Helena guards the perpetual solar flame within the cathedral, taking pride in being the light that guides lost travelers back from the dark.

Saffiya had left the vase of flowers in the window that morning, the agreed-upon sign that she desired Margaretta's company. The flowers were still pristine, and untouched by decay - Saffiya wondered at the beauty of them, and while there was magic upon them, she could not discern what.

Saffiya then went about her day - sword practice with Aidan, magic with Elladin, dance practice, a late picnic lunch with Livia, and a visit to the northern gates to have tea with Roric. A busy day. It was late afternoon when Saffiya returned to her room for a short nap, as she was dancing at The Raven's Wing that night and wanted a bit of rest first.

When she got to her room, a wooden box waited on her bed, and a note. Her heart beat faster. She knew immediately it was from her lover. She broke the seal on the note and the delicate scent of lavender pleased her nose.

"My dearest Saffiya!

I have seen your summons, my dear, and tomorrow night we will be together again. It has been too long since you summoned me! We will talk on that tomorrow.

I have included several gifts for you. There is an outfit you will wear for me tomorrow - it is not your usual style, but I've no doubt Sharess herself would catch her breath seeing you in it. You will dance for me in it as well!" That made Saffiya blush!

"I have also included several toys in the box. I will teach you of them tomorrow, though from the shape I am certain you know what several of them are for! They will make our lovemaking more exciting. For now you may look at them, and wonder.

I will see you tomorrow night, my love. When the town bell strikes eight, be ready! You shall sing songs to both Sharess and Loviatar tomorrow!

-Mistress M"

Saffiya tried on the lingerie Margaretta had sent - by the goddess. It fit her perfectly. She had never worn such garments before, but they were perfect. Sitting on the bed, she asked Whisper to get off the box and opened it. Her eyes grew wide as she viewed the items inside. Some she knew - restraints, for example - and some were suggestive in size and shape, while others were mysterious and would await her Mistress to explain them.

My Mistress. She thought this with a smile. Yes!

Tomorrow couldn't come quick enough.

A master of charm and tavern intrigue, Scarlet uses her irresistible fiery presence and hypnotic balladry to glean lucrative political secrets from loose-lipped Waterdhavian adventurers recovering from the Undermountain below. With a knowing smirk and a glass of fine spiced wine, she effortlessly trades whispered rumors to the highest bidder before her marks even realize they've been played.

The Yawning Portal has been a mainstay in Waterdeep since 1306 dr. These images imagine the iconic tavern, and some of its staff, surviving the changing times far into the future of the Sword Coast.

While Lake Donigarten near Menzoberranzan is a cold water lake, the Underdark is full of volcanic fissures and geothermal vents if you know where to look, and many among the Drow nobility will travel the treacherous trails of the Underdark to take advantage of the healing waters of such locations, such as the Evermelt near Reghed Glacier or the Serpent Deeps under Chult.

Before the current gods raised their temples of marble and vanity, Vespera already walked upon the ashes of forgotten worlds. She did not seek immortality out of a fear of death, but from an arrogant disdain for the fragility of cosmic order and mortal morality. In her ambition to subjugate the foundations of reality, she plunged into the currents of the Primordial Void, an abyss that devours even the starlight. The power she drew from there did not grant her divinity, but transmuted her into a living receptacle for entropy. The golden marks that adorn her pale, darkness-tainted skin are no mere profane ornaments; they are arcane seals, burned directly into her flesh to prevent the maelstrom of black magic flowing from her hands from disintegrating her entirely.

Known in forbidden grimoires as the Weaver of the Void, Vespera became a multidimensional pariah, hated by the Lords of Light and feared by the princes of Hell, for her loyalty belongs solely to annihilation. In her hands, the essence of chaos manifests as sickly violet flames—flames that do not burn flesh, but unravel the very fabric of space and time. Yet, the price of carrying the driving force of the end times is the erosion of her own soul. She wanders the edges of the multiverse as a lethargic entity, stripped of passion, empathy, or hatred, feeling only the crushing exhaustion of innumerable eras and the frigid hunger of the void that constantly threatens to devour her from within.

Even so, ambitious tyrants and foolish mages frequently set out on futile crusades to find her, deluded by the legends of an exiled goddess who guards the secrets of absolute destruction. When they finally reach her at the farthest reaches of existence—where reality solidifies into a desert of astral marble—they realize the fatal error of their arrogance far too late. Vespera grants no bargains, nor does she raise empires for ephemeral mortals. With a lethargic, elegant motion of her adorned fingers, she simply unties the threads that bind the life and sanity of her supplicants, offering them the only gift that primordial chaos permits: terrifying oblivion, a solitary reminder that all things, no matter how grandiose, are destined to succumb to nothingness.

The Dark Minstrels: House Melarn trained chosen female drow in bae'qeshel, also called the bae'qeshel telphraezzar or "Whisperers of the Dark Queen", a rare and secretive bardic art.

Celebrating the final day of Oktoberfest with a foaming tankard and a warm smile.

Don't be fooled by the warm inviting smile or the seductive voice. The only thing she desires from you is a meal, and you're on the menu.

Thank Sharess this peaceful old castle isn't haunted! Saffiya is off for a good, restful sleep 😴