saying.
Mara Mora, Lord of a Thousand Chambers
Lairs in a damp, rotting, surprisingly warm and humid ravine where a dazzling array of mushroom and vegepygmy thrive. Has the appearance of a giant common morel. A cult god of mazes, secrets, dungeon windings and dimensional pathings. Some sages also whisper that Mara Mora is more the child or waiting vessel of the dead god Moander than anything to do with Araumykos.
(https://i.imgur.com/Q0e6iTU)
Lortham of the Opened Eyes
Commonly found in rill-side dells where the air and water are both sickly sweet, among ranks upon ranks of waving sharp-sided fern and great multi-colored undulations of moss and mushroom. Takes the form of the opened and horridly trypophobic seed pod of a monstrous and malevolent lotus plant. Grants dreamy languor and cosmic secrets to worshipers and demands mindless obedience and bloody sacrifice to all others.
(https://imgur.com/t3TEB7o)
Master Melf
Appears as a towering mushroom, alit from within with brilliant, pulsing (breathing) glows of magic and power. A great irradiant presence in an otherwise gloomy clearing, carpeted with layers of leaves, orange and purple and rust-gold, and hemmed in by tangled bare branches and thick grey mist. Some sages argue that close proximity to a raw Weave spot made it sentient, and a teacher of mysteries and granter of wild talents. Sought out by disaffected elves and servants of Mystra alike. No more forthcoming to its' origins than the others. Extracts odd and seemingly random bits of knowledge and life-memories or vows of temporary servitude in exchange for its' beneficence.
(https://imgur.com/yOltB0G)
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AJA
YAFRP
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2020 : 23:27:53
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
ARAUMYKIN
"Caffeine has yet to settle on my brain, so take this for the sleep-deprived babble it may be..." (Steven Schend)
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In some locations of the High Forest are found eerie, sentient beings that display strange and unusual powers. These inscrutable entities take differing shapes and speak in differing voices, but their method of interacting with others seems to be the same; in the manner of the local beast-cults, they call to and recruit followers and helpers from a wide variety of races, both civilized and monstrous, and provide them with powers or knowledge in return for attention and....devotion.
These creatures have come to be known as Araumykin, for their unknown origins and generally fungoid appearance and their presence in the wooded expanse of the High Forest, beneath which the great other, the inscrutable fungus-like Araumykos, lairs and thrives and occupies much of the deep ways there.
Are they spores or children of Araumykos? Corrupted or demented offshoots? Envoys to an alien surface world?
Or are they perhaps the flickering remnants of a pantheon of fungal-based folk? Or sentient chrysalis from which will one day be born a new assemblage of godlings?
If these 'Araumykin' themselves know, they aren't saying.
Mara Mora, Lord of a Thousand Chambers
Lairs in a damp, rotting, surprisingly warm and humid ravine where a dazzling array of mushroom and vegepygmy thrive. Has the appearance of a giant common morel. A cult god of mazes, secrets, dungeon windings and dimensional pathings. Some sages also whisper that Mara Mora is more the child or waiting vessel of the dead god Moander than anything to do with Araumykos.
(https://i.imgur.com/Q0e6iTU)
Mara Mora is also served by numerous campestri who periodically run out and situate themselves around an individual and begin "singing". This mushroom ring then suddenly forms the opening to a gate to an unknown destination and the individual is sucked through unexpectedly. Exactly where individuals go, or even if its the same place each time, is unknown. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2020 : 00:44:04
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Daeren of Ordulin (LN HM P of Kelemvor)
Longlantern, The Walker in Shadows. Perhaps the most visible and well-known of the faithful of the Lord of the Dead. Daeren's daily devotions take him along the entire length of the wall of the City of the Dead and back, as he traces the boundaries of the city burial grounds and ceaselessly intones the last rites and hymns designed to assuage the suffering of any restless souls trapped within the walls.
Daglath Halzrimmar
Master of the Lance at the Field of Triumph (this title was once "Master of the Lance and Steel," but with the explosion of popularity in jousting the responsibilities were split, with the Master of Bouts [née Steel] assigned solely to the digladiates and armed contests). Commonly called "Old Dag" or "the Dagger" (due to his long, rail-thin frame). Sparse grey hair, watery blue eyes. Talkative and demonstrative. As noted, his responsibilities include arranging the tilts at the Field, assaying and procuring talent, and setting the schedules. He makes a tidy side-profit from moneyed patrons wishing to ensure their glory-rider earns a spot at a particular joust, but draws a line at promising a rider meets or avoids any specific opponent.
Daizhauna (LN HF W)
Eldest daughter of the Selūnite priests Ameatha Lhauralynn and Mazambar the Ishaari. Tall, slender and dusky-skinned like her father. Has middling-length black hair and long-lashed brown eyes. Currently apprenticed to the mage Hlannadar of High Street, as both houseward (when he is away aboard the Fleetwind) and student. Has as her familiar the bronze-eyed raven, Craglorn.
Dalcimer "Silvernote" (NG HM B13)
A stocky, broad-shouldered man with a hawk-nose and the olive complexion and piercing copper eyes common to the peoples of the eastern Sea of Fallen Stars. Has a singing voice equal to his nickname. He often has a serious, authoratative air about him, and possesses a stubborn streak, often unwilling to bend or change his views and principles. Around friends, his true nature shows through, including a love of the wonder and whimsy of magic instilled in him by his mother, something he still carries with him even though he has little aptitude for magic. Dalcimer has recently become famed in the North as "The Hunting Harper," for his tireless battle against the marauding giant and goblinkin of the region, and immortalized in song as "The Last Blade of Insilgard," for being the sole survivor of that doomed Harper stronghold. A former member of the Knights Errant and one-time fiancee of Belshareen Azurean. Currently travelling the Heartlands with the half-elven ranger Iladan Elaewyn and the sorceress Ceryna Flamehair. Bears a blood grudge against Sulgrivvyn Zost (the Chosen Storm of Talos and onetime "Ice Bear" of the North) for the death of his mentor, the Senior Harper Nevryn Hawkenhelm.
Dalziel Vreldorn (LE HM Aris5/Sor5)
A southern socialite. Plentif of Brazangulf, Oversword of the Hunnabar Rocks. Claims to be heir to the throne of the city-state of Ormpur. Championed by the Cragsmere, Lanngolyn and Hiilgauntlet families, who have introduced him into Waterdeep's social circles and are pushing the Lords to recognize him as rightful heir of that Shining Sea city-state. His last remaining merchantman, the Leeward Lareighn, was lost on a merchant venture to the Middle Moonshaes in the Spring of 1372DR, ruining his coffers and forcing the young Vreldorn to sell off a number of personal possessions to maintain his lavish lifestyle.
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Dallance Asklaur (NG HM [Illuskan] F5) [ Source: A 06/26/06 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given ]
Daeroun Buckthaeler [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]
Daervin Husteem [ Source: "The New Adventures of Volo: The Urge To Hunt," Ed Greenwood, Dragon Magazine #282, p.73. Name/Description given ]
Dancing Darella [ Source: 1996 Forgotten Realms Conspectus: Volo Annotation #7. Name/Description given ]
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Topic |
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The Five NPCs You Meet In Waterdeep
