Vala Silverton was born in the spring of 1421 to Lander Silverton and Amafrey Silverton (née Everfall). Though her parents produced an heir, it was her grandmother, Edda Everfall, the High Oracle of Neverwinter, who truly claimed her. At the sight of the infant’s silver eyes, the shade of Edda’s long-dead husband Gathen, something feral and irrevocable took hold. The bond was immediate and absolute.

a0e9dad0-db6d-4c7c-885d-4d9b2c8a6cef.pngThough her home was Everfall Manor, Vala spent her childhood days in Castle Never learning alongside her betrothed Bann Alagondar II and the other children at court. She grew into a clever, charming aristocrat, furthering her education at home by learning to sing, sew, and play harp at her mother's behest as well as receiving training in alchemy and herb lore by the family's butler Tomlin Helder. When her first true vision surfaced at twelve, Edda recognized the awakening at once and began shaping her with unwavering devotion. By fourteen, The Sight had truly manifested, and Edda told King Bann Alagondar I that House Alagondar could have Vala as Oracle or Queen but not both. He chose The Sight, and Vala's betrothal was nullified, much to Lander's fury.

Her parents became increasingly distant figures. Her father Lander, furious he had not managed to make House Silverton a royal branch, pursued increasingly aggressive marriage schemes. Her mother Amafrey drifted in and out of sobriety, loving fiercely if inconsistently, and often aiding Edda and Tomlin in thwarting Lander’s worst designs.

When Edda Everfall died in 1449 Vala was forced fully into her destined role. Veiled by King Bann Alagondar II, she became the new High Oracle of Neverwinter, allowing herself to disappear into the rigid rhythm of Castle Never and her service to an increasingly feckless ruler. Within two years, Savras’s voice went silent and her visions ceased entirely, leaving her terrified and struggling to maintain the façade of her “gift” as Hugo Babris demanded.

Sensing her vulnerability, Lander sprang his trap, a lucrative marriage he had arranged in secret over the course of years. On the morning he revealed his triumph, giving Vala no name, no terms, Mount Hotenow erupted and buried his secrets with him. The wards Edda had paid for so dearly roared to life, enclosing Vala in an arcane cocoon as the city burned. She slipped into stasis, small, still, untouched, while all of Neverwinter fell to ruin around her.

For decades she slept.

Now awakened into a scarred and unfamiliar world, Vala struggles to reconcile the heroic myths she was raised on with the brutal truths before her. Beneath the silks, the manners, and the polished mask of a noblewoman lie deep and private terrors: the fear that without her Sight, she will fail the legacy of Edda and Gathen or be ensnared by the man Lander sold her to if he’s still out there. 

Appearance

Height
5'6

Skin
Fair

Hair
Long, Chestnut-brown (dyed)

Eyes
Light gray, flecked with gold

Build
Willowy

Shoes
Immaculate (formerly), Mud Caked (currently)

Distinguishing Features
Sharp cheekbones and piercingly intelligent silver eyes

Personality

Alignment
Lawful Good

Personality Traits
Although she can come across as spoiled and naive, beneath the surface lies a genuine (though largely untested) desire to be good and brave like the grandparents she loved so dearly.

Vala has a soft spot for children and will always go out of her way to befriend them or protect them.

As Vala is beginning to witness the struggles of ordinary people, she's starting to develop a greater sense of empathy. She's realizing that she has a responsibility to use her privilege (even in its diminished form) to help others.

Flaws
As Vala has spent most of her life around seers and wizards and was trained in divining, she is extremely superstitious.

Vala's introduction to adventuring involved a shocking amount of mud, dirt, and general unpleasantness. This became a recurring source of complaint and a symbol of her struggle to adapt to her new life. It's also a constant reminder of how far she's fallen from her previous pampered existence.

Bonds
Vala loved her Grandmere, Edda Everfall, with all her heart and desperately wants to be someone she would be proud of if she were alive.

Recently, Tomlin Helder, the sole survivor of the Everfall Household and staff, has located Vala. There is nothing she wouldn't do to keep him safe.

While not “bonded” to the rest of her family, she is rather attached to the noble houses she was born into (especially her grandparents family, House Everfall). While the Silvertons, and her parents in particular, were a self-serving greedy lot, House Everfall was known as a truly heroic house that served commonfolk and kings alike.

Ideals
Heroism. Walking among regular people has made Vala realize what her Grandmere meant when she said nobles are meant to serve the people of the realm, not the other way around. Deep down, Vala yearns to become a true hero like her grandparents,

Romantic. There have been more matches made for Vala than she can count and they all reminded her of her father: self-serving drunks with grasping, wandering hands. Her Grandmere helped her slip out of every match she found distasteful and told her wistfully of her grandfather and what a good strong man he was. Vala has built a romanctic archetype based on that without realizing it.

Short Term Goals (early campaign)
Master her prophetic abilities: Rediscover the true source of her visions and learn to control them reliably.

Become useful to the adventuring party: Overcome her aversion to hardship and contribute meaningfully to their quests.

Protect & build up Phandalin: Vala's grown fond of the townsfolk in Phandalin and is desperate to help the town defend itself & increase it's foothold in the area. She additionally hopes to help usher in new leadership (or potentially a different form of government) so the town can thrive.

Long Term Goals
Secure a safe haven: Vala's ancestral manse lays in ruin and gaining the coin to rebuild and fortify it is paramount, especially now that Tomlin has been found alive. Vala feels an additional responsibility to return him to the life he was accustomed to.

Continue her line: Vala is the last of two noble houses, and knows it will be her duty to marry and bear children. She will do so gladly, she adores children, but has been given dire warnings about her fathers choice her entire life.

Deities Worshipped
Mystra
Savras (Vala's main diety, whos voice went silent in 1451)
Oghma
Tyr (Vala's grandfathers god, whom Vala prays to when she believes lawlessness or evil threatens the stability of the realm and it's people)
Siamorphe

Occasional:
Milil
Mielikki (Gomlee's god, whom Gomlee had such reverence for and trust in that it moved Vala to follow suit, especially when in the wilderness, where she feels very out of place)
Waukeen (Grandmeres families god, who Vala prays to least frequently, for good fortune in trade or for increasing the wealth of Neverwinter as a whole)
Tymora
Azuth

Title
Lady

Type
Player Character

Species
Human

Species
Illuskan

Families
Silverton

Families
Everfall

Age
30

Gender
Female

Pronouns
She/Her

Appearance

Height
5'6

Skin
Fair

Hair
Long, Chestnut-brown (dyed)

Eyes
Light gray, flecked with gold

Build
Willowy

Shoes
Immaculate (formerly), Mud Caked (currently)

Distinguishing Features
Sharp cheekbones and piercingly intelligent silver eyes

1 - Spells

Alarm - Spell

You set an alarm against intrusion. Choose a door, a window, or an area within range that is no larger than a 20-foot Cube. Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whenever a creature touches or enters the warded area. When you cast the spell, you can designate creatures that won't set off the alarm. You also choose whether the alarm is audible or mental:

Audible Alarm. The alarm produces the sound of a handbell for 10 seconds within 60 feet of the warded area.

Mental Alarm. You are alerted by a mental ping if you are within 1 mile of the warded area. This ping awakens you if you're asleep.

Chromatic Orb - Spell

You hurl an orb of energy at a target within range. Choose Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, or Thunder for the type of orb you create, and then make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 3d8 damage of the chosen type.

If you roll the same number on two or more of the d8s, the orb leaps to a different target of your choice within 30 feet of the target. Make an attack roll against the new target, and make a new damage roll. The orb can't leap again unless you cast the spell with a level 2+ spell slot.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d8 for each spell slot level above 1. The orb can leap a maximum number of times equal to the level of the slot expended, and a creature can be targeted only once by each casting of this spell.

Cure Wounds - Spell

A creature you touch regains a number of Hit Points equal to 2d8 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The healing increases by 2d8 for each spell slot level above 1.

Detect Magic - Spell

For the duration, you sense the presence of magical effects within 30 feet of yourself. If you sense such effects, you can take the Magic action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears the magic, and if an effect was created by a spell, you learn the spell's school of magic.

The spell is blocked by 1 foot of stone, dirt, or wood; 1 inch of metal; or a thin sheet of lead.

Dissonant Whispers - Spell

One creature of your choice that you can see within range hears a discordant melody in its mind. The target makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d6 Psychic damage and must immediately use its Reaction, if available, to move as far away from you as it can, using the safest route. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage only.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The damage increases by 1d6 for each spell slot level above 1.

Find Familiar - Spell

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: Bat, Cat, Frog, Hawk, Lizard, Octopus, Owl, Rat, Raven, Spider, Weasel, or another Beast that has a Challenge Rating of 0. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form (see appendix B), though it is a Celestial, Fey, or Fiend (your choice) instead of a Beast. Your familiar acts independently of you, but it obeys your commands.

Telepathic Connection. While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as a Bonus Action, you can see through the familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses it has.

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the touch. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must take a Reaction to deliver the touch when you cast the spell.

Combat. The familiar is an ally to you and your allies. It rolls its own Initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.

Disappearance of the Familiar. When the familiar drops to 0 Hit Points, it disappears. It reappears after you cast this spell again. As a Magic action, you can temporarily dismiss the familiar to a pocket dimension. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As a Magic action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. Whenever the familiar drops to 0 Hit Points or disappears into the pocket dimension, it leaves behind in its space anything it was wearing or carrying.

One Familiar Only. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new eligible form.

Healing Word - Spell

A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains Hit Points equal to 2d4 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.
Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. The healing increases by 2d4 for each spell slot level above 1.

Id Insinuation - Spell

You unleash a torrent of conflicting desires in the mind of one creature you can see within range, impairing its ability to make decisions. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be incapacitated. At the end of each of its turns, it takes 1d12 psychic damage, and it can then make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the spell ends on the target.

Mage Armor - Spell

You touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor. Until the spell ends, the target’s base AC becomes 13 plus its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends early if the target dons armor.

Sense Emotion - Spell

You attune your senses to pick up the emotions of others for the duration. When you cast the spell, and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your senses on one humanoid you can see within 30 feet of you. You instantly learn the target’s prevailing emotion, whether it’s love, anger, pain, fear, calm, or something else. If the target isn’t actually humanoid or it is immune to being charmed, you sense that it is calm.

Shield - Spell

An imperceptible barrier of magical force protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you have a +5 bonus to AC, including against the triggering attack, and you take no damage from Magic Missile.

Silvery Barbs - Spell

You magically distract the triggering creature and turn its momentary uncertainty into encouragement for another creature. The triggering creature must reroll the d20 and use the lower roll.

You can then choose a different creature you can see within range (you can choose yourself). The chosen creature has advantage on the next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw it makes within 1 minute. A creature can be empowered by only one use of this spell at a time.

Unearthly Chorus - Spell

Music of a style you choose fills the air around you in a 30-foot radius. The music spreads around corners and can be heard from up to 100 feet away. The music moves with you, centered on you for the duration.

Until the spell ends, you make Charisma (Performance) checks with advantage. In addition, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to beguile one creature you choose within 30 feet of you that can see you and hear the music. The creature must make a Charisma saving throw. If you or your companions are attacking it, the creature automatically succeeds on the saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes friendly to you for as long as it can hear the music. You make Charisma (Deception) checks and Charisma (Persuasion) checks against creatures made friendly by this spell with advantage.

When the effect ends, the targets do a check against your spell save DC to know you affected them.

Upcasting: Level 2 = 1 hour, Level 3 = 8 hours

2 - Spells

Misty Step - Spell

Casting Time: Bonus Action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous

Briefly surrounded by silvery mist, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

Crafting, Tools, & Related Proficiencies

Calligraphy - Tool Proficiency

Ability: Dexterity


Calligraphy treats writing as a delicate, beautiful art. Calligraphers produce text that is pleasing to the eye, using a style that is difficult to forge. Their supplies also give them some ability to examine scripts and determine if they are legitimate, since a calligrapher’s training involves long hours of studying writing and attempting to replicate its style and design.

Arcana. Although calligraphy is of little help in deciphering the content of magical writings, proficiency with these supplies can aid in identifying who wrote a script of a magical nature.

Craft*: Ink, Spell Scrolls

History. This tool proficiency can augment the benefit of successful checks made to analyze or investigate ancient writings, scrolls, or other texts, including runes etched in stone or messages in frescoes or other displays.

Decipher Treasure Map. This tool proficiency grants you expertise in examining maps. You can make an Intelligence check to determine a map’s age, whether a map includes any hidden messages, or similar facts.


Activity

DC

Identify writer of nonmagical script

10

Determine writer's state of mind

15

Spot forged text

15

Write text with impressive flourishes that guard against forgery*

15

Forge a Signature*

20

*requires applicable toolkit in inventory (see link below)



Inventory Item

Calligrapher's Supplies

Weaving & Sewing - Tool Proficiency

Ability: Dexterity


Weaver's tools allow you to create cloth and tailor it into articles of clothing.


Arcana, History. Your expertise lends you additional insight when examining cloth objects, including cloaks and robes.

Investigation. Using your knowledge of the process of creating cloth objects, you can spot clues and make deductions that others would overlook when you examine tapestries, upholstery, clothing, and other woven items.

Craft*: Padded Armor, Basket, Bedroll, Blanket, Fine, Clothes, Net, Robe, Rope, Sack, String, Tent, Traveler’s Clothes

Craft Clothing*. Assuming you have access to sufficient cloth and thread, you can create an outfit for a creature as part of a long rest.

Repair*. As part of a short rest, you can repair a single damaged cloth object.


ActivityDC
Mend a tear in clothing *10
Sew a Tiny design*10
Repurpose cloth*10
Mend a hole in a piece of cloth*10
Tailor an outfit*15

*requires applicable toolkit in inventory (see link below)



Inventory Item

Weaver's & Sewing Tools

Origin Feats

Lucky - Feat

Luck Points. You have a number of Luck Points equal to your Proficiency Bonus and can spend the points on the benefits below. You regain your expended Luck Points when you finish a Long Rest.

Advantage. Immediately after you roll a d20 for a d20 Test, you can spend 1 Luck Point to give yourself Advantage on the roll.

Disadvantage. When a creature rolls a d20 for an attack roll against you, you can spend 1 Luck Point to impose Disadvantage on that roll.

Magic Initiate - Feat

Two Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the Clerid, Druid, or Wizard Spell list. INT, WIS, or CHA is your spellcasting ability for this feat's spells (choose when you select this feat).

1st-Level Spell. Choose one 1st-level spell from the same spell list. You always have that spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have.

Repeatable. You can take this feat more than once, but you must choose a different spell list each time.