1354 DR House Eltorchul

House Eltorchul

Personages

Patriarch: Thesp Eltorchul Consort: Arus Eltorchul Heir: Oth Eltorchul (secondborn son) Membership (Nobles): 22 Predominant Faith: Mystra

Faction Details

Common Descriptors: arcane, academic, plotting Primary Classes: Wizard, sorcerer, bard, cleric (of Mystra or Azuth) Alignments: LN, CG, LG, NG, CE

Faction Ranks

• Favored: Rank 1. You are a favored member of the House. If you are a scion of the House, you have pleased the patriarch sufficiently to gain his notice. If you are an agent or retainer of the House, your efforts to aid the House have gone well-noted. • Lynchpin: Rank 3. You are given a position of some responsibility in the House's operations. If you are a Husteem, the patriarch considers you one of the favored scions of the House, and consults with you on matters of House importance. If you are an agent or retainer, your contributions and skills in service of the House have won you a position of no small regard and respect in the patriarch's eyes - although that may earn you the jealousy of his blood kin who are less favored than you. • Matriarch/Patriarch: Rank 10. You are the acknowledged and legal head of the household.

Interests

Trade & Interests: mage schooling, magical research, procuring of rare substances and items Holdings: Waterdeep

History

Ethnicity: Tethyrian Founded: 1167 DR Previous Eras: 1354 DR

House Eltorchul Lineage

One of the noble Waterdhavian Houses known for their study of the arcane, the Eltorchul name is synonymous with careful, academic study of magic. Everyone in Waterdeep knows of the Eltorchul Academy, the House's school for wizardry and arcane lore. Though the Academy takes primarily noble apprentices, particularly promising young apprentices are sometimes accepted to "round out" a given year's enrollment. The Eltorchuls also have a recognized connection to Twilight Vaeteru through both patriarch and his younger brother, and in this way they have made their stance in Waterdhavian society in a way no previous generation of Eltorchuls has quite managed.

Faction

A House of wizards and arcane scholars, even those Eltorchuls who can't cast the first cantrip still frequently understand more about magic than many wizardly journeymen in the Realms do.

Overview

House Eltorchul is a distinctly arcane House - their history is shaped by its practice, their most notable members are now and always have been wizards, and they are one of the foremost supporters of the House of Wonder and the clergy of Mystra. Moreover, they are also highly organized in their studies: where other magical Houses maintain lines of apprenticeships and more stodgy modes of working magic, the Eltorchuls maintain a small but vibrant arcane Academy that is seeing more and more of Waterdeep's magically-capable nobility training there.

Goals and Philosophy

Lord Thesp inherited the Academy from his own father, and it is at the center of the House's efforts and incomes. Arcane research, the training of wizards, and the enabling of a magical economy are all of the foremost importance in the House and its Academy, and unlike with other wizards, Lord Thesp expects his wizards to share their findings. There is no room for eccentric, reclusive wizards in House Eltorchul - their mages contribute equally, each to the very best of their ability.

Activities

Even for those who do not work magic, Eltorchuls and their retainers are involved in magical pursuits. Quests undertaken by agents of House Eltorchul might include the following:

• Accompany a small expedition of students into the wilderness surrounding Waterdeep, keeping them safe while they identify and harvest magical resources from the wild.
• Investigate the sudden appearance of Eltorchul magics outside of the school and House to discover who is selling those secrets without permission of the Academy.
• Venture into an old Netherese ruin in the Dessarin Valley to recover the remnants of an arcane library there.

Perks

Scions and agents of House Eltorchul in good standing might receive the following benefits:

• Living Quarters: Rank 1+. Those in good standing with the House are given quarters within the House's Waterdhavian villa appropriate to their role in the House.
• Living Expenses/Salaries: Rank 1+. Those in good standing with the House also receive a stipend of 1gp plus 5sp per day per point of Rank. This is not actual cash, but simply familial credit towards payment of Lifestyle costs. This stacks with the same kind of familial credit received from the Waterdhavian Noble Background (see Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide).
• Academy Student (Title): Rank 1+. Any member of the House in good standing can receive education free of charge at the Academy proper. The fostering of magical talent is of the utmost importance in House Eltorchul, and this includes not just family but also retainers. This includes access to the Academy's lore library for research, its spell library, and its scriptorum as well.
  • Lore Library: The lore library of the Academy is rated Good in Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion.
  • Spell Library: The spell library of the Academy is not only rated Good for both formula and schema research, but it also contains all spells from the Players' Handbook of up to 4th level, any of which may be copied by students at no cost other than what it takes to scribe the spell into a spellbook.
  • Scriptorum: The Academy subsidizes the cost of magical inks and experimentation with new spells, halving the cost to scribe new spells into a student's spellbook. If the spell is one which has already had its cost reduced by half, the student pays one-quarter instead.
• Business Opportunities: Rank 3+. Lynchpins to House Eltorchul's operations receive access to a variety of business opportunities within the House's money-making endeavors. This is handled as "Running a Business" in downtime months. This does not incur a business expense, but if the character rolls results that end in a loss of money, he can and will find access to his House funds reduced until the loss has been made up for.
• Heir or Consort (Title): Rank 3+. The holder of one of the legal titles Heir of House and Consort of House, as recorded with the city of Waterdeep, is entitled to an additional 2gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" entry above. The heir is also accorded certain privileges within the legal system of Waterdeep, including the ability to speak on behalf of his House in some legal proceedings and the like.
• Senior Student or Junior Instructor (Title): Rank 3+. A House member or retainer of this rank is likely to be given a mid-level leadership position in the faculty of the Academy, so long as their magical skill is up to snuff (they are able to cast 2nd level spells or better). Such instructors test would-be pupils for ability and assist other instructors in their lessons. This comes with a stipend of an additional 1gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" above, and access to the Academy's schema library and magical workshops.
  • Faculty Spell Library: The spell library open to senior students and faculty contains all the spells in the Players Handbook of up to 8th level.
  • Schema Library: The faculty library also has the schema for any magic item of Common, Uncommon, or Rare rarity from the Dungeon Master's Guide.
  • Magical Workshops: The magical workshops of the Eltorchul Academy, which are open to senior students and faculty only, allow magical craftsmen to create 75gp worth of work on a magical item per day of labor, rather than the typical 50gp.
• Instructor (Title): Rank 5+. A House member or retainer of this rank, and the ability to cast 3rd level spells or better is likely to be made one of the proper instructors of the Academy, given a roster of classes in line with their specializations and the needs of the Academy's students. This comes with a stipend of an additional 2gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" above.
• Senior Instructor (Title): Rank 7+. One of the few Instructors of this rank, Senior Instructors run the school's curriculum and day-to-day affairs, reporting directly (and only) to the Dean of the Academy. This comes with a stipend of an additional 4gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" above.
• Dean of the Academy (Title): Rank 9+. Though this position has traditionally been held by the House patriarch since the Academy's founding, it could potentially be held by someone else. The Dean is responsible for all major decisions concerning the Academy, and for ensuring House Eltorchul's prosperity via the institution remains on track. If held by someone other than the patriarch, it comes with a stipend of an additional 5gp per day in familial credit, per the "Living Expenses/Salaries" above.
• Wealth of the House: Rank 10. The patriarch of the House is in total control of the House's finances and various holdings, established by the laws of Waterdeep.

History

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Members of the Family

Main Branch

	Nonna Eltorchul Patriarch's Mother (Rank 7) • 73 years The wife of the previous Lord of the House, Rory Eltorchul, Nonna has retired from her role as a Senior Instructor at the Academy. She spends many of her days at the House of Wonder, visiting her daughter and granddaughter there, and praying to the Lady of Mysteries. Nonna is content to largely withdraw from the official leadership of the House, happy to oversee family gatherings and celebrations, as well as testing the House's young children for magical talent.
	Thesp Eltorchul Patriarch (Rank 10) • 55 years The wizard patriarch of the Eltorchul family and master of the Eltorchul Academy, Thesp is an extremely well-known wizard. He maintains a number of allies of somewhat unsavory character, including Maaril and Meleghost Starseer, the high priest of the Temple of Mystra.
	Arus Eltorchul Consort (Rank 9) • 39 years Thesp's beloved is a fine mage himself, and a teacher at the Academy. He started as an apprentice of Thesp (he was sixteen at the time), and within several years the two became lovers. It was Arus who encouraged Thesp to have children, and while Thesp is often very involved in the myriad politics and academics of his work, Arus is an excellent and loving father.
	Elemia Eltorchul Firstborn daughter (Rank 4) • 22 years Elemia is a young wizard of some skill who felt the call to join Mystra's priesthood. She is a favorite novice of her "Uncle" Meleghost, only too willing to take advantage of the familial connection with her superior.
	Oth Eltorchul Heir, secondborn son (Rank 5) • 20 years A slightly chubby young man, Oth is enrolled at the Eltorchul Academy, and seems well-suited to the work of wizardry.
	Fea Eltorchul Thirdborn daughter (Rank 1) • 17 years A bright young wizard herself, Fea has immensely enjoyed her Coming Out events, and has ridden the magical opulence of the events to a place of genuine popularity in the younger Waterdhavian set.
	Errya Eltorchul Fourthborn daughter (Rank 0) • 14 years A young woman already well-tutored in minor arcane lore and having mastered a few small cantrips, Errya shows just the sort of potential that Waterdeep has come to expect of House Eltorchul's scions: clever, aloof, and with magical talent to spare.
	Reena Eltorchul Patriarch's sister (Rank 5) • 53 years "Aunt Reena" to most of the youngest generation of Eltorchuls, Reena is a senior priestess at the House of Wonder, and the First Alchemist of the temple's operations as well. She is a stern taskmistress and expects a great deal of those with the temerity to be born with the talent for magic she was denied by birth.
	Helidar Eltorchul Patriarch's brother (Rank 8) • 52 years Like his older brother, Helidar is liyan, and happily wed to his consort, Tyanda. Also like his brother, Helidar is a wizard, and teaches magic at the Eltorchul Academy. Unlike his brother, however, Helidar enjoys nights out in Twilight Vaeteru, where he originally met Tyanda.
	Tyanda Eltorchul Helidar's consort (Rank 6) • 48 years Another instructor at the familial Academy, Tyanda is a skilled saece artisan as well, of the degree of skill that marks her as tazessar. She prefers to go about in public in saece, as well - not out of any desire to deceive, but because she considers her male identity as Modis to be personal and for family alone.
	Ser Eltorchul Helidar & Tyanda's firstborn son (Rank 2) • 20 years Though Ser is undoubtedly the perfect son, he has never been the perfect brother. He is always withdrawn from his siblings, spending a great deal of time away from home, practicing his weaponry. His siblings believe he must be up to something else as well.
	Arveene Eltorchul Helidar & Tyanda's secondborn daughter (Rank 1) • 20 years Known for chasing married men, Arveene's bright blue eyes give her an innocent quality that so many of her paramours seem to be drawn to. Arveene is not herself a magician, although not for lack of talent - she simply has no interest in the endless studying needful.
	Morn Eltorchul Helidar & Tyanda's thirdborn son (Rank 1) • 20 years Quietest of the siblings, but a talented singer, Morn's own magical talents lean more towards bardic arts than wizardly ones. He is most content either in the gardens of his family estate, practicing his music, or in one of the salons of Twilight Vaeteru (he has never taken a lover of either gender, but simply seems to prefer the glamour of Vaeteru).
	Jhessail Eltorchul Helidar & Tyanda's fourthborn daughter (Rank 2) • 20 years This young woman's skill with magic certainly has potential, and she is generally agreed to be in line to be an instructor at the Academy some day. She and the youngest, Ran, are close, though that did not prevent her from absconding with his paramour Tarrak Zulpair in recent days, causing something of a rift between them.
	Ran Eltorchul Helidar & Tyanda's fifthborn son (Rank 1) • 20 years Considered the youngest of the siblings, Ran is an apprentice at the Academy, an enthusiastic pankrator at the Pankratium Triumphant, and a frequent attendee to Twilight Vaeteru. Though he once fostered ambitions to saececraft like his mother, he abandoned them shortly after his Presentation.

Pertus's Branches

Where the Main Branch is undoubtedly in charge of the Academy, Pertus's branch - who are largely non-magicians - nonetheless oversee the House's shipping and mercantile efforts, fattening the House's coffers with their buying and selling of magical and alchemical goods.

	Pertus Eltorchul Patriarch's Cousin (Rank 6) • 74 years Aged and revered by Lord Thesp in a way even old Lord Rory Eltorchul (Thesp, Reena, and Helidar's father) never was, Pertus' wits have only just begun to fail him. Though not a wizard himself, Pertus's wife, Efari, was a wizardess of some small talent, and Pertus has never been wrong in his hunches about which child of the House will or will not inherit the gift. Though he once oversaw the mercantile operations for House Eltorchul, he retired ten years ago to let his own son and daughter run such things.
150px	Vigor Eltorchul Pertus's firstborn son (Rank 8) • 55 years A widower of almost twenty years, Vigor has begun to no longer live up to his name. While he may spend most days with a hacking cough (and winters away from Waterdeep's brutal cold season), his eye for numbers is canny still. He has a fondness for sweetly plump soft traders with red hair, though he is not a man given to frequent indulgences.
150px	Verona Eltorchul Pertus's secondborn daughter (Rank 7) • 51 years The "merry maid of Elorchul" of the days of her youth, Verona has grown into the "merry auntie of Eltorchul" with the turning of the seasons. Verona's part in the Eltorchul business is vital: she makes the deals with merchant caravans, and oversees the auctions of Eltorchul magical goods to those who buy from them. She has a staggering network of contacts among merchants and the Guilds, as well as important members of the Watch. Though not a full wizard, Verona's magical gift was just sufficient to allow her to have mastered a few small cantrips.
150px	Shaelah Eltorchul Vigor & Asha's firstborn daughter (Rank 4) • 34 years Shaelah is Vigor and Asha's sole child, a fiery young woman well equipped with cunning and a talent for intrigue. She does very little for the Eltorchul business, though she assists both her father and her aunt, and is likely to take over for them should the need arise. Mostly, though, she is a socialite, with her finger on the pulse of Waterdhavian trends and the Game.
150px	Caelin Eltorchul Shaelah's consort (Rank 4) • 36 years A junior instructor at the Academy, Caelin is a wizard of some minor skill, and an alchemist of significant talent. Caelin met Shaelah when he was apprenticed to Aunt Reena at the House of Wonder, and the young wizard (who has never mastered greater than 2nd level spells) fell in love with the young Eltorchul lass. Fortunately, Shaelah reciprocated his feelings, and the two were wed, with Caelin taking the Eltorchul name.
	Rinorr Eltorchul Shaelah & Caelin's firstborn son (Rank 2) • 19 years Shaelah and Caelin's pride, Rinorr is one of the few extended family with magical talent, a fact that sets him in good stead with the House as a whole. A brilliant student (even if the rest of the family finds his fascination with corvids a bit...de classé) who is also the best of friends with Elemia (and part of the Crownstaves clique right along with her).
150px	Moniské Eltorchul Shaelah & Caelin's secondborn daughter (Rank 0) • 15 years Rinorr's little sister is closing in on her Coming Out. To her, though, the approach of her sixteenth birthday is also the closing out of her opportunity to discover magical aptitude. The idea of her older brother being the only one to inherit their father's gift for magic is galling in the extreme, and despite her intense studies, she has not even managed a simple cantrip yet.
150px	Qoranna Eltorchul Shaelah & Caelin's thirdborn daughter (Rank 0) • 12 years A sweet young girl frequently tormented by a frustrated Moniské, Qoranna is well-liked by her peers at Mother Tamra's House of Graces. Her grand-aunt believes the young lady's temperament will suit her well as a one-day replacement, so Verona has seen that Qoranna has been trained in social graces by the very best.

Retainers

Lyrianna Academy Instructor & Mother (Rank 6) • 49 years A mage of some skill herself, Lyrianna is the mother of the Eltorchul children. She has apartments in the Eltorchul villa, and access to the family resources; she is also an instructor at the academy there. Though she has borne the children, neither she nor they really consider them "hers" per se - Thesp and Arus have raised them all. At best, she is regarded like an aunt, to some degree, which seems to suit everyone best.

Rumors About House Eltorchul

According to rumor...

• ...Nonna Eltorchul still secretly teaches rare and forbidden magics to those students of the Academy that seem to have the predeliction for it - and whose will can be bound to that of House Eltorchul.
• ...Thesp Eltorchul is the master of a shadowy cabal of wicked mages who secretly oppose the Blackstaff and the Watchful Order. Their exact aims vary from telling to telling.
  • It is also said that Thesp takes certain advantage over his attractive young male apprentices.
• ...Arus Eltorchul was the last of Thesp's young, attractive male apprentices. The old man used to be notorious for the unwelcome advances he levied on his apprentices, but Arus managed to capture and seize his interest. Though, some say that he has only kept his favor - and become consort - because he continues to provide Thesp's interests in young, clever lads.
• ...Elemia Eltorchul is furious over losing heirship over the House, and takes this fury out on her younger brother Oth.
  • It is also said that Meleghost Starseer is grooming her as his eventual replacement as Temple Magister of the House of Wonder.
• ...Oth Eltorchul is but a pawn in his older sister Elemia's plots. Indeed, some claim that since she cannot be heir, she has worked some kind of magical domination over the younger Eltorchul lad.
• ...Fea Eltorchul seems to skirt quite close to one scandal after another. Indeed, they say she seems to take great delight in orchestrating scandals and then masterfully extricating herself from them when they collapse, leaving others injured and shamed in her wake.
• ...Errya Eltorchul is already showing signs of being a scheming, manipulative snake, having created trouble for younger students at the Eltorchul Academy when they outshined her.
• ...Reena Eltorchul is said to provide many alchemical drugs to the vision-seeking members of Mystra's priesthood...and to those nobles with the coin to pay for her creations.
• ...Helidar Eltorchul is said to be terribly jealous of his brother, never having achieved the same heights of magic as Thesp. There are also whispers that the first victim of Thesp's wicked lusts were his own younger brother, when the two were adolescents. Others suggest that the praed brothers are yet lovers to this day.
• ...Tyanda Eltorchul uses her magic to compensate for a disfigurement of some kind. They say that her insistence in going about in saece rather than male garb is a magical sacrifice she renders up to whatever demon grants her those magics.
• ...Helidar & Tyanda's "five magical babes" were not conceived by magic, but by infernal pacts!
• ...Ser Eltorchul has good cause to learn his skill at arms - he is his Uncle Thesp's preferred assassin and duelist, blooding his spell-blade to the benefit of House Eltorchul.
• ...Arveene Eltorchul pretends that she has no interest in magic, but the truth is she has no talent for it whatsoever, and hides this shame.
• ...Morn Eltorchul is secretly a Harper, and has learned much of his fighting prowess from a secret mentor in that spy organization.
• ...Jhessail Eltorchul is secretly a mother! She got a child in a dalliance with another student at the Academy, and works to hide and provide for the child.
• ...Ran Eltorchul's failed saececraft was a cruel punishment inflicted by his mother Tyanda. She was wroth with him for some reason and forced him to show himself in that hideous parody of saece to punish him.
• ...Pertus Eltorchul has long since lost his wits, but House Eltorchul is not willing to admit that such a thing could fell one of their own. He is kept aware and cognizant through a debilitating regimen of potions and clerical magics.
• ...Vigor Eltorchul - long denied the magics the Eltorchuls seem to think are their heritage - spends his nights in the boudoirs of expensive arcanatrices, being enspelled over and over to heights of pleasure in order to forget his own lack of Art.
• ...Verona Eltorchul took many important magician lovers in her youth, including the Blackstaff himself. She still capitalizes on those old contacts (and her skill in bed) managing the business for the House.
• ...Shaelah Eltorchul has achieved her place in the Game through the judicious application of her family's magical talents: they do not themselves have time or inclination to play the games of society, so she is their designated representative in such things, and benefits greatly for their sorcery while she does so.
• ...Caelin Eltorchul is, in truth, the long-time lover of Reena Eltorchul, but he was married off to Shaelah in order to keep him in the family and readily accessible for Reena's plots.
• ...Rinorr Eltorchul is obsessed with corvids, and with good reason: he himself has been infected with a lycanthropy associated with ravens! His condition is (barely) kept in check by his family's magics.
• ...Moniské Eltorchul will probably be married off as soon as she is old enough to be. The Eltorchuls are not fond of non-magical cousins taking up space and resources from the House's wizardly blood.
• ...Qoranna Eltorchul is not truly the child of Saelah and Caelin, but is Caelin's daughter by Reena! Her potential for magic has been apparent since she was quite young, and Thesp has plotted to see that she has a place in the House, bastard or no.
• ...Lyrianna is so rarely seen because her wits are thoroughly addled by Thesp's sorcery. Why else would a wizard of her talent consent to basically be a brood mare?