Fourstaves House, or Thingoleir Mansion, was the home of the extended Thingoleir family in Yhaunn, named after the four prominent Thingoleir wizards who lived there.[2][3]
Location[]
Fourstaves was located in the northwest of Yhaunn in a prosperous neighbourhood, just south of the Roadkeep along the cliffs. It was considered a local landmark.[2][1]
Structure[]
Fourstaves House was a large and well-appointed family hall. In addition to typical living arrangements, it had room for the family of wizards (and one sorcerer) to practice their craft, with the north wing of the mansion devoted to their studies.[4] Strasus, Dagnalla, and Roderio each had a private workshop, while Malia and Krin shared one. There was also a library on arcane subjects that the whole family used.[5]
Defenses[]
As befitting the home of five mages, the entire house was layered with defensive magic that could block or destroy intruders. Three animated stone mastiffs guarded the front door, challenging anyone who approached.[3]
Internally, the defensive wards increased with proximity to the wizard's studies in the north wing, which often contained valuable or dangerous projects. As all the members of the family were implicitly trusted, all of the wards would allow passage to them. Only a few trusted house servants were able to bypass these most secure wards.[4]
Strasus' workshop had an animated copper hawk that could blast intruders with lightning.[5]
History[]
When Strasus and Dagnalla first moved to Yhaunn as a married couple, they built a family home and named it Twostaves House, with its completion coinciding with the day of Malia's birth. When their children Malia and Roderio completed their apprenticeships, it was renamed to Threestaves and Fourstaves, respectively. Although it was also eventually home to the sorcerer Krin Foxrun, the family decided against naming it Fivestaves in order to avoid offending the magicless Keph.[2][3][note 1]
In Kythorn of 1373 DR, Strasus took custody of a collection of ancient artifacts recovered from the tunnels around Yhaunn, including The Leaves of One Night. They were stored in his workshop while he and his family studied them and entertained theories of their origin.[6]
In Eleasis the same year, Keph used magesbane dust to sabotage Roderio's alchemical workshop out of spite. He unwittingly used too much, and the reaction destroyed the workshop and almost killed Roderio.[6]
A few days later, Keph entered Strasus' workshop in order to steal The Leaves for Variance Amatick, overcoming the copper hawk by hitting it with a stool.[7]
Inhabitants[]
Fourstaves House was home to the entire Thingoleir family. Within it lived the retired ex-adventurers Strasus Thingoleir and Dagnalla Irongard, their children Malia, Roderio and Keph, Malia's husband Krin Foxrun, and their child Adrey Foxrun. In addition to the family, the household was maintained by a cohort of servants who had limited access to the more secure areas of the hall.[2][3]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Krin also used wands rather than a stave, for what that is worth.
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Mistress of the Night
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Map of Yhaunn included in Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dave Gross and Don Bassingthwaite (2005). Character Profile: At Home in Fourstaves House (HTML). Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2005-01-31.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 2, p. 36. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 2, p. 39. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, p. 272. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 2, p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.
- ↑ Don Bassingthwaite, Dave Gross (December 2004). Mistress of the Night. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, p. 279. ISBN 0-7869-3346-1.