Silverymoon
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Silverymoon
Region Silver Marches
Size Metropolis
Power Center Magical (elected High Mage)
Alignment Good
Population 37,073 (integrated)
humans 41%
elves and eladrin 29%
half-elves 12%
shield dwarves 7%
lightfoot halflings 5%
rock gnomes 2%
others 1%
Authority Figures High Lady Alustriel Silverhand
High Mage Taern Hornblade
Important Characters Jorus Azuremantle, leader of the Spellguard; Sernius Alathar, commander of the Knights in Silver; Methrammar Aerasumé, commander of the Argent Legion
Religions Lurue, Mielikki, Oghma, Milil, Helm, Lathander, Selûne
Notable Imports Food (especially grain and livestock), armor, weapons, footwear, textiles and clothing
Notable Exports Books, paper, furniture, herbs, inks, glass, glassware, furs, timber, valuable ores.

The anchor of the Silver Marches and the most wealthy and important surface city of the North next to Waterdeep itself, Silverymoon is truly "the Gem of the North."

Silverymoon is that rarest of things, a bustling city dominated by trees and beautiful stone buildings. Old oaks, shadowtops, and duskwoods compete with tall, thin spires to touch the sky, and blueleaf trees shade flagstone sidewalks along most of the cobbled streets The prevailing style of stonework is flowing curves, as if buildings grew rather than being erected block by block. Many older buildings are clad in a thin layer of fused royal blue or emerald-green glass.

Balconies and curving stairs are everywhere—and windowsills, railings, and newel-posts are all adorned with herbs and flowers growing in sculpted bowls. Most dwellings have grass paths leading to sheltered bowers. Many folk take time every day to lift their harps, pipes, or voices to make music, and things of beauty are more than prized and admired—such design is expected.

Many places preserve lore, but in Silveryrnoon knowledge is highly valued. Most folk find satisfaction in being well informed in at least one area of expertise. The citizens of Silverymoon, also called Silvaeren, love witty sayings, sharing jokes, lore, music and readings of ballads, poems, and romantic fiction, most attend revels or private dances and feasts thrice per tenday. They tend to dabble in many interests, so sbops in the city appear and disappear with the seasons—but these small, cozy boutiques are always crammed with beautiful, fascinating objects, small magics, books (including blank tomes for writing use), and maps.

The older part of Silverymoon on the north bank of the River Rauvin is linked to the newer environs on the south bank by the famous Moonbridge, a magical construct of silvery force whose central span can be deactivated to protect the city from invasion, or to allow tall-masted ships to pass. It impresses the eye more than the many soaring spires of the city, slender and graceful towers unmatched elsewhere in Faerûn.

Unquestionably the foremost center of learning and culture in the North, Silverymoon is a happy place where folk of many races dwell in peace together. Much of this feeling of safety and goodwill is due to the influence of powerful local rnages and the Harpers. Both forces are joined in the person of the lady who shaped modern Silverymoon, the kindly, diplomatic mage Alustriel, known to Silvaeren as Lady Hope. She encourages many feasts and revels; outlanders are warned that her spies are everywhere at such diversions.

Alustriel prefers to keep people happy and hopeful through enlightened rule, but she recognizes that intrigue, deception, and evil deeds are unavoidable, and long since established and trained a cadre of personal agents to guard against such things. Some of these individuals now act as her heralds as High Lady of the Silver Marches, but others remain in the service of the new High Mage and serve Silverymoon first. The city's army, the Knights in Silver, openly patrols the land for seven days' ride around the city, and the city remains a member of the Lords' Alliance.

Visiting Silverymoon

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Silverymoon looks more like a series of gardens or forest glades than a stone city, and thanks to all the growing things, it reeks less than most settlements a third its size. lt's also quieter, thanks to the gentle breezes and sound-muting properties of the city's mythal, which also prevents surprise rainfalls, extremes of temperature, and the harshest winter weather. A good series of dwarf-built cisterns, pumps, and piping ensure that the city has both flushed privies and ample fresh water both for drinking and for gardening.

The lush beauty of the city and its many forest districts makes it quite easy for visitors to become lost. Thankfully, Silvaeren don't mind furnishing directions, and every cistern cover in the cobbles of an intersection has an arrow graven into it, denoting north.

Most city buildings have cellars, and four or even five floors above them, but the trees and gently rolling landscaping make the spires of Silverymoon seem to loom over passersby a lot less than the structures in most cities. The older part of the city is Northbank, and the newer, still swiftly expanding area is Southbank. Many folk have rushed to buy and build in the new city and are short of coin. They eagerly rent rooms or floors to strangers without question or scrutiny.

Noted Taverns

Many excellent alehouses, taverns, wine cellars, tap-houses, and similar establishments grace Silverymoon's shaded streets.

The Bright Blade Brandished

Located in Northbank, on Sunset Lane in the westernmost angle of the Wallrun. All are welcome at this friendly alehouse, which consists of two floors of rustic charm, with curtained booths. Wizards down on their luck can earn 1 sp per mage hand spell cast to whisk tankards overhead to waiting hands.

The Dancing Goat

Also located in Northbank, on the east side of the Moonway just north of the Moonbridge, the Dancing Goat is renowned for raucous revelry at all hours. It is a site of endless, enthusiastic dancing and flirting, with a remarkable cellar boasting hundreds of vintages. The Dancing Goat sometimes attracts the attentions of pickpockets and other professionals.

The Hammer and the Helm

Found on Highaxe Lane in Northbank, this cheerful barn of dwarf revelry also welcomes trusted sword-companions. Roast fowl wings provide missiles when jests go bad, amid oceans of stout, Strongbeard cider.

Helmer's Wall

In Northbank, bridging Bowshot Ride at its meeting with the Old Wall, stands this former city gatehouse built of massive beams and rough stone walls. Helmer’s Wall boasts a superb wine cellar. It is quite popular with students of the various colleges, both scholarly and magical, who haunt these bare boards, alight with hope and dreams and pompous high-minded speeches. Such activity often makes for an entertaining evening, although the worst speakers are often pelted from their perches.

Sorlar's Smiling Satyr

Located in Southbank, on Auchtareen Lane, this relatively new, bright maze of stained glass windows, booths, curtains, and odd stairs makes difficult navigation for the tipsy. The establishment caters to females and dignified or timid males escorting them. The proprietor is a sorcerer of some skill who brooks no brawling.

The Stagstand

Located in Northbank, on the north side of the Old Wall nine doors west of the Market, the Stagstand features antlers everywhere and bright battle banners lit by lanterns. This place is a dining house and dance hall rather than a simple taphouse. The Stagstand serves venison, strange-tasting eel pie, crusty cheese-baked river crab, an assortment of spiced breads, hearty darksmoke rothé sausage, and the famous nut cheese of Silverymoon. Late in the evening the large, empty dance floor often comes alive with revelry.

Major Inns

In the summertime, passing a night or two in the gardens and parks of Silverymoon is not an unpleasant experience, but at all other times of year mast travelers find a good inn advisable. Some of the more notable are described below.

The Golden Oak

Located in Nortbbank on Dancer’s Mask Lane, northeast off Rallowglass Ride, the Golden Oak features cozy, rustic rooms, dim flagstone passages, fragrant herbs, and windowbox ferns, reminding guests of sleeping outdoors in a safe, pleasant corner of the woods. Meeting rooms are available for rent upstairs, while a friendly cellar taproom boasts entertaining gossip downstairs.

All the rooms in this inn open off a central atrium dominated by a huge oak that rises up to the open sky, lanterns depending from its branches to hang above tables. Dedicated to the goddess Shiallia, the Golden Oak is favored by druids, rangers, elves, and those who like privacy or peace and quiet. The prices are stiff, but guests can expect superb personal chamber service.

Wayward House

Found in the northwest corner of the meeting of Bowshot Ride and the Ghostwalk, this inn was built on the former site of the Inn of the Wayward Sages, a local landmark. That building was destroyed by a fire and subsequently replaced by the Wayward House, an inn less shabby and less seedy than its predecessor. The Wayward House is the new popular place to stay for visitors not concerned with trumpeting their wealth or importance. Chamberlains Havorr Merendil and Jhalessa Shorncrown are quick to recommend local craftfolk, tutors, and repairers.

The Cloak of Stars

The Cloak of Stars is an upper-class brothel in Silverymoon run by the enchantress Felicia Morgenstern, a friend of the Silver Company. Though it does not technically cater exclusively to the aristocracy, the majority of the Cloak of Stars' patrons are wealthy old noblemen, merchant princes, and other debutantes with stores of windfall cash. As a rule, the brothel does not serve adventurers—the violent nature of most sell-swords combined with the strong elven wine can only lead to disaster—or so it's believed. The prices are non-disclosed and non-negotiable—wits joke that "if you have to ask, you can't afford it".

The Cloak of Stars is extravagantly decorated, with fine silks and silver fixtures, and in the main hall a golden fountain of the elf goddess Hanali Celanil drawing water unclad. All of the girls are young and pretty, entertaining in a posh entertainment hall with a fully-stocked bar until they are selected by a patron and retired to their private chambers. Each of these private rooms have a magically activated skylight, from which the Cloak of Stars draws its name.

Brief History

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Pounded on a place sacred since time immemorial to the deities Mielikki and Lurue the Unicorn, Silverymoon grew from a cluster of log steadings around the Moonsilver Inn, near the holy groves at Silverymoon Ford—one of the few places where the River Rauvin was shallow enough to be forded in summer, and easily bridged. Moontree became Silver Village, and then Silverymoon Town.

The town developed slowly because its inhabitants built in harmony with the forest, rather than clearing and burning the land. Legends claim that Mielikki and Lurue visited the Moonsilver Inn in human form and were so taken with the folk of Silverymoon and their sensitivity to the land that they blessed the inn. Though the building later collapsed, its stones were used in the construction of the city gates and wills, and the promise of safety bestowed by the deities' blessing is thought to remain in effect, holding sway over the entire city.

Silverymoon became a city in 637 DR, when its first set of wills was completed and the first of the city's ruling High Mages, Ecamane Truesilver, was elected. Truesilver and his nine apprentices brought learning to their fellow Silvaeren (many of whom were rough, unlettered trappers and loggers) and founded a library to accompany their school. Successive High Mages have pursued this goal of fostering learning and culture. Through the excitement of artistic endeavor and a feeling of refuge founded in various races dwelling together in harmony, they have sought to make Silverymoon "the Myth Drannor of the North," a bulwark of civilization in the Savage Frontier. Throughout Truesilver's reign, skilled wizards and loremasters continued to come to the city from elsewhere in Faerûn, and Silrerymoon became an important center of magical study.

In 712 DR, Truesilver died and was succeeded as High Mage by his nephew Aglanthol the Red. In 714 DR, Myth Drannor fell, shaking all the nations of northern Faerûn. Noble wizards and heroes of Silverymoon rescued a handful of Myth Drannor's more prominent leaders and scholars from the destruction, sacrificing themselves in the process. A desire on the part of some Silverymoon mages to plunder the ruins of Myth Drannor brought demons and devils into Silverymoon, and Aglanthal died fighting them in 719 DR. He was succeeded by Ederan Nharimlur, who took to wile the elf princess Elénaril (one of those rescued from Myth Drannor) and reigned long and peacefully. During his time the city doubled in size.

Upon Ederan's death in 784 DR his daughter Amaara Nharimlur became High Mage of Silverymoon. In 815 DR, Elué Dualen, a human girl of great magical aptitude (actually Alustriel, unknown to all) arrived in the city and befriended Amaara and her sister Lynx. In 821 DR, Elué and Lynx established the Lady’s College, the first open school for mages in Silverymoon to take students, not apprentices, and as payment for tutelage required an equal time of service in defense of the city. In 843 DR, Elué and other wizards created the Moonbridge. the city's most famous landmark.

Elué became High Mage in 857 DR when Amaara and her mother left for Evermeet. Elué and Lynx departed in 876 DR. This time, the High Mage's seat did not pass peacefully. Warlord Lashtor, commander of the city's army, took the opportunity to seize the city, slaughtering wizards in the streets and burning magical libraries. His reign lasted little more than a year before the mage Tanalanthara, later known as "Lady Wolf," deposed Lashtor and restored power to the High Mage's seat. She in turn sacrificed herself im 882 DR, helping to defend Silverymoon from a fierce orc-horde.

The people of Silverymoon elected Tanisell the Cloaked, a humble and soft-spoken wizard, to become their next High Mage. In his time the wards around the city were strengthened, and the great library known as the Vault of the Sages was built. The Keeper of the Vault, Nunivytt Threskaal, succeeded Tanisdil in 920 DR, beginning a long and peaceful reign that ended with Threskaal's death in 1050 DR. The next High Mage of the city was Orjalun, a mage marked by Mystra at birth. His reign was marked by the emergence of many great mages (including Ahghairon of Warerdeep and Bowgentle), but also by a plague in 1110 DR that slew half of Silverymoon's citizens. Orjalun appointed his former apprentice Sepur as his successor in 1130 DR, but that wizard abandoned the city after two years. Sepur’s departure led to a series of deadly spell-battles between resident wizards for rule of the city. In the absence of a worthy mage, the folk of Siiverymoon elected a mayor to rule the city.

In 1235 DR, the Silvermayor lost control of the city to Warlord Khallos Shieldsunder as an orc horde besieged the city. The orcs broke through the walls—the first time an enemy army entered Silverymoon—but an army of elves and Harpers led by Storm Silverhand and Alustriel of the famous Seven Sisters destroyed the invaders, the Warlord Khallos, and the self-proclaimed High Mage Shaloss Ethenfrost as well; restoring peace and just rule to the city.

Alustriel became the first High Mage of Silverymoon unanimously chosen by the people. As High Mage she ruled long and well. Under her gently guiding hand (and mastery of subtle intrigue and manipulation), Silverymoon truly became wealthy, well defended, sophisticated, clean, and a beautiful place to live. In 1369 DR, Alustriel appointed Taern Hornblade to the office of High Mage of Silverymoon and turned her efforts to creating the Silver Marches. She remains revered in the city, and commands the love and loyalty of the great majority of the city's residents.

The advent of the confederation known as the Silver Marches has reinvigorated Silverymoon as a base for adventurers eager to carve out their own holds and steadings, or at least win their share of the fabled riches of the North. Silverymoon today is bustling, but Taern is working hard to keep overcrowding to a minimum. He encourages settlement in the surrounding countryside by issuing land grants, improving trails and patrols, sponsoring (and guarding) traveling vendors who bring trade to outlying settlements, and establishing palace officers who regularly visit settlers to learn their concerns and problems.

The Wards of Silverymoon

Most folk in Waterdcep and the Heartlands have heard that a powerful, ever-present field of magic guards the Gem of the North. An even more powerful shield surrounds the palace, which only special persons can enter. Full details of these wards are known only to High Lady Alustriel and High Mage Taern Hornblade, but many of their powers can be summarized here.

The wards are founded on a mythal, one of the very few such devices remaining in Faerûn. The boundaries of the outer ward are 1,000 yards outside the newly-expanded walls of Silverymoon. The ward is a sphere extending through air above and earth below, and governing that part of the River Rauvin that flows through it The boundaries of the inner ward are a dozen feet outside the walls of the High Palace and the Star Court, encompassing both.

Most folk of Silverymoon know that Alustriel and a small number of trusted allies control the wards, that persons must carry a special token to enter through the wards of the palace, that the Moonbridge is linked to the wards, and that the wards shield Silverymoon from the worst extremes of the weather in these harsh lands. Only the Spellguard, the commanders of the Knights in Silver, and a handful of other trusted agents know more about specific magics empowered or negated by the wards.

The Moonbridge

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Control over the Mocnbridge is a ward power restricted to Alustriel, her six Sisters, Taern, Jorus Azuremantle (leader of the Spellguard), and Sernius Alathar (commander of the Knights in Silver). Any of them can raise the bridge (causing it to rise from both banks to meld at midriver), take it down (causing it to split and recede into both banks), or erect a wall of force based on any part of the bridge. Creatures can walk on unjoined ends of the forming or receding bridge, and are moved with it if it's receding.

The Moonbridge is a gigantic force construct akin to a wall of force—a smooth,railless span of silver force. It's 14 feet wide, 2 feet thick, and has no apparent weight limit (dragons have perched on it without incident). The Moonbridge rises in a gentle are to a mid-span height of 60 feet above the river.

The Inner Ward

The inner ward of Silverymoon, also known as the Vaelun, has the same properties as the outer ward, plus a few key additional magics.

Tokens

Silverymoon's wards have four sorts of tokens, all of them pierced (for wearing with necklaces) silver items about the size of a large thimble. It's not known how many of each token type exist, but spares aren't stored where they can easily be found or reached, even by a skilled rogue. No ward token, can ever physically leave the wards—the instant a token leaves the wards, it crumbles into useless powder. This fate cannot be prevented by extradimensional transport such as portals, planar travel, or attempts to place tokens in extradimensional places.

Silvaeren deemed trustworthy by Alustriel or Taern are given adrath tokens to keep; visitors are loaned these tokens, for return upon departure. Creatures who need duraph tokens to enter the city must satisfy the senior officer at the entry point as to their business, and come under both armed escort and Spellguard scrutiny immediately. Spellcasters with business inside the Vaelun are issued lauthaul tokens at guardposts when entering only if a Spellguard officer or higher-ranking initiate deems it suitable, and those spellcasters must surrender the tokens when leaving the inner ward. Individuals who need a duraph token will never also be allowed a lauthaul token unless Alustriel is personally present to grant permission.

Adrath Token

This sort of token allows bearers to use spells with the conjuration, fire, or teleportation keywords in the outer ward areas of Silverymoon, and use items with those effects. Without the token, castings of these types of spells are wasted. Adrath tokens are crafted in the shape of unicorn heads.

Duraph Token

This sort of token negates the antipathy and detect scrying effects otherwise prevalent in Silverymoon's wards. Duraph tokens are diamond-shaped.

Lauthaul Tokan

This token functions like the Adrath token except it extends those effects into the inner ward. It allows bearers to use spells with the conjuration, fire, or teleportation keywords in the Vaelun. A small number of lauthaul tokens are keyed to permit entry into otherwise barred portions of the palace. Lauthaul tokens look like shields.

Thelbane Token

Only a few dozen persons know these tokens exist, and there are believed to be less than ten of the tokens in existence. Alustriel and Taern carry one each at all times when in Silverymoon, and several are in the safekeeping of various Chosen of Mystra. They're kept as secret as possible because bearers can suspend ward powers indefinitely (or reinstate them instantly) with a standard action. Thelbane tokens look like tiny six-pointed stars depending from one horn of a crescent moon.

Important Sites

Silverymoon's walls enclose many grand buildings. Notable attractions include parks, open marketplaces, libraries that collectively rival Candlekeep, temples and shrines to many human, elf, and dwarf gods, and the Conclave, a newly formed university composed of schools of magic, music, and learning.

The High Palace

A soaring, spired castle of thick stone clad in white marble, the High Palace lies near the heart of the city and draws the eye of all who pass nearby. The merlons of its crenelated battlements are carved in the likeness of unicorns' heads. Inside, the palace features lofty ceilings, gleaming marble floors, hanging plants, tapestries, and white relief-carved walls showing scenes of flowers, vines, ferns, and trees. The ever-vigilant High Guard, an elite group of ninety palace guards in distinctive silvered armor, and the arcane might of the Spellguard protect the High Palace.

The palace features four tall towers. The northern pair houses the armories and quarters of the High Guard, with holding cells beneath. The southernmost, Bright Lady Tower, was formerly Alustriel's personal residence and now belongs to High Mage Taern. The central tower, Moonshield, houses the Chambers of State in its lower floors and residences for high officials of the palace in its upper stories.

Visitors enter Moonshield through the Unicorn Gate in its west wall and ascend the Silver Stair to the Hall of Greeting, where the steward and his staff greet them and guide them on. A mighty door leads east into the lofty Great Hall. Audience chambers, a banquet hall, and rooms devoted to the Council of the Marches surround the Great Hall. Two grand arches at its prow-shaped eastern end lead to the Silver Throne and the Moon Seat. The High Lady of the Silver Marches holds court from the Silver Throne, and the High Mage of Silverymoon rules from the Moon Seat. Behind the Silver Throne is the newest part of the palace, a low wing that houses Alustriel, her heralds, and staff.

Beneath the ground-floor rooms of the palace are twelve underground levels. The upper four contain larders, a superb wine cellar, prison cells, an armory, and Elénaril's Library. The fifth level holds a vast collection of items that may one day be useful, from keelboats to spire-tops to long ladders, battering rams, and miles of cable. The sixth level is the Crypt of the High Mages, where the ruling wizards of old Silverymoon lie entombed. Entrance to both areas is possible only for those carrying special, keyed lauthaul tokens personally prepared by Alustriel or Taern.

The lowest six levels comprise the High Mage's Vault, a vast store of fabulous treasure, magic items, and artifacts. Only those carrying thelbane tokens can enter the vault, and even then all other bearers of thelbane tokens are alerted to the visit through an effect similar to that of an alarm ritual. Any attempt to force entry into the vault alerts all bearers of thelbane tokens and activates magical defenses of an extraordinarily thorough nature.

The Star Court

A two-story stone building that looks like a gigantic, many-spired king's crown set on the ground, the Star Court houses many of the city's bureaucracies and officials. The most important offices found in this grand. structure include the Halls of Judgment, Silverymoon’s criminal courts; the Rolls, which holds registration records of permits, land deeds and transfers, citizenship and taxation, floor plans and sewer plans of all buildings in the city, and genealogies of current citizens; and the Halls of Converse, where citizens can complain, debate civic matters, and petition officials for changes in laws, for something to be done or undone, or that they be recognized as citizens.

Rauvinwatch Keep

About fifteen miles west of Silverymoon, on a great spur of rock overlooking the Rauvin, stands an old watchtower and keep that dominates the river below. Raised two hundred years ago to guard Silverymoon against the approach of enemies by road or river up the Rauvin Vale, the keep has always been something of a white elephant, never manned with a full garrison or maintained as well as it should have been. It has found a new purpose as the headquarters of the recently formed Argent Legion, the army of the confederation of the Silver Marches, under the command of Alustriel's son, High Marshal Methrammar Aerasumé.

More than four hundred soldiers, nearly half the strength of the Legion, are housed and trained here. Most are Shieldsar from Sundabar, but contingents of dwarves from Mithral Hall and Citadel Felbarr make up a significant portion of the force. The Legion garrison joins with the Knights in Silver in patrolling the lands west of Silverymoon, but they spend most of their time training.

Major Temples

The folk of Silverymoon believe that several benevolent deities—Mielikki and Lurue, to name two—watch over their city. They value the divine teachings and support of both clerics and druids. Mighty temples stand above the city, their spires gleaming in the sun, while sacred groves and glades lie hidden in the woodlands that still stand in and around Silvery moon.

The Halls of Inspiration

A magnificent, rectangular four-towered temple, this building is devoted to Oghma and Milil. Its soaring spires hold libraries, study rooms, and prayer chambers, with silver temple bells above, and guest apartments for visiting bards and worshipers beneath. An open chapel with three levels of balconies joins the towers. Here visitors can hear some of the most magnificent music and lore-tales anywhere in the North. Songmaster Beldor Thrivvin jointly presides with recent arrival Lorelord Ormast Keldellyn over a clergy dominated by skilled bards and loremasters.

The House Invincible

This temple consists of a stark, no-nonsense keep built for battle, home to the enthusiastic worshipers of Helm. The Watcher's worship is very popular in the Silver Marches, most notably among the Knights in Silver, the High Guard, and the Spellguard. The House Invincible thrives under the able guidance of Vigilant Master Baerim Coraddor, a charismatic, vigorous leader who ascended after his predecessor Erssler Thamm fell in battle guarding snowbound pilgrims against fiendish wolves. Baerim was marked on the battlefield with the Hand of Helm, a glowing manifestation sent by the god, and his fellow war-priests quickly took up his banner.

Mielikki's Glade

An open-air glade sacred to Mielikki, this place consists of a ring of towering shadowtops surrounding ferns and berry-bushes that give way to a central floor of moss. One hollow tree holds a portal linked to a Northbank house shared by temple clergy. Ladyservant Tathshandra Tyrar, whose eyes still sparkle despite her seventy summers, leads services in the glade day and night. The glade is known as a spot of serenity where divine presence is often felt.

Rhyester's Matins

Named for the blind prophet who founded it in 717 DR, this worship-house of Lathander features an altar lit by rainbows every dawn, when the sun's rays lance through the stained glass windows in the eastern face of the temple. Rocked by infighting over who should become Mornmaster over the temple, the congregation seeks its rightful leader. Earlier this year, a thunderous voice spoke from the Dawn Altar after the funeral of the previous Mornmaster, saying, "Take for your leader the one who lays upon this my altar the rightful sign from me."

Furiously arguing priests believe that the sign must be an item, probably of great magical power, that is new or represents a new beginning, and clearly shows the guiding spirit or personal touch of Lathander— but what item, and where is it? Rival claimants for the leadership of this wealthy temple are busily sponsoring adventurers to scour the Marches for the rightful sign—and spies to watch what other claimants and their agents do. Almost every tenday a new adventuring band sets forth, and many of them fight rival bands viciously in the wilderlands… while the faithful wait, and new claimants, "called by the Morninglord" arrive from distant corners of Faerûn.

The Temple of Silver Stars

A beautiful structure of curving stone inset with many crystal-and-silver star windows, this temple to Selûne is shaped like single-spired tiara, its spire to the north and its roofline forming a crescent moon when seen from the streets around. its clergy have been directed by High Moonmistress Shalyssa Lurialar to aid local heralds, Harpers, and priests of Deneir in mapping the Marches, and many have hired adventurers as escorts against marauding monsters.

The Conclave of Silverymoon

This new university is Alustriel's creation, one of her last acts as High Mage of Silverymoon before stepping down to assume broader responsibilities as Speaker of the Silver Marches. She persuaded several formerly independent centers of lore and learning to combine into a single institution in order to share their learning more effectively and make many fields of study available to their students. The High Lady personally defrays the costs of housing and tuition for promising students and also sponsors the esoteric researches of a number of loremasters, allowing them to concentrate on teaching and study.

The Conclave is not a single building or district within the city. Some parts of the university are located near each other in a Southbank campus, but other schools remain scattered across the city.

Arkhen's Invocatorium

A school of sorcery (as opposed to wizardry), this is one of the few institutions of ts type in all of Faerûn. Students study under the infamously strict and sarcastic Arkhen the Icy, in a new building whose many furnishings are almost all animated constructs under the command of the Master Sorcerer.

Everdusk Hall

An elf temple whose upper floors contain rooms upon rooms of genealogies, poetry, records, and philosophy of the elves and the eladrin, this hall is administered by the Loremaster Vadalathra Rivermantle.

The House of the Harp

Once known as the famous Focluchan bard college, this school stood empty for over a century. It has just reopened, and there arc plans to restore its historic name once the Master Bard feels that it lives up to its predecessor's legend. Right now, the House of the Harp is little more than an endless live-in revel for musicians, orators, minstrels, and bards, under the guidance of the Master Bard Forell "Flarnebeard" Luckaun. He hopes this sharing of songs and tales will enrich all attendees and yield him a faculty with which to teach novices. Many Harpers are known to mingle with the "merry folk of the House."

The Lady's College

Considered by many to be the heart of the Conclave, the Lady's College trains wizards not just in spellcraft, but in the history of magic. The tuition is steep—500 gp plus 500 gp per wizard level, to a maximum of 4,000 gp per year for a wizard of 7th level. Wizards of 8th Level or higher are not accepted as students, but may join the college as "fellows" at a cost of 5,000 gp per year. Students (and fellows) of 5th level or higher who agree to spend half their time serving in the Spellguard pay only half the normal tuition.

Students are provided with rooms in the college's rambling housing-halls, and meals in the college's refectory. If they elect to dwell off-campus, they of course must provide their own meals and accommodations. Fellows are not entitled to room and board in the college. The food—and particularly the wine that goes with it—is surprisingly good, and accompanied by dance, minstrelry, literary readings, or displays of entertaining illusions.

Many of the "Mastcrs of Art" (tutors) are crusty or strange-minded, but the college teaches tolerance, cooperation, and an appreciation for differing philosophies and approaches to magic. All students are exposed to every school of spells, to see if they have the desire or aptitude to specialize. The college accommodates just over a hundred students at a time, with an ever-lengthening waiting list to get in. Naive hopefuls who show up at the gates are put on the list, taken in, and taught to do cooking, laundry, cleaning, and repair work around the university. If they continue to do such tasks, they'll be given room and board and allowed to peruse limited portions of the Conclave libraries on their own, until their time comes.

The Map House

A soaring stone keep once owned by the High Heralds, this building is now part of the Conclave. The tower once housed the Vault of the Sages, and it remains a storehouse of maps and genealogies, most of them copies of precious originals kept elsewhere. The general public (guided by the heralds-in-training studying here and a staff of loremasters) is allowed to browse the maps and records here for a fee of 1 gp per hour. Materials may not be removed, and copies can only be ordered by application to the Master of the House. Heraldry, genealogy, and maps in this collection comprehensively cover all the surface realms of the North and the Heartlands. Coverage of other areas in Faerûn is spotty at best. The Map House is now presided over by the famous sage Esklindrar, whom Alustriel persuaded to relocate here by providing him with personal copies of everything in the collection.

Esklindrar is a sharp-tongued man who lives to acquire knowledge. Possessed of an awesome memory, he has become the greatest known expert on Sword Coast human writings outside Candlekeep. He has befriended several adventuring bands, and gives them leads to where old treasure may lie. In return, they tell him what they saw there and lend him any writings they gained so he can make copies. He is a personal friend of Alustriel and several other powerful Harpers who would certainly take steps to avenge any harm visited upon him.

Utrumm's Music Conservatory

Relocated from the Northbank to a large, rather nondescript building in the Southbank campus of the Conclave, this archive of written music and "song scrolls" also houses over forty sound-shielded practice chambers, where musicians can sing and play. Many practice alone, but some teaching takes place for stiff fees. Utrumm is long dead, but the present faculty of Masters of Music enjoys a good reputation. Anyone (not just Conclave students) can rent a practice chamber, for a fee of 1 sp per 2 hours, but must agree to Masters and students listening in at will, from balconies in every chamber. Paid admission performances are forbidden in the Conservatory, buc free recitals may be given in either of its ground-floor Halts of Hearing.

The Vault of the Sages

This massive structure has the shape of horseshoe five floors high, with five vast, labyrinthine dungeon levels beneath. If Candlekeep is the greatest storehouse of written lore in Faerûn, the Vault is its greatest assembly of knowledge, in the form of a staff of expert sages and its remarkable library. It's protected throughout by full Vaelun ward conditions, with one addition: Entry beyond the Forehall is by duraph tokens (regardless of alignment) distributed by the Keeper of the Vault. Intruders who don't happen to be Jorus, Taern, or Alustriel, or who don't carry a thelbane or duraph token on their person are barred from entry by an antipathy effect.

The Vault is maintained and guarded by priests of Deneir; they reshelve materials and fetch tomes from the library levels to examination rooms in the Forehall for a fee of 5 gp per book. Books dealing with magic cost 10 gp to view and requests for spellbooks or ritual books are met with the flat statement that "Any such volumes in the Vault are not available." No personal copying of manuscripts or map is allowed; even carrying in writing materials is forbidden, although Vault scribes will write down a reader's brief verbal notes as part of the reading fee. Copies can be ordered at a cost of 50 gp per map or 2 gp per page of text. Maps take s days to copy unless very large, and texts can be copied at 10 pages per day.

The Keeper may offer to purchase valuable manuscripts and literary fragments (200 gp per century of age is a good guideline for the value of an old manuscript). If the vendor refuses to sell, the Keeper requests the chance to copy the tome for half the price, and offers free room and board in luxurious guest apartments elsewhere in the Conclave while the vendor waits for the copying to be done.

Most patrons to the Vault visit the open book (no reading fees) galleries on the ground floor and the floor above it. Here news of Faerûn is posted on broad-sheets put up on the walls for all to view, and multiple copies of popular reference works such as Delblood's Atlas of Faerûn, Revendro's Roll of the Passing Years, and Gaurdront's Guide to Monstrous Beasts are available.

The third through fifth floors contain workrooms for the Vault's scribes, illuminators, and bookbinders; study rooms for each topic of learning (such as magic, history, alchemy, zoology, and geography) and offices where sages may be consulted. Sages are seen by appointment only, and for stiff fees: 50 gp per hour of general consulting, which includes learned guidance as to what books or experts to consult and simple definitions and identifications, plus 500 gp or more for the furnishing of each specific, detailed answer to a difficult question.

The current Keeper of the Vault is the impressive and mellifluous Haliver Muorin. He's assisted at all times by six priests of Deneir and two Vault guards, and can call on another pair of guards and 2d12 lesser priests of Deneir in an emergency.

Shops and Artisans

Fascinating wares are sold out of interesting or beautiful premises on almost every street of Silverymoon, but shops that stand out as particularly splendid or useful include the following.

A Handful of Stars

Located in Northbank, on Shadowstar Lane, this shop is staffed by Selûnite clergy and followers. Dimly lit and crammed, the shop is dominated by a glowing star chart on the ceiling. This shop sells navigational aids of all kinds, from Sembian astrolabes to timed-burning candles, fathom lines, surveying chains, maps, nautical charts, sunrods, wands of light, and lanterns of all sorts. Maps cost 40 gp each and are drawn on good vellum.

Prospectors, explorers, dreamers, and adventurers can always be found here, trading gossip and travel tales with the staff.

Optym's Blade

A superb arms shop located in Northbank on Many Cats Lane, Optym's carries many masterwork weapons, especially axes of all sort. A helmed horror under the proprietor's command guards the shop after hours, and the proprietor himself suffices to keep order during the days. Heliosturr Optym is an expert knife-thrower, and he stocks a huge selection of throwing knives and daggers. He's calm in the face of threats and danger, keeping a very even ternper. Many targets hang in all corners of the shop for Optym to practice on.

The Shining Scroll

The crumbling stone steps of this long, narrow shop on Brightbuckler Street in Northbank lead up to a royal blue circular wooden door painted with many complex (and meaningless) rune-like silver symbols. Inside is a stool for patrons to wait on, a small space for them to stand or pace in, and a counter with shelves of potions and scrolls.

The friendly proprietress, Xara Tantlor, sits behind the counter unless she has closed the shop to escort clients down into her large cellar, where she casts spells for fees. Hir familiar Villynk, a raven, perches in odd spots in and around the shop and keeps a wary eye on all customers.

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