Luskan: As of 1370 DR, the city was split into northern and southern halves by the River Mi rar, and these were connected by the bridges Dalath's bridges Dalath's Span, Harbor Span, Harbor Cross, and Cross, and the Upstream the Upstream Span.[8] Span.[8] Other than the Host the Host Tower of the Arcane, the Arcane, the city was dominated by two- and three-story buildings.[2] buildings.[2] Two inhabited islands sat in the mouth of the river: the island upon which lay the Host Tower of the Arcane (connected to both sides of the river by bridges) and Closeguard Island,[9] Island,[9] which housed Ship housed Ship Kurth (connected to the southern bank by a bridge).[2] bridge) .[2]
Northern bank The northern section was walled and was almost entirely made up of warehouses. The Mirabar District (also known as the Mirabar Shield) was a fortified compound operated by the merchants of Mirabar, and Mirabar, and it contained the Throat, the Throat, the the city's heavily guarded main water tower, which was situated in a grazing area for sheep.[8] sheep.[8] The Red The Red Dragon Trading Post, Luskan's Post, Luskan's most successful overland trading company as of 1370 DR (but no longer in operation in 1483 in 1483 DR[10]), DR[10]) , was situated on the northern bank, as was the North Gate, the Gate, the portal between the northern and southern banks.[11] banks .[11] The docks on the northern bank were on the sea coast (western part of the city) and consisted of Whitesails Whitesails Harbor, used Harbor, used exclusively for the Luskan navy, and the unprotected Open unprotected Open Shore, which Shore, which was situated outside the city walls and was the only place foreign shipping could dock .[11] .[11]
Southern bank As of 1370 DR, the southern bank consisted of a heavily fortified inner section surrounded by caravan compounds c ompounds.[8] .[8] This area was home to the majority of residents and shops. The southern wall was semicircular, with over a dozen towers. The two towers flanking the South the South Gate were named the Twin Teeth.[12] Teeth .[12] The southern bank also housed stables, the Captains' and High Captains' Courts, the Market and the Prisoners' Carnival, and Carnival, and the town's original harbor, Dragon harbor, Dragon Beach, a Beach, a lawless place where even soldiers feared to tread
Government: As of 1372 1372 DR, the DR, the city was officially officiall y ruled by the five High five High Captains, all Captains, all former pirate lords and each of which led a faction called a "ship" named after its respective captain: Ship Taerl, Ship Taerl, Ship Baram, Ship Baram, Ship Kurth, Ship Kurth, Ship Suljack and Ship and Ship Rethnor .[3] .[3] The true power in the city resided with the Arcane the Arcane Brotherhood.[4] Brotherhood.[4] The High Captains encouraged the harassment of the trading routes of small cities such as Mirabar, as Mirabar, Neverwinter, Neverwinter, and and Ruathym Ruathym,[3] ,[3] and made sure to avoid conflict with Waterdeep and Amn and Amn because because they were too powerful.[4] powerful.[4]
The Arcane Brotherhood also encouraged local traders to treat travelers with disdain and suspicion, due to the possibility that they may be spies for their enemies, often sending low-level agents to follow strangers personally.[3] Luskan was rumored to be allied with the Zhentarim but no evidence of this was ever presented.[15] By 1480 DR there was no true functioning government and gangs (including the Ships of the High Captains) carved out territories within the city.[22]
The Host Tower of the Arcane: Is the home of the Arcane Brotherhood. This magically created stone structure is built to resemble a giant tree or an open human hand. It is a huge dark structure resembling a hollowed tree rises into a central spire 50m wide surrounded by four spires at the points of the compass in a 100m radius around. All are of equal height, and each bristles with many lesser spires, balconies, and branching turrets.
History: The first known account of the Host Tower's existence comes fr om a Northlander oral tradition recorded in 1237 DR by a loremaster of Waterdeep. Erected by the netherese arcanist Melathlar in -354 DR to protect Illusk from phaerimm attack, the effort cost Melathlar his life. Twenty years later, another arcanist, named Maerin, was involved in creating a magical siphoning system that took seawater from the Sea of Swords and transported it via roots 'grown' from the Tower to the burgeoning underground settlement of Gauntlgrym, where elemental magic fuelled by the water kept the primordial Maegera under control. In 95 DR, the Tower became home to all of Illusk's wizards as it was a refuge from Uthgar Gardolfsson's attacks, however they were driven out instead by an upstart from within Illusk itself. With wizards banned from the city, nobody noticed that the Tower was still occupied by the former wizard rulers of Illusk, the Grand Cabal, but they quietly weathered no less than three orc hordes, who failed to enter or damage the Tower. It was not until 806 DR, while resettling the ruins, that Laeral Silverhand entered the tower and encountered the Cabal, now all liches. She sealed the ancient spellcasters within the tower for half a millenium until the arrival of Arklem Greeth, who managed to bypass Laeral's magic and free the remaining members of the Cabal, who helped him set up the Arcane Brotherhood. The Brotherhood became the true rulers of the cit y, now known as Luskan, and based some of their organization's power structure on the architecture of the Tower. However Greeth, having become a lich himself, felt the need, in 1376 DR to break his staff of the
magi. The resulting explosion nearly levelled the Tower and killed most of its inhabitants.[5] By 1479 DR, the Tower was a strange ruin haunted by undead and the locals would not go near it.[2] In 1487 DR, an effort is mounted to reconstruct the Host Tower by Catti-brie, Gromph Baenre, Lady Avelyere, and others via the primordial Maegera, and the root system connecting to Gauntlgrym. The dwarves of Gauntlegrym mar shal numerous raw materials, including the recovered original stone of the Host Tower, and the primordial "grows" the structure at the behest of Cattie-brie
The Arcane Brotherhood: Is a mercantile company and spellcaster's guild. It maintains several safe houses in Luskan and in other cities of the North, and at least one fortress somewhere in the mountains north and east of Luskan. The Host Tower, however, is the seat of it s strength. Hard information on the upper echelons of the Arcane Brotherhood is very difficult to come by. It is clear, though, that some of the seni or wizards have recently been destroyed or trapped in forms from which they can't escape, communicate, or work magic. Some have been moved behind the scenes, and some have left the Brotherhood to pursue their own aims — lichdom, mastery in other lands or planes of existence, and so on. Even still, it should be noted that current activities of the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, and the Red Wizards of Thay reveal that they haven't managed to place agents or even spies in any positions of importance within the Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood has been known to change with menacing rapidity, as its internal feuds tend to be deadly. Travelers are advised to avoid even coming to the attention of this evil, manipulative group.
History: Arklem Greeth, the original Archmage Arcane of the Brotherhood, first appeared in Luskan around 1311 DR. Meticulously building a group of powerful and evil mages, Greeth sought to acquire control of the North by first dominating trade using the far reaching arm of Luskan. Greeth and the Brotherhood first gained full control of Luskan (through the High Captains) sometime around 1357 DR. After conquering the island of Ruathym (on the second attempt) in 1361 DR, Luskan was forced to return it by the Lords' Alliance.[2] Greeth then had Luskan embark on a number of disastrous military and naval ventures. After a botched war against Lantan, Greeth was forced to flee when two of his high ranking subordinates sought to overthrow him and proceeded to assassinate his
assistant. While in exile, Greeth successfully gained his long-sought immortality by becoming an undead Lich. Returning to the city sometime in late 1371 DR or early 1372 DR, he used his new-found powers to reclaim the Brotherhood.[2] After setting the High Captains of Luskan under his heel yet again, Greeth and his erinyes ally Nyphithys turned their attention to recruiting new mages for their guild and plotting means to conquer the newly created country of the Silver Marches. It was during this time that Arabeth Raurym of Mirabar became an Overwizard of the Brotherhood.[2] Around the end of 1376 DR, Luskan was invaded by a group of Waterdhavian lords led by Captain Deudermont and Lord Brambleberry. The Brotherhood's presence in Luskan was essentially nullified and a number of wizards killed. Greeth himself fled the city after causing tremendous damage to invading forces
Personalities: Arklem Greeth: Ex- Archmage Arcane (Human male, Lich, LE) Valindra Shadowmantle, Overwizard of the North Tower (Moon elf female, Lich, NE) Overwizard Ricardo Domine - Responsible for the East Tower Overwizard Arabeth Raurym - Responsible for the South Tower (Human female, Sorcerer, CE) eldest daughter of Elastul Raurym, Marchion of Mirabar Overwizard Blaskar Lauthom - Responsible for the West Tower
