Arcane Brotherhood
The Arcane Brotherhood is a wizard guild that operated out of the Host Tower of the Arcane in Luskan. The organization is shrouded in mystery. Its most high-ranking members are unknown. The Brotherhood is primarily known for their vast accumulation of arcane lore. Those in power know the Brotherhood has vied for influence in the political and economic battlegrounds of the Sword Coast.
Wizards flock to Luskan every year to petition to join the Brotherhood, but almost all are immediately rejected. The Brotherhood grows by recruiting like-minded wizards who would otherwise be rivals.
The people of Icewind Dale tend to be wary of the Brotherhood.
Known Members and Happenings
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| 20 | #TheForgottenRealm #DarkDuchess #ArcaneBrotherhood As told by Avarice, an apprentice of the Arcane Brotherhood named Nass Lantomir had stolen a valuable bauble from Vellynne when they first left Luskan. Nass fled aboard the Dark Duchess, the very ship whose wreckage has since been reported. Hoping the bitch died, Avarice suggested the party investigate the matter. The bauble knew things, she said. Many thing. Things that may uncover Ythryn. Things that may weaken Auril. Avarice insisted she'd gladly guide the party to the core of Ythryn itself if they were to ally. |
| 10 | #ArcaneBrotherhood The party spent the morning in Lonelywood, picking up rumors and reading the Ten Towns Times. They wondered whether to pick up some coin in Bremen, where sighting of a lake monster in Maer Dualdon had scared off fishermen. They also considered the tale of missing sailors near the eastern Lac Dinneshere, and recalled that Easthaven is where Vellynne Harpell had set off to capitalize on Dzaan's misfortune. There was still a killer on the loose, too. Ultimately, the party decided to chase down the golden burst of light they had seen from atop Kelvin's Cairn several days ago. |
| 07 | #ArcaneBrotherhood On their third morning in Termalaine, the party waited for Oarus Masthew to return from the mines to declare them free of kobold. He paid the party their 60g and thanked the party for a job well done, leaving into The Blue Clam while the party talked amongst themselves outside on adventure plans. A short while later, Oarus returned, awkardly thanking a maternal white-haired human woman escorted by two undead kobold, freshly resurrected from the party's work in the mine. The woman's name: Vellynne Harpell. Vellynne, according to Oarus, had financed clearing of the mine and inspected it this morning, seeming a bit dismayed as if she was searching for something but didn't find it. Vellynne proceeded to head to her undead sled dogs at the outskirts of town, when she asked the party why they were following her. Vellynne it turns out, much like Fern, also has an owl familiar. |
| 07 | #ArcaneBrotherhood Azgul revealed a particular bodypart to Vellynne Harpell, somewhat surreptitiously. Thus ensued a conversation about the Brotherhood mage Dzaan, who while she is reluctant to help (her coalition's mages are more competitive than co-operative colleagues), was apparently drawing more ire and attention than was necessary in the town of Easthaven. She was heading there to see if she could capitalize on assisting her colleague - and in exchange - be entitled to any knowledge he has procured. She thanked the party for purging the mine and providing her such lovely henchmen before departing. |
| 02 | #ArcaneBrotherhood Met Duvessa Shane at the Council Hall. You happened into Markham Southwell, who escorted you to Duvessa's office. Duvessa has recently met with Vellynne Harpell, an Arcane Brotherhood mage. You learn that Duvessa has had a hard time keeping the Ten Town speakers unified. |
Vellynne Happenings
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| 37 | #DestructionsLight #TheDevilYouKnow Azgul, Oona, and Crank started making their way towards Imdra Arlaggath, while the remaining party tended to preparations near the East Way. A cloaked figure was tending to her sled. Upon recognition, the party stopped abruptly. That was Vellynne Harpell. A shrewd Vellynne queried Azgul, wondering whether he was going to turn into a black ooze like the illusion who had been accompanying her for the last week. Crank took out the sample from the Lost Spire and Vellynne nodded in confirmation. Yes, that ooze. With the pressure of the dragon on everyone's minds, the wizened wizard acquiesced to lend them a hand, noting that despite the warlock's mysterious plans, they all had commanded several acts of heroics. She kept her one good eye on the half-orc warlock, nonetheless. |
| 37 | #battle #DestructionsLight Our heroes rallied their wounded and reloaded the ballistae, picking off the remaining duergar stragglers who were fleeing past now burning buildings. Finn the puffin homunculus was notably back with a vengeance. Casting Fly, Azgul spotted the Chardalyn Dragon attacking a dockside fortification. Two Eldritch Blasts later and the chase was on. No match for the dragon's speed, Azgul was whipped hard enough to lose control over his spell, falling through a rooftop below. The ruse was effective, however. Entering range of the party's bolt shooters, another ballistae round cracked into the dragon. Landing in front of Vellynne Harpell, her cast of Bigby's Hand proved its might, grappling the beast by the throat. |
| 23 | #RevelsEnd #Prisoner237 #Prisoner13 While mulling over options, Fern revealed that she had business at Revel's End. She had been hired by a clan from the Dwarven Valley to open a magically sealed vault. The only known key rested with a dangerous associate of the dwarves, Prisoner 13, whose true name was known to a few as Korra Glintstone. The party agreed to delay adventuring on Angajuk to head to the famed prison, given that another prisoner, Vaelish Gant, could be of use to them. Vaelish, they recalled, was a disgraced Arcane Brotherhood member. Vellynne wished to pry information out of him about a possible entrance to the Netherese city of Ythryn but had been rejected a meeting given her wizarding affiliation. |
| 23 | #RevelsEnd The imposing prison loomed above icy cliffs that plunged into the darkness of the Sea of Moving Ice. The party saw guards posted at each tower and decided it best to announce their presence clearly. Still, they thought to don some disguises, with Fern and Azgul acting as emissaries of Vellynne Harpell and the remaining party tending to the dogs as if they were porters. The guards thought the unexpected visitors to be intriguing. After conferring with Warden Marta Marthannis, they brought them inside for shelter, stabling the dogs. The party surrendered their armaments, after which they were led down a corridor lit by many continual flame spells. The guards gave them lodging and told them to wait inside the mess hall. The warden would like a word with them. |
| 21 | #DarkDuchess The party considered their next steps, unfurling a map and eyeing possibilities near the Sea of Moving Ice. They decided to begin at the west, heading towards the Dark Duchess in search of treasure. They learned that the vessel was supposed to be carrying ale, even, with a bounty set by the Five Tavern Center in Bremen. Moreover, they recalled that Sephek Kaltro had rode that ship, as did the Arcane Brotherhood apprentice Nass Lantomir, who stole a magic bauble from Vellynne Harpell as she was setting out from Luskan many moon ago. Specifically, Avarice had told them this tidbit, and noted that the item's recovery would grant the party a great deal of favor in her eyes. |
| 20 | #TheForgottenRealm #DarkDuchess #ArcaneBrotherhood As told by Avarice, an apprentice of the Arcane Brotherhood named Nass Lantomir had stolen a valuable bauble from Vellynne when they first left Luskan. Nass fled aboard the Dark Duchess, the very ship whose wreckage has since been reported. Hoping the bitch died, Avarice suggested the party investigate the matter. The bauble knew things, she said. Many thing. Things that may uncover Ythryn. Things that may weaken Auril. Avarice insisted she'd gladly guide the party to the core of Ythryn itself if they were to ally. |
| 17 | #TheForgottenRealm #Prisoner237 That night the party took to some downtime at the White Lady Inn, Crank gambled, Oona armwreslted, and the crew chatted up the locals. Vellynne Harpell, who had been staying in Easthaven was present. She humored the party's questions regarding the Arcane Brotherhood, Chardalyn, and Netherese magics. In short, she was investigating the presence of a lost Netherese city and wanted to beat her colleagues to the find. She had one lead that she shared: A disgraced member of the Arcane Brotherhood and prisoner at Revel's End, the wizard named Vaelish Gant. Vellynne was willing to hire the party to extract information from Vaelish, given that she herself was not welcomed at the prison. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead An execution was taking place in the town square. Throngs of Easthaven residents were gathering near a wood pile just set ablaze, relishing in not just its heat but the death of the Red Wizard Dzaan, who the party caught sight of as he went up in flame. Dzaan's eyes frantically scanned through the crowd, glazing over his Arcane Brotherhood colleagues, Vellynne Harpell and another, soon to be introduced as Avarice, before locking on Azgul's. Perceptive party members saw Azgul's eyes widen and pupils dilate ever so slightly. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead Azgul approached Vellynne and Avarice, searching for answers about his former tutor's death, and specifically, about the whereabouts of his books. How Dzaan had been arrested seemed to make Vellynne uneasy. She had come to town to parley for a mitigated sentencing and to speak with Dzaan about his findings, both of which attempts had been denied. Avarice laughed that the well-read illusionist must have been a fool for meeting such a fate, and seeing that the event had ended, took her leave. Azgul thought her an asshole, and Vellynne admitted she was a haughty but powerful prodigy. Vellynne was staying at the White Lady Inn |
| 10 | #ArcaneBrotherhood The party spent the morning in Lonelywood, picking up rumors and reading the Ten Towns Times. They wondered whether to pick up some coin in Bremen, where sighting of a lake monster in Maer Dualdon had scared off fishermen. They also considered the tale of missing sailors near the eastern Lac Dinneshere, and recalled that Easthaven is where Vellynne Harpell had set off to capitalize on Dzaan's misfortune. There was still a killer on the loose, too. Ultimately, the party decided to chase down the golden burst of light they had seen from atop Kelvin's Cairn several days ago. |
| 07 | #ArcaneBrotherhood On their third morning in Termalaine, the party waited for Oarus Masthew to return from the mines to declare them free of kobold. He paid the party their 60g and thanked the party for a job well done, leaving into The Blue Clam while the party talked amongst themselves outside on adventure plans. A short while later, Oarus returned, awkardly thanking a maternal white-haired human woman escorted by two undead kobold, freshly resurrected from the party's work in the mine. The woman's name: Vellynne Harpell. Vellynne, according to Oarus, had financed clearing of the mine and inspected it this morning, seeming a bit dismayed as if she was searching for something but didn't find it. Vellynne proceeded to head to her undead sled dogs at the outskirts of town, when she asked the party why they were following her. Vellynne it turns out, much like Fern, also has an owl familiar. |
| 07 | #ArcaneBrotherhood Azgul revealed a particular bodypart to Vellynne Harpell, somewhat surreptitiously. Thus ensued a conversation about the Brotherhood mage Dzaan, who while she is reluctant to help (her coalition's mages are more competitive than co-operative colleagues), was apparently drawing more ire and attention than was necessary in the town of Easthaven. She was heading there to see if she could capitalize on assisting her colleague - and in exchange - be entitled to any knowledge he has procured. She thanked the party for purging the mine and providing her such lovely henchmen before departing. |
| 02 | #ArcaneBrotherhood Met Duvessa Shane at the Council Hall. You happened into Markham Southwell, who escorted you to Duvessa's office. Duvessa has recently met with Vellynne Harpell, an Arcane Brotherhood mage. You learn that Duvessa has had a hard time keeping the Ten Town speakers unified. |
Dzaan Happenings
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| 27 | #TheLostSpire #DzaanIsDead Dzaan's simulacrum urged the players to consider activating the rune chamber, despite Azgul's apparent hesitation. It couldn't hurt to look, they said. The rune chamber hummed with arcane energy as a holographic illusion of its creator beckoned the party in Loross to set an illusion on the golden platform and grant it a touch, to transform thought into reality. Gadget took note of the fissures in the walls on which the byzantine runes were etched. They seemed to crackle and spark, having seen better days. |
| 27 | #TheLostSpire #DzaanIsDead As debate ensued over whether the rune chamber was truly safe, Fern decided to test a living creature. A rat was born and scurried away. She tried again, wanting to keep the rat for herself, and black ooze was the result. It began to unnervingly creep around the golden platform but was not an immediate threat. Dzaan's simulacrum wasn't dissuaded by this result, yearning to become real. However, first, Crank wanted a dog. After two attempts and several sparking, Sparks was happily wagging its tail. Finally Azgul put his foot down. This was enough of a risk. The party told the simulacrum to fuck off, and the group ascended to the surface, Azgul staying behind to have a last word with his mentor's illusion. |
| 27 | #DzaanIsDead #TheLostSpire As the party packed up the sleds, they heard two eldritch blasts ringing out from within the tower. Azgul joined them after several minutes, stating that Dzaan was truly dead, simulacrum and all. |
| 26 | #battle #TheLostSpire Departing from Revel's End, the party set a course towards the Netherese Lost Spire that had been unearthed by Dzaan prior to his execution. Along the way, the party encountered a skirmish between chardalyn berserkers and a pair of Reghed Nomads from the Tribe of the Bear. The berserkers had lost their minds to chardalyn corruption. Azgul began feeling his stone's perturbing presence, as well, and though he was capable of parting with the stone, he nevertheless kept it. As the parties clashed, black ice javelins exploded with shatter magic. The two Reghedsmen died in battle while the final berserker vanished in a blue flame as he adjusted a sapphire blue ring on his finger. |
| 26 | #TheLostSpire #DzaanIsDead #GolemGuardian On the third floor of the Lost Spire, Tetro opened a door into a makeshift office. Behind the desk sat Dzaan and his wight bodyguard Krintaas. On the desk was a shield guardian's amulet, which Dzaan could not make sense of because, well, Dzaan was not Dzaan. He was a simulacrum. A copy of sorts, conjured of snow and ice. Azgul made his way into the room to interrogate the wizard, who admitted to have no idea why Azgul was in Icewind Dale, something the amnesiac warlock had been trying to piece together himself. The simulacrum only knew what his master did up until the time he left the spire, and carried out his master's will to watch over it. |
| 26 | #TheLostSpire #DzaanIsDead The simulacrum had not heard from his master in a ten day, evidently because the real Dzaan was executed in Easthaven. Alarmed by news of his master's death, Dzaan expressed a desire to replace him. See, in the fourth level of the tower was a rune chamber that could turn illusions into reality. The party was intrigued. Azgul was alarmed. He did not wish his former tutor to regain his flesh, ever since he himself had a mark of suggestion placed on his neck when he first approached Dzaan for knowledge. Flummoxed, Dzaan's simulacrum urged the party to consider the matter, lending them Krintaas as they headed into the fourth level, knowing ahead of time that the spirits down there were restless and an ice salamander had been seen crawling about. |
| 18 | #TheLostSpire #DzaanIsDead In the Easthaven Library on the third floor of the town hall, the party rummaged through the shelves. Azgul was interested in the books claimed from Dzaan's inn room. One hefty tome, The Girthy Sex Lives of the Goliath Tribes: An Illustrated Guide by Volothamp Geddarm, turned out to be an illusion. Through clever use of identification magic, the vividly accurate depictions of Goliath lovemaking faded and were replaced by a Dzann's spellbook, within which was a map. The map marked an inverted building captioned with "A Lost Spire!". |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead An execution was taking place in the town square. Throngs of Easthaven residents were gathering near a wood pile just set ablaze, relishing in not just its heat but the death of the Red Wizard Dzaan, who the party caught sight of as he went up in flame. Dzaan's eyes frantically scanned through the crowd, glazing over his Arcane Brotherhood colleagues, Vellynne Harpell and another, soon to be introduced as Avarice, before locking on Azgul's. Perceptive party members saw Azgul's eyes widen and pupils dilate ever so slightly. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead #ToilAndTrouble The elvish Captain Imdra Arlaggath and human town speaker Danneth Waylen were overseeing Dzaan's execution. Waylen left soon after the fire was lit, but Imdra remained with her town guard. Azgul approached the captain with Hazel surreptitiously shadowing him. Azgul learned from Captain Arlaggath that Dzaan was executed, using wood no less, as a warning against evil in the realms. The red wizard had been convicted of murdering four Easthaven adventurers, who he had reportedly hired several weeks ago for expeditions into the tundra. His belonging were confiscated from his lodging at the White Lady Inn and taken to the Town Hall, though Arlaggath kept two magic items for herself as a prize for his arrest. Arlaggath was willing to part with an item as a reward for investigating the missing sailors of Lac Dinneshere. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead Azgul approached Vellynne and Avarice, searching for answers about his former tutor's death, and specifically, about the whereabouts of his books. How Dzaan had been arrested seemed to make Vellynne uneasy. She had come to town to parley for a mitigated sentencing and to speak with Dzaan about his findings, both of which attempts had been denied. Avarice laughed that the well-read illusionist must have been a fool for meeting such a fate, and seeing that the event had ended, took her leave. Azgul thought her an asshole, and Vellynne admitted she was a haughty but powerful prodigy. Vellynne was staying at the White Lady Inn |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead Hanging in the back of the crowd, Oona, Crank, and Tetro minded their wallets. Crank did notice several black cloaked figures in the crowd with silver necklaces. He didn't recognize them. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead At the White Lady Inn, the party secured rooms and supper from the innkeeper Bartaban for 2gp a head. Dzaan's former room had been completely tossed and searched. Upon investigation, a note with four names was found under a dresser: Hank Berylbore, Meryl Diane, Gurth Miodal, and Faith. Fern believed the last name was typical of a tiefling. No, not Astrix. |
| 15 | #battle #WhiteLadySeance #ToilAndTrouble Rinaldo's seance could have gone better, but I guess it could have gone worse. The spirit of the White Lady attacked the crowd, its wails literally aging one poor commoner by forty years. The party fought it off, after which it answered questions pertaining to happenings around the lake. She noted that a hag lived in the south eastern cliffs bordering Lac Dinneshere and that she had a magic cauldron capable of feeding an entire town. When asked about the treasure of the lake, she said the hag knows best. When asked about Dzaan, it seemed her knowledge outside the lake was minimal. |
| 10 | #ArcaneBrotherhood The party spent the morning in Lonelywood, picking up rumors and reading the Ten Towns Times. They wondered whether to pick up some coin in Bremen, where sighting of a lake monster in Maer Dualdon had scared off fishermen. They also considered the tale of missing sailors near the eastern Lac Dinneshere, and recalled that Easthaven is where Vellynne Harpell had set off to capitalize on Dzaan's misfortune. There was still a killer on the loose, too. Ultimately, the party decided to chase down the golden burst of light they had seen from atop Kelvin's Cairn several days ago. |
| 07 | #ArcaneBrotherhood Azgul revealed a particular bodypart to Vellynne Harpell, somewhat surreptitiously. Thus ensued a conversation about the Brotherhood mage Dzaan, who while she is reluctant to help (her coalition's mages are more competitive than co-operative colleagues), was apparently drawing more ire and attention than was necessary in the town of Easthaven. She was heading there to see if she could capitalize on assisting her colleague - and in exchange - be entitled to any knowledge he has procured. She thanked the party for purging the mine and providing her such lovely henchmen before departing. |
Avarice Happenings
| § | Interactions |
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| 21 | #DarkDuchess The party considered their next steps, unfurling a map and eyeing possibilities near the Sea of Moving Ice. They decided to begin at the west, heading towards the Dark Duchess in search of treasure. They learned that the vessel was supposed to be carrying ale, even, with a bounty set by the Five Tavern Center in Bremen. Moreover, they recalled that Sephek Kaltro had rode that ship, as did the Arcane Brotherhood apprentice Nass Lantomir, who stole a magic bauble from Vellynne Harpell as she was setting out from Luskan many moon ago. Specifically, Avarice had told them this tidbit, and noted that the item's recovery would grant the party a great deal of favor in her eyes. |
| 20 | #BlackSwords Avarice questioned the "do-gooder adventurers." The conjurer couldn't care less about the prisoners, but she did care if blood was about to spill. TheBlack Swords were useful assets, after all. Clutching her staff of frost, Avarice kept her distance as she weighed the next words carefully. She had notified her pet gargoyles atop the keep via a telepathic bond. They would keenly watch the party's next moves. |
| 20 | #TheForgottenRealm #ADuergarPlot #TheRimeoftheFrostmaiden Avarice was not all about threats, though. The prodigal wizard was keen to note the party's strength. Perhaps they had aligning, if not similar, goals: She too was after the High Netherese magicks buried in the fallen city of Ythryn; the duergar threat to Ten Towns posed a thorn in her expedition; and Auril's worsening winter made a hostile landscape even less navigable to her pursuits. |
| 20 | #TheForgottenRealm #DarkDuchess #ArcaneBrotherhood As told by Avarice, an apprentice of the Arcane Brotherhood named Nass Lantomir had stolen a valuable bauble from Vellynne when they first left Luskan. Nass fled aboard the Dark Duchess, the very ship whose wreckage has since been reported. Hoping the bitch died, Avarice suggested the party investigate the matter. The bauble knew things, she said. Many thing. Things that may uncover Ythryn. Things that may weaken Auril. Avarice insisted she'd gladly guide the party to the core of Ythryn itself if they were to ally. |
| 19 | #BlackSwords #ADuergarPlot Kadroth was a middle-aged tiefling man in well-kept garb. He assuaged the party that he was the right hand of Speaker Crannoc Siever, that the poor speaker had kept to his bedchambers due to a malaise of the mind. Insight proved that he was indeed acting as the right hand to an extent, but that his "care" for the speaker was a equivocal at best. Nevertheless the party heard him out, as his men had indeed tracked the Duergar menace and located an outpost. Kadroth, clutching his black sword chardalyn pendant and extolling the virtue of stopping the duergar threat, was happy to arrange an alliance. He boasted that he had a wizard named Avarice under his command - though the insightful could tell he feared the conjurer - and that he would gladly assist the party if Sunblight Fortress's whereabouts were uncovered. When pressed about the "faith" of these apparent cultists, Kadroth praised the Archdevil Levistus, Lord of Stygia, the 5th level of the Nine Hells. Levistus spoke to him, he claimed. Levistus, patron of the desperate and forgotten, had brought salvation to most members in his fold. Kadroth was merely his envoy. The cult was named after their lord: the cult of the Black Swords. |
| 19 | #BlackSwords Crank, meanwhile, had snooped through a guard tower. Overhearing some dialogue, he heard that the Black Swords cultists had performed burial rites for a tiefling named Faith. One cultist wondered if she was related to that albino witch Avarice, to which another replied that Faith was much sweeter than the frightful wizard. As a guard came upstairs, Crank surprised him. A bit of smooth talking had the cultist lead Crank to the main hall, where others had since gathered as a meal was soon to be served by the caer's incumbent chef, Karou Chorizo. |
| 19 | #BlackSwords Down a hallway, they came upon a shrine to Levistus, a frozen mannequin in a column of ice wrapped in chain. Behind it was brown mold, a volatile substance keeping it cold. Avarice was in a room to the side of the shrine. She rebuffed Crank and told him to get out, telling them that Kadroth wouldn't like them snooping around. She seemed almost amused and irreverent of Kadroth himself, though. |
| 19 | #BlackSwords Unsealing a marble slab that opened to the rear area of the cistern, Oona and Fern rowed down, seeing a final room. Meanwhile, Azgul caught a glimpse of metal in the water. His unseen servant pulled up a chain of bloated, but otherwise preserved corpses - the former guardsmen of Caer Dineval. As Oona entered the back room, which reeked of filth, a man jumped on her back attempting to grapple her. She tossed him off like a sack of potatoes and then looked at her surroundings. Five of the Caer's former servants were imprisoned here. She swore to free them and brought news to the party - loudly. The wizard Avarice surely overhead them. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead An execution was taking place in the town square. Throngs of Easthaven residents were gathering near a wood pile just set ablaze, relishing in not just its heat but the death of the Red Wizard Dzaan, who the party caught sight of as he went up in flame. Dzaan's eyes frantically scanned through the crowd, glazing over his Arcane Brotherhood colleagues, Vellynne Harpell and another, soon to be introduced as Avarice, before locking on Azgul's. Perceptive party members saw Azgul's eyes widen and pupils dilate ever so slightly. |
| 15 | #DzaanIsDead Azgul approached Vellynne and Avarice, searching for answers about his former tutor's death, and specifically, about the whereabouts of his books. How Dzaan had been arrested seemed to make Vellynne uneasy. She had come to town to parley for a mitigated sentencing and to speak with Dzaan about his findings, both of which attempts had been denied. Avarice laughed that the well-read illusionist must have been a fool for meeting such a fate, and seeing that the event had ended, took her leave. Azgul thought her an asshole, and Vellynne admitted she was a haughty but powerful prodigy. Vellynne was staying at the White Lady Inn |
Images
Host Tower of the Arcane, in Luskan.
