Moonstar Agent

“Despite the self-aggrandizing puffery of those windbags at Twilight Hall, the Blackstaff stands, as ever, unbowed. But then again, that’s what makes him so much fun to tease.”

—Kyriani Agrivar

Moonstar agents, also known as Teukiir, are members of the Tel Teukiira, a group founded in the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR) by Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun when he broke from the Harpers. Similar in many ways to Those Who Harp, Moonstar agents combine a keen understanding of history with a knack for spying on chosen targets and acquiring powerful artifacts. The group receives the blessings of three deities long favored by the Blackstaff: Mystra, Oghma, and Sehanine Moonbow. In addition, Khelben and his consort, Laeral Silverhand Arunsun, perform arcane rituals reminiscent of elven high magic on members of the group, giving them special magical abilities.

Becoming a Moonstar Agent

Bards, bard/rangers, bard/rogues, rogue/sorcerers, and rogue/wizards all make good Moonstar agents, for they combine a wide array of skills with arcane spellcasting ability. Single-classed sorcerers and wizards, ranger/sorcerers, ranger/wizards, and other bard multiclass options can also become Moonstar agents, although they are less common.

Depending on your base arcane spellcasting class, you will fi nd that Intelligence or Charisma remains your most valuable ability score. You will also fi nd that the art of gathering information, dodging surprise attacks, and manipulating others requires equal parts Dexterity and Charisma.

Moonstar Agents and the Harpers

Characters with levels in the Harper Agent prestige class can take levels in the Moonstar agent prestige class without losing any of their Harper agent abilities, and vice versa.

Playing a Moonstar Agent

Faerûn is endlessly awash in the sweep of history, and once again the tides of change are rushing forward. You see the broad strokes of historical experience, placing the complications of today in the context of yesteryear. While time might march inexorably forward, the actions of a few can change the course of history, for weal or woe. Seek understanding of the context of what you do and the inexorable chain of events your actions precipitate. Do not worry overmuch regarding the immediate concerns of today, or tomorrow might not dawn.

Combat

Your greatest weapons are knowledge of the past and understanding of the present; your skill is in knowing how to use that understanding to your advantage. Master the Art, but use it wisely, for the ostentatious use of magic will only draw attention to your activities. Spells of divination and illusion serve to both reveal the actions of your foes and shield your own activities in turn. Do not attack directly if another hand can be directed to serve the purpose. Watch from the shadows, emerging only to whisper in the right ear or subtly manipulate a situation.

Advancement

You want to acquire spells and magic items that help you gather information and shield your activities from the prying eyes of others. Spells such as arcane eye, clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts, and scrying enable you to spy on your foes from afar. Spells such as comprehend languages, disguise self, invisibility, pass without trace, silence, and tongues enable surreptitious information gathering. Spells such as analyze dweomer, identify, and legend lore allow you to investigate artifacts, and spells such as message, sending, and whispering wind allow you to communicate with your fellows over long distances.

Skills such as Hide, Gather Information, and Move Silently facilitate your ability to gather information, while Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (history) allow you to understand the lost magical lore of ancient civilizations. Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive allow you to manipulate others for the long-term ends of the Tel Teukiira.

Resources

Although the Tel Teukiira is a young group, it can call upon all the resources of the Blackstaff, not to mention their powerful colleagues. In practice, this means Moonstar agents have access to the vast magical resources of Blackstaff Tower (C6), albeit only in cases of demonstrable need, and indirect access to the resources of Those Who Harp (primarily through Harpers who are inclined favorably to the Tel Teukiira) and the Lords of Waterdeep (of which Khelben and Kyriani Agrivar are members). Moonstar agents can employ either Blackstaff Tower or (assuming they have a Teukiir badge) the Silver Safehold as a refuge when needed.

Moonstar Agents in the World

The Tel Teukiira, which translates to “Moonstars” in the common tongue, is a shadowy group of ex-Harpers who broke from Those Who Harp to pursue the mysterious objectives of the Blackstaff.

NPC Reactions

The Tel Teukiira is a secretive group that few have even heard of. If a hero is revealed to be a member of the Tel Teukiira, most NPCs would mistake them for Harpers in the service of the ever-meddling Blackstaff. Most Harpers of the North and the Dalelands remain favorably inclined toward Khelben and any agents who serve in his employ. In contrast, Harpers closely affi liated with Twilight Hall in Berdusk are likely to view members of the Tel Teukiira as traitors (if they are ex-Harpers) or untrustworthy (if they are revealed to serve the traitorous Blackstaff).

Moonstar Agents Lore

The Tel Teukiira are well hidden in the City of Splendors because the group works hard to hide its existence, and the bulk of the group’s activities and agents are located in cities across Faerûn. Characters who succeed on a Gather Information check can learn the following information, including the information from lower DCs.

DC 15: Ever since he resigned from the Lords, the Blackstaff has been assembling a private army of meddlers even worse than Those Who Harp.

DC 25: The Tel Teukiira are behind the fall-off in Zhentarim activity in western Faerûn. The Blackstaff and his agents made some deal with the tyrant of the Moonsea to divide control of the Realms.

Characters who learn the name “Tel Teukiira” and succeed on a Knowledge (history) check can learn the following information.

DC 25: Amagal’s Tome, an ancient Elven text of early Cormanthor, notes that the Tel Teukiira “will come hidden and in many guises and faces. They dwell in shadow and speak in omens, yet they shall bring about waking dreams and save us from the Three Threats Who Wait in Darkness, the Prefects, and ourselves.”

Even members of the Tel Teukiira are uncertain as to what this means, although most suspect that Khelben knows and does not say.

Moonstar Agents in the Game

Most high-ranking Teukiir are not (yet) members of the Moonstar agent prestige class, although new recruits usually take at least one level of the class. NPC Moonstar agents can be found in small numbers in cities and kingdoms across Faerûn, although the largest concentration of such characters is found in Waterdeep and the North.

The Tel Teukiira works best as a mysterious organization operating behinds the scenes. The Moonstars might be engaged in a silent war in the shadows with an evil group, leaving the PCs to untangle what is going on when they chance upon such activity. The Tel Teukiira can also act as patrons (or manipulators) of the characters, overtly or indirectly guiding them into new adventures that ultimately serve the Blackstaff’s aims. The Tel Teukiira can also be used as foes (at least initially) if the PCs are dispatched by the Harpers of Twilight Hall to uncover the plots of the Blackstaff.

Adaptation

While the Tel Teukiira is presented as an offshoot of the Harpers founded and run by the Blackstaff, they can easily be adapted to serve the role of a private army of infi ltrators and spies. By dint of their personal power, many mages across Faerûn believe themselves entitled to manipulate the affairs of their neighbors. An archmage who succeeds in establishing such a group might assemble a coterie of followers with powers similar to that of the Moonstars.

Encounters

Moonstar agents are most commonly encountered individually. They can act as patrons for the PCs, commissioning or suggesting the recovery of lost lore from an ancient ruin. They can act as manipulators, subtly or not, who attempt to use the characters to accomplish a particular goal. They can also act as spies, watching and observing the PCs or their foes. In the latter case, the characters might blunder into an ongoing Moonstar operation, forcing the Moonstar agent to adapt to the new situation.