A12 Lakash Quallad's Manor

A Testament to Opulence and Intrigue

At the far end of a tree-lined crescent in the High Quarter, Lakash Quallad’s manor rises above its neighbors like a jewel-encrusted crown. Its façade, all high arches, mansard roofs, and wrought-iron balconies, rivals the splendor of Sarcina Manor and any noble house in Verbobonc.

Outwardly, the estate belongs to Lakash Quallad, a charming Oeridian merchant “from Dyvers” whose partnerships with Kron Hills gnome families and generous public works have made him one of the city’s most admired newcomers. In truth, he is Lakash Krivaltis, youngest heir of the disgraced house that betrayed Verbobonc to the Temple of Elemental Evil—now reborn under his mother’s maiden name and serving the Temple as an infiltrator and political saboteur.

The manor functions as:

• Luxury residence and ballroom, rivaling the finest Salons of Kathryn Sarcina.
• High society meeting ground, where senators, guildmasters, and visiting dignitaries debate civic policy over rare wines.
• Covert command post, from which Lakash advances the Temple’s long plan to fracture the human–gnome alliance and weaken Verbobonc from within.

Appearance & Atmosphere

The manor seems almost more palace than townhouse. The watercolor illustration on page 2 of the original article shows a lavish chateau with steep roofs, ornate dormer windows, and a sweeping front stair climbing from reflecting pools and sculpted hedges up to an arcaded entrance.

Description of the Manor

The manor's aesthetics are a deliberate display of Lakash's status and taste, every element chosen to impress and intimidate in equal measure.

• Architectural Grandeur: Featuring high arches, sweeping balustrades, and an imposing facade that commands respect and admiration from all who pass by.
• Artistic Richness: The interior is adorned with masterpieces of art, each telling a story of power, conquest, or the subtle art of negotiation, comparable to the legendary collection of Lady Kathryn Sarcina.

First Glimpse of Lakash Quallad’s Manor

Inside, the tone is one of cultivated excess: gilded ceilings, lush carpets, and a ballroom to match the richly furnished salons, where chandeliers drip crystal light over velvet couches and carved tables laid with wine and delicate confections.

Key Areas

Grand Foyer & Stair
Guests arrive through a marble-floored hall under painted ceilings depicting allegories of “Trade,” “Justice,” and “Harmony”—themes Lakash cites often in his speeches. A double stair curves up to the ballroom gallery; footmen and scribes note each arrival with near-military precision.

The Ballroom of Thirteen Mirrors
Lakash’s great hall is paneled in pale wood and hung with mirrors and tapestries; at its far end, a raised dais holds a gilded chair where the host presides during major gatherings. The room is famous for:

• Musicals and masked balls drawing nobles, senators, and select gnome dignitaries.
• Quiet after-parties, in which a smaller circle remains to debate laws, trade treaties, and nominations to the Senate and the Chamber of 13.

The Green Salon (Negotiation Room)
A more intimate, book-lined chamber used for private business. Here, Lakash conducts “philanthropic” negotiations and cements alliances with merchant families and Kron Hills gnome clans, offering favorable contracts in one hand while quietly steering them toward positions that help his hidden agenda.

The Hidden Study of House Krivaltis
Behind a sliding panel in Lakash’s private office lies a narrow room holding relics of House Krivaltis—crest, ledgers, and secret correspondence with Lucius Graeme and Temple superiors. Here Lakash refines a multi-phase plan:

1. Incite subtle discord between humans and gnomes through staged “misunderstandings” and rumors.
2. Sabotage trade routes using hired brigands, planting evidence to implicate Verbobonc patrols or gnome caravans.
3. Force a political break, pushing the Council of Lords toward harsh measures that sever long-standing alliances.

Guest Suites & Private Apartments
The upper floors hold lavish suites for visiting merchants, minor nobles, and foreign envoys—perfect targets for enchantments, blackmail, and quiet recruitment into Lakash’s network.

House, History & Secrets

Lakash’s ostentatious lifestyle and “from Dyvers” backstory conceal his true origin as Lakash Krivaltis, youngest child of Lord Eldris Krivaltis, whose treason supplied the original Temple with food, coin, and intelligence during the first uprising.

After Eldris’s execution and the dissolution of House Krivaltis, Lakash fled under Sir Torvel’s protection with his sister Nysera. While Nysera Krivaltis (now Madame Selentis of Nulb) burns to reclaim their lost honor, Lakash embraced a new identity, learning from Lucius Graeme and entering the Temple’s service as an informant and recruiter.

Today he is:

• A model citizen and philanthropist in public.
• A political lobbyist and enchanter-wizard (Wiz 12, specialist in charming and controlling minds) in private.
• A key field agent in Hedrack’s long game to destabilize Verbobonc’s politics and its alliance with the Kron Hills gnomes.

His ultimate ambition is a seat in the Senate and, beyond that, the Chamber of 13, giving him direct leverage over law, policy, and the Council of Lords—perfect tools to shield Temple activity and orchestrate long-term civic decline.

Entertainment and Hospitality

With a reputation for hosting the most sought-after events, the manor is a beacon for those who wield power or aspire to.

• Rivaling Nobility: The opulence of Lakash's soirees and the richness of his estate are designed to rival even that of Lady Sarcina's famed Manor, showcasing his desire not just to participate in high society but to dominate it.
• Diplomatic Engagements: The manor has become a favored venue for diplomatic encounters, discreetly influencing the political landscape within the luxury-wrapped walls.

Using Lakash Quallad’s Manor in Play

Social Hub of the High Quarter
This is the place to stage glittering parties, masked balls, and diplomatic receptions. PCs can gain entry as:

• Hired entertainers or escorting nobility.
• Merchant envoys from the Greenway Valley or Kron Hills.
• “Security consultants” investigating recent trade disturbances.

Temple of Elemental Evil Thread
Evidence uncovered in the manor—altered contracts, coded letters, or maps of sabotaged trade routes—can reveal that someone in the High Quarter is quietly pushing Verbobonc and the gnomes toward open conflict. Linking that trail to Lakash ties city politics directly into the greater TOEE arc.

Adventure Hooks

• The Merchant’s Masquerade: Lakash invites the party (or their patron) to a masked ball at his manor. During the festivities, a staged “gnome insult” erupts into a brawl. PCs can spot the planted agitators and choose whether to foil Lakash’s script or allow tensions to rise.
• Ledger of the Krivaltis: A contact hints that proof of House Krivaltis’s surviving heirs lies hidden in a secret room within the manor. Recovering it could expose both Lakash and Nysera, triggering turmoil in Verbobonc’s court and Nulb alike.
• Council Seat for Sale: As Lakash maneuvers for a The Council of Lords of Verbobonc position, a rival noble or gnome councilor hires the PCs to investigate his background. They must dig through layers of false records, bribed witnesses, and subtle enchantments before the final vote is cast.
• Brother and Sister at Odds: News reaches the party that a mysterious “merchant patron” in Verbobonc and a “noble widow” in Nulb are coordinating bandit raids and political agitation. Tracing both ends of the thread forces the PCs into the deadly rivalry—and uneasy alliance—between Lakash Quallad and Madame Selentis (Nysera Krivaltis).

Drop A12 Lakash Quallad’s Manor at the end of your High Quarter section as the capstone location: a dazzling, dangerous stage where the city’s brightest lights mingle with the Temple’s darkest designs.

Lakash Quallad’s “Ballroom of Thirteen Mirrors” — Noble Guest List

Lakash Quallad

At the center of every knot of conversation, you glimpse a lean, sharp-featured man in flawless evening clothes, his smile warm but his eyes cool and measuring—like a broker appraising rare coin rather than company.

Viscount’s Daughters – Lady Helena & Lady Elysia Revepaix

• Status: Daughters of Viscount Wilfrick Revepaix; Helena the groomed princess of Verbobonc, Elysia the politically savvy adopted daughter and rising hope of the realm.
• Companions: Attend together with a small honor-guard from Castle Greyfist, but without the Viscount.
• Elysia Revepaix: You notice a young woman in tasteful but not ostentatious finery, eyes bright and keen, listening to senators and merchants as though the whole city were a puzzle she fully intends to solve. Spends much of the evening in earnest policy talk with Tymak, Avgustin, and Lakash.
• Helena Revepaix: Her elder sister stands nearby like a portrait come to life—poised, graceful, and slightly distant; when talk turns to heroes and lost princes, you catch the flicker of old hurt beneath her perfect composure. The “lost bride” of Thrommel, more reserved, the subject of constant quiet gossip.

Baron Rollof & Lady Elenore Avgustin

This grizzled veteran wears his dress coat like armor, shoulders rigid, boots polished to a marshal’s shine; when he speaks, nearby gossip dims a little, as if everyone instinctively expects orders.

• Lady Elenore Avgustin: At his side, Lady Elenore moves like a seasoned hostess and quiet general of the social field—touch on an arm here, a whisper there, stitching frayed tempers and egos back together before they snap.
• Status: Provost Marshal of Verbobonc and his politically active, socially gifted wife.
• Companions: Sir Garrick Avgustin (their son) and a pair of house officers.

Lord Roland & Lady Isolde Galans

You see a handsome, broad-smiling lord in rich blues and golds, laughing easily with merchants and nobles alike—yet his fingers flick along his wineglass in a rhythm that speaks of restless energy and sharp ambition.

• Status: “Roland the Grand,” independent magnate of House Galans, master of trade and river commerce; Isolde oversees their charities and social profile.
• Companions: Sir Hector Galans (eldest son) and several merchant-friends.

Lord Claviger Velysin & Lady Mirela Velysin

This older noble stands straight as a spear, silver at his temples, every button and fold of his coat in perfect order; his gaze weighs each guest like a magistrate deciding whether to praise, fine, or flog.

• Status: Former Lord Mayor and head of House Velysin, champions of law, justice, and close allies of the Church of St. Cuthbert.
• Companions: A small knot of officers from the Verbobonc militia and a Raoan cleric acquaintance.

Lord Ludovic Langmuir & Lady Godeleva Langmuir

• Lord Langmuir: Ludovic looks like a man born to fine clothes but not quite comfortable in them, shifting his weight as if he’d rather be on horseback; he lets others speak for House Langmuir and watches the room with a hint of uncertainty.
• Lady Godeleva Langmuir: By contrast, his mother stands like a granite pillar in silk—chin high, eyes hard, voice soft but edged; you get the sense that half the room is more wary of displeasing her than the Viscount himself.
• Status: Ludovic is the nominal lord of House Langmuir; his mother Godeleva, the “Iron Lady,” is the true power behind the house.
• Companions: A trio of Langmuir retainers and one nervous young squire.

Lord Kosak Chondell

A tall, gaunt figure in dark, slightly antiquated fashion, he seems cut from the same stone as his family’s castle; his gaze glides over the crowd like a cold draught, lingering a heartbeat too long on anyone who stares back.

• Status: Reclusive lord of Castle Chondell, gothic and aloof, here more as a statement than a gesture of friendship.
• Companion: His sister, Lady Elina Chondell, representing the family’s urban business interests.

Lord Tymak of House Tymak

You notice a neatly dressed, unassuming lord with ink stains on his cuffs and eyes that miss nothing; he listens far more than he speaks, yet conversations bend subtly when he finally murmurs a word.

• Status: Long-time confidant and fixer for Viscount Wilfrick; widely whispered to be the likely next Lord Mayor.
• Companions: Attends without wife; flanked instead by a clerk and two discreet bodyguards.

Lord Drenton Vaswell

A stout man with careful manners and a slightly pinched expression, he laughs half a heartbeat after everyone else, as though always calculating the cost of each joke and alliance.

• Status: Rural noble of the viscounty heartland (DM: fill exact domain), invited for his soldiers and his swing vote on several pending measures.
• Companion: Lady Vaswell (name and personality for you to define at table).

Lord Conner Bridgeforth

You spot a broad-shouldered country lord with wind-burned cheeks and a weathered cloak cut too plainly for this room; his hand strays more to the hilt at his side than to his untouched wine.

• Status: Frontier or river-border lord (DM to place), respected for his levy’s steadiness in past campaigns.
• Companion: Lady Bridgeforth, plus a young heir or daughter of your choosing.

Lady Kathryn Sarcina (“Lady Sarcina”)

A ripple of warmth follows wherever she moves, her smile easy, her laughter genuine—yet when her gaze rests on someone, you feel the quiet weight of a woman used to steering whole houses by charm alone.

• Status: Head of House Sarcina, widowed, famed for beauty, charm, and her unresolved romance with missing Prince Horrus.
• Companions: A pair of distant cousins and one trusted lady-in-waiting; no husband.