Naedaenya Arthas

"Mystra's Sacred Trust wasn't enough? The real revealed truth is Mystra is a sham goddess of a sham religion!"

- Lady of Mystery Arthas

Naedaenya Arthas was a female Chondathan human cleric of Shar. She was the leader of a group of clerics of Shar posing as clerics of Mystra at a false temple to Mystra in Wheloon in Cormyr in 1374 DR.

History
Masquerading as a priestess of Mystra, Lady Arthas arrived in Wheloon in the spring of the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR and soon convinced Lord Sarp Redbeard to host a temple to Mystra for the good of the city's economy. She persuaded him that it would become a destination for the trade of magical items, components, and knowledge. She requested tax breaks for the temple during construction, and also passed him a hefty bribe to finalize the deal.

She chose the ruins of an old citadel north of town as the site for the new temple. Using it as a foundation, and employing magic-aided construction techniques, she had the temple complete and operating in only a few months. In truth, Arthas followed Shar and was part of Esvele Graycastle's and Despayr's plan to use the life energies of magic-users and worshipers of Mystra to tear a hole in the Weave. Arthas's purpose at the false temple was to lure the victims in, kidnap them, and send them to the Vast Swamp.

Arthas later asked Redbeard for an extension of the tax breaks, and negotiated with Rallogar Hardware for better rates on their monthly supplies. In early Eleint, Tunaster Dranik, a genuine priest of Mystra, happened by the temple and suspected something was very wrong. Arthas plotted to have her thugs and agents eliminate him, and wrote to her counterpart in the Vast Swamp, Starweaver Bestra Mornscroll, for reinforcements.

Eventually, on Eleint 6, Arthas's plans were ruined and she was defeated by some adventurers recruited by Dranik to investigate the strange behavior of the false Mystran clerics.

Activities
Lady of Mystery Arthas managed the false Temple of Mystra and the kidnapping operation there. She remaining secluded within the temple on private business, or so it was said. She did not deign to speak with ordinary worshipers and petitioners, only her own Sharran agents and those who'd risen high in the false faith. She also controlled the keys of the inner temple.

She took a proactive approach to defense, by summoning reinforcements when attacked, having her priests counter-accuse investigators to entangle with Whelunian authorities, and sending teams of killers like Londal Fen and Smile to discreetly eliminate threats.

She allowed Starweaver Deinyn Fembrys his twisted hobbies, but controlled the key to the torture room and was contemptuous of it.

Description
Arthas bore a long and livid scar that ran the full length of her face, over a clouded, blinded eye and ending at her chin. She had long black hair.

Personality
Arthas appreciated luxury and comfort, and furnished her quarters and study at the temple accordingly.

Possessions
In battle, Arthas wore +1 full plate, carried a +1 heavy steel shield, and wielded a +1 heavy mace. She had a cloak of resistance +1, a periapt of wisdom +2, a potion of endurance, and slippers of spider climbing.

She also owned a disc of secrets. This false unholy symbol initially appeared to show the symbol of Mystra, then revealed the symbol of Shar after a command phrase.

Arthas furnished her quarters with a huge plush bed, a large overstuffed chair with an elegant table, a nightstand, and a chest of drawers. In her study, she kept a divan and a bookcase containing tomes and scrolls, including a treatise on the basic attributes of the major deities of evil, and such odd treasures as a jade vase and the silver-plated skull of a gnome. She also owned by a book of sketches by Klaire Gatewood.