Syndra Silvane is a retired Tethyrian human archmage, merchant, and former adventurer who serves as the party’s benefactor and primary quest-giver for the Tomb of Annihilation adventure. She is lawful neutral and speaks Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, and Halfling.
The Death Curse
Syndra died years ago during her adventuring career and was raised from the dead. She has since retired from adventuring and established herself as a successful merchant. Now she is afflicted by the death curse—a wasting disease that affects everyone who has ever been raised from the dead. Her hit point maximum has been reduced to 79 and decreases by 1 every midnight. When her hit point maximum reaches 0, she will die permanently, unable to be raised until the death curse ends. If her soul hasn’t been devoured by that time, she can potentially be restored after the Soulmonger’s destruction.
Role in the Adventure
Through her contacts in the Harpers, Syndra learned that the source of the death curse is a necromantic artifact called the Soulmonger, located somewhere in Chult. Using dozens of sea charts, log books, and explorers’ journals, she assembled an incomplete map of Chult—the only comprehensive resource of its kind. She hires the player characters to travel to Chult, find the Soulmonger, and destroy it.
Syndra offers each character 50 gp for immediate expenses and promises a rare or uncommon magic item upon successful completion of the quest. She uses a teleport spell to transport herself and the party directly to Port Nyanzaru’s Harbor Ward, arriving near the docks without mishap due to her familiarity with the city.
Relationships
Wakanga O’tamu: Syndra is a long-time friend of Wakanga O’tamu, one of Port Nyanzaru’s seven merchant princes and the only arcane spellcaster among them. She stays at his villa during the adventure, as she is too weak to accompany the party into the jungle. Wakanga is sympathetic to the Harpers and allows them to use his villa as a safe house.
The Harpers: Syndra maintains connections with the Harpers, who provided her with intelligence about the Soulmonger. Their information came from a lich, though they know little beyond the artifact’s name and general location in Chult.
Jobal: The merchant prince who deals in guides and sellswords would pay Syndra handsomely for her map of Chult if he learned of its existence, resorting to theft or even murder if necessary to obtain it.
Valindra Shadowmantle: The lich leading the Red Wizards of Thay’s expedition to steal or destroy the Soulmonger would literally kill to possess Syndra’s map if she learned of its existence.
Personality and Presentation
Syndra conceals the full extent of her deterioration. When meeting with the characters, she sits in an overstuffed chair near a fire, covered by a heavy blanket with only her head visible. An embroidered hood and silver mask conceal her face, and she speaks in a dry, raspy voice that provides no gender clues. She meets the party in her wood-paneled map room on the third floor of her home, surrounded by hundreds of maps and sea charts.
She has misgivings about sending inexperienced adventurers on such a dangerous quest but isn’t taking chances. She fails to mention that she has already sent more experienced parties to Chult—all of whom have disappeared, having fallen victim to the jungle’s perils or crossed paths with Valindra Shadowmantle. When pressed about seeking more experienced adventurers, she replies dryly, “I already have.”
Fate
If the characters destroy the Soulmonger while Syndra still lives, priests quickly restore her to full health and she honors her promise to reward the party. If she dies but her soul is saved before the atropal devours it, she is raised from the dead within a tenday of the Soulmonger’s destruction and still honors her agreement. If she dies and her soul is devoured, her body lies in state pending a funeral and proper burial, and the characters receive no reward from her.