Realms Personalities : Laeral Silverhand Arunsun
Anamanué Laeral Silverhand was born in the Year of the Cowl (765 DR), the fifth of seven daughters. Raised in Silverhand Bower (in a wooded dell near what is now Longsaddle) by Elminster alongside Dove and Storm, Laeral was the first of the three sisters to set out on her own.
As the Witch-Queen of the North, Laeral founded Stornanter in the Year of the Warrior's Rest (806 DR). The Realm of the Witch-Queen, roughly triangular in shape, stretched from the River Mirar to the outlying farms of Neverwinter and from Swordsea Coast to the Crags. Stornanter's capital was the coastal town of Fort Llast, and Laeral's tower stood on the high, rocky spit that sheltered the port's small bay. Stornanter lasted barely, thirty-five years, twenty-five of which Laeral spent wandering the hinterlands aiding the common folk. In the Year of the Hunted Elk (841 DR), Laeral was manipulated into battling Sylûne, and the sisters Silverhand would have destroyed each other if not for the intervention of Mystra, who invited both to become her Chosen.
In the centuries that followed, Laeral wandered the Sword Coast in the service of Mystra, and she became known for her fearlessness and for creating magic items. She adopted many guises during this period, most of which even Khelben does not know.
Eventually, Laeral came to lead a band of adventurers known as 'the Nine', and she took them on a long and wild string of adventures across the North. The band split into three warring factions in the Year of the Wandering Maiden (1337 DR) after Laeral succumbed to the Crown of Horns in the Stronghold of the Nine on the banks of the Unicorn Run. While she was mad, Laeral bore a daughter named Maura Silverhand (apparently with the consent of Mystra), who now dwells on the isle of Evermeet; Maura's father is unknown. Khelben and Alustriel rescued Laeral in the Year of the Prince (1357 DR) and slowly nursed her back to sanity over the next three years in Blackstaff Tower.
Over the past dozen years, Laeral has risen to prominence as the Lady Mage of Waterdeep, consort of the Blackstaff. Although she never formally married Khelben, she has taken his name and is now known as Laeral Arunsun. She runs Blackstaff Tower and has been active in both the Harpers and as an agent of the Lords of Waterdeep. Given Khelben's off-again, on-again relationship with both the Harpers and the Lords of Waterdeep, Laeral's relationship with both groups is currently undetermined. She seems to have retained her influence with both, all the while working alongside the Blackstaff and the Tel Teukiira.
Most recently, Laeral led a Waterdhavian army to relieve Evereska from the phaerimms and snuck into Shade along with several other Chosen of Mystra in an attempt to bring down the floating city. Although Shade was not destroyed, the city's mythallar was damaged and the Karsestone lost. Laeral then helped Evereska defeat the phaerimms before returning to Waterdeep.
Laeral is a slim, lithe woman of surpassing beauty and impish twinkling eyes. Charming by nature, she is a consummate actress and a natural judge of character. She is widely admired by nobles, guildsfolk, and common citizens alike, although some fear her for her former madness or for her association with the Blackstaff. Laeral is comfortable in both forester's skins and leathers as well as splendid finery, and is generally lighthearted, merry, hard-drinking, and fearless. She dislikes troublemakers and those who spin deliberate untruths for harmful reasons. Lady Arunsun sees magic as the tool of the little folk to defend themselves against those who are stronger. She loves to find, play with, and fine-tune item enchantments, attend parties in formal garb, and dabble in intrigue. She is the châtelaine of Blackstaff Tower, a coordinator (now informal) of Harper activities in the City of Splendors, and a frequent visitor to the Port of Shadow in the guise of Irusyl Eraneth.
Laeral Silverhand Arunsun: Female human (Chosen of Mystra) Rgr7/Sor4/Wiz19: CR 34; Medium humanoid; HD 7d8+56 plus 23d4+184; hp 329; Init +10; Spd 30 ft; AC 24, touch 16, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +18; Grp +19; Atk +18/+13/+8 melee (1d6+2, +1 thundering darkwood quarterstaff) and +18/+13 melee (1d6+1 plus 1d6 electricity, +1 shock darkwood quarterstaff); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA Chosen spell-like abilities, favored enemy humans +4, favored enemy monstrous humanoids +2, spells; SQ Chosen immunities, detect magic, enhanced Constitution, immunities, name and song attunement, resistance to acid 5 (Laeral's anklet), resistance to fire 10, silver fire, spell resistance 21 (mantle of spell resistance), summon familiar, supernatural abilities, wild empathy +10 (+6 magical beasts), woodland stride; AL CG; SV Fort +27, Ref +25, Will +27; Str 13, Dex 17 (23 with gloves of Dexterity +6, Con 26, Int 20, Wis 20, Cha 17.
Skills and Feats: Bluff +10, Concentration +41 (+45 casting defensively), Diplomacy +7, Gather Information +5, Heal +10, Hide +13, Intimidate +1, Knowledge (arcana) +31, Knowledge (geography) +6, Knowledge (history) +31, Knowledge (local Sword Coast) +31, Knowledge (local Waterdeep + 31), Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (religion) +6, Move Silently +13, Perform (singing) +8, Ride +8, Search +21, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +37, Spot +25, Survival +15 (+17 following tracks), Swim +11; Automatic Quicken Spell (0-3rd), Automatic Quicken Spell (4th-6th), Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Staff, Craft Wands, Craft Wondrous Item, Endurance, Forge Ring, Improved Counterspell, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (light or no armor only), Multispell, Quicken Spell, Reactive Counterspell, Scribe Scroll, Track, Two-Weapon Fighting (light or no armor only).
Languages: Chondathan, Common, Elven, Illuskan.
Chosen Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day - expeditious retreat, invisibility, gaseous form, arcane eye, major creation, legend lore, prismatic spray (DC 20), symbol of insanity (DC 21), Mordenkainen's disjunction (DC 22). Caster level 19th.
Chosen Immunities: Laeral is unaffected by attacks that duplicate these effects: shocking grasp, blindness/deafness, fireball, charm monster, feeblemind, chain lightning, limited wish, temporal stasis, and energy drain.
Detect Magic (Su): Line of sight.
Enhanced Constitution: The Chosen of Mystra template adds +10 to Laeral's Constitution.
Immunities: Laeral is immune to aging, disease, disintegration, and poison. She has no need to sleep (although she must rest normally in order to be able to prepare spells).
Name and Song Attunement (Su): Whenever Laeral's name or the Rune of the Chosen is spoken, she hears it a long with the next nine words that person speaks.
Silver Fire (Su): All Chosen can use silver fire
Supernatural Abilities: Due to wishes and magical experimentation, Laeral has given herself resistance to fire 10. Laeral has developed an affinity for magic items and can often tell much about an item she has never seen before simply by sight and instinct. She can use analyze dweomer at will, but only on objects and then only when touching the object in question. Laeral also has bardic knowledge +26 (as the class ability) with respect to magic items only. For purposes of this ability, Laeral's effective bard level is equal to her wizard level (19th). Finally, Mystra has given Laeral the ability to affect magic items that Laeral touches or that touch her (even those that touch her very briefly, such as when they are used against her in combat). Laeral can either affect the magic item as if it were in an antimagic field (as the spell) or a wild magic zone. The effect on any given item lasts for 24 hours.
Ranger Spells Prepared (caster level 3rd): 1st - charm animal (DC 16), resist energy, speak with animals.
Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/4 per day; caster level 4th): 0 - arcane mark, detect poison, light, message, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st - disguise self, magic missile, shield; 2nd - spider climb.
Wizard Spells Prepared (caster level 19th).- 0 - arcane mark, mage hand, message, prestidigitation; 1st - featherfall (DC 16), forcewave (DC 16), low-light vision, magic missile (2), unseen servant, 2nd - detect thoughts (DC 17), eagle's splendor, fox's cunning, blindsight, spider climb; 3rd - fireball (DC 18), fly, haste, Laeral's silver lance (DC 18), tongues; 4th - backlash (DC 19), Jhanifer's deliquescence (DC 19), lesser globe of invulnerability, polymorph, stoneskin; 5th - feeblemind (DC 20), Lutzaen's frequent jaunt, seeming (DC 20), sending, telekinesis (DC 20); 6th - globe of invulnerability, greater heroism, Tenser's transformation, true seeing; 7th - antimagic aura (DC 22), greater teleport (2), spell turning; 8th - blackstaff (DC 23), dimensional lock, greater shadow evocation (DC 23); 9th - Khelben's dweomerdoom, Laeral's crowning touch (DC 24), shapechange.
Spellbook: Laeral knows hundreds of worthwhile spells and a few odd spells of particular use to her. In addition to the spells given above, she knows most of the wizard/sorcerer spells in the Player's Handbook, many of the wizard/sorcerer spell's in Magic of Faerûn, as well as all the spells in this book created by Laeral or Khelben.
Possessions: Laeral's anklets, gloves of Dexterity +6, greater Harper pin, Laeral's robes, mantle of spell resistance, ring of animal friendship (not usually worn), ring of freedom of movement, ring of shooting stars, rod of alertness, Morgan's staff (50 charges), wand of hold person (50 charges) wand of magic missiles (50 charges, 9th), wand of summon monster IV (50 charges).