Urtos Phylund II

Lord Urtos Phylund II was the patriarch of the noble Phylund family of Waterdeep, from the, until at least the 1370s DR. Two months before he assumed the mantle of patriarch, he was infected with lycanthropy and became a werewolf, but managed to keep this a secret for a few years.

Personality
Urtos II was a strong-willed individual, born and raised as a noble, although the did not approve of the excessive display of wealth and extravagant socializing in which his father, Urtos I, and his new stepmother, Aridarye, indulged. In his youth, he was audacious, loud, and somewhat impudent. As Lord Phylund, he comported himself with confidence without the need to prove himself to anyone. Some viewed him as cold, but he was very protective of his family (except his stepmother and her son) and loyal to his friends.

Abilities
Urtos learned the family trade of capturing, taming, and breeding monstrous creatures for profit. As a werewolf, he remained in control of his mind in his various forms, but could not transform at will.

Possessions
The Phylund family had a villa in the North Ward of Waterdeep located on the corner of Copper Street and Julthoon Street. There was also the Phylund Hunting Lodge located in Ardeep Forest west and south of the city. Urtos II made this his primary residence after his father married his stepmother.

Activities
Urtos II led lucrative monster-hunting safaris in Ardeep Forest for wealthy nobles and merchants that were looking for a thrilling adventure. He and his wife, Lythis, worked on breeding watchspiders with new abilities and features. He suspected his stepmother, Aridarye, of foul play and was always looking for evidence to be used against her.

Relationships
Urtos II was the son of Urtos I and Urta. He married Lythis Mhairuun and they had at least three children together, Tarnos, and two other sons. He coolly tolerated his stepmother, Aridarye, while suspecting her of having a hand in the accident that resulted in his father's death. He had a young half-brother, Urtos III, son of Urtos I and Aridarye.

History
Urtos II was close to his father, learning the family trade and hosting monster-hunting expeditions for wealthy clients, but he did not approve of his stepmother. Since their marriage in the, Aridarye led the elder Urtos into a lavish lifestyle, flaunting their wealth and power, and the younger Urtos felt that she had supplanted him as his father's most trusted advisor. It wasn't long before Urtos II left the family villa in disgust and took up residence at the Phylund Hunting Lodge to get away from the fetes and other social displays that became more and more common.

1365 DR was a pivotal year for the Phylund family. In Alturiak, while leading a peryton-hunting party in Ardeep Forest, a great number of wolves suddenly attacked the expedition, slaying all but one squire who managed to escape, wounded, and make his way back to Waterdeep. There he reported the death of the other ten people on the hunt, including Urtos II. In reality, the wolf attack was caused by another manservant that read a scroll provided to him by Aridarye. The misguided man was consumed, either by the magic of the scroll or the wolf pack that it summoned, but her plot was thwarted because Urtos II either survived or was spared from death.

Urtos woke up in familiar surroundings not far from the Lodge, still on his horse, and with bandages on his wounds. He had no recollection of how he got there, but his dreams were haunted by visions of yellow eyes, canine fangs, a hot breath on his face, and a gravelly voice. The voice, uttering something like "Back, for he is&hellip;", was all he could remember. When the full moon rose, three nights later, the awful reality of his fate became evident as he painfully transformed into a werewolf. The affliction did not rob him of his sanity, however, so he managed to keep his condition a secret with the help of a trusted family servant named Kharkos.

While coming to grips with his new life as a lycanthrope, Urtos received news of his father's death in a beast-handling incident in the cellars of the Field of Triumph. Working around the dates of the full moon, he reappeared in Waterdeep in Tarsakh of 1365 DR, eight days after his father's funeral, and claimed his birthright as the patriarch of the family. This completely surprised everyone who thought he was dead, especially Aridarye, who had planned both "accidents" in order to become regent for her infant son, Urtos III, who would have been the only remaining heir.

Urtos II moved back to the villa on Copper Street but made sure to be at the Lodge during the full moon. Despite his feelings toward court intrigue and House politics, he stepped into the role of Lord Phylund and, much to his surprise, was able to hold his own in the constant verbal battles in Waterdhavian society's upper tier.

He met Lythis Mhairuun in the, while doing business, and she was immediately smitten by him but he either didn't notice or wasn't interested at first. Then came the years of his self-isolation that were shrouded in rumors and innuendo of scandal, not to mention reports of his death that turned out to be false. After his return to Waterdeep, their relationship grew much closer and they announced a wedding date in the. However, a few days before the nuptials, Lythis followed him to the Lodge and discovered his affliction. She was shocked at this revelation but promised to keep his secret, and the wedding proceeded as planned.

In time, they had three sons, the eldest being Tarnos, but the Lords of Waterdeep decreed that none of Urtos II's descendants were eligible to inherit the title, presumably because of the fear they were tainted with their father's affliction. Urtos was furious at the Lords for this decision, but inwardly blamed Aridarye, whom he increasingly suspected had a hand in his family's misfortunes. Instead of Tarnos, it was Aridarye's son Urtos III that was declared the official heir to the family title.

Urtos II and Lythis were both eventually laid to rest in the Phylund family crypts beneath the Lodge in Ardeep Forest.

Rumors & Legends
Speculation on the Mhairuun and Phylund watchspider breeding program suggested that Urtos and Lythis were developing new variants of huge spiders. Possibilities included creatures that could spin webs that paralyzed victims on contact and smaller, obedient versions of sword spiders.