Blackstaff Tower Timeline

Year of the Arch (1353 DR)

Chapter One: The Return of Demisante

• Ches 23rd: Fleetswake. In the middle of Fleestwake, Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun sends members of his household (Ahmadar, Ciro and Glim) to fetch his new apprentice Evendur from the House of Wonder. He is introduced to the other apprentices (Aelandelia and Dran Wands), shown his new quarters, given the tour and then has his interview with Khelben for the first time.
• Ches 26th: Fleetswake. Blackstaff Tower is visited by an unassuming wizard who names himself simply "Im" who is a friend of Khelben's.
  • As it turns out, he is Imrul Athelzedar: the Magister of Mystra. He bestows surreptitious gifts of spell scrolls on the apprentices before he and Khelben retire to catch up.
  • In a few hours, Khelben emerges, announcing that he has to leave with Im for a tenday or so. They depart as evening falls.
• Tarsakh 2nd: Waukeentide. As Ciro attends his mother Andedda Melshimber on her first shopping excursion of the year, Dran finds him to reveal that Aelandelia has been arrested by the Watch for thievery.
  • They fetch the others at the tower, which begins an investigation that reveals the person who actually committed the thievery was none other than the half-elf mage-thief Demisante.
  • In searching for her at the Warm Beds Inn and Sleeping Snake, they run afoul of some hired toughs: a halfling named Jamis, a wastrel duelist and a pair of short-sword-wielding sailors, who are all beaten handily.
  • They track her to the Yawning Portal, only to discover she is just now being dropped down the well. The group is forced to follow her into Undermountain.
  • Though their travails end up in injury for nearly everyone and the actual death of Glim, they find Demisante...in the company of a dwarf named Ahkhalan who is Ahmadar's twin brother! Ahkhalan is a slaver, and his small group is being hosted by some drow in a temple to some god named Selvetarm, depicted as male and sword-wielding. He clearly expects the drow to protect him, but their leader, a priestess named Essra is infuriated that one of his have led outsiders to their temple, and so contemptuously raises the dead halfling, and rescinds the protection of her temple to the slaver and his cohorts.
  • Ahkhalan promises to kill Demisante for her actions, and she switches sides. The apprentices are aided by a half-elven ranger who has been hunting Ahkhalan. The slaver ends up fleeing the scene using a strange horned ring, and they are permitted by the drow to depart. Demisante leads them back out of Undermountain.

Chapter 2: An Absent Master

• Tarsakh 3rd-14th: The students wait for more word from Khelben, which is short in coming. Evendur receives an invitation to dinner from his family, and on the 10th, the nobles celebrate Spheres in style.
• Tarsakh 15th: A family dinner thrown by House Husteem in which the apprentices were invited.
• Tarsakh 16th: Durnan invites Ahmadar around for a chat, handing him Demisante's belongings.
  • That evening, Glim meets with her old gang leader, "Uncle" Artanial.
• Tarsakh 18th: Dran receives word from the Magister via sending - the apprentices are needed in Silverymoon. Something dreadful has happened, and the Magister, Khelben and Lady Alustriel are tending to what is needed, and they need someone they can trust to do the research at the Vault of Sages.
  • As the apprentices set foot outside the tower, bound for the Magister's Refuge in Mt. Waterdeep, they are attacked by a mind flayer!