Valindra Shadowmantle

Cold and Calculating Lich Wizard

Valindra Shadowmantle was a selfish and ambitious high elf wizard who eschewed her community in search of arcane power in the wider world. Valindra has no compunctions about forming allies of convenience, and she's worked with Szass Tam and his Red Wizards of Thay, the Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan, devil cultists, and more. Although Valindra has the sunken pallor common to liches, she prefers to maintain a magical disguise that allows her to appear as the high elf she was in life. Ever the schemer, Valindra doesn't use this disguise out of nostalgia or regret, but to hide the powers she has since gained as an Undead creature.

History: Whether Valindra chose to leave the high elf community in which she was raised or whether she was cast out for cruelty is unclear. In either case, Valindra traveled the Sword Coast and the North, apprenticing herself to whichever wizards might impart knowledge to an eager and flattering pupil. Valindra took her skills to the Arcane Brotherhood in Luskan, where she earned the special attention of its head, Arklem Greeth. Arklem and Valindra were close; when they were slain, they arose as liches together with gems to house their souls. Valindra has since left Arklem and the Arcane Brotherhood to serve as a knowledgeable operative for cults, secret societies, and criminal enterprises. Valindra provides her services only for a carefully considered price, whether arcane secrets, powerful magic items, or favors.

Personality: Valindra likes to present as a pleasant, overcurious scholar. She prefers to leverage her intellect over raw might and enjoys victories earned through outmaneuvering her foes rather than brute arcane might. If she can twist her enemies into fighting each other or stumbling into unwinnable ambushes, she never has to reveal the true extent of her abilities. Valindra sometimes makes the calculated decision to face destruction rather than reveal the extent of her secrets, confident that her soul gem can revive her. Valindra maintains cordial relations with the many evil organizations she's served to better leverage their aid in the future. She betrays an allied group only when she needs to eliminate witnesses who might paint her as untrustworthy. Many sinister groups overlook rumors of disloyalty for a chance to leverage her overwhelming arcane power.

Valindra Shadowmantle's Lair: Valindra lairs within a sprawling, ruined library in the Shadowfell. After several disastrous confrontations with enemies of her temporary allies, she's elected to keep her personal lair secret. Deep within her lair is a hidden reading room where she usually keeps her spirit gem. The region containing Valindra's lair is warped by her presence, creating the following effects:

All-Seeing. While in her lair, Valindra can cast Clairvoyance, requiring no spell components and using the same spellcasting ability as her Spellcasting action.

Apathy. Creatures within 1 mile of the lair that aren't Undead have Disadvantage on Death Saving Throws and Initiative rolls.

Thirst for Knowledge. Within 1 mile of the lair, creatures have Advantage on Intelligence checks made when they take the Study action.

If Valindra dies or moves her lair elsewhere, these effects end immediately. These effects resume if Valindra gains a new body (see her Spirit Gem trait).

Description: Valindra Shadowmantle (pronounced: /vɑːˈlɪndrɔː/ vah-LIN-draw) was an Overwizard of the Host Tower of the Arcane and Master of the North Tower responsible for the Arcane Brotherhood's operations in the northern quadrant of Faerûn. Later she became one of Szass Tam's primary agents outside of Thay, and became an important player in the politics of rebuilt Neverwinter.

Personality: Valindra has never felt the same respect for community that other moon elves feel. She grew into a self-absorbed individual who cares little for anything that isn't connected to her own interests or goals. Valindra prides herself on her intellect and would rather talk her way out of a fight than blast an opponent with magic. That said, she wouldn't hesitate to kill or maim an enemy if the situation demands it. Her arrogance, however, makes her prone to underestimating her enemies. As a lich, she is described as strong-willed, deeply ambitious, and utterly ruthless. She believes the ends justify the means, and because of that she allied with Szass Tam of her own free will. She also became reckless, almost suicidal, out of believing that she is nearly immortal so long as her phylactery is in a safe location.

History: She was born in the Year of the Winged Worm, 1225 DR in the High Forest, where she trained as a wizard. Frustrated with the slow pace of her education, she left her homeland in the Year of Lurking Death, 1322 DR to pursue her own goals. Valindra made her way to Mirabar where she found little trouble persuading a trusting old wizard to take her on as an apprentice. After a year working with her mentor, she murdered him and appropriated his spellbooks and magic items. From there, she headed for Luskan and made contact with the Arcane Brotherhood, eventually earning a place as one of their lesser agents in 1362 DR. Valindra and Arklem Greeth, Neverwinter. Since then, she applied herself to carrying out assignments with precision and alacrity, gaining a reputation that put her in good stead when the Archmage Arcane, Arklem Greeth, who sought a replacement Overwizard of the North Tower in the wake of his purging of the organization in late 1371 DR or early 1372 DR. In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, Valindra was present during the Hero of Neverwinter's infiltration of the Host Tower of the Arcane, during which, the adventurer and their allies killed a number of mages who fell under mental domination of Maugrim Korothir, who supplanted Greeth as the Archmage Arcane, during his disappearance. Valindra was among the mages who were ensorcelled by Maugrim. She attacked the Hero of Neverwinter and was killed. However, when the dust settled, and Maugrim Korothir met his doom, Arklem Greeth took the Archmage Arcane's title back. Valindra was Arklem's favorite and he spared no expanses in resurrecting her, believing that she had a grand destiny ahead of her. Valindra was tasked with directing the Arcane Brotherhood's activities in the Silver Marches, which they hoped to control. She hired spies to dwell among the communities and gather information useful to destabilizing the economy of the region. She also smuggled addictive Thayan memory-loss drugs with the hopes of reducing people's ability to react as she stepped up her efforts to take over the area. After the destruction of the Host Tower of the Arcane and her own death, Arklem Greeth transformed Valindra into a lich so they could rule Luskan together from the shadows. Their phylacteries were made from gems that were given to them by Jarlaxle. But her surprise turn to undeath broke her mind. Jarlaxle and one of his psionic lieutenants of Bregan D'aerthe helped save her and bring her closer to sanity. During the Spellplague, however, she became almost completely unhinged. She retained her long lustrous black hair, delicate features, and the inner flames in her eyes common to liches. She seemed to enjoy being reminded of her beauty and appeared to be sweet at times. But her instability grew over time and she became more unstable and aggressive in combat, not caring if allies got caught in the cross fire. During her travels with the fanatics of Asmodeus under the command of Thay, she showed that she was fully willing and hoping to join Szass Tam's ranks. She was even responsible for forming an alliance with the Ashmadai and the Abolethic Sovereignty. Using a powerful ruby scepter of Asmodeus that was given to her by Szass Tam and with the prayers of the cultists, she called forth a pit fiend called Beealtimatuche, who in the end was responsible for the death of Bruenor Battlehammer. She was cast under ground in her wraith form by Jarlaxle and as she did so she swore to murder Jarlaxle, Drizzt Do'Urden, and Dahlia Sin'felle. Valindra disappointed with the progress of the siege of Neverwinter. Valindra was somehow able to return to Thay, where she continued working for Szass Tam. In the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, she was sent to Neverwinter in order to advance Tam's agenda in the area and, if possible, to thwart the shadovar operations there as well. Her goals were to try to restore the Dread Ring located in Neverwinter Wood, and pave the way for an eventual take over of Neverwinter by the Thayans. Once again, she had to work with the Ashmadai to achieve her goals, but she also received help from a cell of the Cult of the Dragon. Valindra also studied the primordial sealed under Gauntlgrym, Maegera the Inferno, with hopes to either harness its power or control it on behalf of Szass Tam. She was also interested in controlling the ghosts of the Neverwinter Nine, although she was unable to do so using what resources she had on-hand. Valindra and an undead dragon. At some point after 1486 DR, she went to Chult under the orders of Szass Tam to investigate an artifact called the Soulmonger. Her mission was to take control of the artifact or, if that proved to be impossible, to destroy it. Valindra was aware of the intervention of some adventurers in her plans, and she may have used them to achieve her goals. When the adventurers destroyed the Soulmonger, Valindra returned to Thay. Following her expedition to Chult, Valindra was sent to a Sword Mountains peak called the Dragonbone Vale, where Thayan agents had managed to unearth the Scaleblight mythallar, an ancient Netherese mythallar capable of amplifying a spell's effects. The Thayans planned to cast the Cult of the Dragon's rite of the dracolich through the mythallar, which would forcefully turn every dragon in Faerûn into a dracolich under the caster's control. This would grant Szass Tam an unstoppable army. Valindra allied herself with the Cult and promised to help them fulfill the ancient prophecy of their founder Sammaster. Together managed to exploit the dragonsight of the ancient bronze dragon Palhavorythin, who was then transformed into a dracolich under the cult's control. Their efforts were combatted by the Shield of the North, an alliance between the Harpers, Lords' Alliance, Order of the Gauntlet, and Emerald Enclave. Eventually, when Valindra started casting the rite with the cult's help, she was interrupted by Elminster Aumar, Palhavorythin's partner Gysentraxia, and adventurers from Neverwinter. The ensuing fight ended as Valindra quickly cast the rite of the dracolich and Elminster teleported everyone else away. The rushed manner in which Valindra cast the rite led to disruptions in the dragonsight inherent to all dragons in the Realms. This triggered a new Rage of Dragons.