Thornbury's Curios & Imports sits comfortably on a cobblestone avenue in the Trades Ward, framed by polished oak timbers, brass accents, and leaded-glass windows that gleam in the sun. It looks every bit the high-end establishment: refined, quiet, and conspicuously devoid of vulgar price tags. If you have to ask, you likely ought to be shopping down in the Dock Ward.
Two large bay windows flank the double doors of dark, oil-rubbed darkwood. Painted on the glass in elegant silver leaf is the store’s insignia—a quill crossed over an intricate compass rose. A subtle brass chime, imbued with a gentle alarm cantrip, rings a soft, musical tone whenever someone steps across the threshold, alerting Eldrin or Lyra in the back.
This front room is designed to impress and comfort the shop’s wealthy clientele. Rich, deep-crimson carpets muffle footsteps, and the air is perpetually fragrant with a faint, pleasant aroma of roasted coffee beans, dried lavender, and old leather (a subtle touch courtesy of Lyra's prestidigitation).
The Hospitality Nook: Just inside to the left sits a plush seating area with velvet armchairs and a low mahogany table. Here, Lyra entertains favored patrons, serving rare Maztican hot chocolate, spiced Kara-Turan teas, and delicate Waterdhavian almond tarts while Malakor or Eldrin retrieve items for viewing.
The High-End Imports: Glass-fronted cabinets line the walls, showcasing exotic shelf goods:
The Arcane Showcase: Secured behind locked, reinforced display cases (protected by minor magical wardings) are the shop’s entry-level magical wares:
Transactions here are conducted with soft-spoken professionalism. Prices are negotiated over tea based on the buyer's standing, trade relationships, or trade-ins. While Lyra manages the front counter with effortless charm, Eldrin keeps a keen eye from behind a high counter made of polished marble, where he meticulously logs sales in a heavy ledger and handles payments in Waterdhavian dragons and moons.
Beyond the public storefront, the remaining three-quarters of the first floor transitions into a maze of high-value inventory, functional workspaces, and private nooks designed for discreet high-stakes business.
Visible through a polished archway behind the main counter, this expansive area functions as a working warehouse, curated with the orderliness expected of a former adventurer. Tall, sturdy shelves of dark oak reach toward the high ceiling, accessible by rolling library ladders.
Bulky & Rare Imports: Stacks of hand-woven Calishite carpets, bolts of shimmering Moonshae silk, heavy rolls of tapestries depicting historical battles, and carved wooden trunks filled with unrefined exotic resins and rare incense blocks line the wider aisles.
Secured Oddities: Crated artifacts, iron-bound chests of trade bars, and stacks of protective scroll tubes rest on reinforced lower shelves, each tagged with Eldrin’s neat dwarven script for tracking inventory.
Tucked deep in the central heart of the storage floor, completely shielded from the street view by tall rows of shelves and hanging carpets, lies an area set a side for sales and negotiations that shouldn't be conducted in public.
A thick, plush rug muffles helps keeps conversations private. In the center sit three deep leather armchairs arranged around a low, heavy table carved from a single slab of petrified wood. A mahogany sideboard against the shelving is always stocked with crystal decanters of top-shelf dwarven brandy, aged elven wine, crystal tumblers, and a silver platter for Lyra to set down warm pastries and a fresh pot of tea.
This is where Malakor brings high-net-worth collectors, noble patrons, or discreet agents selling sensitive artifacts. Here, away from prying eyes, rare and powerful items—such as rare spellbooks, high-tier magical rings, or dangerous ancient relics—are unboxed and evaluated over a quiet drink.
At the back of the building, where the noise of the Trades Ward fades entirely, the space shifts to practical utility:
The Enchanted 'Water Closet': A small, impeccably clean room featuring a basin and fixture enhanced with permanent prestidigitation and minor transmutation runes—ensuring instant warm water, fresh air, and effortless sanitation without the need for traditional plumbing. The enchanted water closet doubles as a crucial line of defense. By using magic for waste disposal rather than tapping directly into Waterdeep’s massive underground network, Malakor completely eliminates the risk of Wererats, guild thieves, or Undermountain horrors crawling up through the pipes from the sewers below.
The Keeper's Cot: A neat, comfortable daybed dressed with wool blankets. It serves as a resting spot for Eldrin during long inventory nights, a place for Malakor to take a quick nap during grueling research sessions, or a temporary haven for an exhausted friend slipping in through the back alley door.
Stairs leading upstairs. They are deliberately understated. Rather than an imposing, grand structure, the staircase is constructed from tight-grained ash wood—clean, functional, and solidly built, but thoroughly utilitarian. It blends naturally into the framing of the back storage wall, deliberately designed to look like simple access to an overhead stock loft or private office. An intruder sweeping the ground floor won't find a dramatic, eye-catching ascent signaling a vault of treasures, just a sensible set of steps built for day-to-day work.
Reaching the top of the modest ash staircase brings you into a central hallway that runs the full depth of the building, quiet and softly lit by wall sconces. The second floor cleanly splits the building's dual nature: private living on one side, and personal passion on the other.
A sturdy oak door midway down the hall divides the floor, leading into the private apartments of Malakor and Eldrin.
Malakor’s Suite: Positioned toward the front of the building to catch the morning light through leaded glass windows. It's the home of an academic—lined with personal bookshelves, an overly large writing desk cluttered with parchment, inkpots, and half-translated scripts, and comfortable, worn furniture.
Eldrin’s Suite: Simple, impeccably organized, and rock-solid. Eldrin’s room features sturdy dwarf-made furniture, a heavy iron-bound chest at the foot of his bed, and a small personal altar to Marthammor Duin tucked into an alcove, lit by a perpetually burning candle.
Shared Amenities: Between the two rooms sits a cozy shared sitting room and a small private kitchen, though most heavy cooking is brought up from downstairs or catered by nearby inns.
The opposite side of the hall is where the true heart of the two former adventurers lives—a secured space kept strictly off-limits to casual shop patrons.
The Magical Workshop: At the rear of the floor, Malakor’s workshop is a wizard’s dream. Heavy stone-topped benches hold alchemical retorts, scribing stands for crafting spell scrolls, and delicate brass instruments for measuring magical fields. Protective runes are carved directly into the floorboards around the central workspace to contain any accidental spillage or volatile spell reactions.
The "Not For Sale" Display: The middle chamber functions as a private museum of their adventuring youth. Glass cabinets and wall mounts hold relics they refuse to part with:
The Study: At the front facing the street, bathed in the evening light, sits a warm, wood-paneled study. Two deep, high-backed leather armchairs face a handsome stone fireplace. A low table between them holds a humidor of fine southern pipe-weed and a carousel of crystal decanters filled with rare, cask-strength dwarven whiskies.
It is here, long after the front shop chime has quieted and Lyra has gone home, that Malakor and Eldrin pour two heavy fingers of spirits, pack their pipes, and toast to lost battles, narrow escapes, and the companions who didn't live to open a quiet shop in the North Ward