Yalah Gralhund (pronounced: /ˈjɔːlɔː ˈgrɔːlhuːnd/ YAW-law GRAWL-hoond[4]) was a noble of House Gralhund in Waterdeep in the early 1490s DR.[1]
Activities[]
Yalah used her time to monitor events in the city, kept a tight leash on her children, and uses her influence to collect secrets from the mouths of nobles, guildmasters, and commoners.[1]
History[]
When in 1491 DR many members of the Lords of Waterdeep were killed in a nefarious plot, Yalah and Orond expected that she would fill one of the vacancies but this never happened, despite all their bribes and promises.[5]
Orond was approached by some Zhentarim loyal to Manshoon and they formed an alliance. The Zhents gained the coin and the resources of the Gralhunds for their operations in the city and in exchange granted to Orond all the information about the Masked Lords they could find.[5] Yalah planned to use the intelligence resources of the Black Network to unveil some of the Masked Lords and blackmail or bribe her way into membership.[1]
In 1492 DR,[note 1] the Gralhunds became involved in the search for the lost gold of Dagult Neverember under the promise of getting their fair share of the treasure. The Zhents led by Urstul Floxin used Gralhund Villa as headquarters in their search for the Stone of Golorr.[6]
However, not fully trusting Urstul, Yalah also sent one of her personal servants, a nimblewright with a necklace of fireballs, to search for the gnome Dalakhar. The successive blast and the death of Dalakhar ruined the alliance between the Zhents and the Gralhunds.[6]
When Urstul was finally in possession of the Stone, he asked Yalah to explain about the nimblewright. She took advantage of his injures and took the Stone.[7]
When a fight started between the Gralhund guards and the Zhentarim, Yalah hid in her master bedroom with her bodyguard Hrabbaz. She gave the Stone to her nimblewright, with orders and a map as to where to take it.[2]
Personality[]
Yalah believed that it was only a matter of time before she could ascend among the Lords. From that position, she believed that she would guarantee the prosperity of the Gralhunds for future generations. Yalah had a keen mind and could easily identify friends and foes.[1]
Relationship[]
Yalah knew her husband Orond adored her. She had the true loyalty of the bodyguard Hrabbaz. Yalah treated the Zhent master assassin Urstul Floxin and all the Zhentarim as her underlings.[1] She had befriended the rogue nimblewright.[6]
Appendix[]
Behind the Scenes[]
The choice of villain in the module determines Yalah Gralhund's motivations: if the villain was Jarlaxle, then she was a secret lover of the drow; if the villains were the Cassalanters, then Yalah was a secret worshiper of Asmodeus; if the villain was the Xanathar, then she had forged an alliance with the beholder; if the villain was Manshoon, then she renegotiated her deal with the Zhentarim and reported directly to Manshoon.[7]
Notes[]
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, but Christopher Perkins answered a question via Twitter and stated the year was 1492 DR. Corroborating this, Dragon Heist page 20 refers to events of Death Masks (set in 1491 DR) as being "last year". Unless a canon source contradicts this assertion, this wiki will use 1492 DR for events related to this sourcebook and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (which is referenced on pages 5 and 98 of Dragon Heist).
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 358. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 50. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.