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Symgharyl Maruel

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Symgharyl Maruel, also known as the Shadowsil, was a powerful wizard affiliated with the Cult of the Dragon and the Zhentarim both.

Description[]

She had glossy black hair she kept long, and a lithe and graceful body.[3] She was tall and slim, often wearing purple robes.[2] As far back as 1294, she favored black leather and purple silk.[1] One of her disguises bore green hair.[5]

On the day of her death, in 1357 DR, she was clad in a robe, breeches, boots, and a half-cloak.[6] She remained young and lush, due to the effects of multiple potions of longevity.[3]

Personality[]

As a young, she was rebellious, physical, restless, bold, pranksome and free-spirited, somewhat of a tomboy.[3] She became quite confident and promiscuous around her teens. To the eyes of the goddess Mystra, Symgharyl was bound to betray anyone for more power, but she would act in ways that spread magic and develop magic if her selfishness and ruthlessness would be tamped down some.[3]

She becaome a cold-blooded, unhesitant, remorseless killer after swallowing a piece of a particular shadow crown, going beyond her initial ruthless ambition[3] to outright cruelty.[2] Her choice in lovers remained varied.[7] In her altered personality, when angered, she was reckless enough to give away a dracolich's treasure.[6] To the end, she loved Elminster, but she spurned his aid when dying, claiming she was too set in her ways to change,[8] showing rare, but intense, shame at what she'd become.[3]

Abilities[]

She had a talent that boosted some of her spells on demand.[9] Amongst other spells, she had meteor swarm, fireball, and very likely hold person.[10] She had also cast dancing lights.[11] Other spells of hers included, almost certainly, fly and teleport.[6]

Swallowing a fragment of the shadow crown had granted ability to see in normal or magical darkness, and the ability to learn any Talfirian magic, including spells such as shadow walk or shadow step.[3]

Possessions[]

She carried an enchanted ring of protection, a rope of entanglement, a wand of fire, and a ring of dragons.[2]

Elminster had once gifted her a pair of earrings from Myth Drannor, which he had recovered after her death. Those were sapphire spindles with hanging king's tears.[12]

She gained a shadow crown's magical powers by swallowing a fragment of it.[3]

Relationships[]

Symgharyl seduced one by one each of the adventuring mages that were hired to tutor her, moving to the next after learning all she wanted from them. In order, those first tutors were Rindyl Haelmoon, Hendrar Vulbrant, Umiir Kashlakh, and Renchessa Hundaerlysk.[3]

In her time within the Cult of the Dragon she gained a reputation for danger, ruthlessness and competence; many of her fellow Cultists gave her a wide berth, believing it likely they'd be killed, scapegoated, or sent to their deaths if they worked with her.[3] As a member of the Zhentarim, she was as trusted as anyone else. They knew she was drawn irresistibly to magical power.[3]

Elminster Aumar had been the only person she held admiration or love for, and that she'd been able to trust, mostly because he'd gently denied her advances throughout their time together.[3]

History[]

Symgharyl Maruel was born in 1273 DR, in Mharartel, a minor barony of Chessenta that would disappear by the turn of the 16th century DR. She was consecrated to Lathander, her mother's patron deity, upon birth; the altar spoke her truename. In her early teens, her family moved to Zhentil Keep, where they opened a metal casting business. By her twentieth birthday, her parents were quite wealthy, and paid for her tutoring in the Art, the only thing that appeared to make Symgharyl happy. They paid for tutors, so as to avoid the Zhentarim.[3]

Symgharyl then became part of an adventuring party, or arguably a group of brigands that robbed caravans, mining camps, and ambushed or trapped local lawswords sent after them. Shortly after, she became part of the Cult of the Dragon, and spent some time in the Cult's employ within the Western Heartlands, ranging from Chessenta and Impiltur, to Tethyr, and the Sword Coast north of these locations. Through that time, she established a number of hideaways where she stashed away enchanted treasures, practiced her art, and laid low when she'd attracted unwanted attention. During that time, she came across writings from which she devised a potion of longevity recipe; she drank three.[3]

Her activities also brought her to the attention of the Zhentarim; after slaying six magelings sent after her, she was farscried by Manshoon personally. He met with her, and recruited Symgharyl, who became his apprentice and thus an influential member of the Black Network. She managed to convince powerful members that she was infiltrating the Zhentarim, but as a member of the Black Network, she brought many Cult members into alliances with some Zhentarim.[3]

She named herself the Shadowsil after swallowing a fragment of a magical crown made by Mhurrla Havvalik, which she found in a tomb carved into the side of the gorge of the River Thent, halfway to Lake Lake Thentar from Thentia. Swallowing the crown had other personality-altering effects. With that name, she started going to magefairs,[1] though by that time, she was already well-known by name in the Western Heartlands.[3]

She sought out Elminster Aumar for a teacher, after praying at Lissa's Rest[3] to Mystra a starry night.[1] The next day, on Flamerule 6 of 1294 DR,[13] Elminster was contacted by the Srinshee, telling him Mystra bade him accept the Shadowsil as his student, but not lose himself to her love, albeit she was going to betray him in the end. Elminster scried on the Shadowsil as she approached him, but she still managed to surprise him, lost as he was in conversation with the Srinshee, when she opened his door. He managed to surprise her by speaking her true name.[1] Elminster became her tutor in the Art.[14] She convinced Manshoon that she was doing this to better spy on the man through the process.[3]

Later, she turned to evil and killed at least one of her lovers telekinetically, with a sword.[15] She also came to work for Manshoon, who found her knowledge of Elminster rather tempting;[16] becoming the lover of the Zhentarim leader also granted her a much higher effective rank than her official one.[17] While serving him, she was also the lover of Lord Chess for at least one night in Spring of 1334 DR; he knew her to be one of Manshoon's wizards, and related it to his friend Eldarr.[5]

Per her recollection, as one of her first duties in the cult, she'd brought Aghazstamn treasure fourteen winters prior to 1357 DR, likely around 1343 DR.[6]

In 1357 DR, she was fighting a mage in red robes at Myth Drannor, when Shandril Shessair came across the site of their battle. The mage struck with a cone of cold, to which Symgharyl responded with a meteor swarm, slaying him. Afterwards, she captured the young woman with a spell akin to hold person and her own enchanted rope, expecting to use her as a gift for Rauglothgor, or for her blood if she was a virgin. Though Narm struck her with a magic missile along the way to the dracolich, she swiftly disabled him with a fireball.[10] Afterwards, she took Shandril to a ruined keep,[18] on Mirtul 20.[4]

Beneath the ruined keep, in the lair of Rauglothgor, she interrogated Shandril, confirming she wasn't actually Alusair Obarskyr. However, during the interrogation, they were ambushed by the Knights of Myth Drannor and Narm.[19] She pursued Narm and Shandril; before she could slay the first, she was nearly brained from behind by the lass.[20]

When she woke up, she reached for her cache, where she drank a potion of healing, and then headed to request Aghazstamn's aid in attacking the Knights and the lass.[6] Shortly afterwards, she was killed by Elminster together with her dracolich mount Aghazstamn when she tried to slay the group, through a reflected meteor swarm.[21] Though she still loved Elminster, she spurned his aid when he offered to heal her in her last moments,[8] on Mirtul 21.[4]

Aftermath[]

Symgharyl Maruel's death spurred Manshoon into personal action, making him head straight to the Knights of Myth Drannor with intent to kill.[22]

After her death, one of her king's tear earrings held her smiling likeness since.[3]

Appendix[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ed Greenwood (August 2001). Elminster in Hell. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 21, pp. 319–320. ISBN 0-7869-1875-6.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Dale Donovan (July 1998). Villains' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 109. ISBN 0-7869-1236-7.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Ed Greenwood (2023-12-02). More than Manshoon’s Lover (What Is a Shadowsil?). Ed Greenwood's Patreon. Retrieved on 2023-12-04.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), p. 105. ISBN 978-0880388573.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ed Greenwood (December 1994). “So High a Price”. In James Lowder ed. Realms of Infamy (TSR, Inc.), pp. 3–26. ISBN 1-56076-911-4.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 7, pp. 125–130. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  7. ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2009-08-01). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on 2024-05-03. Retrieved on 2024-06-01.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, p. 139. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  9. ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2009-07-10). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2009). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on 2024-05-04. Retrieved on 2024-06-01.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 4, pp. 78–82. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  11. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, p. 85. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  12. ↑ Ed Greenwood (1995). Cloak of Shadows. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 15. ISBN 0786903015.
  13. ↑ Ed Greenwood (August 2001). Elminster in Hell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3. ISBN 0-7869-1875-6.
  14. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, p. 140. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  15. ↑ Ed Greenwood (1995). “The Eye of the Dragon”. In Brian Thomsen and J. Robert King ed. Realms of Magic (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-7869-0303-1.
  16. ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2008-07-23). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2008). Candlekeep Forum. Archived from the original on 2024-05-02. Retrieved on 2024-06-01.
  17. ↑ Ed Greenwood, The Hooded One (2007-02-06). Questions for Ed Greenwood (2007). Candlekeep Forum. Retrieved on 2023-08-07.
  18. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, p. 83. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  19. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, pp. 84–93. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  20. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 6, pp. 102–103. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  21. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, pp. 135–136. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
  22. ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1988). Spellfire. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, p. 143. ISBN 0-88038-587-1.
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