View source for Vhondryl

{{Person
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| name           = Vhondryl
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| home           = [[The Deepfires]], [[Skullport]], [[Undermountain]]
| formerhomes    = 
| sex            = Female
| race           = [[Human]]
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| occupation     = Potion and poison dealer<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/><ref name="EtU-p39"/><br/>Innkeeper<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/><ref name="EtU-p39"/><br/>Spy<ref name="PGTF-p174"/>
| age            = 
| patron deity   = [[Loviatar]]<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/>
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| reckoning      = DR
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| alignment2e    = [[Lawful evil]]
| class2e        = {{class table|edition=2e|[[Psionicist]]|14}}<br/>{{class table|edition=2e|[[Wizard]] ([[transmuter]])|14}}<ref group="note">The 2{{nd}}-edition sources suggest that, in campaigns that do not use the psionics rules, Vhondryl could be treated as a transmutation-specialist wizard. They vary, even within the same book, on whether she is 13{{th}} or 14{{th}} level.</ref>
| refs2e         = <ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/>
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| alignment35    = [[Lawful evil]]
| class35        = {{Class table|edition=3e|[[Psion]]|14}}
| refs35         = <ref name="PGTF-p174"/><ref name="CoS3e-p109"/><ref name="EtU-p39"/>
}}
'''Vhondryl''' was a female [[human]] [[psion]] living in [[Skullport]] in the 1360s and 1370s [[DR]]. One of the most powerful [[psionicist]]s in the city, she was also one of the top two dealers in poisons and potions, the alleged proprietor of [[The Deepfires]] inn, and leader of the [[Hall of Mental Splendor]] group of mercenary psychic spies.<ref name="Dr172">{{Cite dragon/172/Seeing the Sights in Skullport|12, 14, 88}}</ref><ref name="CoS2e-p104">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Campaign Guide|104-105}}</ref><ref name="CoS2e-p109">{{Cite book/City of Splendors (boxed set)/Campaign Guide|109-110}}</ref><ref name="Skullport-p48">{{Cite book/Skullport|48}}</ref><ref name="Skullport-p95">{{Cite book/Skullport|95}}</ref><ref name="PGTF-p174">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|174}}</ref><ref name="CoS3e-p109">{{Cite book/City of Splendors: Waterdeep|109}}</ref><ref name="EtU-p39">{{Cite book/Expedition to Undermountain|39}}</ref>

==Description==
Plain-featured and thin-framed, Vhondryl had an odd appearance that some described as alien or fey in aspect. Her skin was white as [[chalk]] and her eyes were yellow like straw, while she grew her blonde hair down to her knees. Few would consider her beautiful, but her appearance gave her an air of mystery.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/>

==Personality==
Vhondryl was quiet to the point of being taciturn and she could be cryptic, traits that added to her mystique. Her approach to business was distinctly mercenary, and she was not one to cross, cheat, or threaten, lest she retaliate.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/> [[Lawful evil|Evil-minded but lawful]],<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/><ref name="PGTF-p174"/><ref name="CoS3e-p109"/> she was wise and charismatic.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/> She was a passionate worshiper of [[Loviatar]], the Maiden of Pain.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/>

==Abilities==
Known to have magical powers,<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/> Vhondryl was in fact a formidable [[psionicist]] or [[psion]], commanding great powers of the mind she termed "the [[Invisible Art]]".<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/><ref name="PGTF-p174"/><ref name="CoS3e-p109"/> She was the most talented psionicist in Skullport,<ref name="Skullport-p48"/> but by 1368 DR she hadn't managed to progress in her powers for over ten years.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref group="note">Vhondryl's inability to progress may have been due to the failure of psionics in the Realms and its removal from the 2{{nd}}-edition setting after the [[Time of Troubles]] in [[1358 DR]], ten years before, as mentioned in ''[[Forgotten Realms Adventures]]'', page 6. Psionics would return to the setting however.</ref>

As a gifted psionicist, around 1368 DR she knew the powers ''[[banishment (psionic)|banishment]]'', ''[[dimensional door]]'', ''[[dimension walk]]'', ''[[teleport (psionic)|teleport]]'', ''[[teleport other]]'', ''[[teleport trigger]]'', ''[[time shift]]'', and ''[[time/space anchor]]'' of the [[psychoportation]] discipline; ''[[body control]]'', ''[[cell adjustment]]'', and ''[[energy containment]]'' of the [[psychometabolism]] discipline; ''[[contact]]'', ''[[false sensory input]]'', ''[[identity penetration]]'', and ''[[psionic blast]]'' of the [[telepathy (discipline)|telepathy]] discipline but no sciences; and ''[[detonate]]'' of the [[psychokinetics]] discipline. She was capable of all psionic defense modes: ''[[mind blank (psionic)|mind blank]]'', ''[[thought shield]]'', ''[[mental barrier]]'', ''[[tower of iron will]]'', and ''[[intellect fortress]]''.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/>

==Possessions==
She wore ''[[bracers of defense]]'' and regularly kept a lavender-and-green ellipsoid ''[[ioun stone]]'' orbiting her head. On her right hand she usually wore a ''[[ring of shooting stars]]'' and on her left hand she wore a non-magical white [[gold]] ring set with a [[citrine]], a [[peridot]], and a [[topaz]], with all three gems exquisitely cut. She typically wore a [[girdle of many pouches]] containing her various elixirs, poisons, and potions, as well as three ''[[ivory]] goat [[figurines of wondrous power]]''.<ref name="Skullport-p95"/>

She also carried a [[scimitar]].<ref name="Dr172"/>

==Activities==
===Potion Dealing===
Vhondryl was one of the best potion dealers in the city, able to supply any kind of [[poison]], [[potion]], philter, pain-killer, or other strange beverage that could be found on [[Toril]], as well as all known antidotes. She could supply such things on short notice, typically within a day. Her prices were stunningly high, but most customers thought them reasonable, given how rare some of her products were.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/> Her only competitor in the Skullport potion trade was the [[illithid]] [[Shaun Taunador]]; they had the best reputations, the biggest stock, and the finest products.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="Skullport-p31">{{Cite book/Skullport|31}}</ref>

Nevertheless, Vhondryl maintained a low profile and only dealt through intermediaries and minions, whether to buy or sell. She only met customers or suppliers in person when a deal involved very rare, incredibly dangerous, or unusual or exotic goods. She believed that petty poisons and those who wanted them were simply not worth her time away from managing the Deepfires inn.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/>

===The Deepfires===
Her best friend [[Raella Hiess]] gifted Vhondryl with permanent rooms at The Deepfires, an inn in Skullport, as well as easy access to its secret passages and the services of its bodyguards. Because of this, some believed Vhondryl was actually its secret owner, and she let them go on thinking she was proprietress of The Deepfires. She upheld this ruse on behalf of Raella Hiess, the true owner, who acted as an ordinary barmaid.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p48"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/>

===The Hall of Mental Splendor===
By [[1373 DR]], Vhondryl also ran the Hall of Mental Splendor, a mercenary organization of psychic spies who conducted espionage for those who hired them, promising discretion. They worked for many of the feuding factions in [[Waterdeep]], the city lying in the world above, but Vhondryl persisted in seeking clients and work outside both cities. She recognized that every job could create an enemy, and would rather keep them far away and not directly above.<ref name="PGTF-p174"/>

==Relationships==
Vhondryl and Raella knew each other very well and were quite fond of one another. They'd been companions for a number of years, even saving each other's life on countless occasions. Raella granted Vhondryl permanent rooms at The Deepfires, and together upheld the ruse that Vhondryl was the owner and Raella the barmaid.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/> They operated as partners; Raella was available at all times and arranged meetings between Vhondryl and her customers and clients.<ref name="Skullport-p48"/> Vhondryl knew that Raella used the Deepfires as a means of gathering information for the [[Lords of Waterdeep]] and for sale to others, and kept her secret. Thanks to Raella, Vhondryl also knew that Raella's acquaintance [[Laeral Silverhand|Irusyl Eraneth]] worked for the Lords of Waterdeep too, and also kept this secret. Irusyl described Vhondryl to those who asked as "a powerful but vain and petty potion peddler".<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/><ref name="Skullport-p95"/>

Vhondryl and Raella were two of the only four people with whom [[Shradin Mulophor]] shared his secrets. He trusted them enough to let his guard down and act normally with them. As a result, they were let in on some of the most amazing secrets of Skullport.<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/>

==History==
Vhondryl was living at the Deepfires and known to be Skullport's top potion and poison dealer by [[1368 DR]].<ref name="Dr172"/><ref name="CoS2e-p104"/><ref name="CoS2e-p109"/>

In [[Eleasis]] of the [[1370 DR|Year of the Tankard, 1370 DR]], a Waterdeep-based [[Calishite]] merchant named [[Sammereza Sulphontis]] was apparently negotiating trade alliances with Vhondryl and the [[House Tanor'Thal]] [[drow]] whilst staying at the Deepfires in Skullport. After Sammereza was bashed by thugs, he spoke about the incident to Vhondryl and Irusyl, vowing that the [[Synabbat]] family thought to be responsible would soon lose their grip on the [[River Sargauth]] ''[[gate]]''.<ref name="Skullport-p73">{{Cite book/Skullport|73}}</ref>

Around the beginning of [[Mirtul]] in the [[1373 DR|Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR]], a mission conducted by the Hall of Mental Splendor went very wrong and an argument over it erupted between Vhondryl and the [[doppelganger]] members. The doppelgangers quit, leaving the Hall without any shape-changing capacity. Vhondryl began looking for potential agents who could shape-change through magic such as ''[[polymorph]]'' or even just excellent skills at disguise.<ref name="PGTF-p174"/>

She remained as Skullport's top potion dealer and the nominal owner of the Deepfires through [[1375 DR]].<ref name="EtU-p39"/>

==Appendix==
===Notes===
{{Notes}}

===References===
{{Refs}}
[[Category:Psions]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Innkeeps]]
[[Category:Psionicists]]
[[Category:Merchants]]
[[Category:Worshipers of Loviatar]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of The Deepfires]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of the Lower Heart of Skullport]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of the Hall of Mental Splendor]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Skullport]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Undermountain]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Waterdeep]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of the Sword Coast North]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Northwest Faerûn]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Toril]]
[[Category:Inhabitants]]