Standard AL rewards chosen from Triden WPM, in additon to other treasure.
* 5 consumables, level 4-5 spell scrolls
* Necklace of Prayer Beads (Blessing, Curing, Favor, Favor, Smiting, Wind Walking)
* Blessing of Protection
* +3 Moon Sickle upgrade

I created a backstory before my first Gameholecon. Didn't know what to expect in the Adventurers League Golden Ticket arc and didn't want to be the only one that didn't prepare. Spent some time tying it in to published Border Kingdoms Forgotten Realms Campaign Supplement lore, so decided to share it here. Got an inspiration for using the "Scholar of Derlusk" (Sage) Background from it, at least...

Overview
Nyriad Buteo’s family has resided in Derlusk for generations and are highly respected authorities on manuscripts pertaining to the arcane. Secretly, they are a cell of the Emerald Enclave, monitoring the increasing actions of local Zhentarim and their search for lost "Mighty" magic items in the Border Kingdoms. Nyr generally stays in the region near Derlusk, rarely adventuring, and then only if there is promise of such an item. He also accepts commissions as a preeminent local seeker, by procuring or copying rare volumes for wealthy clients.

When he is not spying or scouting, often in the family's preferred wild shape as a Blood Hawk, he might be found at a library. He seeks ancient writings and old books, to look for clues in locating these "Mighty" relics. He has expertise in the history and arcana of the Border Kingdoms. He also has various connections in Athenaeum societies and among librarians, who will alert him if they see or hear about manuscripts of interest. He generally avoids violence, usually leaving this to others, unless family or Enclave ideals are threatened.

Book Shop
As a front for Enclave research, Nyr and his family operate a highly respected and profitable two-level bookshop, Book Hawkers, in the upscale shopping run of Derlusk. His Ranger wife, Mairym, powers sales with her Fey Wanderer charms, while Nyr offers copying services for arcane manuscripts, hoping to scour them for clues relevant to his research. He has even written a few popular books of his own, fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to local magic lore. This is an effort to make contacts, solicit business, and monitor Zhentarim and other faction agents, who may become unwitting confidants while visiting his store in their own research. They are popular and widely accepted as ordinary purveyors, though a few rumours circulate among competitors.

TLDR
The backroom of the store is a standard Derlusk-style workshop for its renowned copying and authentication services. An easy-to-perceive secret door with a basic locking mechanism opens to a large closet, holding various exceptional "fakes" and ancient tomes that appear rare. They are mostly works he knows to be incorrect, or clever copies with intentionally misleading information, in hopes they fall into the hands of other factions. Uncommon magic scrolls and spellbooks are thrown in for the deception.

A heavy, warped cellar door is built into the stone floor and perfectly seals the entrance. It appears old and it is not locked or trapped, but the door and mechanism are intentionally made to be difficult, for those not familiar with it. As such, it is noisy and time-consuming to open. When the room is not watched by a bat, spider or other familiar, the door usually has Alarm and Nondetection spells cast upon it. It will mentally alert a family member in the area, if opened. After a short time, the poor balance helps cause it to loudly slam shut behind anyone who doesn't know the trick to avoid this.

A very narrow stairway with angled, slippery stairs winds downward through about 20 feet of stone. Family druids sometimes climb the stairway walls in shape, as it is barely big enough for a thin humanoid, and also difficult to avoid falling on the uneven steps or hitting your head on the low ceiling protrusions. As such, there is minimal room and leverage to force open the cellar door from the inside, unless you can become a goat.

The typical cellar storeroom, roughly 20x20x10', contains many tall bookshelves, crates of calligraphy supplies, and a massive wooden chest, all built in-place and too large to bring up through the passage. A complex lock and poison trap are present on the chest. They are mainly designed to slow a thief, as it often secures the more valuable works for sale in the store.

Hundreds of tomes line the shelves. Most are only of moderate value. No magic items are kept here, unless inside a lead-lined false bottom of the chest, or a lead-lined fake book, hiding in plain sight. The room contents are meant to seem mundane, outside the chest, and nothing connecting Nyr or the store to the Enclave is ever kept here.

In the corner of the storeroom, there is a functioning fresh water well. It also provides drainage, to keep the cellar contents safe from flooding. It is uninteresting, except that the otherwise untapped aquifer below passes through a second well, conveniently in the center garden of the Buteo Family residence, high on Dragonsmoke Ridge, in the outskirts of west Derlusk.

The aquifer can be traversed only by Small water creatures with a swim speed and water breathing. Small humanoids would get stuck, if they could fit into the well at all. This route is sometimes used in wild shape (Octopus) if someone gets stuck behind the cellar door, or to securely transport Enclave documents and valuables to their destination.

A tiny secret compartment is at the ceiling of the cellar, behind the top of a heavy bookcase and obscured by the top shelf. It blends into the stonework so well that a very difficult investigation check could be made by a Dwarf or mason, and then only if they climbed to the top shelf and cleared away the books. A pivoting door, only a few inches across, reveals the "treasure", a small bag of diamonds and gemstones, for Revivify and other spells.

The true secret is that the back of the compartment slopes just slightly downward, below any line of sight from the ceiling of the cellar. A second, identical hidden door is on the compartment floor, made before the final wall stones were placed, protected by a high-level Arcane Lock spell. It is carefully positioned behind the thick wall, to be out of reach of a detect magic or Knock spell.

Emerald Enclave
A druid wild-shaped as a Tiny creature can easily navigate these doors. Designated agents bypass the Arcane Lock to a small network of rat-sized tunnels, leading to secret burrows and connecting Enclave assets in Derlusk. One such connection is the nearby Rowdy Raptor pub, one of the family's other successful businesses, catering to a literary crowd. Nyr frequents the tavern, serving drinks or drinking them with contacts, while his wife oversees business. She also keeps tabs on local news and gossip, while performing book recitals and songs, along with local musicians.

They often reside upstairs from the store, spending nights in an elven trance, while his familiar bat keeps eyes on the shop. Family members or hirelings tend to daily business, unless Nyr's expertise is required. Close family have rooms in the unassuming residential bastion in a wooded area of Dawndancer's run, on the hill overlooking the west side of the city. They keep a number of large Blood Hawk mews on the property. Trained hawks help keep the rat population of the city down and provide cover for family members coming and going in hawk shape. The family is well-liked in town, and elders have held city council Coinseats, from time to time. Extended elven kin have a village in the northeast edge of Qurth forest, near an Enclave outpost led by his Ranger cousin, Growf.

Nyriad sometimes travels there and to Ilighôn on Enclave business. He recently received a promotion to Autumnreaver, with an upgrade to his Moon Sickle, as a reward for delivering powerful magics from a recent mission. He is the lore and surveillance expert for the organization in the area and one of the leaders of the local cell. In addition to Blood Hawk, Bat, Octopus, and Spider, he may also scout the area in Tiger, Bear, and other wild shapes. He often surveils with his familiar hawk or bat, along with his wife, cousin or another family Druid.

Background (Sage):
Scholar of Derlusk (AL Border Kingdoms Supplement)
You have lived in, or visited, the city of Derlusk often enough to have learned something of all of the varied skills, tasks, and knowledge that go into making and interpreting written records. You value books, scrolls, ledgers, heraldry, glyphs, and the need to keep records, and have kept current on changing fashions and habits in written communications within the Border Kingdoms.

Lore Savant

A scholar of Derlusk can bind books, can make several sorts of paper and ink, is an expert calligrapher and often a reasonable counterfeiter, can make engravings and make, repair, and work a printing press; knows something of the historic and current heraldry of the Borders, and is familiar with most trail-runes and boundary marks in the Border Kingdoms. If a book was produced in Derlusk, a Scholar can tell roughly when—or how old the counterfeiter who crafted it wanted others to think it is; you are likely to know when you’re examining a counterfeited book or one that’s been altered from its original contents.

Feature: Lore Investigator

Derlusk contains some of the greatest libraries in the Realms. As a professional researcher, if you do not immediately recall the information surrounding a piece of lore, you know where you can likely find it. After years of study in Derlusk, you have established a network of contacts in the libraries, scriptoriums, and universities of Derlusk. If you are researching a piece of lore that is specific to the Border Kingdoms, with the guidance of your DM, you likely will know where to find the answer to your question within one of the many athenaeums in Derlusk.


Sorry for formatting. I failed the DC19 Intelligence check vs. this editor.

Other
* 2024 Adventurer's League 15.0 Rules. Character created in 2024 rules for Gameholecon Border Kingdoms AL 2024. Started Level 5 creation rules
*
* AL Downtime Days: 85
* 40 (Starting Level 5)
* 40 (Gameholecon Golden Ticket Tier 2 PO-BK-04-01, 02, 03 and 04)
* 10 (White Plume Mountain)
* -5 (Trade 1 item Traded Crystal Blade of Songcraft to get uncommon Cloak of Protection)

Standard AL rewards chosen from Triden WPM, in additon to other treasure.
* 5 consumables, level 4-5 spell scrolls
* Necklace of Prayer Beads (Blessing, Curing, Favor, Favor, Smiting, Wind Walking)
* Blessing of Protection
* +3 Moon Sickle upgrade

I created a backstory before my first Gameholecon. Didn't know what to expect in the Adventurers League Golden Ticket arc and didn't want to be the only one that didn't prepare. Spent some time tying it in to published Border Kingdoms Forgotten Realms Campaign Supplement lore, so decided to share it here. Got an inspiration for using the "Scholar of Derlusk" (Sage) Background from it, at least...

Overview
Nyriad Buteo’s family has resided in Derlusk for generations and are highly respected authorities on manuscripts pertaining to the arcane. Secretly, they are a cell of the Emerald Enclave, monitoring the increasing actions of local Zhentarim and their search for lost "Mighty" magic items in the Border Kingdoms. Nyr generally stays in the region near Derlusk, rarely adventuring, and then only if there is promise of such an item. He also accepts commissions as a preeminent local seeker, by procuring or copying rare volumes for wealthy clients.

When he is not spying or scouting, often in the family's preferred wild shape as a Blood Hawk, he might be found at a library. He seeks ancient writings and old books, to look for clues in locating these "Mighty" relics. He has expertise in the history and arcana of the Border Kingdoms. He also has various connections in Athenaeum societies and among librarians, who will alert him if they see or hear about manuscripts of interest. He generally avoids violence, usually leaving this to others, unless family or Enclave ideals are threatened.

Book Shop
As a front for Enclave research, Nyr and his family operate a highly respected and profitable two-level bookshop, Book Hawkers, in the upscale shopping run of Derlusk. His Ranger wife, Mairym, powers sales with her Fey Wanderer charms, while Nyr offers copying services for arcane manuscripts, hoping to scour them for clues relevant to his research. He has even written a few popular books of his own, fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to local magic lore. This is an effort to make contacts, solicit business, and monitor Zhentarim and other faction agents, who may become unwitting confidants while visiting his store in their own research. They are popular and widely accepted as ordinary purveyors, though a few rumours circulate among competitors.

TLDR
The backroom of the store is a standard Derlusk-style workshop for its renowned copying and authentication services. An easy-to-perceive secret door with a basic locking mechanism opens to a large closet, holding various exceptional "fakes" and ancient tomes that appear rare. They are mostly works he knows to be incorrect, or clever copies with intentionally misleading information, in hopes they fall into the hands of other factions. Uncommon magic scrolls and spellbooks are thrown in for the deception.

A heavy, warped cellar door is built into the stone floor and perfectly seals the entrance. It appears old and it is not locked or trapped, but the door and mechanism are intentionally made to be difficult, for those not familiar with it. As such, it is noisy and time-consuming to open. When the room is not watched by a bat, spider or other familiar, the door usually has Alarm and Nondetection spells cast upon it. It will mentally alert a family member in the area, if opened. After a short time, the poor balance helps cause it to loudly slam shut behind anyone who doesn't know the trick to avoid this.

A very narrow stairway with angled, slippery stairs winds downward through about 20 feet of stone. Family druids sometimes climb the stairway walls in shape, as it is barely big enough for a thin humanoid, and also difficult to avoid falling on the uneven steps or hitting your head on the low ceiling protrusions. As such, there is minimal room and leverage to force open the cellar door from the inside, unless you can become a goat.

The typical cellar storeroom, roughly 20x20x10', contains many tall bookshelves, crates of calligraphy supplies, and a massive wooden chest, all built in-place and too large to bring up through the passage. A complex lock and poison trap are present on the chest. They are mainly designed to slow a thief, as it often secures the more valuable works for sale in the store.

Hundreds of tomes line the shelves. Most are only of moderate value. No magic items are kept here, unless inside a lead-lined false bottom of the chest, or a lead-lined fake book, hiding in plain sight. The room contents are meant to seem mundane, outside the chest, and nothing connecting Nyr or the store to the Enclave is ever kept here.

In the corner of the storeroom, there is a functioning fresh water well. It also provides drainage, to keep the cellar contents safe from flooding. It is uninteresting, except that the otherwise untapped aquifer below passes through a second well, conveniently in the center garden of the Buteo Family residence, high on Dragonsmoke Ridge, in the outskirts of west Derlusk.

The aquifer can be traversed only by Small water creatures with a swim speed and water breathing. Small humanoids would get stuck, if they could fit into the well at all. This route is sometimes used in wild shape (Octopus) if someone gets stuck behind the cellar door, or to securely transport Enclave documents and valuables to their destination.

A tiny secret compartment is at the ceiling of the cellar, behind the top of a heavy bookcase and obscured by the top shelf. It blends into the stonework so well that a very difficult investigation check could be made by a Dwarf or mason, and then only if they climbed to the top shelf and cleared away the books. A pivoting door, only a few inches across, reveals the "treasure", a small bag of diamonds and gemstones, for Revivify and other spells.

The true secret is that the back of the compartment slopes just slightly downward, below any line of sight from the ceiling of the cellar. A second, identical hidden door is on the compartment floor, made before the final wall stones were placed, protected by a high-level Arcane Lock spell. It is carefully positioned behind the thick wall, to be out of reach of a detect magic or Knock spell.

Emerald Enclave
A druid wild-shaped as a Tiny creature can easily navigate these doors. Designated agents bypass the Arcane Lock to a small network of rat-sized tunnels, leading to secret burrows and connecting Enclave assets in Derlusk. One such connection is the nearby Rowdy Raptor pub, one of the family's other successful businesses, catering to a literary crowd. Nyr frequents the tavern, serving drinks or drinking them with contacts, while his wife oversees business. She also keeps tabs on local news and gossip, while performing book recitals and songs, along with local musicians.

They often reside upstairs from the store, spending nights in an elven trance, while his familiar bat keeps eyes on the shop. Family members or hirelings tend to daily business, unless Nyr's expertise is required. Close family have rooms in the unassuming residential bastion in a wooded area of Dawndancer's run, on the hill overlooking the west side of the city. They keep a number of large Blood Hawk mews on the property. Trained hawks help keep the rat population of the city down and provide cover for family members coming and going in hawk shape. The family is well-liked in town, and elders have held city council Coinseats, from time to time. Extended elven kin have a village in the northeast edge of Qurth forest, near an Enclave outpost led by his Ranger cousin, Growf.

Nyriad sometimes travels there and to Ilighôn on Enclave business. He recently received a promotion to Autumnreaver, with an upgrade to his Moon Sickle, as a reward for delivering powerful magics from a recent mission. He is the lore and surveillance expert for the organization in the area and one of the leaders of the local cell. In addition to Blood Hawk, Bat, Octopus, and Spider, he may also scout the area in Tiger, Bear, and other wild shapes. He often surveils with his familiar hawk or bat, along with his wife, cousin or another family Druid.

Background (Sage):
Scholar of Derlusk (AL Border Kingdoms Supplement)
You have lived in, or visited, the city of Derlusk often enough to have learned something of all of the varied skills, tasks, and knowledge that go into making and interpreting written records. You value books, scrolls, ledgers, heraldry, glyphs, and the need to keep records, and have kept current on changing fashions and habits in written communications within the Border Kingdoms.

Lore Savant

A scholar of Derlusk can bind books, can make several sorts of paper and ink, is an expert calligrapher and often a reasonable counterfeiter, can make engravings and make, repair, and work a printing press; knows something of the historic and current heraldry of the Borders, and is familiar with most trail-runes and boundary marks in the Border Kingdoms. If a book was produced in Derlusk, a Scholar can tell roughly when—or how old the counterfeiter who crafted it wanted others to think it is; you are likely to know when you’re examining a counterfeited book or one that’s been altered from its original contents.

Feature: Lore Investigator

Derlusk contains some of the greatest libraries in the Realms. As a professional researcher, if you do not immediately recall the information surrounding a piece of lore, you know where you can likely find it. After years of study in Derlusk, you have established a network of contacts in the libraries, scriptoriums, and universities of Derlusk. If you are researching a piece of lore that is specific to the Border Kingdoms, with the guidance of your DM, you likely will know where to find the answer to your question within one of the many athenaeums in Derlusk.


Sorry for formatting. I failed the DC19 Intelligence check vs. this editor.

Other
* 2024 Adventurer's League 15.0 Rules. Character created in 2024 rules for Gameholecon Border Kingdoms AL 2024. Started Level 5 creation rules
*
* AL Downtime Days: 85
* 40 (Starting Level 5)
* 40 (Gameholecon Golden Ticket Tier 2 PO-BK-04-01, 02, 03 and 04)
* 10 (White Plume Mountain)
* -5 (Trade 1 item Traded Crystal Blade of Songcraft to get uncommon Cloak of Protection)