Venaleth

Cyran Venaleth (also known as "Mr. V" or just "The Scholar") was a powerful Amethyst Dragon who lurked in Quelmar for millennia, biding his time and waiting to rejoin the fight when his ancient leader, Sardior, had returned to the realm.

History

Heading Katharda

Venaleth was the headmaster of Katharda Academy, where he looked over many students and staff members, including the admiral Professor Wright.

While in The Underdark, he also positioned himself (and perhaps built the academy on) a gate to The Feywild, which he was sworn to protect.

Rumors on the Surface

Not wanting Feredemius or Bleucorundum or any of his former "Colleagues" of the court to know he was working in secret, he would strictly go by the name "Mr. V". The few who knew or learned his name were often sworn to secrecy or magically muted after Venaleth took their voices, such as the wizard Tragdor.

When first encounted by the curious heroes of the Greedy Green, he was found working on some sort of portal or gate, whose purpose remains unknown. He didn't reveal his true self to them, but was able to convince the hero Silythm Shadeheart to aid him in the Underdark on other matters related to drow and raiders on his campus.

Venaleth almost risked discovery on the final day of 825 PR when a powerful wizard and old friend, a man named Tragdor, would accidentally say Venaleth's name to some kobolds in the area. Punishing Tragdor, Venaleth took his voice away. After Tragdor called for help from the Greedy Greeners of the area, they tracked Venaleth to a cavern where he was in the middle of opening a passage to the Underdark. Before he departed, he agreed to restore Tragdor's voice, stipulating that if Tragdor slipped again, ALL The heroes would suffer the same curse of silence.

Rejoining the Fight

Venaleth had many small jobs on the surface, and one of them was helping smuggle special Underdark bees to Baron Faro of Seglock. He did so in the town of Morado. But after The Umbral Flood, the Baron sent heroes of the realm to meet with Venaleth instead. They were instructed to get the table with a specific arrangement of things on it, regardless if the table was occupied or not. They were to ensure that they didn’t make a scene while doing so. They eventually figured out that they could take things from empty tables to make the right combination.

He immediately saw through their disguises and showed he had a trick of his own and made all the illusionary tavern patrons disappear, short of the bartender who was real, and having a great time watching Violet get hammered. Veneleth was mad that Faro violated their deal and mad that the party were so presumptuous to think that their plans and methods(harbingers) were the best way to go about it; or that they could even reassemble the court.

Venaleth believed that the other Ruby Court members had bailed on the realm to do their own things; while he was here the whole time helping against Tiamat by training heroes for The War of Dragons.

Veneleth did show a soft spot when talking about “Blue” but wasn’t kind when referring to the others. The party did end up convincing him to join the cause if the rest of the court gets assembled. They then moved on to the amethyst artifact. Which Veneleth was honest when he told the party he had no idea where it was. Only that it likes to go to places of knowledge and that it usually presents as a book or similarly mundane item.

Once the heroes had found the tome, they were also able to convince Venaleth to be a participant in The Battle of Five Lights. After the successful return of Sardior, and the Ruby Court's return, Venaleth retired from his post with the academy, ascending with his new companions to higher purpose. In his place the scholar known as Ona took over.

Trivia

• He had a working relationship with Baron Faro, and supplied special bees and sun-light producing shrooms to the Baron's hobby fey garden.
• Some suspect him to be the father of the Amethyst wyrmling in the possession of Harold, as no other male amethyst dragons have been seen in Isonhound. If that's true, did he come to the surface for a fling with the amethyst dragon secretly living in Fallhorn City?