Session 31, Mother Knows Best

The party returned to the Eomane estate to find it thoroughly transformed into the seat of a conqueror's court. Zilvra Xilraen, Matriarch of House Xilraen and Velessa's own mother, had claimed the largest chair in the living room — a blue recliner — as her throne, sipping tea with the practiced calm of someone who had just taken over an entire city district without breaking a sweat. The household's residents had been released from captivity, though the imps had been stuffed into a bag together and Velessa's captured sisters remained bound on a floating disk, thoroughly decorated by the household children with drawings on their faces. The imps, for their part, had fared no better, their hair matted with glue and tar courtesy of the household's mischievous little residents.

Zilvra let the silence stretch uncomfortably before finally acknowledging her daughter, and when Velessa pressed her on why she had decided to occupy Baldur's Gate, the Matriarch's answer was devastatingly simple: Velessa had made such a compelling case for the surface world that she simply had to see it for herself. She noted with cool satisfaction how quickly the city had fallen to her soldiers, and when Yona — with complete sincerity — asked to see a baby picture of Velessa, Zilvra conjured a tiny illusion of the most grumpy, scowling infant drow imaginable before whisking it away with a faint, satisfied smirk. It was perhaps the most warmth she showed all evening.

Velessa attempted to negotiate, suggesting her mother might prefer to establish herself in the vast Underdark pits beneath the city rather than the surface — even floating the idea of underground airship pirates — but Zilvra was unmoved. Séantal argued more soberly that drow and surface cultures were fundamentally incompatible and that the city could not survive another crisis so soon after the Absolute, warning that adventurers had a habit of showing up in droves to solve problems with reckless abandon. Zilvra outlined the current military situation with the precision of a seasoned commander: House Xilraen held the Upper City, the city watch had been broken, and Grand Duke Wyll remained in the High Hall continuing to govern what little he could, while Duke Ulder Ravengard had fortified the Lower City with the Flaming Fist. Before departing, she conjured four purple coins bearing the symbol of Lolth on one side and the seal of House Xilraen on the other, granting the party passage through her occupied city — a bureaucratic indignity Velessa immediately resolved by stuffing hers into her extra-dimensional storage and never thinking about it again.

After Zilvra swept out with her entourage, Ilmryn and Talice entered the room looking thoroughly shell-shocked. Talice caught sight of her bound and artistically vandalized sisters on the disk and could barely suppress her laughter, while Ilmryn looked as though she was still processing the fact that their mother had personally arrived on the surface. The party discussed the grim reality of the occupation and the heavy fortification of the Upper City before deciding their most pressing concern was reaching the Counting House to secure their funds and retrieve the Calamus Pactum from their vault.

The walk to the bank was a grim tour of an occupied city, with Lolth banners hanging from buildings and drow soldiers stationed at every strategic corner. Yona, experiencing the surface world with fresh eyes, noted the beauty of the city's blue rooftops even through the pall of occupation, and marveled at how different the open air felt compared to the bioluminescent gloom of the Underdark where she had grown up. Their path was cut short at Heap Gate, where a tense standoff had formed between the Flaming Fist holding the line on one side and House Xilraen soldiers on the other. Standing at the front of the Flaming Fist line was a very familiar face: Tina Woods, the officer who had first sent the party on their adventure out of the Brampton outpost, now sporting a shiny new lieutenant's patch and looking deeply conflicted about letting two drow and a tiefling stroll through a warzone.

Tina explained, with genuine regret, that it would look very bad for her career to allow them through the battle lines. Séantal, unimpressed, pointed out that Tina's previous role had been little more than a customer service position and questioned what exactly qualified her for command of military forces. When Tina's appeals to their shared history as quest-giver and adventurers fell flat, Séantal calmly requested to speak to her manager, and Tina — visibly wounded — escorted them to a nearby command tent. Inside, Duke Portyr recognized the party and dismissed their escort, listening as Séantal explained their need to reach the Counting House and their desire to speak with Mizora, who remained in the High Hall on the wrong side of the occupation lines.

The tent grew considerably more crowded when Duke Ulder Ravengard himself ducked through the entrance, having heard his name mentioned. He confirmed that the invaders had entered through the Underdark passage beneath the city, and Séantal's response was pointed and deliberate: the party had reported that very passage to the Flaming Fist months ago, in detail, to the clerk on duty at the time. Every eye in the tent turned to Tina, who shrank back as though she wished the ground would swallow her whole. Duke Portyr ordered Tina to begin transcribing the names of every patrician who had sided with the occupying force, and by the time the party crossed back through the gate on their return trip, Tina's lieutenant patch was conspicuously absent from her uniform.

At the Counting House, the party bypassed a long, heckling line of anxious citizens and presented their VIP credentials to a skeptical guard. Yona and Séantal made substantial platinum deposits at the counter, their combined wealth elevating their account to premium status, before the group was whisked down to the vault. There, hovering in its glass display case with a faint air of menace, was the Calamus Pactum — the magical black quill that served as a crucial component for their upcoming ritual with Szass Tam. Velessa retrieved it carefully and secured it in her extra-dimensional storage before the party made their way back to the estate.

Back at the Eomane townhouse, the party found the household in a state of cheerful chaos. The children had made full artistic use of the captured sisters' faces, and the imps had ensured that the sisters' hair would require significant intervention to restore. Velessa left Minerva in charge of the household with instructions to keep the children safe and the house standing, then went to find Lysandra Mortain, the Chosen of Jergal, who was quietly reading in her room. Lysandra agreed without much fuss to accompany them to Thay, noting that witnessing and notarizing contracts was, after all, precisely what she had been brought along for.

The group debated the logistics of reaching Thay, a journey that would take the better part of six months by conventional travel across thousands of miles of land and sea. The solution was far more elegant: they would use the portal in Ramazith's Tower to reach Waterdeep, then rely on the Thayan Embassy there to provide magical transit the rest of the way. Velessa selected her outfit for the journey — a pair of cargo pants featuring a dramatic hip window, held in place by a touch of magic — and the party made their way to the tower. Roland, the keeper of Ramazith's Tower, greeted them with his usual mixture of annoyance and exasperation, reserving particular criticism for Velessa's state of dress and questioning at length why she didn't simply go without pants entirely if she was going to insist on wearing so little. Velessa pointed out that this was, in fact, the only pair of pants she owned, and that they were technically secured, and the conversation moved on.

They stepped through the portal and arrived inside Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep, then hired a carriage to carry them across the city to the Thayan Embassy. Yona claimed the seat beside the coachman, who spent the entire ride discussing his horse's dietary habits in exhaustive detail, while the rest of the party rode inside with Lysandra. The embassy itself was a gloomy, distinctly red building, and their contact Yathrareceived them warmly, expressing mild surprise at how quickly they had assembled everything they needed. When informed that Taliya had vanished into the Feywild, Yathraaccepted the news with the practiced composure of someone accustomed to adventurers losing track of their companions.

Yathra led the group into a ritual chamber deep within the embassy, where a large, glowing teleportation circle dominated the floor. Velessa asked, with barely concealed eagerness, whether she might be permitted to copy down the circle's sigils for her own use, and Yathrareplied that such a thing would require Master Tam's explicit permission. The party gathered together — Velessa, Séantal, Yona, Lysandra, and Yona's skeletal companion — and stepped through the shimmering light of the circle, leaving Waterdeep behind and arriving, at last, in Thay.

Last we left off, our party returned to the Eomane estate to find it thoroughly occupied — not by monsters or undead, but by something arguably more formidable: Velessa's mother. Zilvra Xilraen, Matriarch of House Xilraen, had claimed the living room's blue recliner as her throne and taken the Upper City of Baldur's Gate with the casual efficiency of someone running a particularly well-organized errand. The household's captives had been released, the imps had been stuffed into a bag and decorated by children, and Velessa's bound sisters had been similarly adorned with face drawings — a humiliation that Talice could barely contain her laughter over. After a tense exchange in which Zilvra produced a tiny illusion of the most scowling infant drow imaginable, she departed, leaving behind four purple coins bearing Lolth's symbol as passes through her occupied city, and a great deal of unresolved tension.

With the grim reality of the occupation pressing down on them, the party set their sights on the Counting House to secure their funds and retrieve the Calamus Pactum — a magical black quill essential to their upcoming ritual with Szass Tam. Their path through the occupied city brought them to a standoff at Heap Gate, where they encountered the very familiar and newly promoted Lieutenant Tina Woods, who had once sent them on their first adventure from the Brampton outpost. After Séantal's pointed observation that the party had reported the Underdark passage used by the invaders months ago — to the clerk on duty at the time — every eye in the command tent turned to Tina, and her lieutenant's patch did not survive the meeting. The Counting House visit proved more successful: substantial platinum deposits elevated their account to premium status, and the Calamus Pactum was retrieved from its vault without incident.

Now, with the quill secured and Lysandra Mortain, Chosen of Jergal, agreeable to the journey, the party made their way to Ramazith's Tower, endured Roland's pointed commentary on Velessa's cargo pants, and stepped through the portal to Waterdeep. A carriage ride across the city — during which Yona received an exhaustive education in equine dietary habits — brought them to the Thayan Embassy, where their contact Yathrareceived them warmly and led them to a glowing teleportation circle deep within the building. And so, with the Calamus Pactum in hand and Lysandra at their side, our party stepped through the shimmering light and arrived, at last, in Thay...

A Matriarch claimed a blue chair as her throne, And conquered a city while sipping alone. She showed baby Velessa, A scowling-faced dresser, Then swept out and left them to groan!

Through banners of Lolth the grim party did roam, Past soldiers of House Xilraen far from their home. At Heap Gate stood Tina, No sadder a scene-a, Her lieutenant's patch stripped to the bone!

To the Counting House next, with their platinum bright, They retrieved the black quill in its case gleaming white. The Calamus Pactum, Was carefully packed, come What may on the road to the rite!

Through Roland's complaints about pants and their lack, They stepped through the portal and never looked back. A carriage, a horse, A dietary discourse, Then the Thayan Embassy's red-painted track!

The circle glowed bright on the embassy floor, And Yathrabid farewell as they stepped through the door. To Thay they arrived, Where the lich's deal thrived — And whatever comes next, there is plenty in store!

Hearke well, ye souls of curious mind, Of drow and conquest, dark entwined; The Matriarch sat in recliner blue, And sipped her tea as conquerors do, With Baldur's Gate left far behind!

She conjured forth a babe most sour, Young Velessa, scowling in her hour; Then swept away with soldiers bright, And left her coins of Lolth's own night, A bureaucrat's most bitter power!

Through banners hung of purple hue, The party walked the city through; At Heap Gate stood poor Tina's pride, Till Séantal's words cut deep inside — And stripped her patch before day's due!

To Counting House they made their way, With platinum bright to hold at bay; The Calamus Pactum, quill of black, Was claimed and stored, no turning back, And Lysandra agreed to stay!

Through Ramazith's portal, swift and bright, To Waterdeep they leapt that night; Then Thayan circle, red and wide, Did swallow them in shimmering tide — And Thay received them in its light!

So the party came home to find that Velessa's mom had conquered a major metropolitan city, claimed a blue recliner as her throne, and produced a baby photo of Velessa on request — which is honestly a more productive afternoon than anything the party has managed in recent memory. After some truly futile negotiating, Zilvra handed out Lolth-branded coins like a conqueror's loyalty card program and swept out, leaving behind an occupied city, two face-doodled captive sisters, and a bag of glue-matted imps. Velessa immediately shoved her coin into extra-dimensional storage, which is the magical equivalent of passive-aggressively throwing away a gift receipt.

The party then walked through a warzone to go to the bank, got a lieutenant demoted by simply telling the truth about paperwork they filed months ago, made it rain platinum at the Counting House to unlock premium banking privileges, picked up their evil magic quill, and teleported to Thay — all in what can only be described as the most bureaucratically eventful day of the occupation. Lysandra, Chosen of Jergal, agreed to come along to notarize a contract with a lich, because apparently that's just a normal Tuesday for her.

Funny — Zilvra Xilraen

Well, you made such a great case for it.

Context: Zilvra's deadpan explanation for why she decided to militarily occupy Baldur's Gate, turning Velessa's enthusiasm for the surface world against her

Funny

Zilvra conjures a minor illusion of the tiniest, grumpiest baby drow imaginable to show Yona when asked for a baby picture of Velessa.

Context: Yona's completely unexpected request for baby photos during a tense political audience with a conquering drow matriarch

Dramatic — Duke Ulder Ravengard

That news never reached my ears or Duke Portyr's... and well, you see the result.

Context: Admitting the city fell because the party's critical report about the Underdark passage was never passed up the chain of command, with Séantal pointedly staring at Tina

Funny — Séantal

I don't have to lie.

Context: Refusing to back up Velessa's claim that she knows how to stay quiet, to the visible amusement of Zilvra Xilraen

Funny

Tina Woods is stripped of her newly acquired lieutenant patch almost immediately after the party crosses back over the battle lines.

Context: Swift consequence for Tina's failure to report the Underdark passage, her promotion lasting barely a single session

Funny — Roland

Have you not considered wearing pants that don't require you to magically glue them in place?

Context: Roland's exasperated reaction to Velessa's cargo pants, which feature a massive hip window and are held up entirely by a touch of magic

Dramatic

Séantal reveals that the party warned the Flaming Fist about the Underdark passage months ago, and pointedly looks at Tina, exposing her failure to pass the report up the chain of command.

Context: The moment the cause of Baldur's Gate's rapid fall is laid bare, with Tina shrinking away in shame before her superiors

1. Audience with the Matriarch

The party returns to the Eomane estate to find it occupied by House Xilraen, leading to a tense conversation with Velessa's mother, Zilvra.

Key events

• The party enters the living room of the Eomane estate to find Zilvra Xilraen comfortably seated in a blue recliner, sipping tea.
• Velessa attempts to break the uncomfortable silence with wiggling eyebrows and fidgeting, while Zilvra stares her down.
• Zilvra reveals that she decided to occupy Baldur's Gate because Velessa made such a 'great case' for the surface world being worth seeing.
• Yona asks to see a picture of Velessa as a baby, and Zilvra conjures a minor illusion of a grumpy infant drow.
• Zilvra orders her guards to release the residents of the house, including Velessa's adopted children and imps.
• Velessa suggests that her mother take over the Underdark pits beneath the city to become 'underground air pirates' instead of occupying the surface.
• Séantal argues that drow and surface cultures are fundamentally incompatible and warns of the destructive nature of surface adventurers.
• Zilvra explains the current military situation: House Xilraen holds the Upper City while the Flaming Fist is fortified in the Lower City.
• Zilvra mentions that Grand Duke Wyll remains in the High Hall, though she considers his red-headed advisor a greater threat.
• Zilvra conjures four purple tokens bearing the symbols of Lolth and House Xilraen to allow the party passage through the Upper City.
• The Matriarch departs the Eomane estate with her entourage, leaving her daughters Ilmryn and Talice behind.

2. Family Disappointments

After Zilvra leaves, the party discusses the rapid fall of Baldur's Gate and interacts with Velessa's sisters.

Key events

• The party notes that Zilvra pointedly did not collect her other daughters, who remain tied up on a floating disk.
• Ilmryn and Talice enter the room looking shell-shocked by their mother's presence.
• Talice laughs at her sisters who are still bound and decorated with drawings by the household children.
• Velessa and her sisters discuss the heavy fortification of the Upper City and the strategic placement of Zilvra's elite guards.
• The group discusses the local general store, Well-Adjusted Al's, and the sisters' penchant for petty theft.
• Velessa stows her newly acquired House Xilraen token inside her extra-dimensional pocket.
• The party decides to head to the Counting House to secure their funds and retrieve the Calamus Pactum.
• Velessa suggests humorous names for the Eomane townhouse, including 'Stacy' and a combination of all their names.

3. The Standoff at Heap Gate

While walking to the bank, the party observes the grim state of the occupied city before arriving at a tense military blockade.

Key events

• Yona shares her thoughts on Baldur's Gate, noting that she does not mind the corpses but dislikes the Lolth banners.
• Yona describes her underground upbringing and her appreciation for the surface air compared to the Underdark.
• The party arrives at Heap Gate and discovers a tense standoff between the Flaming Fist and House Xilraen soldiers.
• Velessa and Yona note how much they stand out compared to the other drow due to their skin tones and clothing choices.
• The party is stopped by Tina Woods, a newly promoted lieutenant who remembers them from a past quest.
• Tina refuses to let them pass due to the political optics of allowing drow and a tiefling through the lines during an occupation.
• Séantal criticizes Tina's competence and demands to speak to her supervisor, prompting Tina to escort them to a nearby command tent.

4. Confronting the Leadership

Inside a Flaming Fist command tent, the party speaks with Duke Portyr and Duke Ulder Ravengard about the ongoing occupation.

Key events

• The party enters the command tent and meets with Duke Portyr, who dismisses the guards.
• They discuss their need to reach the Counting House and inquire about the locations of Grand Duke Wyll and Mizora.
• Duke Portyr explains the tactical situation: the Flaming Fist holds the lower city while the drow occupy the wealthy upper district.
• Duke Ulder Ravengard enters the tent, and Séantal expresses shock at how quickly the city fell.
• Ravengard reveals the invaders came through an Underdark passage, which Séantal notes the party had warned the Flaming Fist about months prior.
• Séantal pointedly looks at Tina, exposing her failure to pass along the critical report.
• Tina shrinks back under scrutiny and is ordered to begin transcribing the names of the patriarchs siding with the occupying forces.
• The party is granted an escort to the Counting House.

5. Retrieving the Pactum at the Counting House

The party bypasses anxious crowds at the bank to secure their assets and retrieve a vital artifact.

Key events

• The party arrives at the Counting House, navigating past a long line of heckling citizens across the land bridge.
• Séantal presents their VIP identification to a skeptical guard to gain entry into the bank.
• Yona and Séantal make substantial platinum deposits at the counter, elevating their account to premium status.
• The party is escorted to their vault, where Velessa retrieves the hovering Calamus Pactum from its glass display case and secures it in her magical storage.

6. Return to the Estate

The party returns to their townhouse, observing the aftermath of the household's practical jokes on Velessa's captured sisters.

Key events

• The party crosses back over the military lines, noticing that Tina has already been stripped of her newly acquired lieutenant patch.
• Upon entering the estate, they find Velessa's captured sisters thoroughly covered in drawings by the household's children.
• The mischievous imps have smeared glue and tar into the sisters' hair, leaving them completely furious.

7. Planning the Journey to Thay

The party enlists the aid of Lysandra Mortain and prepares for their upcoming journey to Thay.

Key events

• The party approaches Lysandra Mortain in her room to request her services as a notary and witness for their upcoming ritual.
• Lysandra agrees to join them and is introduced to Yona, noting the unusual composition of the group.
• The group discusses the logistics of traveling to Thay, mapping out a massive distance of thousands of miles by conventional travel.
• They resolve to utilize the portal in Ramazith's Tower to reach Waterdeep first, planning to use the Thayan Embassy there to teleport the rest of the way.
• Minerva al-Qadir is left in charge of the household to ensure the estate is looked after and the children are safe.
• Velessa expands her personal bastion to include a training area and a permanent teleportation circle.
• Séantal manages their storehouse facility, investing funds to restock its inventory before their departure.

8. A Revealing Departure at Ramazith's Tower

The party visits Ramazith's Tower to utilize its portal to Waterdeep, facing judgment from its keeper regarding Velessa's attire.

Key events

• Velessa selects a highly unconventional pair of cargo pants for the journey, magically gluing them in place.
• The party arrives at Ramazith's Tower and requests access to the portal leading to Waterdeep.
• Roland expresses annoyance at their sudden arrival and heavily criticizes Velessa's state of undress.
• The party steps through the portal, successfully teleporting to Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep.

9. Carriage Ride to the Thayan Embassy

The party arrives in Waterdeep via portal and takes a carriage to the Thayan Embassy.

Key events

• The party steps through a portal from Baldur's Gate and arrives inside Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep.
• They hire a carriage to transport themselves, Lysandra Mortain, and Yona's skeletal companion to the Thayan Embassy.
• Yona sits up front with the coachman, who spends the ride discussing his horse's diet.
• The party discusses the political power of high-level adventurers and the cultural significance of the color red in Thay.

10. The Thayan Embassy and Stepping into Thay

The party meets with their Thayan contact to secure magical transit to Thay for their upcoming ritual.

Key events

• The party arrives at the gloomy red embassy and is greeted by Jophra.
• They inform Yathrathat Taliya has vanished into the Feywild.
• Yathraprepares a teleportation circle to grant them swift passage to Thay to meet with Szass Tam.
• Velessa asks to copy the sigils of the teleportation circle, but Yathranotes that it requires Master Tam's explicit permission.
• Yathraleads the group into a ritual room where a large, glowing teleportation circle awaits them.
• The party steps through the active teleportation circle, arriving in Thay as the session concludes.

Zilvra Xilraen

The Matriarch of House Xilraen and Velessa's mother. She is commanding, cold, and deeply judgmental, having successfully occupied the Upper City of Baldur's Gate within a day and a half. She claims to have been inspired by Velessa's descriptions of the surface world. She sipped tea from a blue recliner, conjured an illusion of baby Velessa for Yona, and departed after granting the party freedom to move about 'her' city.

Ilmryn Xilraen

Velessa's favorite sister and an expert artificer. She appears shell-shocked by her mother's arrival and had previously sent a sending spell to warn Velessa of the invasion.

Talice Xilraen

Velessa's sister and an expert poisoner. She appears shell-shocked by her mother's arrival but finds the failure and capture of her other sisters amusing, barely suppressing her laughter.

Tina Woods

A Flaming Fist officer who stops the party at Heap Gate, having recently been promoted to lieutenant. She is revealed to have failed to pass along the party's critical report about the Underdark passage, leading to her swift demotion and the removal of her lieutenant patch.

Duke Portyr

A high-ranking military leader of Baldur's Gate who grants the party an audience in her command tent. She outlines the tactical standoff against the Drow and orders the tracking of collaborating nobles.

Duke Ulder Ravengard

The imposing leader of the Flaming Fist who enters the command tent and discusses the tactical situation of the Drow invasion, admitting the city was compromised from within via the Underdark passage the party had previously reported.

Lysandra Mortain

The Chosen of Jergal, found quietly reading in her room. She agrees to accompany the party to Thay to provide her specialized notary and witnessing skills for their contract ritual, and is introduced to Yona.

Minerva al-Qadir

A resident of the Eomane estate who is left in charge of housekeeping and ensuring the children are safe while the party travels to Thay.

Roland

The current keeper of Ramazith's Tower. He is easily annoyed by the party's unannounced arrival and highly critical of Velessa's revealing choice of clothing, questioning why she doesn't simply go naked if she insists on wearing so little.

Yathra

A Thayan official stationed at the embassy in Waterdeep. She receives the party, is informed that Taliya has vanished into the Feywild, and opens the teleportation circle to Thay after preparing the ritual room.

Eomane Estate

The party's townhouse in the Manorborn district of Baldur's Gate's Upper City, currently serving as the site of Zilvra Xilraen's initial audience with the party and a temporary base of operations. The household children decorated Velessa's captured sisters with drawings, and the imps caused further chaos.

Upper City, Baldur's Gate

The wealthy district of Baldur's Gate, currently under the full control of House Xilraen soldiers, with guards posted near the homes of Parliament of Peers members.

Lower City, Baldur's Gate

The area where Duke Ulder Ravengard has gathered the Flaming Fist to fortify against the drow invasion, holding the harbor and all supply routes.

Well-Adjusted Al's

A general store in Brampton known for its suspicious owner who watches every customer as if they are stealing, making it a frustrating target for Talice's petty theft.

Heap Gate

A gate within Baldur's Gate that has become the site of a tense standoff between the Flaming Fist and the occupying forces of House Xilraen, where the party was stopped by Tina Woods.

Command Tent near Heap Gate

A military tent set up near Heap Gate where Duke Portyr and Duke Ulder Ravengard coordinate the Flaming Fist's defense against the Drow occupation.

The Counting House

The heavily fortified bank of Baldur's Gate, featuring a long land bridge currently swarmed by anxious citizens trying to withdraw their funds. The party's vault here contained the Calamus Pactum in a glass display case.

Ramazith's Tower

A grand magical tower in Baldur's Gate containing arcane portals that connect to distant cities like Waterdeep, kept by Roland.

Blackstaff Tower

A famous wizard's tower located in Waterdeep where the party's portal from Ramazith's Tower terminates.

Thayan Embassy, Waterdeep

A gloomy, distinctively red building in Waterdeep that serves as the diplomatic and magical hub for the Red Wizards, housing a functional teleportation circle used to transport the party to Thay.

Thay

A distant and powerful land known for its magic and the Red Wizards, which the party enters through a teleportation circle at the very end of the session to meet with Szass Tam.

Xilraen City Tokens

Four purple coins conjured by Zilvra Xilraen, featuring the symbol of Lolth on one side and the seal of House Xilraen on the other. They function as upper city tokens, granting the party passage through the occupied Upper City. Velessa immediately stowed hers in her extra-dimensional storage.

Calamus Pactum

A menacing, magical black quill kept hovering inside a glass display case within the party's vault at the Counting House. It serves as a crucial component for the upcoming ritual with Szass Tam. Velessa retrieved it from the vault and secured it in her magical storage.

Velessa's Tits of Holding

Velessa's customized extra-dimensional storage space worked into her brassiere, used to conceal her House Xilraen token and carry the retrieved Calamus Pactum.

Tina's Lieutenant Patch

A military insignia representing Tina Woods' brief promotion within the Flaming Fist, which was promptly removed from her uniform following her bureaucratic failures being exposed to her superiors.

Velessa's Cargo Pants

A highly unconventional pair of pants featuring a large hip window, requiring a touch of magic glue to stay properly secured. They prompted significant criticism from Roland at Ramazith's Tower.

Minor Image

Cast by Zilvra Xilraen to conjure a small, grumpy illusion of Velessa as a baby to show Yona, then whisked away once the moment passed.

Sending

Referenced as the method Ilmryn used to warn Velessa of their mother's arrival and the invasion of Baldur's Gate, reaching the party approximately a day and a half after the occupation began.

Teleportation Circle

A powerful conjuration spell utilized by Yathraat the Thayan Embassy in Waterdeep to open a glowing, direct magical gateway to Thay, transporting the entire party at the end of the session.