Tymora's Purse

While gambling dens have always thrived in the shadows of Lygos, Tymora’s Purse is the city’s first legal casino—a bold experiment in vice, luck, and civic revenue. The establishment owes its existence to a fierce debate in the Assembly, where moral outrage clashed with the promise of heavy taxation. In the end, pragmatism won: the Assembly granted a five-year license to the casino, after which they will review whether this venture has proven a blessing or a blight. Until then, Tymora’s Purse stands as the goddess of luck’s newest shrine in the city of Lygos.

The casino itself is a modest but finely kept building in the Market District, owned and operated by the minor noble Gilroy family. Painted in bright colors and adorned with symbols of golden coins and four-leafed clovers, it stands in stark contrast to the dingy gambling halls of the Plank. Inside, polished tables host games of dice, cards, and chance wheels, all watched carefully by uniformed attendants to ensure fairness.

The building also includes a small inn for travelers eager to test their fortunes and a tiny stage where bards, dancers, and illusionists perform nightly shows to keep patrons entertained. Every coin wagered is carefully logged, with a heavy portion claimed by the city’s coffers through taxation. This is no accident—the Assembly saw to it that Tymora’s Purse would serve the city’s treasury as much as its thrill-seekers.

Though critics argue that the casino tempts citizens into ruin, defenders point out that its presence keeps many gamblers out of dangerous underground joints. For now, Tymora’s Purse thrives in a precarious balance, offering sanctioned fortune to those willing to risk it—while the goddess herself smiles, or frowns, on every roll of the dice.

The only other legal wagers in Lygos are found at the Moonlit Hippodrome, where citizens place bets on horse and chariot races. Yet Tymora’s Purse, with its promise of quick riches (or ruin), has begun to capture the city’s imagination like nothing else.

1. Zirassi “Zira” Coilscale

Race: Lizardborn (gold and black-scaled)

Role: Cocktail Waitress & Floor Tease

Appearance: Striking golden scales ripple across her jaw and chest, interwoven with sleek black stripes like a jungle serpent. Her long tail sways with dramatic flair, and her sharp yellow eyes flash like coins in candlelight.

Personality: Flirtatious, fearless, and unapologetically confident in her allure—even if few mammals share her taste in “hot scales.”

Tactics: Leans in close, whispers compliments, or purrs flirtatiously to high-rollers. She’ll happily take a fat tip and vanish with a wink.

Quote:

“Oh honey, it’s not about the winnings—it’s about how you roll your dice... and your hips.”

Hook: She knows everyone’s business and may be bribed to spill secrets. Or perhaps she’s working for a rival house, quietly eavesdropping behind a tray of cocktails.

2. Bran “Bottom-Barrel” Tappletoe

Race: Halfling

Role: Ruined Gambler

Appearance: Red-nosed, slumped over a table with a drained mug, his coin pouch empty and one boot unlaced.

Personality: Miserable, weepy, and terrified of going home

Backstory: Bran bet his life savings on a dice game he didn’t understand. His wife, Maelin, warned him. She is waiting at home. Probably sharpening something.

Quote:

“If Tymora’s the Lady o’ Luck, then I guess I’m her ex-husband. She took everything!”

Hook: He may beg the party to help him win it back, or ask them to fake a robbery to explain his losses. He could also be the patsy in a larger con.

3. Kelwin Thatch

Race: Human

Role: Shady Recruiter

Appearance: Slick-backed hair, too much cologne, silver toothpick dancing between his lips, wears a loud floral vest that screams “overcompensation.”

Personality: Oily, persuasive, full of fake charm

Pitch: Kelwin slides up to high-risk tables and whispers about a no-rules “underground game” in a warehouse “where the real winners go.” It’s mostly rigged, of course. But not always.

Quote:

“The house always wins—unless there ain’t no house, savvy?”

Hook: Following Kelwin can lead players to a criminal ring, cheaters using illusions, or an undead dealer who doesn’t need sleep. Or maybe Kelwin’s just a hustler in over his head.

4. Vaelra “Velvet” Dinwenys

Race: Half-Elf

Role: Gold-digging Gambler

Appearance: Dressed in flowing silks and sly smiles, her jewelry glints as much as her eyes. She’s often draped on a new arm each night.

Personality: Glamorous, cunning, and never pays with her own coin

Behavior: She plays only with the money of her suitors, of which she has at least three in rotation. She flirts with one while making eyes at the next in line.

Quote:

“Is it luck if someone else pays your tab, darling?”

Hook: One of her suitors might be a minor noble, a wanted criminal, or even engaged to someone else. She might hire the players to spy on one—or vice versa.

5. Prof. Dulgor Brassscribe

Race: Dwarf

Role: Gambling Mathematician

Appearance: Wire spectacles, beard woven with numbered beads, vest pockets overflowing with scribbled parchment

Personality: Analytical, excitable, refuses to admit gambling has randomness

Beliefs: He swears he’s cracked the pattern of Tymora’s dice, despite losing repeatedly. Each loss just drives him back into rewriting his “winning formula.”

Quote:

“A thousand coin says it’s a 7. It’s got to be a 7. I’ve mapped the frequency curve!” (rolls a 2) “Hmm. Yes. Of course. I need to adjust for humidity.”

Hook: If approached with respect, Dulgor might share his probability matrix—which might contain an actual truth, a coded message, or a forgotten arcane formula hidden in the patterns.

NPCs