Luminaries of Twilight Vaeteru

Twilight Vaeteru is a sort of queer wonderland in the nightlife of Waterdeep. Though they are far from the only queer-folk in Waterdeep – indeed, they aren't even the only queer subculture in the City of Splendors – they are a tightly-knit one, full of folk who have no families to call their own or who find the glamourous vaeterann of the scene to be closer to their own sense of self than the people they grew up with.

"Twilight Vaeteru" is a term that refers to the glitzy spectacle of this queer subculture focused around taverns and festhalls and parties, which can be thought of as an "overlay" or something that dwells just beneath the surface of Waterdeep. But Waterdeep is not the only place Twilight Vaeteru is found: the subculture exists in Baldur's Gate, Silverymoon, and a handful of other large cities.

• The Saece Houses of Waterdeep are the faux-noble houses of those who practice saece-craft, the art of playing with appearance and gender roles, transforming themselves in transgressive and delightful ways.
• The Lingo of Vaeteru is a collection of the unique terminologies and slang terms used by those who identify as vaeterann.

The Lords & Ladies of the Saece Houses

House of Anjinn

• Founded by Anjinn of Calimshan, a saece who favored belly-dancing and veil-dancing aesthetics to their saece-craft.
• Attracted a number of genasi, and has evolved into something like an "elemental" House, with internal elemental alignments among its members.
• Based out of the top floor of a Sea Ward boarding house, which includes a rooftop garden turned into a green paradise where the Anjinns frequently hold gatherings and train.
• Aesthetics: Bare feet, belly-dancing garb, veils, fans, and firespinning

Khulena Anjinn Mother of the House of Anjinn An incredible dancer and earth genasi, Khulena leads her House with calm resolve and a classy style that even "real" nobles envy. Khulena can often be found holding court – folk come to her, not the other way around.

House of Eversteel

• Founded by a harnor member of the Guard who often taught her children fighting skills in addition to saece performance
• Mostly women, but has a few men who like to do "warrior princess" style saece.
• Those with fighting skills are often hired by events planners in Vaeteru as security.
• Based out of a luxurious villa in the Sea Ward.
• Aesthetic: Sleek peek-a-boo armor, helmets open enough to serve face through, decorative (but often still functional) weaponry

	Tyleennyl Eversteel Mother of the House of Eversteel "Mother Tylee" has been Mother of Eversteel for a half-century, and is well-known as a ferocious bladesinger.
	Irdin Eversteel Father of the House of Eversteel Rumors claim that Irdin is the bastard of one of the mercenary noble Houses in Waterdeep. She is a thruss who takes in and trains promising vaeterann youth, giving them a place to live and train in the Eversteel villa.

House of Gembright

• Founded by Her Magnificent Gembright, a gnomish saece fond of using illusions in her saece-craft.
• Populated mostly by gnomish, halfling, and dwarven saece
• Strong focus on metals-and-gems glamour of those races.
• Based out of a collection of connected basement apartments and cellar spaces in the Trade Ward.
• Aesthetics: JEWELS, JEWELS, JEWELS IN YOUR BEARD MAMA

Olani Gembright Mother of the House of Gembright Apprentice to Her Magnificent, Olani guides the House of Gembright now. She is quiet, reserved, and demanding of her children, insisting that they must each shine individually and together, as gems in a piece of jewelry.

House of Highdrum

• Founded by half-orc saece who reveled in merging orcish and human femininity into "the Highdrum aesthetic," an expression of bloodthirsty femininity
• Made up of mostly half-orcs, with a few humans and others from tribal society, including a pair of goblins.
• Frequently looked down on as "too savage for society" but also recognized as the finest drathee drummers.
• Connected rooms above a leatherworking shop owned by Ufthakh.
• Aesthetic: Savage (by which we mean fierce) warpaint, furs and leather, thick stompy boots and very dantha wristguards and bracers

	Ufthakh Highdrum Mother of the House of Highdrum The half-orc yaeth mother of the House who uses dance and drumming to work her children up into a frenzy. She is also a notorious barroom brawler and skilled leatherworker.
	Grogan Highdrum The Wild Partyboy An Uthgardt fellow who fled his home tribe, enchanted by the city, Grogan found a home in Waterdeep's wild vaeterann culture, and a family in the familiarly-tribal Highdrums.

House of Inidara

• One of the smallest Houses, a House founded by a tiefling and aasimar who were lovers and co-performers
• Strong heavens/hells themes, often combining the two sensuously
• Mostly composed of humans and other more common races, but does include a few tieflings and aasimar.
• Old South Ward warehouse remade into a set of communal living spaces for the use of the Inidaras.
• Aesthetic: WINGS, WINGS, WINGS GURL

	Imeldinna Inidara Mother of the House of Inidara A tiefling soft-trade worker, Imeldinna is haerann in both work and Vaeteru, sometimes appearing more masculine and other times emphasizing the feminine.
	Ourovan Inidara First Son of the House Imeldinna's favorte, Ourovan is yaeth and an aasimar. He is a poet whose work has begun to gain some renown in such circles, though he is dreadfully shy about performing it.

House of Marvandra

• Oldest of the Saece Houses, modeled on Waterdhavian nobility; the "old guard"
• Mostly humans, with some elves and half-elves among them
• High society saece, and an emphasis on subtle over vulgar
• Based out of a villa originally owned by the founder and now legally ceded over to whoever holds mothership over the House.
• Aesthetic: High collars, cloaks for days, understated but utterly fierce jewels, high heeled shoes, buckles everywhere

	Alatel Marvandra Mother of the House of Marvandra A half-elf loved and feared for her grace, style, and utterly devastating sharp tongue, everyone wants to be around Alatel when she is tearing someone to ribbons, but no one wants to be the target of it! Alatel claims to be independently wealthy, and is known to support her children financially.
	Zampaena Marvandra The First Daughter of the House A Sembian beauty who fled an ugly home life among those who did not approve of her transition to a woman, Zampaena is a languorous beauty whose love of Sembian-style dances and utterly flawless skin makes her Alatel's favorite and heir.

House of Olindar

• A House that strongly emulates Waterdhavian nobility, made up mostly of humans, elves, and half-elves.
• Rivals to the House of Marvandra, whom they spun off of fifteen years ago.
• Based out of apartments above a pearl-diver business. The various rooms share a central common room used as the Olindar salon. Visitors are rarely invited over; Olindars prefer to entertain in festhalls.
• Aesthetic: Masks, pearls, and miles of bejeweled diaphanous veils

Milalihn Olindar Mother of the House of Olindar A star performer at the Three Pearls Nightclub, Milalihn is a skilled illusionist who uses her Art to bolster her performances, both professional and vaeterann. She and Alatel Marvandra are bitterest rivals.

House of Redtress

• A House with a religious background
• Originally mostly Sune-focused, but now the house of "ecclesial saece"
• Aesthetic: Savage vestmenture, unhinged saece-nunnery, monastic realness

Lelreea Redtresses Mother of the House of Redtresses A minor temple functionary at the Temple of Beauty by day, Lelreea sheds her boy-guise at the temple and manifests as the divine mother of the Redtresses. Though she has no clerical powers per se, there are some who suggest she may very well be blessed by the goddess Sune. She is also the finest make-up artist in Vaeteru (and thus likely in all of Waterdeep).

House of Whitecloak

• The "House of High Art", with an arcane/wizardly focus
• Inspired by the original Archmage of Waterdeep, Aghairon (who was sometimes informally called "the Whitecloak")
• Has the largest number of actual magicians, but even those without a lick of talent for real magic still learn elaborate stage illusions to mimic it, while those with magic frequently use their spells to their Housemates' benefit
• Based out of the Castle Ward, in a small house there, although they are desperatelly attempting to secure the old Dragon Tower in the Sea Ward, to repair it and turn it into their domicile: a true tower of wizardry for the House of Whitecloak.
• Aesthetics: My Staff is Bigger Than Yours, cantrips-for-days, sexy robes, the twirlingest of cloaks.

	Endrue Whitecloak Mother of the House of Whitecloak A moon elf haerann gifted with the blessing that allows them to shift their bodies to match their gender, Endrue is the mother of the Whitecloaks. They are also a wizard of no small skill, a transmuter sellspell whose work often funds the training of younger Whitecloaks.
	Mafhendos Whitecloak Father of the House of Whitecloak It was a terrible scandal in House Wands when Mafhendos threw off the Wands name and took that of Whitecloak not simply in Vaeteru, but legally. His small magical talent wasn't enough to win him any focus among the Wands mentors, but his Art has blossomed with Endrue's teaching.

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Other Vaeterann Folk

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