The Company of Crazed Venturers
This former adventuring company was one of the longest-lived groups, aside from the Red Sashes, that operated within the city of Waterdeep without the direct control of the Lords of Waterdeep. Their escapades (which span the course of twenty years) are still talked about quite proudly by Filiare, whose Inn of the Dripping Dagger was often the groups home or temporary place of rest. His favorite story involves a badly worded wish spell that teleported the company from the Dungeon of the Crypt into the bar of the Dripping Dagger, resulting in the bars spectacular destruction when they emerged inside it; the bar and the company were all later restored to full health at the Venturers' expense. Their tower on the High Road north of Selduth Street has long since been replaced by row houses; many older citizens still remember the two-story-tall solid silver purple worm - many say it was alive and transformed by the Company's wizards - that stood for a time in the tower's courtyard, though it was soon broken down and recast into coins.
The Crazed Venturers are still held high by many in Waterdeep as examples of local folk who succeeded in their pursuits of fame and fortune - and this point is driven home quite emphatically by many self-made Waterdhavians - without becoming involved with the Lords of the city or affiliated with other do-gooders like the Harpers. While more than 40 people counted themselves as members over the course of two decades, a relative few survived that still have dealings with Waterdeep, including the following:
Tolgar Anuvien
Tolgar is the founder and leader of the agricultural abbey of Goldenfields outside the city of Waterdeep.
Dumal Erard
Dumal Erard is the founder and leader of Helm's Hold near Neverwinter.
Loene
Now a formidable fighter and rich landlord in Waterdeep, Loene was once a pleasure girl purchased by Minark the Salt Torturer, from whom she was rescued by the Company of Crazed Venturers. Becoming an assistant to Nain Keenwhistler, she defended him ably when he was attacked in the streets, and was offered a place in the Company ranks and training at arms as a result. She rose in skills with astonishing speed, and, upon the Company's dissolution, remained in Waterdeep as a gambler and adventuress for hire, becoming for a time the lover of Mirt the Moneylender.
Loene no longer gambles, is still a friend of Mirt, and still trains lesser fighters and goes on adventures in return for a 2 sp/day fee and a full share of treasure. She does not really need the money, and will refuse any part of what she sees as foolhardy, frivolous, and troublemaking ventures. Loene wears a ring of spell storing (containing dispel magic, fly, sending (to call upon Nain), and wall of force) when adventuring. Khelben, Nain, or Malchor will readily refill it for her. Loene has a dagger +1, but otherwise carries no magical weapons; she is thought to have a few, hidden away in the walls of one of the buildings she owns. Loene's house is on Waterdeep Way, and backs onto Gem Street.
Loene has large, hazel eyes, a fit, healthy body, and long, dark blonde hair. Though she has the grace of a dancer, her moves are measured, precise, and guarded, as Loene is always alert and ready for danger.
Malchor Harpell
Malchor was a charter member of the Company of Crazed Venturers, with whom he had a long and active (more than any other Company member) career. Upon the Company's dissolution, Malchor stayed with Khelben Arunsun in Waterdeep, and willingly served him as an assistant, including taking part in adventures on other planes, and aiding in Harper-related plans. Malchor did this to gain the experience he believed necessary for self-sufficiency in the sometimes-dangerous North.
After years at Khelben's side, Malchor left to return to his native Longsaddle and build his own tower, the Tower of Twilight (it rests half a days ride west of Longsaddle, on the edge of the Neverwinter Woods). He has been in semiretirement there for over 20 years, studying and furthering his powers, with the occasional relaxation of training (for substantial fees) lesser magic users, including Dagsumn. Malchor now rarely emerges from his Tower of Twilight except to aid the Lords of Waterdeep. Malchor has at least one guardian defending, his tower; he has mastered the arts of creating stone guardians, staves of the magi, wands of magic missiles, rings of feather falling, and rings of warmth, and is now working on potions and elixirs. Malchor's travels taught him many languages, and he is fluent in common, elvish, djinni, and drow.
When adventuring or traveling (usually astride his griffon), Malchor always wears a lurker cloak and a ring of protection +3, and bears his staff of the magi. He is also said to have one or more rings of warmth and feather falling with him to trade for magic new to him, or timely aid, as well as for his own use. He may tutor lesser mages on rare occasions, but only if they seem genuinely interested in knowledge for the sake of learning, not power.
Looking upon Malchor Harpell, one sees a man of many talents with the potential to be nearly anything he put his mind to. He does not dress as a typical mage, but in expertly tailored commoners clothes. Physically fit and tall, Malchor wears his dark brown hair short and keeps his beard neatly trimmed and close to his face. Malchor is a man whose passions are knowledge and learning; he is also an artist and painter, looking at his magecraft and art as extensions of the same creative forces.
Malchor followed Khelben from the Harpers into the Moonstars, but remains the most skeptical member of that organization. He is also a known ally of the renegade drow Drizzt Do'Urden.
Nain Keenwhistler
Nain is an ex-member of the Company of Crazed Venturers. In his career with them, he was slain and raised many times, but has not died in over 20 years. Nain is now a fast friend and reliable ally of Khelben and Durnan of the Lords of Waterdeep. With his share of the Company's wealth, Nain built his own tower (Naingate) in Waterdeep, at Seawatch Street and Grimwald's Way, where he yet lives and studies and researches. After a few years of retirement, Nain organized a small short-lived group of adventurers called the Company of Staff and Steel, including Kappiyan Flurmastyr's apprentice Shalara. They traveled about the northern Sword Coast and Savage Frontier for two seasons, at one point dissipating a horde of orcs set to advance to the south. While neither speaks of what happened at the end of the Company, Nain and Shalara avoid each other now, three years after the dissolution of the Company. Though Nain is happy to move beyond the shadow of his colleague, Malchor Harpell, he has not paid attention to his magical studies or adventured in two years, keeping him at his present level. Still, Nain is now happily immersed in the cut and thrust of politics and intrigue as a trader and diplomatic agent in the Palace for the Lords (that is, he supports and puts forward views of the Lords while appearing as an independent, thus influencing other diplomats and city personages).
Nains once-blond hair has, due to the stresses of repeated deaths and resurrections, turned chalk-white in hue, though he maintains a healthy, ruddy complexion and has avoided death successfully for over ten years now. His eyes, however, are disconcerting, since all the color has darkened in his irises, giving him dark, black eyes; while most believe this is just some strange affectation of Nain's, some wonder if this isn't some strange after-effect of his long ago battle with the demigod Iyachtu Xvim, son of the god Bane.
Savengriff
Savengriff is a plain-featured man with hazel eyes, pale skin, and dark brown hair and beard. Once a member of the Company of Crazed Venturers, he perished in battle with a beholder before his companions retrieved his remains and brought him back to life. He became a loyal apprentice of Khelben and, in time, a loyal agent of the Harpers and a mage of accomplishment. His signature creation is the staff of banishment, of which he has created at least a dozen copies.
For years, Savengriff wandered the North, serving the Harpers, returning to Waterdeep only occasionally. In time, he took to exploring the planes, and his ties with the Harpers slowly faded. In the Year of Wild Magic (1372 DR), Savengriff returned to Waterdeep and took a room at the Inn of the Dripping Dagger. Although he still maintains his ties with Those Who Harp (and the Tel Teukiira as well), he now has a new loyalty. During his travels Savengriff located the long-absent and legendary Prespur and Grimwald. After lengthy discussions, the three agreed to reinvigorate the ancient cabal of good-aligned mages known as The Covenant. Savengriff is the first to return to Faerûn, and he is actively seeking like-minded mages of power to join this ancient brotherhood.
