Mintiper Moonsilver Mintiper Moonsilver was a bard whose works were collected in Silverymoon and compiled into " Mintiper ' s Chapbook " . Appearance . Mintiper ' s eyes were usually blue but whose brightness fluctuated with his mood , growing darker when angered or shining when excited . He had shoulder - length black hair and a distinctive burn mark lay on the back of his right hand . Mintiper stood tall at 6 ft 2 in ( 1 . 9 m ) but was noted to weigh only 142 lb ( 64 . 4 kg ) . His left shoulder bears Alyniria ' s silver lip impression . He tended to wear non - descript clothing in earthy tones . Biography . Mintiper ' s childhood was a mystery to all . He was out on his own , living solely on the merit of his skills at a very young age . Mirt claimed that his father was a waterdhavian while his mother ( Mintiper himself said her name was Maralen ) was a moon elf from Ardeep Forest , though Mirt accepts that his claim could be wildly erroneous . Mintiper ' s sometime use of the surname Silverhand could also link him to the family of Dornal Silverhand , father of the Seven Sisters . Mintiper is said to have been a member of several groups beforehand but he first came to prominence at the head of his Moonlight Men in 1341 DR who , over the course of two years , proved to be an incredibly capable band of mercenaries , mostly protecting caravans in the Silver Marches but also gaining renown after looting the treasures of Luskan . Unfortunately , in the Battle of Moonlight ' s Triumph , all but Mintiper and five others of that group were slain at Turnstone Pass after defeating an orc force at least four thousand - strong there that threatened Everlund . Mintiper ventured south into the High Forest immediately afterward , parting ways with his fellow survivors ( although two died atop Turlangtor before they reached the forest boundary ) and traversing the wood ' s entire length by himself thanks to the help of a clan of forest gnome s who showed him the Misty Trail . His next recorded encounter was with the Wood - Riders of Turlang , whom he joined in attacking both merchant and bandit alike in the plains north of Secomber . During this time he encountered a group of adventurers led by a remarkable spellsinger named Alyniria . Mintiper rescued her from his fellows , enraptured by her beauty and bravery , but she was already dying from the wounds that she had suffered . With her remaining time , Alyniria taught Mintiper the ancient Runetongue and with the last of her life , marked his left shoulder with an indelible silver impression of her lips which bestowed a permanent magical blessing . After laying Alyniria ' s body to rest in a secret grave , an embittered Mintiper headed to the Sword Coast where he began a career as a thief . He excelled at this role and gained a reputation for daring . He slew the mage Iniarv the Manyhanded in his tower and stole his collection of two hundred emerald lions . Mintiper briefly joined forces with the evil Morlaug before assassins working for Calimshan ' s satraps ( many of whom he had robbed ) forced him to flee for Skaug in a calishite ship stolen from Port Kir . At Skaug , Mintiper joined the crew of the notorious pirate Kesmer Redeyed - known as the " Coast Wolf " until a storm dashed their ship . Mintiper escaped , allegedly by using a magical green gem given to him by his mother . The sole pirate survivor of the wreck however , described a conflagration that consumed the remains of the ship and it ' s crew , leaving no trace of the half - elf . Arriving in the Purple Hills , Mintiper set up in Myratma , acting as a guide to adventurers in the ruins of the First Kingdom but quickly grew bored , deciding to head back toward the High Forest . Along the way though , he was caught up in several skirmishes with bedine warriors at the southeastern edge of Anauroch . Mintiper and his group , the Company of the Striking Hawk as well as the Company of the Blue Broadaxe , at the behest of amn ian merchant interests , engaged the desert nomads for nearly three months until their camp was found at the Battle of Bones and their leader , Khytor Moramu was killed . Five men from the two groups survived that final desperate battle : three returned to Amn where they reported success at the loss of all others while Mintiper and another man , Tassoram continued north toward the Fallen Lands with Khytor ' s three daughters whom Tassoram had taken as captives . Tassoram and two of the women died on the journey but Mintiper and the last of Kytor ' s daughters made it to the Far Forest . After barely surviving a fight with an owlbear using only his dagger , Mintiper and the girl , Noura , were taken in by the druid s of Tall Trees . It was here that Noura persuaded Mintiper to learn to play the harp and pipes . Already a gifted singer , Mintiper found that he preferred to play the harp and lute , singing ballads and writing songs about his own life . Visiting bards were drawn to him , among them , Flamatanda Snowbow who made him her apprentice and introduced him to the Harpers , of which she was a veteran member . Fifteen months later , Noura went insane and died a slow death despite Mintiper ' s best efforts to cure her . Mintiper became a wandering bard with a reputation for fearlessness and went on many more adventures , including destroying the Ghost of Berun ' s Hill , singlehandedly attacking Hellgate Keep as well as travelling the Underdark . Personality . After Moonlight ' s Triumph , Mintiper became increasingly embittered at the losses he suffered of people he cared about . Flamatanda Snowbow showed him a better way to live under the weight of those feelings of loss , having apparently suffered much the same for many more years than he . Mintiper has a well - earned reputation for acts of bravery . He was reportedly seen playing his harp in the midst of banshee s , completely unperturbed by the danger they posed . He in fact , had no fear of death and could sometimes be found casually strolling through dungeons . Relationships . Few humans , elves or half - elves would have attacked Mintiper , either out of respect or for fear of his prowess and rumours of as - yet - unseen magic at his disposal . Mintiper was a Harper and enjoyed a sterling reputation in that organisation equivalent perhaps to Elminster . He was a close friend and sometimes lover of Asilther Graelor and held a great amount of respect for his musical mentor Flamatanda , claiming she could " make a harp sing " . Equipment . Mintiper owned a set of leather armour but preferred to rely on magical " Bracers of Defense " for protection . He wielded a silver - bladed + 2 bastard sword in combat . He also wore a " cloak of elvenkind " and a " greenstone amulet " . Mintiper also carried a " decanter of endless water " , several potions of healing and magical scrolls as well as his musical instruments - a harp , a hand - lute and a reed - flute . He also carried a couple of throwing knives in his boots and a pair of longsword s as backup weapons . Appendix . Notes . The works of " Mintiper ' s Chapbook " are also presented as an out - of - universe collection of web articles .