House Phiarlan protects and patronizes artists in Stormreach based on their talent, not their political or ethical views. To this end, the house created the Onyx Fountain, a stronghold of studios, galleries, small recital halls, rehearsal spaces, and small theaters in the Temple district. The Onyx Fountain is named for the imposing fountain of glossy black stone at its entrance. The fountain’s waters flow into a dragon-shaped basin, and potent magic shapes the flowing waters into wings and scales upon the dragon’s back.
The Onyx Fountain is a warren of corridors, niches, and chambers, each of which is unique. One chamber houses an elaborate illusion of frolicking fey, dancing wildflowers, and talking animals in the Faerie Court. Another contains sculptures from the Dhakaani Empire, complete with a towering relief of the Graywall Mountains’ Six Kings monument. Others are filled with swirling spheres of emerald light and illusions of otherworldly beings whose translucent forms slowly transform. Most of the building’s spaces are illuminated with multihued everbright lanterns.
The Fountain is not just a refuge for artists and performers, but also a hive of intrigue. Performance spaces double as training rooms for House Phiarlan agents honing the arts of stealth and infiltration. Acrobatic skill, a hypnotic voice, the ability to turn light and shadow into allies and weapons, and an imagination capable of ingenious solutions to split-second crises are what make Phiarlan spies some of the best in the world. The Fountain also hosts clandestine meetings masquerading as rehearsals or private performances.