Fashion, Gossip & Entertainment • Tendaily
Features illustrations of fashionable garments and the easy-on-the-eyes folk who wear them
This
North Ward publication is something of an outlier. The paper
covers fashion, galas, entertainment and the activities of
“celebrities,” such that Waterdeep has, but notably Its
publisher has found a way to publish in colored ink, a process that has
produced splashy covers and increased its popularity.
Given the nature of its content, it employs more artists than writers; what writers it does keep tend to veer towards lighter content. Each issue has a “cover story” that serves as a lengthy exploration of a subject, mostly profiles of noteworthy performers and patrons of the arts. It has applied a journalistic eye upon a few important issues, but only those that are of particular interest to its North Ward clients.
Generally, it tries to reflect the city’s high born in a positive light. Despite its propensity for puff pieces and lighthearted fare, its avant garde editor-in-chief is nevertheless a prolific, colourful writer—when sober, in any case. She pulls no punches and her zingers are so deft that even the intended target is more amused by the publicity that they will overlook any attack on their character. It is something of a badge of honor to be zinged by Avasandra Stillinger; only the “best people” merit her attention, after all.
The publication’s true owner is something of a mystery. Money flows through Avasandra’s fingers so fast there must be deep pockets behind the publication. At various times the noble families of Hunabar, Majarra, Talmost and even the Wands are suggested as the Galleria’s backers. Some believe the publication’s preference for Calimshan influences on fashion are a clue, perhaps hinting at foreign investment. Others see the deft hand and interests of Lady Amcathra, who heads a family of vinters with a record of arts patronage in Amphail and Silverymoon. The most outrageous theory is that the owner is a rich wizard with more money than sense who is actually having a good laugh by needling Waterdeep’s nobility.