The Envoy of the Circle of Eight

Overview:
When word reaches Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight that the Curiosity may have been found, a discreet envoy is sent to Saltmarsh. Their mission: monitor events, assess the threat, and recover the Apparatus of Kwalish before it falls into the wrong hands.

Aurelius is a high level wizard.

Presence in Saltmarsh

• The envoy travels in disguise as a wandering cleric or mendicant scholar, cloaked in plain grey and brown travel robes.

• They keep to a private room at the Wicker Goat and meet Captain Fireborn in secret to exchange information.

• Few in town know they exist. Even Fireborn refers to them only as “the scholar.”

• The envoy quietly listens to tavern talk, smugglers’ gossip, and local politics, aware of the Brotherhood’s reputation, but not their full infiltration.

Personality: Stoic, calm, and deliberate. Neither warm nor cold, simply focused. They reveal little and seem to know far more than they say.

Role

If the party’s actions draw attention, the envoy will approach them privately before they set out for the Tyrants.

“You tread in waters once touched by a great mind. His works were never meant for the hands of the reckless.”

They speak carefully, never using Mordenkainen’s name directly until trust is earned. Their true goal is to ensure the Apparatus is returned to the Circle, not claimed by Sea Princes, Iuz, or anyone else.

Loss Apprentice

Aurelius shares that the Circle still mourns a loss tied to the Curiosity:

“One of our own was aboard, Ilyena Valhar, apprentice to Mordenkainen.
Brilliant, devoted… and lost to the sea these forty years.”

He asks the party to recover anything bearing her name or mark, her remains, spellbook, or personal effects and return them to him.

“Whatever of her endures is of great worth to the Circle. Knowledge is never truly lost… only waiting to be found.”

If the party later confirms her fate (The Drowned Seraph (Abyssal Marilith) and released her, Aurelius is extremely grateful and bows his head.

“She kept her oath to the end. May her name be remembered.”

Note: He will be curious as to what had changed her, an Abyss (this could lead to the Styes)

Reward

• They appeal to reason and duty, not greed.

• Offer recognition by the Circle of Eight in exchange for the device’s safe return.

• Emphasize balance and stewardship:

“Power such as this must be guarded, not wielded. Its purpose belongs to the one who forged it.”

If pressed about reward, they answer plainly:

“The Circle does not bargain, but those who serve its cause are not forgotten.”

If the Party Returns the Apparatus

• The envoy thanks them quietly and departs within a day.

• Within a tenday, a sealed letter arrives from the Circle to the Kingdom of Keoland, formally naming the heroes Friends of the Circle of Eight ,a rare and powerful distinction.

• As a final token, the envoy leaves behind a scroll of Wish, the Circle’s gesture of gratitude.

“Few mortals act without self-interest. You have done what even wizards struggle to do....the right thing.”

Aurelius

Stat & Notes

• Level: 10 Wizard (Neutral)

• Disguise: Wandering scholar / priest

• Motivation: Preserve balance, recover the Apparatus, prevent misuse.

• Tactics: Avoids combat, prefers subtlety, divination, and charm.

• If Threatened: Uses Dimension Door or Greater Invisibility to vanish.