Силунэ

Female spectral harpist; one of the Seven Sisters and the Chosen of Mystra (Formerly human female 22nd-level mage and 2nd-level fighter) ARMOR CLASS: 4 MOVE: 12, FL 14 (A) HIT POINTS: 77 THAC0: 11 NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 ALIGNMENT: Neutral good STR 13, DEX 17, CON 25 (18), INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 15

Spells (5/5/5/5/5/5/4/4/3): As one of the Chosen of Mystra, Syluné knows and is potentially capable of casting virtually any spell (she is exempt from the rule that mages of 18 Intelligence can know only 18 spells per spell level). In her present condition as a noncorporeal being, some spells that require the manipulation of material components are unavailable to her; but she is working on modifying all such spells so that the versions she casts require only a verbal component. A typical list of spells for her (including some that she has already modified) might include: 1st— charm person, comprehend languages, detect magic, hold portal, protection from evil; 2nd— detect evil, forget, knock, know alignment, locate object; 3rd— blink, delude, fly, phantom steed, spectral force; 4th— dimension door, emotion, enervation, hallucinatory terrain, remove curse; 5th— contact other plane, domination, hold monster, telekinesis, teleport; 6th— antimagic shell, conjure animals, globe of invulnerability, guards and wards, veil; 7th— limited wish, power word stun, shadow walk, vanish; 8th— maze, prismatic wall, screen, sink; 9th— meteor swarm, prismatic sphere, weird. (See also “Bonus Spells” below.)

Weapons of Proficiency: quarterstaff; dagger; dart; 1 open.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: agriculture; brewing; cooking; dancing; fire-building; healing; herbalism; pottery; reading/ writing; religion (worship of Mystra); seamstress; spellcraft; weather sense; weaving; 1 open. Equipment: During her life, Syluné had access to most normal items of equipment. Further, once she settled down in Shadowdale she became known for her potions, philters, balms, and herbal remedies (both magical and mundane). In her current state, Syluné has little use for equipment of any kind.

Magical Items: During her lifetime, Syluné had access to many magical items, especially those of her own concoction. She is also known to have possessed a staff of the magi. It is almost certain that she possessed other magical items of significant power. In her present state, Syluné has no interest in items of magical power.

Combat/Tactics: When she was alive, Sylune preferred spells over physical combat. Perhaps the wisest and most cunning of all the Seven Sisters, Sylune often outthought her foes as much as she outfought them.

In her current form as a spectral harpist, Sylune tries to avoid combat altogether. When she is forced, though, she can use her spells and her chill touch to good effect. She avoids using her deathsong if it’s at all possible.

Allies/Companions: Her sisters (STORM in particular remains close to her undead sister to this day); the Harpers.

Foes/Enemies: Those who cruelly meddle in the lives of simple folk; the Zhentarim are the worst examples of such behavior. Also, Sylune has always felt that mages were responsible in every sense for the magic they cast, and those who shirked those responsibilities infuriated her.

Appearance: While she lived, Sylune was the shortest of the Seven Sisters at 5’9”. She tended to dress simply, as befitted her lifestyle. Her long, silver hair was usually constrained by a few loose hairbands (which were reputed to be magical). In her present condition as a spectral harpist, Sylune can be invisible (detectable as a disembodied voice), a translucent female form, or a ghostly gray woman of incredible beauty.

Personality: Kindly, polite, quiet, and wise, Sylune was the most misunderstood of the Seven Sisters. Some people feared her during her life, referring to her as the “Witch of Shadowdale,” but not those who lived in that place. To them she was a dispenser of herbs, medicines, and advice. She was/is perhaps the shrewdest of all the Seven Sisters, and now that she is not able to go wherever she wishes, she misses not knowing all that is happening across the Realms. Still the wise councilor, advice-giver, and wine-maker, “the Ghost Queen” (as she is becoming known) is bothered by the fact that she can retain no new memories, often being forced to ask repeatedly about subjects or people of interest to her. Locales Frequented: Storm’s farm in Shadowdale. Sylune's movements are currently limited to a 90-foot radius from the farm, 90 feet from any Chosen of Mystra, or 90 feet from any piece of foundation stone from her residence.

History: For general information on how six of the Seven Sisters came to be, see page 136. The text that follows here recounts what happened to Sylune after the death of Elue. After she had spent her early childhood years with Thamator (see Alustriel’s entry), another Harper named Hauliyr noted Sylune’s talent for magic, and she went off to study with him. Many years later, she came into conflict with her sibling, Laeral. Mystra appeared, however, and staved off a battle that could have resulted in the deaths of two of her Chosen. Sylune wandered the Realms for centuries, learning all she could of magic wherever she journeyed. She spent time in Thay, Rashemen, and even Kara-Tur.

During her travels, Sylune came into possession of the scepter of Savras. That item contained the essence of Savras the All-Seeing, a god that had been defeated by Azuth long ago. Savras, presumably trying to entice Sylune to help him break free of his imprisonment, granted her the permanent ability to take the shape (and use the powers and abilities) of an adult silver dragon whenever she desired.

Sylune did not free Savras from the scepter; instead, she willingly surrendered the item to Azuth upon his request. In return, Azuth periodically watched over Sylune, and since her death, does so constantly. Any concerted effort to destroy her current form (besides angering Elminster, Storm, and the rest of the Seven Sisters) is likely to be greeted by a glowing hand of Azuth that hurls lightning bolts at the transgressors. Several decades ago, Sylune settled down in Shadowdale and became the wife of Aumry, the lord of the dale at that time. She stayed on after his death, because she had become attached to the folk of the area—and because, as she and her townsfolk eventually discovered, the new lord was actually a Zhentarim agent. She worked behind the scenes to keep Shadowdale intact during these trying times. When the evil lord was killed a few years later, Sylune served as the unofficial leader of the dale for three years, during which time the forces of Zhentil Keep were driven out of the area.

It was during the infamous Flight of the Dragons, about one year before the Time of Troubles, that Sylune gave her life defending her home. She broke her staff of the magi in a retributive strike to kill a red dragon that was killing her. The strike destroyed her physical body (as well as the hut where she lived and all her possessions at that site), but she retains a vestige of life as one of the undead entities known as spectral harpists. Since her death, she has remained near the farm that her sister Storm now occupies, watching over those areas she can still reach. She assisted Elminster and the Harpers in defending the Realms against the incursions of the Shadowmasters during the Time of Troubles.

Motivations/Goals: Today, Sylune keeps an ever-vigilant watch over the farm and its surroundings. She spends a lot of time working to convert her spells to verbal-only incantations, using aspects of dragon magic and experimentation.

Campaign Uses: Sylune is still available as a magical tutor, and few aspiring mages could ask for a mentor with a more unique perspective. The Harpers consider Sylune to be a kind teacher and guardian.

Sylune also would act to protect Shadowdale as much as her form allows her.

Sources: The Seven Sisters, The Code of the Harpers, Shadows of Doom, Cloak of Shadows, All Shadows Fled. Unique Abilities/Items

Spell Immunity: Sylune is immune to charm person, web, hold person, wall of fire, feeblemind, disintegrate, power word stun, power word blind, and power word kill.

Bonus Spells: In addition to her normal repertoire, Sylune can cast mending, ESP, dispel magic, charm monster, major creation, reincarnation, spell turning, polymorph any object, and time stop each once per day without having to memorize them or use any of their components.

Several pieces of stone from Sylune’s hut have been moved to various locales across the Realms, thus allowing her to travel (via a special variant of the teleport spell that is attuned to the stones) to strategic areas such as Mourngrym’s bedchamber in the Tower of Ashaba in Shadowdale; an antechamber in King Azoun’s bedchamber in the palace in Suzail; Vangerdahast’s study in the same palace; the kitchen of Elminster’s Tower in Shadowdale; an inner chamber in the Harper headquarters at Twilight Hall in Berdusk; little-used rooms in both the old and new Vault of the Sages in the city of Silverymoon; and certain other, undisclosed locations in Waterdeep (possibly within Blackstaff Tower) and in Everlund.

Harpers also have been known to take a small stone with them on missions, allowing the spectral harpist that is Sylune to accompany them. Elminster has cast a contingency on Sylune that whisks her back to him or to Storm if the stone is parted from the Harper, the Harper is slain, or the stone is shattered. (If a wounded or dying Harper is conscious, Sylune would tell him to shatter the stone and thus allow her to summon aid.) Further, Elminster has created human female bodies (either through the use of clone or simulacrum spells) with small stones embedded within them, allowing Sylune to travel and interact with other living beings almost normally.

Sylune can read or trace explosive runes, glyphs, and symbols without triggering them (likely due to her undead status). She can discern the exact powers or most and warn others of their properties. She has a 29% chance to detect cursed items or magical traps by their “feel” without triggering any effects. A brief summary of the statistics for a spectral harpist is: Spectral harpist: AC 4; MV 12, Fl 14 (A); hp 9+9; THAC0 11; #AT 2; Dmg 2d4 (x2) or by weapon; MR 44%; SZ M; ML (20); AL LN; XP 9,000.

Special Abilities: chill touch, which causes 2d4 points of damage twice per round; deathsong, a dirge that causes fear in all living beings within a 90-foot radius, unless a save vs. spell is made. Affected beings flee for 10 rounds and are 50% likely to drop any carried items in their single-minded need to flee. A deathsong can be sung for from one to four rounds. For six rounds after singing a deathsong, the harpist is protected by a 10-foot-radius antimagic zone. Any physical attack made by the harpist while singing a deathsong inflicts triple damage.

A spectral harpist has the standard undead immunities to charm, hold, sleep, and the like including poison, petrification, polymorphing, cold, and death-magic attacks.

A spectral harpist can cause all magical items within 60 feet to glow. This glow lasts for 2d4 rounds or until dispelled. Spectral harpists can be partially or totally insubstantial. In this state, they cause no damage, but they are immune to purely physical attacks. Magical weapons inflict double their magical bonus (a dagger +1 inflicts 2 points of damage). A spectral harpist also can assume a wraithform as the spell.