Tespergates

The Waterdhavian noble family of Tesper uses its walled city villa to host parties—parties even common folk and outlanders are welcome to attend. The Tespers have an almost insatiable hunger for live music and the willing company of strangers who enjoy wrestling and other body contact sports. They host one all-night gathering every tenday. Rousing ball games and impromptu wrestling tournaments abound, with not a few bumps and bruises to the participants. To make sure that no one goes away in bad spirits, a 5 gp purse is presented to the best player. The food tends to be simple— roast fowl, usually—but the ale and zzar flow freely. The only reason the common folk don't crowd into the villa until a guest couldn't breathe, let alone take a step in any direction, is that Tespergates is—haunted. This keeps most Waterdhavi- ans away. Everyone in the city has heard the tragic tale of the Tesper sisters, Silpara and Yul- hymbra, who grew up playing with elven friends and proved to have a mastery of magic. Unfor¬tunately their family hated and feared magic at the time (this occurred four generations ago). When this was revealed, they were ostracized, and the two sisters were soon slain by assas¬sins sent by a younger brother, who feared they might use their Art to rule the family. Their ghosts still haunt the house, drifting about its cham¬bers and passages as silent but seemingly intelligent phantoms. If angered, they cast spells that create spectacular images and sounds, but do nothing more than attract attention. They are now considered to be both amusing party entertainment and a sort of household warning system, alerting the family to thieves, vandals, and crimes done in their halls.