Laeral Silverhand

Lady Laeral Silverhand

Laeral Silverhand is the one of the famed Seven Sisters, a Chosen of Mystra, and the current Open Lord of Waterdeep. A powerful magic-user and a major political player in Faerun, Laeral is arguably the most powerful mortal in the North.
Laeral is one of the Seven Sisters, a family of seven supposedly immortal spellcasters, all of whom are daughters of Mystra through the human ranger Dornal Silverhand and his wife Elué Silverhand. In addition, she is a Chosen of Mystra, granting her even greater magical prowess and other abilities, the natures of which she does not often disclose.
Apart from attending to her duties as Open Lord, Laeral desires the addition of Cormyr, Amn, Westgate, and Luskan to the Lords' Alliance. She has also made efforts to remove Zhentarim influence from the Sword Coast and the North, viewing the Black Network as an unnecessary evil for the moment.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

After their mother died, Laeral and her sisters Dove and Storm were placed into the care of Elminster of Shadowdale until they came of age. When her sisters left the Old Sage, Laeral elected to stay with him as his apprentice. When she had finished her studies, she left to join the Harpers.
Laeral left the Harpers early and, in 806 DR, at age 41, she was a self-styled queen, ruling the realm of Stornanter from Port Llast. Many later sages believed that Laeral had named herself after this queen, not realizing that it was actually her. It was at this time that Laeral also attempted to rebuild and resettle the ruins of Illusk. Before she did so, she explored the Host Tower of the Arcane, where she encountered several liches who were members of the Grand Cabal, rulers over Illusk from centuries before. She sealed the liches inside the tower with magic before continuing with her other works.
Barely ten years into her reign, Laeral's court mage, Malek Aldhanek, with whom she had worked very closely, was apparently assassinated in a plot involving other nobles. Realizing too late that she was in love with Malek, Laeral quit her court and spent twenty five years wandering Stornanter. During this period of wandering, Laeral came into conflict with the great kraken Slarkrethel and although the great kraken was driven off, he managed to steal Laeral's magical throne, which she had crafted with Malek.
Her activities attracted the attention of her sister Syluné, who desired to rule over the same region, and the two were drawn (some say manipulated) into spell-battle in the Year of the Hunted Elk, 841 DR. Having grown up separately, neither recognized the other so, before they destroyed each other, Mystra felt obliged to manifest herself before the two sisters and explain their heritage, offering them both the mantle of Chosen. They accepted and journeyed together for a time.
Under an assumed name, Laeral eventually established herself as a hard-drinking and fearless adventurer, coming to lead an adventuring band known as the Nine. In the Year of the Wandering Maiden, 1337 DR, Laeral and the Nine discovered the ancient Netherese artifact known as the Crown of Horns in Yûlash. The Crown was actually planted for her to find by the Netherese lich Aumvor the Undying, who wished to use the Crown to influence her to marry him. The plot failed when Laeral donned the headpiece and the Crown's powers conflicted with Laeral's spellfire and drove her into madness.
Twenty years later, in 1357 DR, Khelben Arunsun travelled to the Stronghold of the Nine in the High Forest, where he freed Laerel from the Crown of Horns, the malign intelligence contained within and her madness. Laeral returned with him to Waterdeep for more healing, and after that, they were inseparable. She was referred to as Lady Arunsun, though they were never married. The mysterious circumstances surrounding Laeral and Khelben's meeting and subsequent partnership led some to believe that Laeral was enslaved to Khelben against her will. Laeral never denied this, instead preferring to let those who wished Khelben harm seek her out as an ally against him. In the the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, Laeral became pregnant with her son Krehlan Arunsun, the future Blackstaff, whom she conceived with Khelben shortly before his death.
FOr the following century, she and her sister Alustriel hid among the monks of Candlekeep to prepare the destruction of its wards, so that no one could use them to gain control over the Weave. In the Year of the Rune Lords Triumphant, at the close of the Second Sundering, the lich Larloch foiled their plans and absorbed the wards. Shortly thereafter, Laeral, Alustriel, Elminster, and the Srinshee prevented Larloch's ascension to godhood. Laeral remained a Chosen of the restored Mystra.
After the fall of Myth Drannor, stability was once again needed in the northern Sword Coast, and it's said Mystra tasked Laeral with maintaining it by becoming Open Lord of Waterdeep. Following Mystra's request or otherwise, Laeral returned to Waterdeep, and swiftly managed to gain the support of the Masked Lords of the city, supplanting Dagult Neverember as Open Lord.

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Laeral SIlverhand is the current Open Lord of Waterdeep and Leader of the Lords' Alliance. She has also been known as the Lady Mage of Waterdeep.

Currently Held Titles

• Open Lord of Waterdeep

Year of Birth

765 DR 725 Years old

Circumstances of Birth

Born of a human possessed by Mystra

Current Residence

Waterdeep

Gender

Female

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Silver

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Aligned Organization

Lords of Waterdeep

Other Affiliations

• Lords' Alliance
• Seven Sisters

Ruled Locations

• Waterdeep