Bela Galpsi was the consulor representing the Bard's college in Mulyo. Bela took Orris under her wing and made him a Questor working officially for the No Man's Kingdom.
Blit Liver was a hardy man from Snobbite that crossed paths with the OathWielders on at least three occasions. The first time they were trying to save him, the second time he was trying to save them, and the third time they were trying to kill him.
Courage was encountered by the OathWielders in a Shinardu encampment. A tiefling outlander, Courage was true to his name and laid his own life on the line to assist the OathWielders in getting out. They immediately asked for him to join their campaigns, but true to his lone wandering nature, he refused and escorted fellow prisoner U to safety.
Elyel Buck was the representative of The Eastern Flower Monestary of Batai that was present in The Delvin during the stone giant attack. After the attack, she took Dusky under her wing and gave him a Bag of fine chalk dust, meant to help him climb if used on his (hot) hands. She also gave him a flower bracelet to mark his Questor position under the Monestary and the kingdom as a whole.
Gracy Veum was a minor NPC encountered in Balabag by the Oathwielders. She was a survivor among the city's ill population as she did not trust the water. She spoke and acted very conspiratorially, and formed a massive barrier of bodies and stones that she used to protect herself. Though pegged as a "crazy lady" her conspiracies proved true. A bit of a swashbuckler, Gracy was adept at tossing passing by zombies or enemies into the rapids of the city's river.
Inialos Arahice and Nardual Cralen were two elves of Glendoveerian heritage, hired out by Glendoveer to assist the LaCroix Kingdom in a covert wartime operation later known as The LaCroix Conspiracy. Inialos was a shy elf with elbow-length dark hair, while Nardual was a cynical woman with peppered salt-and-pepper hair.
First seen in session 1 of the campaign as two suspicious figures hanging out in The Delvin, the OathWielders had actually stumbled upon their operation in full force, as they worked alongside a LaCroix vampyre in the city.
They would cross paths again with the OathWielders after being kidnapped by Shinardi in the wilds just west of the city as they fled, having successfully planted their fall-guy within the Delvin. While there, they finally introduced themselves to the players, but after thanking them for the rescue, swiftly continued their way out west.
Many months later, the group would be captured again, this time by Champerty, where they would be subjected to psionic tests at the Corpsus Academy. It was after being rescued (again) by the OathWielders here (and then brutally interrogated) that the truth about the conspiracy came out. After interrogating the truth out of them, Roha took the conspirators back to the emmigration office in Ethiruva to be arrested by the authorities of Glendoveer---who modified Inialos' memory to remove any hints that the LaCroix Conspiracy was funded by Glendoveer, and the two of them took the fall.
Inialos is described as "constantly wanting help even with simple tasks, regularly checking the sun and moon, never smiling". Nardual is described as "never refuses a challenge, no matter how stupid. Easily brought to tears but tries hard to hide it. Gives attitude to everyone except for Inialos."
Kari Aercow was the consulor representing the town of Eleuthero, which formed part of the No Man's Kingdom. Kari granted Niebelung an official "Questor" title after the stone giant attack, and granted him an Hourglass that he could use to keep track of time during their travels.
Kichio was a secondary "Litigator" at Senshi no Rakuen who served as a public defender in various "trial-by-combat" court cases. Unlike her fellow litigator Kel, Kichio felt no real pull to leave her hometown and see the world. She was more than happy to help the OathWielders while they were in town, serving as the litigator for Eve and Roha when they were put on trial by Master Shama. After helping the team fight the demon Shama was chasing, the OathWielders headed out, and Kichio had to say what she thought were her final goodbyes to Kel. She would be delighted to join his side again and have her friend back at the end of the campaign.
Note, Kichio and Kel NEVER had a thing. People definitely implied it but it was purely platonic love.
Lady Hidori the Concubine of the Pheonix was one of the few survivors of the Balabag Plague, and was discovered hiding in her palace by The OathWielders. She was wielding her late husband's (the Lord Kiyoni) wedding ring, which also functioned as a Ruby Ring of Protection. She would provide the Oathwielders with valuable information regarding the state of the city, clues about what happened, and her palace would become a makeshift shelter while the OathWielders resided in Balabag.
Lady Hidori and Dusky had a brief spark, fueled by both of them having an innate connection to the Phoenixes of the realm, but Hidori would later turn against the Oathwielders after hearing that they slaughtered dozens of Samurai, though she remained thankful, leaving the team with the title "Lady Savior".
You'll have to fight me to free your friends...It is the only way.
Master Shama was the "Keep Master" of Wyvern Keep, located near the Wyvern Mountain on the border of Troverth. Shama was rescued by the OathWielders when a Demon infiltrated his keep, and in return, he gave them passage, shelter, food, and more before pointing them towards Balabag.
Shama continued to have an ongoing pen-pal relationship with the team member Kel.
Nimlebrie was the consulor representing the druid circle known as the "Gift of Forests". Nimlebrie took Eve under her wing and made her a Questor working officially for the No Man's Kingdom, additionally she passed on a "Vial of Goodberry" to Eve to use on her travels.
President-King LIbertine is the ruler of The Delvin since the end of the Holy War. He is known for his progressive (and socialist) views that helped shape the state of the city in the years following wartime, and into Realm War I. When asked why his policies were so strictly volunteer-based and socially ingrained, he would often respond "If we can't trust each other, how can we begin to trust the realm?"
After an attack on The Delvin by a Stone Giant, Libertine tasked a group of volunteers who appeared at the scene of the attack with tracking down the perpetrators. He gave the group a "Wrot of Business", a cart and horse, and a calendar. With a deadline of 20 days, the group would need to get to the other side of the continent and solve the mystery of the attack. This group, bound by located and happenstance, would later go on to be the formative members of The Oathwielders.
Tasaday LIver was one of many drunks living in Balabag at the time of the plague. Like other Livers, Tasaday was affected by The Curse of Life. Tasaday had won every drinking contest he had ever entered his whole life. When he first met the team, he was concious, tipsy, but otherwise the only one with a strong enough constitution who could talk (though heavily slurred).
He traveled with The OathWielders during their adventures in the city, even joining them in the sewers under the city to discover the demon that caused the plague. However, in the ensuing battle, Tasaday Liver was caught in the powerful tide of the river under the city, and was presumed dead. After meeting Ladagan Liver, the OW believed Tasaday survived the encounter.
U (Pronounced eyo) was an aarakocra mother who had fallen subject to the tortures of the Shinardi. Unable to talk (among other things), U was as helpless as can be, but gave a patient optimism to the players, as if silently begging for them to take the initiative and play hero. U's pleading, and the selfless actions that followed from the OathWielders, can be considered their first altruistic act of the realm. Though they rescued the Aarakocra, she would silently head off with Courage to find sanctuary in hiding.
Vinder Gandelossen was a hunter and Dhampir who crossed paths with the OathWielders just outside of Nakashiri where he, like the others, had noticed the thick smoke from over the valley and rushed to see what was the matter. Vinder proved to be a formidable soldier, and had been traversing the wilds on a hunt for an item called the "Javelin of Thor". Vinder was an expert scout who provided intel to the team on how to sneak into the town by night.
Fatally struck in the battle with Coalkell the ogre, Vinder's assistance to the OathWielders was paid back tenfold when they all simultaneously offered their arms for him to feed and heal up. Vinder likely returned to his home kingdom of LaCroix after the events, and was not seen again.
Zuri was a stone giant veteran of The Holy War that had been invited to The Delvin to give a speech about her time fighting the dragons. However, during Zuri's first attempt to give her speech, she was targeted by dragon-apologist Elan (of Orcish heritage) in the audience, giving her a life threatening aneurysm. If that wasn't bad enough, Zuri was then targeted by malicious parties representing the LaCroix Kingdom, who hired psionicists from Champerty to mind-control the giant and force her to attack the audience, who seconds earlier were hanging on to her every word. Zuri's speech can be found on the 10th Anniversary of the Holy War page.
After the Oathwielders stopped the mind control (by killing the psion), Zuri was hospitalized and smuggled out of the city back to Pteris where she could live in peace among her fellow giants.
Zulu Bornore was the consulor representing the mercenary group known as "The Protectors" that operated out of The Franks. Zulu gave Drake a combination blow gun/10 foot pole after making him an official Questor working for the No Man's Kingdom.
Introduced in Chapter II: Might and Magic[edit | edit source]
Sueyka Huntsari
always thought one day he would go see Balabag. Being a native of the
neighboring Land of the Bugbear, it wasn't an impossible goal. Perhaps he would
enter a traveling merchants guild, or he could strike a deal with a Balabagian
shop to sell some fascinating new weapon he'd invented. That was before the
draft.
Now faced to give up
his own creative ideas for the sake of the Dynasty, Sueyka knew he could still
travel to Balabag on the right march. Luckily, his Uncle was a very well
respected veteran of the Holy War, and it was through his familial connections
that he was able to get stationed with his Uncle, traveling to Balabag on
important state matters.
Balabag was not
anything like he had imagined. The bustling city of stringed lanterns, weekly
festivals, and bustling market squares had given way to a stigma of infection.
Mostly evacuated now, Sueyka was brought under the city, where he learned the
sad truth about the infection...there was no way to save those above, and to
prevent further spread of the incident it would need to be razed. These dark
secrets, among others, would be his to keep from the world until it was ready
to know.
There was a silver
lining though. He never dreamed he'd get to meet the famous Lady of the Phoenix, or even help her into her cart. He never imagined he'd get to go face
to face with real live demons and taunt them in their cages like a master over
evil. However, others had
found the hidden fortress under the city, they had seen the demons and the
secrets, and who knows what else. Many of them were being elusive. These people scared Sueyka. That is why he requested to be placed with the demon cart than with
the intruders.
Hours into the
evacuation out of Balabag, his suspicions proved correct. The last thing he
remembers is mustering his own strength to unleash one demon onto another type of demon...before he was brutally knocked unconscious.
Sueyka would be taken hostage by Kel as the group fled during The Battle of Rescuer's Road. It was there that Kel was able to sway Sueyka into giving up his patriotism to see the insanity of the Troverth Dynasty. Sueyka would join Kel on The Phantom Front and form a small clan of Oathbreakers who would attempt to kill The Emporer of Troverth.
However, what they thought was the Emporer was infact Shogun Breakwater, and these oathbreakers were walking into the middle of a covert operation later known as Breakwater's Bamboozle. In the ensuing battle, the Shogun and his men would kill almost all of the Oathbreakers, with only Kel and Sueyka surviving. would drag Kel away from the warfront, inviting him to live on the road as fugitives and criminals from the law.
However, devastatingly, Kel would decline to become a formal Oathbreaker, and Sueyka would begin his own adventures on the road, beginning an underground uprising within the Samurai forces.
Professor Preicept Commutavi was a transmuter who was lurking in the Osugbo wilds in the year 10 PR. However, in his travels, he was ambushed by Night Riders of Troverth. His chest of magic items would be taken by The OathWielders when they stumbled upon it by chance.
The Professor himself would be taken to Balabag for transfer to The Phantom Front where he would cross paths briefly with the OathWielders, relaying information to them about the Front, about Champerty, and also noting that there are many teleporting Champerts in the region who might lend them a hand.
The Oathreader was the informal title given to the Troverthianshaman who was responsible for capturing the team later known as The OathWielders after they attacked Troverth soldiers.
The Oathreader used Fearmones on the Oathwielders to give them nightmares of their greatest fears and wants.
Admiral Queasom was a leader in the DolmHarm kingdom that lived in the town of MarHarm at the time of it's burning. Queasom grew up in the tunnels of Steelhand Hall during the Holy War, and it is there that he learned of Helm from the dwarves.
Queasom, as part of the "Patrol of Helm" was one of very few soldiers awake the night of his hometown's conflagration, and likely the only witness who pieced together that Dusky was in fact the perpetrator of the arson. Being too old to formally fight in the army, Queasom took a cushy position that allowed him to travel freely with a small avenging force, primarily focusing on finding the man who burned down his hometown. Being a devout follower of Helm, Queasom believed it was his responsibility to defend and avenge his loved ones.
When Queasom received intelligence that Troverth had captured Dusky, he arranged for a pay-off of the Samurai hauling Dusky around, and instead had Dusky personally delivered to him, at which point he loaded Dusky into a traditional Trovertherian firework cannon, and launched him to his death over The Phantom Front.
Queasom would make one more appearance in the wilds of Champerty, while traveling towards the Phantom Front, Queasom and his men stopped in Owtkast where he would briefly encounter The OathWielders. He would pass his wisdom of Helm onto the one called Eve before the groups separately, with them being none the wiser that Queasom had killed their friend Dusky.
Having successfully defeated the phoenix who burned down him home, Queasom retired shortly after.
Ladagan Liver was a Dolmharm soldier employed on the River Front between DolmHarm and Champerty. More specifically, the Oathwielders encountered Ladagan after he had been reassigned to The Phantom Front. It was here that he was crucial in introducing the team to how life worked on the front.
During a magical ambush on the Trench Camp by a Clay Golem, Ladagan was killed in action. However, before the others could bury his body, he suddenly resurrected out of thin air, regenerating wounds and returning to life. Ladagan was forced to reveal his secret, he was reassigned because he was cursed with The Curse of Life. He was the first Liver to explain what the Curse of LIfe was to the Oathwielders, giving them hope that both Tasady Liver and Blit Liver could still be alive. The team would spend another day on the front with Ladagan, but say goodbye after they worked out a deal to be teleported across the front into Champerty Territory.
Shogun Breakwater appeared on The Phantom Front as part of Realm War I . A changeling, Breakwater was able to shapeshift into the perfect form of the Emporer Troverth, an act which fooled the Champerty Kingdom into kidnapping him. Though he briefly escaped to the town of Owtkast, he was captured by Champerty spy Julian, in association with The OathWielders.
After being captured and taken back to the Champerty capital of Friþleas, Shogun Breakwater (still in the guise of Emporer Troverth) was brought before a board of judiciaries to stand for his crimes. At that point, the doppelganger revealed that it had also shapeshifted away an explosive firework device under his clothes...the resulting explosion caused insurmountable harm to the Champerty kingdom. Though the Oathwielders played a part in getting Breakwater to Friþleas, they also were present during the explosion and saved countless lives from the collapsing courthouse.
In a prime example of the saying "in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed king reigns", King Mayhem Ezekial was a 12 year old tiefling child who was elected the leader of the Half-Orc settlement of Owtkast under the title of King of the Halfsies. He assisted the players in locating a doppelganger that had infiltrated the town.
Ezekiel always longer to be a warrior, but grew up in a monastery as a cast-off child. He learned sums, logic, and proper worship, but always dreamed of being a warrior. He wandered off from the monestary when a troop of half-orcs was marching nearby, and after being discovered among their ranks, was deemed a divine leader given to the half-orcs. Seizing the opportunity, Mayhem Ezekial started his monarchy.
Thurden Presmaris was the former head of the Division of Foreign Affairs in the Champerty capital city of Friþleas, who was promoted to be the Paragnost of the Mind shortly after the capital's Mindquarters (located in said city) were attacked in Breakwater's Bamboozle, causing the fatality of the former Paragnost. A sympathizer of the Glendoveer cause, Thurden flipped on Champerty, and used the destruction of the Mindquarters as a way to seize power. Elves, such as the population of Glendoveer, have a long history of working with magic, but were not as attuned with the Mystic Arts, leading to a severe weakness if Glendoveer and Champerty were to ever come to blows.
Thurden's first act as the new Paragnost of the Mind was to alter the Syllabus of the Corpsus Academy (which treats the Paragnost much like a headmaster). In doing so, he hoped to slow or impede the progress of new Mystics in training. Though Thurden wasn't discovered to be a spy in the campaign, he would appear again in a one-shot where he fought the players.
Aasima el-Mian was an elderly snobbite officer docked in Ethiruva who lent the OathWielders the use of his ship. Unfortunately Asi and his first mate, an aarakocra known as Qra (see below), were caught in the cross fire as the OathWielders fought against a group of Sea Hags in an event later known as Drake's Deal, and while Qa survived and would continue to travel with the OathWielders under a new captain, Asi was lost at sea. Asi was described as "dark-skinned, dark-haired, and uniformed like a conquistador". Asi considered attacks by the enemy as personal affronts, and he embraced the concept of Noblesse Oblige.
Introduced in Chapter III: Plumb the Depths[edit | edit source]
Though technically introduced at the end of Chapter II, the OathWielders got to know Qra the "Chakrakocra" for the first time in Chapter III. Qra (Pronounced 'Ka') was a very laid back Aarakocra who "went with the wind". Qra provided light comedy during the team's trips at sea, and spent most of his time meditating (or sleeping) in the crow's nest of team's ship, The Kulu. Qra was one of the few casualties in the great battle against The Sheath.
Captain Tasneem Ambisnaih and First Mate Hamda Najwa Nu'ma, collectively known as The Rattzias, were a duo of sea-faring Snobbite pirates who crossed paths with OathWielders during their trip southwest to Pteris. The ruthless and powerful captain leader Tasneem had accepted a bounty to recover a relic of Lathander from a recent shipwreck, and she had no hesitation in cutting down the meek clerics and taking the artifact for herself (no doubt to sell it for an amazing price). However, the two of them found themselves evenly matched with the OathWielders, and only after Niebelung tossed Hamda overboard was it revealed the two of them were also married. Once the team found Captain Tasneem's weakness, they threatened Hamda's life---or the relic. Captain Tasneem gave in, and the team succeeded in saving the clerics and their artifact.
But Tasneem lost the battle, but not the war. She and her wife Hamda were later contacted by a mysterious dragonborn, and were recruited to join The Sheath, an elite team dedicated to stopping The OathWielders.
Belorin the Dawnbringer was the leader of a group of halfling clerics of Lathander traveling out of Luggland, their mission was to deliver a sacred relic of light to a temple in the western lands. But at some point in open waters, their ship was ambushed by a tribe of Sahuagin, and against all odds, a group of survivors found an air pocket in a submerged cavern to wait out for help. Through prayer, Belorin was able to communicate their near-fatal situation---but leakers in their midst also sold their location to highest bidders, including The Rattzias (see above) and Scua's School of Shadows.
Belorin and a number of his clerics (Calkis, Jayjen, and Idoras) were rescued by the OathWielders (Notably first mate Orris, who went against Captain Drake's orders to dive underwater and recover them) , who kept them safe in their Ring of Marquee until they were able to make it to land. However, while traveling together, Belorin and his crew continued to feel uncomfortable in the presence of Eve, who confused them. Her name was a swear in Lathander culture (the 'Eve' is the opposite of the 'Morning') but her tattoos shared many symbols and designs with Belorin's own tattoos of Lathander. They saw her as a strange anti-christ figure, and were glad to leave the OathWielders the following week. Though the information they passed on about Lathander would help Eve discover her true heritage.
Cheiftan Krusgir was the leader of the coastal town of Mek, where the OathWielders stopped to rest on their way south towards Nawfar. The Chieftan originally came off a bit brutish, but the team came to learn that Krusgir put on a barbaric posture to defend his town and his people. At the town's little tavern, he came to life with a large jolly humor. However, one thing that bit Krusgir was how easy he was to sway. The OathWielders happened to be in town at the same time as Asar Partui. Asar sold Krusgir a number of servants after convincing him how useful it would be to have them in town, including the slave known as Jugbug. Once Krusgir had purchased from Asar, it put him in direct opposition to Orris and the other OathWielders, who wanted to rescue Asar's servants.
At some point, someone fed Krusgir a cupcake of Anti-Gravity and he got stuck in the tavern, attached to the ceiling, until the cupcake's effects wore off.
Asar Partui was a traveling merchant who specialized in servants and slaves, particularly of fey species, who were often captured as prisoners of war in the Fey Front.
A cut piece of lore which showed how Morella (and her daughter Kaia) were Livers, despite not having the surname.
Morella Prakseesin (nee Praks) was Drake's wife. Her name meant shining sea. Morella was estranged from Drake after the loss of their daughter Kaia, who died in a freak accident known as The Abaddon. Though Drake was banished from their home kingdom of Snobbite, he worked hard with the OathWielders to travel the realm and return home. Unfortunately for both Prakseesins, Drake was taken into custody by The Sheath as a bargain in return for Orris being spared. He was teleported back to Snobbite and placed under arrest...mere hours before the OathWielders finally crossed paths with Morella on the AmuPter Front.
Despite Drake's banishment, there were still attacks on the Prakseesin household, on both Drake's father, as well as Morella.
Knowing she had to move and stay away from the public eye, she packed up what was left in their old house, which had slowly become a makeshift memorial, and go away. While packing, she also re-found everything her father had left her when he died. It turned out that Morella Prakseesin's family bloodline actually goes back to an old ruling class that ran Snobbite in the pre-Holy War days, when the lure of the military industrial complex didn't interfere with the natural order of things.
When Marella discovered this, she knew she had important information. But the rulers of Nawfar offered to buy the lucrative book off of her, stating that the people would never give her an ounce of power after what her husband did to her child. The options were to reveal the truth, and make Drake's sacrifice meaningless, or agree with the nobles and sell off the papers.
She was given 2200 gold for the books, which she assumes were destroyed. With no more claim to anything, she let herself get drafted and spent days searching for herself on the water again---the first time she'd been on the water since Abaddon. She slowly worked up the ranks and now commands her own vessel. It was on that vessel that should would finally cross paths with Drake...almost. When the OathWielders were crossing The AmuPter Front, they briefly ,met up with Morella. But earlier that very evening, Drake would leave the team permanently, making a trip back to Nawfar in order to be a bounty. A bounty that would make The Sheath filthy rich. Though Drake's sacrifice would save his own team's life, it would take him off the ship only hours before Morella would meet up.
Morella would talk briefly with the team before escorting them to the Galik harbor, sending the team on their ultimate mission: the end The Curse of Life.
In the Epilogue, Morella and Drake would finally reunite over the body of their daughter Kaia, who would perish when the curse was broken.
Cuara was Roha's mother, and a warrior on the Fey Front during Realm War I. Cuara and Roha escaped the war in Glendoveer, living in Champerty for a while as refugees. At some point while living abroad, Cuara left Roha and returned to Glendoveer, where she was captured by soldiers of Woldlin, and eventually turned over as a prisoner of war to the Woldlin hero Asar Partui.
Cuara would later relate to Roha that she went back to Glendoveer because she needed to defend the arcane archers of Ethiruva and put forward the proclamation that they will not be a part of the resistance or the coup. Champerty had been nothing but gracious to Glendoveer and the whole movement is underhanded and almost evil.
When Asar tried to sell Cuara to a hill giant (Chieftan Krusgir, see above), Cuara followed Asar to Asar Partui and intercepted the auction. With the combined forces of her team, the OathWielders were able to steal Asar Partui's Ring of Marquee, which contained Cuara, as well as a number of other slaves, and Roha finally reunited with her long missing mother. Soon after, the OathWielders fought The Sheath and Cuara was key in killing the slaver Asar Partui for good. After the vengeance had been completed, Cuara took off back to Osugbo to finish the work she had begun regarding Champerty's underhanded revolt by Glendoveer.
Cuara became a soldier on The Phantom Front working for Champerty in an attempt to push back Troverth. Seeing the big picture, Cuara believed that it would never be safe for Glendoveer refugees to find new lives in Champerty if Glendoveer overthrows their kingdom and is left facing the overwhelming power of Troverth. Hoping to get ahead of that terrible future, Cuara fought her hardest against Troverth force, even going so far to ask Roha to join her in the war.
Cuara wouldn't be seen again until the campaign epilogue, in which the injured and retired Cuara would return to the wilds of southern Isonhound to continue to search for and rebuild the Ilroch Herd of Isonhound, with her new granddaughter Eve.
The Sea Drakes were a number of Champerty natives hired out of Friþleas to do menial tasks on the team's ship, a boat known as The Kulu. The four Sea Drakes were as follows:
Ezos the Smart One
Scrotos the Slimy One
Brutos the Strong One
Jamie Lynn Spears the Shy One
With the exception of Ezos, the Sea Drakes all perished between the OathWielders' adventures in Jewelspar and their attempt to cross the AmuPter Front. The final surviving Sea Drake, Ezos, attempted to haggled a higer pay out of the OathWielders by the time they arrived in Galik, but the team did not believe he was worth any more than the few copper pieces he got a day....Ezos walked.
Saqiram Al-hamdan was a short-lived NPC who joined the OathWielders where Drake took their ship, took all of Asar Partui's money, and---for a brief moment, almost ran away to Nawfar with his buddy Niebelung. When the team had to chase Drake down and get the money and ship back, Saqiram joined them, as he had a ship in the harbor they could use...and more importantly, he believed Drake was responsible for his son's death in the incident known as The Abaddon.
One of three nobles of Jewelspar and possible patrons of the team, Archmage Nimz was the most powerful of Jewelspar's rulers, and ultimately sent them on a nearly lethal mission to dig up the bones of Valhazzith from the city's bay. The team was successful, and in return Nimz gave them enough money and access for the team to acquire a Elven Wingship. The big requirement of his patronage was that the team did nothing to harm Elves, a restriction that would cause the team a lot of problems when they came toe-to-toe with the other elven nobles Olorona and Elhorn (see below).
One of three nobles of Jewelspar and possible patrons of the team, Olorona was excited by the OathWielders and wanted to be their one and only patron. A silly goose of a noble, Olorona kept the mood light and merry, like a judicial jester. He sent the team on a quest to prank one of the other nobles, and they ultimately settled on pranking Elhorn (see below). However, when Olorona found out the team went behind his back to also recruit the patronage of Archmage Nimz, Olorona took the betrayal personally. A heavy grudge holder, Olorona wanted to sink the team's new fancy ship and take back the money and goods he had given them as part of their patronage. To do this, Olorona was recruited by Elhorn to join a team ultimately known as The Sheath.
One of three nobles of Jewelspar and possible patrons of the team, the team found Elhorn's heavy thoughts and deep philosphy a big turn-off. Elhorn asked the team interrogative questions and his snooping and questioning kept the team from ever being interested in his patronage. However, he was selected as the victim of Olorona's patronage-prank, arranged by Merial Olorona (above) in order to prove that The OathWielders were limber and quick-witted enough to keep life laughable. The team's temporary party member Jugbug played a charming song on Elhorn, and convinced him into thinking he was a goat. The elf got on all four and started to chew the pages of the tome he was reading.
Of course, when Elhorn's charm wore off, the team had run far away, leaving him no choice but to send a warrant for their arrest in an intellectual quest for vengeance. When the team was released from prison on a pardon, Elhorn knew he would stop at nothing to get his vengeance, and sought out the team known as The Sheath, and he would recruit his rival Olorona to join him after he discovered they broke the terms of his patronage as well.
Introduced in Chapter IV: The Curse of Life[edit | edit source]
Nera was the name given to Kel when he asked what spirit or guardian was speaking to him from his new Holy Avenger sword. Nera guided Kel into following her orders, eventually culminating in The Griffon's Last Stand.
Dapollo the Bard was a childhood friend of Niebelung, and the first person he reconnected with once he was back in his old hometown of Galik. Dapollo was a city bard through and through, and provided countless tips and secrets to the OathWielders on navigating the microchosm that the city is. One benefit he gave them was the secret of how the WIzards Guild calcuates prices so that they knew when they were looking at a good bargain or not. Dapollo could speak with small beasts, and spoke 3 languages.
Madame Hal Driklar (aka Niebamom) was the mother of Niebelung and his sisterGlittoria. She lived in a small modest house a district away from The ArchCrystal Tower, where her late husband worked as a scholar. Like Niebelung, she was an illumian as well. She was 50 years old, and her house was always open to Niebelung and his friends, as they rested and hid out from the ShadowGuild. After the campaign ended, Niebelung likely moved back home with his mom for a little while because she loves him and would always give him shelter
Glittoria Hal Driklar was Nieblung's sister, and had seemingly disappeared in the stacks of the ArchCrystal Tower when she tried to track down where her missing father went. Instead, Glittoria stumbled upon a secret operation run by the ShadowGuild, who operated in secret between the many chambers of the tower. Glittoria was taken hostage now that she knew their secrets, and was forced to work for the guild if she wanted to keep her life (and her family's life) safe. Years later, an accomplished thief and guild member, Glittoria would seemingly disappear during an event in which the Dark Powers infiltrated the Galik sewers and kidnapped several members of the guild. Glittoria would become one with the darkness, and gained several new powers with her new bonds she formed to the Raven Queen.
Another few years would pass before the OathWielders themselves would become victim to another round of Dark Power mists. While in the mists, Niebelung would see his sister, and beg for her return. She knew she couldn't stay for long on the material plane, but with permission, was able to join Niebelung briefly in a battle to save his life, as well as the lives of his new teammates. Glittoria was a combatant at the famous Griffon's Last Stand, and when the dust cleared and millions laid dead around the realm, Glittoria said her goodbye, but not before telling Niebelung she will find him again, in the form of etheareal messaging ravens.
Ashley Angelbane (or just Ash) was a shadowdancer and assassin who was lurking in Galik for some time working (as one of many) of Nera's disciples. Ash was previosuly an assassin with the ShadowGuild, but she had troubles blending in with the other criminals, who seemed so openly evil, and she personally had trouble keeping up with the ever-changing system of code wrods and speech patterns. Eventually she found new purpose when she came across a Holy Avenger weapon, who later tasked her with keeping an eye on a new recruit of Nera---She found Kel in the city and protected him from an ambush of assassins (who were actually after Orris), revealing herself to the team as someone who had been tracking them. From that point on, she strove to teach Kel the weight of his new job as a shadow-warlock of Nera.
Unfortunately for the OathWielders, Ash was an unapologetic killer, slashing down any and every person who got in the way of Nera's goal. This joyful killing made her a "Mist-Magnet", meaning that the more she killed, the more likely it was that she would draw the attention of Dark Powers, which she did during the Battle of the ShadowGuildAfter the campaign, Ash would marry teammate (and fellow shadow mage) Julian McFlair. They would go on to buy a house they called "McFlair Manor" and would settle down in the cities high quarters, eventually having descendants which resulted in the birth of one Zugs McFlair.
Vidor was a magical ranger centaur, and a member of Roha's tribe of centaur. He split ways with Roha when their tribe was ambushed as part of an operation on The Fey Front, but later the scholar Rapscalia (see below) went back to find Vidor and the others. As mentioned in her logs Ilroch Herd of Isonhound: The End of Cycle:
This time the tribe voted 4 to 1 to take the trip. Vidor was the only dissenting voice, and was given the option to stay in the cold or join the others. For the first time in my decade with the Ilroch, I watched the tribe voluntarily split. Vidor, who could produce flames of warming, decided to stay put. It continues to surprise me how hard headed these centaur could act in the face of imminent danger.
Knowing the general vicinity of where Vidor had stayed behind in northern Isonhound, Roha paid a teleporter in Galik a HEFTY fee to bring her to him, where they held a short conversation, and she was able to break through his hard-headedness. Together, the two of them returned to Galik where they began to formulate a plan that would get revenge on the elves that ravaged their families (see Tuar Rhivir below). After Tuar's death, Vidor and Roha were satisfied, and Roha decided she was done traveling with the OathWielders, taking her new friend and leaving the team forever. But before she could even leave the city, Nerull struck out, and Roha was called back into action to help the OathWieldesr one last time. She and Vidor both took part in The Griffon's Last Stand.
After the team disbanded and went home, Vidor fathered a child with Roha, a daughter they would name Eve after the fairy who sacrificed herself at that ultimate battle.
Tuar Rhivir was never a glendoveerian elf. Originally a member of Roha's tribe, Tuar actually hailed from Woldlin and infiltrated the centaur tribe as part of a plan to help the Ilroch join their cause and convert their pacifist ways into that of the warriors. He (and his friend Keman) arrived shortly after Glendoveer already had the Ilroch in their good graces, in an espionage mission to turn the Ilroch more savage and then ultimately make them a force against Glendoveer.
However, after the second council debate (which ended in their decision to help all injured andy hurt all hurters), Woldlin determined it would be best to remove all chances of Glendoveer gaining Centaur assistance. Tuar was the one who turned the orders over to Woldlin such that they knew the time was right to strike, leading the the attack on Roha's family detailed in The End of Cycle.
Tuar would continue to hunt all the centaur who escaped the inital genocide, going so far as to form hunting parties and scouting even the most frigid and northern forests of isonhound looking for the last Ilroch. Roha teamed up with one of the other survivors, Vidor (see above) to formulate a plan that would get their revenge on Tuar. For well over a week, the OathWielders and their allies seeded rumors through the streets of Galik, knowing from their year together that tavern stories about the OathWielders spread faster than wildfire. All the rumors pinpointed to a time and location that Roha would be with all the remaining Ilroch. The bait was succesful, and Tuar hired a conjurer squad to teleport him and his soldiers to...the headquarters of the Galik's infamous ShadowGuild. The ShadowGuild did NOT take kindly to the intrusion, and a massive Battle of the ShadowGuild followed, which led to Tuar and his team being assassinated in the midst (and the mist) of the chaos that followed, finally giving the Ilroch Tribe the room it needed to repopulate and flourish again.
Rapscalia was one of the many scholars at the ArchCrystal Tower doing field work around the realm during Realm War I. More importantly, Rapscalia was doing research on the FeyFront and various tribes and societies that were disrupted by the war efforts. Rapscalia is the author of the journals Ilroch Herd of Isonhound: The End of Cycle and Ilroch Herd of Isonhound: Customs and Traditions. When the OathWielders arrived in Galik, they briefly crossed paths with Rapscalia, who had just returned from Isonhound with two addendums to her works, which can be found at the bottom of her End of Cycle works. The addendums revealed that Roha's family and friends were betrayed by an elf (Tuar Rhivir, see above) who had infiltrated them.
Rapscalia and Roha shared a brief moment of solace as the info-dump of what remained of her tribe came as quite a shock, but Rapscalia promised Roha to continue to document all the customs and history of her people to ensure that there will be a future for the Ilroch after all. Rapscalia headed back overseas to get all information she could about the Customs and History of the tribe directly from Cuara. Rapscalia's letter back to Roha updating her on the progress is found below:
The ArchCrystal Tower
Letter of the Field Researcher
Roha.
It’s been a bit over a tenday since I departed to gather your mother’s stories. I arrived in Champerty 4 days ago, and spent some time with Cuara at a base camp just southeast of the front.
Your mother has had to take some time to handle all of the new information about the tribe. Apparently she was rather close with Fellener, and his death seems to have hit her the hardest.
I do hope that the potions we picked up helped you locate Vidor. If this message finds you still on the north coast I beg that you find shelter or head back soon. The war I witness here dwarves the Fey Front in spectacle, but these magical tricks and illusions are 10 times less lethal than the guerilla warfare of the Elves. I informed your mother of your quest and she also worries for you just as I’m sure you still worry for her. I reminded her in small talk of your requests for her to abandon her warfaring ways but she is stubborn.
That does not mean we are any safer here. Quite the opposite, two days ago we were ambushed in the night by dark robed Troverth elites who moved with a precision I haven’t seen this side of the ocean. I am okay, but I have the most terrible news about your mother Cuara.
Your mother has been discharged from the Champerty military after the attackers broke her left arm at the shoulder. I did not see it happen, but only heard her scream as she fought off several of the armored men with just her hoofs and arms, like a captured beast in the night.
She says it was just like the night she was taken as a slave, and she would not be subjected to captivity again. There is a fire that burns in your mother despite her years, a fire that saved her life at the cost of her arm. While not severed, it appears to have been irreversibly disabled. She tries to hold her bow but cannot must the grip strength to keep a steady aim.
I’ve spoken with her today at length of her next plans, reminding her that with Winter’s arrival, the tribe typically visits their neighbors at the south of Isonhound. The tribes from Pteris are surely expecting the Ilroch to join them there, and though they are not true family, they are a part of the greater Ilroch history. And even if the tribe has been all but extinguished, sometimes good friends are the same as real family. My hope is to leave your mother in good hands before I depart, and among her second family. We depart tonight.
If you have Vidor or not, I ask that you join us there so that anything else the Pteris centaur can tell us about Ilroch traditions can be shared with you.
I look forward to seeing the last of the Ilroch tribe among other centaur soon. I hope to see you there as well.
Gainpin was one of the 10 members of the Lyreguard in Galik, and a devout follower of Helm. Gainpin and the Lyreguard had been given explicit instruction to seek out Eve in the city and shelter her, which they did by granting her and her friends lodgings in their Citadel of the Griffon. What Gainpin and his friends did not know, was that Helm anticipated that Eve and her friends would soon become the #1 target of the force of Nerull, and as a result, Gainpin was caught up in The Griffon's Last Stand, which took place at his own home base of operations. Gainpin would fight alongside halfling clerics of Lathander, marking the first time the two branches of Pelor's former power united side by side. Eventually culminating in Pelor's return.
Agathar is a weathered but attractive man in his mid-forties. He wears well-worn but comfortable clothing that seems lighter than the weather and temperature would require. He is in remarkably good shape for a man his age, and he loves being out in the hinterland. Agathar is as much at home piloting his boat as he is wandering the tundra. Agathar betrayed Sick of this Shit by duping them into traveling to Breme. The immothZilrus had struck a deal with Agathar that if he could keep delivering hopeless adventurers to him (to be eaten), he would exchange the knowledge of how to resurrect Agathar's wife. Ultimately Agathar did get away with his wife in the end, to live happily ever after.
Alpane Capella was a decrepit, retired, and immortal vampire infected late in life. Alpane was previously the king of Sneerwell for two years before the monarchy was abolished by the people. Montane would vow to retake the city, and infected his son with his own vampirism. Alpane was released and used as an ally during the Chimera attack on the city, but his public appearance alongside Montane showed the city their true vampiric nature. After this, Alpane and his son retired to the nearby woodlands, puppeteering Sneerwell from a distance.
Arc was a mage-in-training under Diphel (below) who was essential in spying on the Sneerwell government during the high tensions that preceded the Chimera attack. Arc was discovered and arrested by the city forces, and later befriended Anema in jail. After the two broke out, they smuggled magicians out of the city for Diphel.
Barty Nailo is a male half-elf, recognizable for this formal, clean clothes. He has high strength and low charisma. he has a talent, he speaks several languages fluently: Common, Elf, Dwarf, Dragon. He tends to chew on something he's holding and is arrogant in his dealings with others. He is protective of a valuable possession. If you asked him, he would say that his ideal is "Live and let live!".
Brynhald Skalmier worked in the Dardin prison disguised as a Guard, and using her boots of Message (yeah they're a thing.) she helps figure out information about the people that have been wronged.
She led The Stronghold Resistance, a force that works to reveal injustice among guards, and to free those wrongly accused (from their perspective). The resistance was a handful of spies and soldiers who infiltrated the government of Dardin. Brynhald herself worked as an unsuspicious guard in the prisonhouse.
In the final weeks of The Oppidan War, Brynhild was able to murder the chief of the guard and destroy the entire prisonhouse, leading the convicts to seek shelter with Sick of this Shit Inc.
Carissa was chief of police in Lunas during The Oppidan War. Several times during the tensions, Anema E. Core found himself arrested in Lunas. The first time, he was tasked with giving away everything he knew about The Shadow Man. The second time he was arrested and thrown into Low Lunas. The last time Carissa was seen, Anema and his associates saw her fighting off anarchists during the small Lunas civil revolution that erupted towards the end of the war.
Corvair was the power hungry owner of Quarrytown, who had his citizens work endlessly in the mines for poor wages. He and his family were driven out of their manor very early in Sick of this Shit's quest, though he later took up vengence, hiring The Council of Wrath to kidnap them and take them to a battle dome he commissioned from Mila Perturb. He perished in the ensuing battle.
Archmage Diphel was the leader of the Sneerwell Mage's Guild, a good friend of the Pendergras, and a member of the "Citizens for Integrity" that helped usurp Montane Capella's rule. Diphel was able to open her guild only thanks to the Pendergras monarchy, who upheld the freedom to practice magical arts. Diphel was afraid that the city under Montane would ban magic, a fear that was later realized when the anti-magic field went up around the city.
In the new Pendergras rule under Colin, Diphel was able to greatly expand her school, becoming one of the largest and most prolific in Isonhound. She continued her friendships with Anema andDoraleous long after they moved on from Sneerwell.
Elten was an enthusiastic, though young, man from Holtston who volunteered to join SotS on their quest to slay the Draconian Wyrmwood, who had killed several of Elten's horses, in an attempt to prove himself a hero...He died.
Errisa was head of the healers clinic in Jewelspar, but she took a leave of absence after confirming a pregnancy, she had disappeared for over 8 months when The Cliffedge Guild received a mission from the clinic trying to find out what happened to her. The city of Granite and Cliffedge sponsored the mission, and assigned it to Clan Scales. However, the Blackwheel company, in an attempt to ruin the new group Sick of this Shit, also gave them the mission, in an attempt to turn Clan Scales and SotS against each other. Instead, SotS impressed Clan Scales with their handling of the mission. Though Erissa could not be saved, the demon that had overtaken her was destroyed.
The only immediate relative of Reelojawair, Uncle Grumgog was captain of the guard in Rwendia after bringing Reelo to the city when he was only a baby. He attempted to raise Reelo civilized, but Reelo ultimately became a barbarian in nature. Grumgog later fought to protect the city when Kleckless' Snake Pit guild attacked, and fell in the resulting skirmishes. Reelo was unable to make the funeral, but was left some money, a wolf, and a note telling him about Grumgog's secret son: Istan Darastrixas (below).
Hilda was a Sneerwell tavern owner and friend of Lora Pendergras (below) who helped out the "Citizens for Integrity" in order to unveil the truth about the city's new king and bring the city back to the Pendergras family.
Kale was a "shadow wizard" who specialized in the magical properties of the Shadowfell. Kale worked for Archmage Nimz up until he betrayed the leader. After the members of Sick of this Shit were killed by Nimz, Kale snuck their bodies out of the city and found other adventurers who helped resurrect the group. Kale would later go on to help control the infiltration of the shadowfell into Jewelspar with other city mage forces. The attempt was sucessful, though one lone shadow dragon did escape during in the infiltration.
The King of Sneerwell when Sick of this Shit first arrived, Kenneth's reign did not last long after. Subject to an assassination plot by his right hand man Montane Capella, Kenneth died and left him the throne. He was incredibly popular with the people; they saw him as an example of how the common man can rise above. In reality, his background and lineage are a sham.
He frequently called his daughter Lora "the son he always wanted" for her perfect leadership skills. However, he was not proud of her disinterest in politics, instead sticking to running taverns and making social circles.
Kenneth was fiercely jealous of his brother Colin. Colin's machines helped brighten the city's future and keep the streets safe, as well as develop an immense personal income. Progressive Tax laws meant that Colin's wealth was soon the governments, but even then, Kenneth always wished he could accomplish as much as his brother.
Lord of Lunas, Luiras would negotiate with Red Sash (below) and the Beggar Prince (above) to stop the revolution in which over 300 armed forces form Low Lunas sieged the city in an attempt to deserve liberation. In doing so, he almost promised the city to Killis Goodman. But when Sick of this Shit showed up to stop the negotiations, Killis was revealed to be an assassin rogue, and fled into darkness. While the negotiations broke down, Lord Luiras did agree to budget some money to stop the blight of Low Lunas.
Metpans ran the fighter's guild of Rwendia, and after serving in the Battle of E. Core Arena, offered free lessons in fighting and dungeon delving for Zugs and Doraleous (Anema decided he did not need the lessons). It was under Metpans that the group learned tactics such as bottlenecking, focused fire, and flanking.
Mikhail ran the Rwendia Jewelers, and offered to appraise Zugs McFlair's golden jelly before fleeing in the Dragonborn Siege. Only one of the Mikhail's parents was alive, and he or she is infirm. Mikhail idolized his parents. Mikhail was the youngest child of a large family (more than five children) who looked at him as their protector and provider. The family emigrated two generations ago. How does the community react to Mikhail's family? Well, truthfully, the family is shunned by the community. Mikhail has two important enemies, perhaps working together who strike at him by attacking his friends, family, and allies. Luckily, though, Mikhail also has won the respect of a large group (about twenty-five people) and allies who can do scholarly research into ancient lore when needed. As for companions, the Mikhail has a song bird. It is especially strong and fierce.
Motto Dotsk is a male human, recognizable for his ragged, dirty clothes. He has high wisdom and low intelligence. He drinks everyone under the table. He tends to tug his beard and is arrogant in his dealings with others. If you asked him, he would say his ideal is "Redemption!" If he has a flaw, it is that he is prone to fits of rage.
Neva Ambrose was born into poverty in Low Lunas, with a life long goal of liberation for those who had no choice but to stay in their impoverished community. At a young age, Ambrose made friends with a young noble along the river by sending messages in bottles. As the two of them grew, they took on the code names of "The Red Sash" and "The Beggar Prince". The Beggar Prince would go onto finance Ambrose as he worked to gather a small rebellion of Low Lunas citizens. Ambrose also knew about the Council of Wrath, and tried to get their aid during the resistance, but unfortunate was nearly killed after sneaking into their hideout. Instead, they would go on to recruit Anema E Core.
Red Sash and his gang of rebels would become a prominent power in the Oppidan region, and a defender for the impoverished. The gang would become so popular that centuries later another gang of street urchins would use the same name, becoming the Red Sashes of Ahol.
Rhonda was the immediate apprentice of Diphel (see above) and key in the battle of E. Core Arena, as well as a prominent founder of the "Citezens for Integrity" and a friend of Lora Pendergras
Saednra Cindell, the younger sister of Zierdra Cindell (below), was the only surviving member of the the Cindell bloodline, and thus the only one to not be infected by Zierdra's curse. Because she could remember Zierdra, the two sisters grew incredibly close. After the Shadespar Kai kidnapped Saendra and threatened her life, Zierdra and Zugs McFlair worked together to rescue Saendra. As her hero, Saendra developed an intense crush on Zugs, though the feelings were mostly unrequited.
Despite being a Kai, Saendra was skilled in the gift of disguise, and often had herself covered in various forms of cover to hide the scars and tattoos of her Shadar-Kai heritage. She worked undercover for Archmage Nimz during the Oppidan War.
Sane was an equestrian hobbyist and best friend of Lora Pendergras. Sane made significant progress in getting the "Citizens for Integrity" off the ground by rallying the tavern owners of Sneerwell behind Lora and Anema. Sane would later be Lora's maid of honor at her wedding.
Thenly was a Sneerwell tavern owner who helped out the "Citizens for Integrity" in order to unveil the truth about the city's new king and bring the city back to the Pendergras family.
Turnbull was a psionic draconian from Osugbo who Alpane Capella (above) knew from his days as a mortal. Turnbull came to town on Montane's request to help Zugs become a better adventurer, and would lead Zugs and Doraleous into a "dreamscape" version of The Tomb of Horrors in order to teach them how to be weary of the most lethal and sinister traps and creatures.
Walter Amblecrown was an outcast son of the Amblecrown dynasty in Lunas, who had found new life for himself after serving many years in the Sneerwell army in Isonhound. He would later work for Pendergras Industries during the first flight of the Cyclonic Ravager. He died shortly after their first job when the group was ambushed by the Council of Wrath. He also plays a musical instrument and sometimes he lets others play while he twists fascinating tales about his war torn history. He tends to tap his fingers and is ponderous in his dealings with others.
Whisper Willow-Whisper was an adventuring half-orc barbarian who joined Anema during his stint as a solo artist between 695 and 795 PR, though the exact years of her joining his adventure are unknown. She, alongside Viralious, Grumble, and Crumble, made up the temporary Sick of this Shit until Anema could be rejoined with Doraleous and Zugs years later.
Also known as "The Bearer of Pain", Xeet was the dwarf leader of Dardin's penitentiary system. Xeet singlehanded pioneered Dardin's famous laborer camps and raised the economic value of Dardin's markets tenfold through the profits made through renting out the laborers to surrounding cities. Xeet died in the closing weeks of The Oppidan War when his prisonhouse exploded.
Zierdra Cindell, more commonly known as The Shade Maiden, was desperate for help during The Oppidan War. A horrible spell was cast on her that caused other Shadar-Kai (except her sister Saendra) to forget her presence within the hour they lose sight of her. While originally a great asset, it became intensely lonely. Zierdra supported her outlander lifestyle by performing small time burglary and taking food and money from the wealthy in Lunas. This earned her the name of "The Shadow Man", as no one could remember her face, but they could remember suddenly having less money after a break in. Though the name stuck, Zierdra and her sister preferred the name "The Shade Maiden".
When her sister Saendra (see above) was kidnapped, Zierdra went on a mission to find Zugs because he was purported to a powerful rogue with ties to the shadowfell, who she hoped could bring her back to her home and stop those who cursed her in the first place. Zugs McFlair found himself victim of The Shade Maiden's curse several times, but eventually learned to keep her in sight.
Balmy Buckets was a gnomish criminal who worked with SotS Inc, who teamed up with the players during an adventure to Lunas to investigate problems at the Mythril Theatre. When the team arrived, they all decided to audition for the show's director.
While the players were very good, Balmy Buckets absolutely silenced the room with a powerful tear-inducing monologue from the play Nobility Wed. As such, he (alongside Hillevi) was given a role in the show while the other adventurers took their jobs of watching the aisles and performing guard duty for the oncoming threat of thieves. While Hillevi turned down a permanent role with the group, Balmy Buckets agreed to join the troupe upon his release from SotS.
Months later, the players attended Balmy's graduation, learning in the process that before his incarceration, he was guilty of a variety of crimes involving the complete destruction of several young children.
Dona Amblecrown was the subject of the first quest undertaken by guild members in the campaign. When Dona went missing, her mother, Lady Miri Amblecrown of Lunas put out a call for help. She knew her daughter was headed to Dwalevale but did not know why or when.
As it turned out, Dona Amblecrown had fallen into a trap with a devil named Fierna. To seal her pact, she had to forfeit all religion and all gods. Previously, Dona had fallen loosely under Pelor's church, and after she gave him up, a Deva of Pelor tried to convert her by telling her to head into the Ethereal Plane where she could talk with some departed spirits about the afterlife. Unfortunately, when Dona reached the Ethereal Plane, she was caught in a battle between Pelor's warrior and the devil's forces. She lost her life in the process. The players would discover the Deva later, and kill it mistakenly, thinking it was Dona's kidnappers.
Guinevere "Ginny" Luddite-Quickly was the hooligan daughter of Hillevi and Prince Zachary, who gave the final guild posting of the campaign. 15 years after the death of Hillevi's friends Iris, Duskella, and Krik-Et, Ginny hired Sots Inc. to take a large sum of money, as well as a few possessions of her former friends, out to Dardin where a group of clerics known as The Collectors were happy to resurrect the three old pals. Ginny's posting was picked up by a couple of nobodys, who were paid well for their job. Ginny took the three back to Jewelspar to surprise her mother during a party, but was immediately chastised for toying with the universe and playing with necromancy.
Despite the trouble she got in, Ginny was thanked by her mother, who enjoyed seeing old friends for a little while during the party. Also of note, Ginny was a skilled archer.
Grog Grog was a reoccurring NPC who put out a handful of requests with the guild, his first asking to "Unsmash the Well". As it turned out, Grog Grog was a very empathetic orc who had crushed a well in Squat, and as most guards and citizens attack or run when they see orcs, he enlisted the help of non-orcs to rebuild the well that he destroyed. His cuddly personality and aversion to combat made him a favorite of the guild, and they would return to assist Grog Grog nearly a year later when he was under attack by in the region who decided he was a weak and easy target, little did they know Grog Grog had friends in high places at the guild.
Gunnar Irina was a gnomish archivist and alchemist who experimented with a variety of dark magics. Gunnar worked for AID, the partner company to SotS, run by the SotS founder Anema E. Core. Gunnar experimented on the warforged known as 11 before he escaped from the facility. 11 would later be arrested and brought into SotS Inc. In a show of loyalty, veteran member Kinky Guttsy sent members of the guild to take down Gunnar and help 11 get his vengance.
11 eventually killed Gunnar, and seconds later, the whole AID facility was sucked into The Underdark, taking 11 and Anema with it.
The Great Bishop Izell Reans of the Church of Olidammara was the archbishop of the elven Olidammara church located in Jewelspar. He was hired by Solomon to resurrect Hillevi, the queen of Jewelspar, at the request of his sister and her friends. However, Solomon, his sister, and her friends all died before Izell arrived at Nymphsview. But he completed his mission after being directed on who to resurrect by Vimes, the captain of the Jewelspar Guard. Though the resurrection took a while, it was completed, and Vimes, Izell, and Hillevi all returned to Jewelspar intact.
Kik Kak Kcha (Kreen for "Raider Warrior Killer") is an elusive chameleon-esque Thri-Kreen that haunts the plains between Fyurl and Ugarat, an unstoppable and invisible assassin, Kik Kak Kcha is often called the Klick Klack Killer by locals who hear the stories of him. Though he is trained as an assassin, Kik finds just as much work stealing from magical item shops in the area, or robbing and fencing stolen magic items from travellers on the road.
Kik is also paid by a Necromancer in the mountains north of Fyurl, and would often be called upon to stop nosy "adventuring" types who are trying to break into his lair (and or destroy him because he's pretty transparent about the whole evil necromancy thing).
King Trenton Luddite was the latest ruler of Jewelspar at the time of the campaign, in the early 740s PR. Trenton was a firm believer in magic as a source of chaos and unruliness. As a firm and loyal ruler of his people, he detested that which led to chaos. Luddite's rule was characterized as bland up to it's final days. A riot on the capital ended with outpourings of protest from the city, and eventually to King Luddite's resignation, and the installment of his son Zachary as the new ruler. Zachary's ruling wouldn't be seen in positive light for very long, however, as Trenton's words echoed after a magical attack on the city happened days after magic was legalized again.
Korranand the Great was the leader of The Seven Cities and enlisted the members of SotS to visit him in Ugarat for the grand voyage of the Iron Horse, a massive mechanical form of transportation invented by Mila Perturb. While Korranand himself was not able to meet for long, he sent his highest ranking official to join the trip on the machine, a great dog named Kazak. It was the job of the SotS members to protect Kazak from any sort of ambush or nefarious activity on the train.
Unfortunately, Korranand went a bit overboard to protect his dog. To ensure his safety, he hired not just SotS, but 5 other guilds (including The Council of Wrath) to guard Kazak. The competition between the guilds was fierce, and skirmishes quickly broke out on board the vehicle. When the smoke cleared, Kazak was the only casualty, with a letter left behind by the Council of Wrath threatening SotS to release "KG".
Korranand would later show up, 15 years later, at the 15 year anniversary party of Hillevi and Zachary's coronation, bringing a spectacular performance from western Pteris. The performance, a group of a dozen enslaved Kreen forced to dance and juggle for everyone's entertainment, did not go over well with the Queen. A quick skirmish ensued as enforcers (and the Queen's daughter Ginny) tried to free the Kreen, and Korranand quietly and humbly escued himself from the rest of the festivities, his creatures taken from him.
Lip Und was a member of Sick of this Shit Incorporated, a high ranking veteran, Lip had been under the guild's protection for 4 years when the campaign started. Being highly respected and trusted within the guild, Lip was assigned to take on a mission (A Horse and a Thief) with Hillevi and Krik-Et after the two of them were deemed irresponsible following certain events.
Clothed in red cloaks with strange sigils embroidered on them, it was not a secret that Lip Und was a devout follower of Asmodeus, and at night he prayed for the return of devils to Quelmar. Despite his satanic worship, he was always reliable on quests.
Lord Kitty appeared briefly during one quest taken by the guild members, a quest put in by Lord Kitty's owner Mrs. Prewster. Lord Kitty was apparently infected by a demon (though Prewster thought Lord Kitty was just pregnant) and the guild members needed exorcise the demon for Lord Kitty's owner, though ultimately the cat itself could not be saved, leading to Mrs. Prewster to deny the heroes their reward (though the guild was understanding).
Lucinda appeared several times when SotS members needed clarification on job postings. She was a true and tried Siren who worked the office that postings came through, a sort of post office. Her job was only to take in needy persons, calm their emotions if they were unable to express themselves fully or describe the issue (this was specifically why SotS hired a Siren) then transcribe the issue as well as the payment and other details on a job posting template that would then go to the guild for eager criminals to take on.
Mussaro Stendarious is an extravagant and often time controversial director who toured the realm, selling out the largest amphitheaters and bandstands in Quelmar with his troupe known as the Oprus Magnificus. Simultaneously flamboyant and hypermasculine, Mussaro not only put on drama, but lived in the drama. His absurd demands and high asking prices were matched by productions filled with magical spectacle and unforgettable performances, often times at the risk of the emotional stability of the actors.
Stendarious was casting a production of Nobility Wed that would tour the realm, with open auditions being held at the Mythril Theatre in Lunas. At the auditions Hillevi gave a rousing performance and was invited to join the troupe, but she declined, as it would be a long time before she worked off her debts to society.
A year later, the Oprus Magnificus returned to Oppidan, this time to perform for the Luddite royalty in Jewelspar. It was on this occasion that Killis Goodman hired some SotS inc members to impersonate the group, gaining access to the inner chamber of Jewelspar's massive palace. However, Mussaro appeared on the scene in the middle of their illegal production of Nobility Wed. Filled with rage, he attempted to stop the production and show the King Luddite that he was the real Mussaro, but the tactics of the impersonators led to his temporary incarceration, while they (illegally) performed the rest of the show for Jewelspar royalty.
The Nameless Necromancer was a powerful wizard who built a well-protected lair in the mountains of Pteris north of Fyurl. The Necromancer was approached by Braeden and Juris as apparently he was said to have been both an associate of Azazel (who Braeden was hunting) and the latest owner of a powerful necromatic orb that Juris had become attuned to.
The Necromancer killed Braeden during their attack on his lair, but was also killed by the adventurers, leaving his vast supply of potions and necromantic artifacts for the looting. However, Juris was the only one who took from him, reuniting himself with a very special orb of power.
Ronald's mother Rumand put a guild posting up ("Find My Missing Son") asking for members to help locate her son in Jewelspar who had disappeared during an incident related to Jewelspar's shadowfell connections. The guild members did a cursory search of the area, but gave up (and were soon distracted).
However, months later, the members did complete the quest, finding Ronald's soul wandering the Astral Plane, needing guidance for an afterlife he had never settled on (Ronald was still figuring out his God). Ronald's soul was guided to one of the Outer Planes where it could rest forever. The members eventually returned to Rumand and told her what happened to Ronald, giving a bittersweet closure to the long missing-persons case.
Ser Opula was the owner of the Mythril Theater in High Lunas. Ser Opula was involved in two quests that were put up. The first Opula himself put in, calling for reinforcements to guard his theater after several performances were interrupted by bandits sneaking in under the cover of darkness and robbing patrons in their seats.
The second time, Ser Opula was present for a sponsored quest put up by Mussaro Stendarious (see above) who was looking for new actors to join his traveling troupe. Ser Opula was present at the auditions, but drew ire from SotS member Quarter Dorf as he has a religious objection against nobility and shows of wealth. Being both a lavish patron of the arts and a snobbish critic of performance, Opula became the target of a small revolution launched by Quarter Dorf, who believed theater should be able to be performed anywhere, including the streets. When Opula shut down Quarter Dorf's illegal production of Nobility Wed, Quarter Dorf broke into Opula's house, killed him in his room, and dangled his corpse out the window, leading to the SotS Inciting Incident: Ser Opula's Death in Lunas.h
Sturm Brightblade appears to be about eight years old. He is quiet and polite and has an air of royalty and honor about him. He explains that all those he knows have gone to defend the wall. He is the last of his house and heir to this throne-it is for him that the evil army came to attack.
However, their attack was intercepted oddly enough by members of Sick of this Shit, who appeared magically in the throne room after taking on a mission involving a she-dungeon--a woman transformed into an astral dungeon thanks to the tricks of a rogue Nilbog. The members grabbed the boy moments before his death, and brought him back to SotS Inc, where he chose to work with the team. He was then occasionally seen as the front-desk secretary of the guild.
WubWub ZoomZoom (real name Zorian Waymer) was a blue-skinned cleric and the best friend of Kinky Guttsy. While Kinky operated mostly in the shadows and ran his secret guild The Shadowgate, WubWub would work openly with SotS Inc, and would always be happy to introduce himself to new recruits, sizing them up, helping them out, and eventually vetting them to determine whether or not they were the right material for his friend's secret guild.
WubWub was a cleric of Bane, and many of his powers revolved around keeping his friends alive and banishing enemies of Kinky.
Prince Zachary Luddite-Quickley was the prince of Jewelspar when he was first encountered. A rule-breaking bad boy, Prince Zach dabbled and found fascination in the arcane, even when his own father put in place a ban on magic in the city.
He was broken out of the jewelspar prison by Hillevi and her friends in SotS Inc, and became a fugitive from his own city. While on the run, he followed Hillevi into the Astral Plane on a mission known as The Hunt for Zugs. It was on on the Astral Plane that, realizing the stakes of the mission, Prince Zach and Hillevi were wedded (as it turns out Iris was ordained to wed them). Both of them survived the following battles against Zugs, Killis, and Krampus, returning home to live in Jewelspar and join the growing resistance against his father.
In a riot on the capital, Zachary and his new wife led the peasents into the king's chamber, where he delivered a heartfelt speech (assisted by Iris, Captain Duskella, and Hillevi) and ultimately turned over the king's heart, who declared he would abdicate and allow his son to take the throne. In his first act as king, Zachary legalized magic in the city.
Prince Zachary was a skilled martial artist, wielding a noble axe passed down to him known as "Facebreaker".
Paelias Galanodel was a wizard who appeared in the first Tale of Quelmar (one-off) who had cynically attempted to teleport himself into The Abyss. Not realizing the complications that would arise from simply trying to teleport, Paelias became trapped in Quelmar's buffer layer, known as The Underdark. However, as the spell never fully completed, he became stuck between planes, constantly shifting between the surface, the underdark, and the abyss.
Paelias' husband, Hadarai Oakenheel, would ask several adventurers to join him on a quest to find Paelias. He would discover Olga and Vladimir Petrov, as well as a Doctor Frank N. Stein, and the four of them would locate Paelias safely, and find out where he was appearing on the surface.
A research station was set up around Paelias once they discovered his surface teleportation point. From there, during his brief appearances on the the surface, Paelias would talk to AID about what he experienced, and helped pioneer their original explorations into the Underdark.
This is a list of reoccurring NPCs, for any possible information on one-time appearing NPCs, please consult session notes at The Story So Far.
Brak was the woodworker friend of Verik who agreed to join the expedition to Kiston. Brak would go on to construct many of the initial houses and structures of the colony before being lept 100 years in time by Chronepsis. After the event, Brak joined with his grandson Nate.
Sheriff Cage was a regular at the Traveler's Stop on Inn who interfered in the first brawl of the campaign, and later escorted all of the injured players to an infirmary in Dolmvay. Sheriff Cage would confiscate BrightFlame but later deem that it rightfully belongs to The Best Around who found the dagger on the corpse of its holder.
Claudia would be escorted to her own wedding in Dolmvay by Kragnux and Thwack where she would married the elder Retznem son Blaine. The escort mission would then grow to become a search and rescue after Claudia ran off with Blaine's younger brother Chip. They would be found frozen solid at the abandoned house outside of the city, but would be thawed out and returned to face their consequences. The note found at her wedding was as follows:
"Claudia,
Tonight we shall flee. Please gather your favorite clothing from the presents Blaine and my parents have given you. Meet me in the abandoned tower outside of the city, it is through some thick woods so please watch out. But do not be afraid, I will be waiting for you at the door to our temporary lodgings, and from there we will make our escape.
Colin was a massive mechanical creature, similar in build to an autom, who was hired by The Friends of Kragnux to create armies of the mechanical automs to assist their crusaders on missions. Colin was held hostage inside Wyvern Mountain where Skelya would turn him on, watch him make more automs, then turn him back off. He was perpetually living in a state of stop-motion until 7 rescued him from the loop, awakening him for the first time under Skelya's nose. He worked with 7 and other associates to escape from the mountain, where he would give his army of warforged over to Snow and 7 as they started their mechanical colony known as The Sky Net.
(For information on Colin's life outside this campaign, see Colin Pendergras)
Culum is a recently orphaned child who had been adopted by the devious Zando as bait. Culum would lure adventurers into dangerous situations, such as the dungeon in the Levinkan's UnderCitadel. Culum would be hated by many adventurers due to his whiny and needy disposition, but would survive the campaign, as much as players wanted to kill him.
The elected leader of Dolmvay, the party first caught Damos' attention when they destroyed a small faction of rampant mousefolk and their WereRat leader outside of town. Their bravery was noticed, and they were offered an opportunity to help aid the Diimgard region against increasing attacks from kobolds and orcs in the area.
Diegar was a reocurring NPC towards the end of the campaign. A level 20 fighter, Diegar far outclassed most of The Best Around and was the most qualified to lead on the war fronts against Asmodeus during the second Infernal Emergence, which is where he first crossed paths with the team.
Diegar would later reappear in the reformed realm after Tiamat's return, where he would briefly assist the armies of The Levinkan in stopping Ith during The Sundown.
Originally the apprentice to the Head of Agriculture Gustavon in Dolmvay, Erik would join the adventurers early on, taking on a position as Anyrion's squire, though sometimes he would also travel with Darya. He is described as "A hopeful spirit, working his way up the charts. Is already a much faster runner than his father was at his age".
Erik would stay in Elin Barad under protection of the city while his master worked to help slay Corduth. After the dragon's slaying, Erik rejoined his master and traveled with them to the island of Cof, where he would help in the colony and bear witness to Anyrion's painful death by Fire Salamander, at which point he would be taken under the wing of the lady Darya.
Erik would unfortunately pass away when the team triggered Chronepsis into sending the island's invaders 100 years into the future. The spot where Erik stood would be the center of a massive tree trunk, leading to his instant burial and suffocation. Stumblebum would witness the event and write a song about it.
Fleck was the name of a bluestone that was imbued life by the Staff of Noesis by 7 and Darya. Fleck would join 7 on his quests, and later wind up at the colony known as The Sky Net.
Ella was the original wielder of the sword known as DarkFrost, but after she and her elven party were defeated by the Wererat of Dolmvay, she turned her magical sword over to The Best Around. When her elven family and friends of Elin Barad had heard of her defeat and subsequent rescue, they invited The Best Around to visit their secret grove and even have council with their leader.
A dark human with a passion for immortality, Galen believed he would be able to extend his lifespan through magical pursuits. While he at first worked in his hometown as a cleric, he abandoned divine magic when he decided that the gods would not look favorably on his dreams of immortality. He opened up a secret laboratory where he experimented illegally on subjects, including Esimal, on his quest to come up with the perfect immortality enchantment. His years of practice did succeed in extending his life, but only by a few decades. His non stop studied made him an excellent mage to head the School of Power for The Friends of Kragnux, where he was able to enchant, curse, and experiment to his heart's content, as long as it was to further the cause of Kragnux.
Gemflower was a high elf who dedicated his life to brutality, and forwent the typical eligance of the High Elves to prove himself a hero. Despite his negative intelligence, he survived the siege of Leishport and helped The Best Around escape with their lives intact. He was awarded a medal of bravery for his actions that day.
Chancellor Grigor was a go-between for various political and religious factions within and around Dolmvay, he worked to contact the Pages of the Pantheonand discover the source of the Kobold attacks on the city. He was also one of the few who theorized that Tiamat may be trying to escape from her banishment, a theory that would be proven correct 100 years later in The Siege of Dolmvay.
To confirm his theory, he sent Pete, Kragnux, and Pabor to infiltrate the Kobold's lair. Being dragonborns, it was easy to fake their way into the caves, declaring themselves devout followers of the evil dragon queen Tiamat.
He would later help Rurik and The Best Around with their pet project: The Gauntlet of Gate.
Peckard was the head monk/cleric of The Heritage, the last remaining faction of Kragnux followers who still believed in the truth: Kragnux was a dragonborn and not a human. When The Best Around finally got back to the mainlands 100 years later and discovered the realm was believing the lie, they sought out and worked with Peckard on a plan to restore Kragnux to his true image in the eyes of the realm. It was a quest that involved Umbrex and Pope Felix, but ultimately Peckard died when the Heritage was attacked by crusaders.
The main quest giver of the first season of the campaign, Kaliel ruled over Elin Barad and gave out two mission to take down the kobold known as The Mountain King, as well as a quest to stop a band of Red Blade Orcs. Besides sending The Best Around on various adventurer outings, he also provided the group with essential exposition about the Seven Arms of Sin, which they would then be tasked to find and reunite under the hopes of bringing peace back to the surrounding Diimgard region.
Lavinia (and her brother Verik) was a spice trader of Dolmvay who changed her profession to become a shipowners and captain. Lavinia and her brother were willing to escort The Best Around on their mission to Kiston. Lavinia was captain of The Sea Wyvernas it made the voyage south, facing various enemies such as a kraken, a whirlpool, and even a small band of mermen.
Before helping the group, Lavinia's and her brother had made a successful voyage to Cof, one of Kiston's circling islands. Her second attempt to get back there was not as successful, with the ship completely beaching and destroying itself, stranding Lavinia and the others on Cof's beaches. The other captains of the journey, Verik and Captain Seaworth, were much more successful in docking their ships.
After helping set up some living quarters in the jungle, Lavinia joined the team on several expeditions that brought them face to face with dinosaurs, ettins, and the native Yuan-Ti of the island. Ultimately, she climbed the islands peak with the other heroes, falling victim to the 100 year time jump.
After returning to the beaches and discovering the new colony of Brakville, Lavinia and her brother took crystals from the mountain and fled back to the mainlands, thanking The Best Around for their help in securing these mythological crystals. Lavinia was paid 10,000 GP by the Friends of Kragnux to stay quiet about her events on Cof
Elven ranger for Elin Barad, Leemoy was a recommend ally for The Best Around on their second attempt to track down the Mountain King. The group took a quick liking to his down-to-earth nature and non-nonsense approach to hideout intrusion. He became a particularly close friend to Stumblebum.
Leemoy was prone to overlooking obvious solutions in his heavy planning, and as a sagely ranger would feel the need to explain things slowly to those who didn't follow. His ideal was logic, and he would do his best not to let emotion intrude.
Leemoy would later perish in the siege on Dolmvay by the great dragon Corduth.
Licky, short for "Lickalotapus", was a pet dinosaur that the Best Around adopted during their time on the island of Cof. Licky mostly listened to Ted, but after Ted's untimely disappearance, Licky would follow Esimal and later Reesec. Licky died at the hands of the island's Yuan-Ti natives.
A scholar for The Friends of Kragnux, Merkal planned the church's expeditions into obtaining relics and discovering new histories related to their savior Kragnux. Merkal was orphaned at a young age, but began training at Fang Fu to develop discipline. In learning that Kragnux was also an orphan raised at Fang Fu, he began to admire the deity, and would rise through the ranks of the Heritage and later FoK to lead all scholarly exploits, figuring he would rather be the coward who made good plans than a fool who died on the front lines of poorly planned quests.
The Kobold formerly known as Glgnfz took on great ambitions and splintered off from The Hertak Kobolds after being imbued with the spirit of an ancient mage.
Pascal was the high elf mage who headed Xender Pleth's original research expedition to explore the islands of Kiston. A powerful scholar and gifted diviner, Pascal knew nearly everything one could know about Quelmar, even at the young age of 73. Xender had told Pascal and the others to stay hidden when their expedition team was attacked on Cof. Pascal, however gifted, was also too loyal for his own good. Staying hidden, Pascal waited for Xender to return to retrieve him from their castle chambers...going slightly crazy in the process.
Over 500 years later, Pascal was discovered and rescued by The Best Around during their own colonization efforts. Though the years had taken a toll on Pascal, he was still a very powerful magician, being able to summon various undead guards to protect him and his new companions while they finished exploring the island.
Archmage Rurik Lutgehr was the Dwarven head of the Wizards' Guild in Dolmvay, and first appeared when called upon by President Damos and Chancellor Grigor to provide safe passage for The Best Around to infiltrate the Kobold hideout. He provided a portal, and also some potions of invisibility. He would later appear to assist with an artifact he called the Gauntlet of Gate, which he used with Thwack's help to retrieve the final Arm of Sin and locate the marilithToi'viral.
Over a century later, Rurik would once again cross paths with The Best Around, since they last met, Rurik had joined up with followers of Bahamut and became an expert planeweaver, portaling between planes in an attempt to locate Bahamut's Banishment-Scape. He eventually found Bahamut, but could not free him, requiring another god to substitute Bahamut's place. Kragnux, who Rurik knew in life, would eventually sacrifice his godhood, banishing himself and freeing Bahamut.
Selina was an elven rogue who worked with The Best Around during the siege of Leishport, she had a brief fling with Anyrion but was killed when the shop they were in was firebombed.
Shirin (pronounced Sh-REEN) was the sole Djinn survivor of an attack on the city of brass. The city was a possible site of retreat for The Last Around, who were shocked to find the city under attack by devils and demons. Shirin was almost killed by a fireball when a mage known as Wishmaker blocked the attack. Shirin owed a life debt to Wishmaker, vowing to give him what was known as a "Noble Wish", a wish with unlimited power. Shirin followed the team deep into Asmodeus' lair, and seconds before Asmodeus killed everyone, finally used his magic as the Wishmaker wished for a quiet and peaceful audience with the gods themselves.
Taman ran the Nest of Runestones in Leishport and gave his life defending his store while working with The Best Around to get refugees out of the city while it was under attack.
Lord Taro was a long time resident and later leader of Shimatama in Osugbo. The Taro family bloodline dated back to the Troverth Dynasty. As such, he harbors a high respect for traditions and honor. Before the campaign, Lord Taro played a key role in the mentoring of Sir Morswyn, who in turn would mentor Bart. At the end of the campaign, the two knights were surprised to learn that Taro had also mentored a young Willow years ago, bringing the three of them together to fight the oncoming dragons of Tiamat.
Umbrex was an elderly half-elf who lived at the Fang Fu as a contemporary of Kragnux the dragonborn. He watched Kragnux grow and train in the monastery, and also witnessed the razing of Fang Fu by Corduth and the vow of vengeance made by Kragnux on that evening. Umbrex would stay with Fang Fu for many years, helping rebuild and even helping to train Gorin decades later.
Over a century after the razing, he was kept in chains by the Friends of Kragnux, who wanted to keep his dangerous testimony out of the ears of the common population, who now belived the false narrative that Kragnux was a human, and not a dragonborn. Because of this, The Heritage referred to Umbrex as "The Last Witness".
Umbrex would be rescued from FoK's prisons by The Best Around on a religious crusade to take down the then-pope Felix.
Verik and his sister Lavinia were a group of treasure hunters and captains who answered The Best Around's call for captains to help escort them safely to Kiston. Verik and Lavinia were very wealthy from years of working spice trades, and could afford to own several ships. Verik had landed on the beaches of Cof once before, and was confident he could make the trip back there again. Verik captained the ship known as The Manticore, and arrived safely with his crew the second trip. They had hoped to discover the source of ancient crystals said to have originated on Kiston.
Verik was attacked by the Yuan-Ti soon after setting up camp, and if it weren't for his brave sailors, he would have died. Instead, survivors of the attack fled to the other side of the island the found his sister Lavinia, who took Verik into intensive care in the small colony they had set up in the woods.
After weeks of rest, Verik was recovered enough to join his sister and the others on their quest to stop the Yuan-Ti and climb the mountain of Cof. After falling to the 100 year jump at the peaks, Verik and his sister stole crystals from the mountain and fled back to the beaches, where they eventually boarded a ship at Brakville and made it home. Verik was paid 10,000 GP by the Friends of Kragnux to stay quiet about the events he witnessed on Cof.
Budli appeared first as an NPC at The Bleak Academy, but would become a player favorite, being picked up as a player character after the early death of Sycamore. More info on Budli can be found on his player page.
The Illithid Professors of the Bleak Academy proved to be the first villains of the campaign as they chased down the team consisting of Ildrin, Gus, and Forgorith through The Bleak Academy. More information on their specific work can be found on the Bleak Academy page.
Desatysso was a Vampire villain who lived under Skull City, encountered by Gus and Sycamore as they tried to escape the city on foot. Gus heroically sacrificed Sycamore in order to escape unharmed.
The Looking Glass Knight stands tall. Drow and Mind-Flayer for scale.
The Looking Glass Knight was an unusually massive and fully-armored Firbolg who had been trapped in the Underdark in the ancient past.
Due to the chaotic and punishing energies of the Underdark, he would be displaced in time and space, appearing before a group of lost adventurers including 11 (who was also displaced), Olga and Vladimir Petrov, and Henric. The 5 of them, all Quelmar natives lost in the Underdark, would work together to find a way back to the surface.
Though the Looking Glass Knight eventually would face The Pudding King, his fate was left unresolved, and it is unknown if he succumbed to the Deep Gnomes or escaped to further his pursuits in the Underdark.
The Looking Glass Knight used a massive tower shield that had been polished to a perfect mirror surface. When looking into the mirror, it was possible to see a full arcane warrior standing on the other side. If the Looking Glass Knight entered intense combat, he could summon this warrior from his shield, who would assist him in battle before returning to the mirror-world.
The mirror world was also capable of storing up to 3 other medium creatures, but if the mirror shield was broken, the link into that demi-plane was permanently destroyed.
Jinkun was the brother of the DrowJintuk, and as part of his family, was sentenced by his Matron to hunt down Jintuk. Unfortunately, while Jinkun was hunting down Jintuk, he crossed paths with the deadly Ildrin (now in Drider form). Jintuk and Ildrin would become nemeses after Ildrin killed his brother. .
Thaluul was an Observer who captured the Underdungeon characters in his lair, forcing them to undergo a variety of physical and mental tests. He would be slain by the players, but not before revealing he had been corrupted by the eldritch energies of Shug, procuring a massive black tendril out of his eye socket.
Elder sister of Ynnis Valenford. Aria is one of the few cleric/bards in her city of Jewelspar, and was an expert at both musical magic and health and spiritual magic. She operates a clinic ("Aria Health") in the city, where her brother Ynnis and his friends just happened to be visiting.
Besides her practice, Aria has a son (Ynnis' nephew) and a family who live in a small estate in the city. When Ynnis' friend Andif screwed up some bardic magic, Aria was asked to step in and reverse the process. Which she did so, in return for Ynnis and his friends babysitting the young Valenford. The players did so, but ran into difficulty when the kid stepped into one of Jewelspar's many ripples of shadow that pass into its shadow city, Shadespar.
Eventually, she reversed the effects of a bardic spell that caused Andif to become Enlarged.
Bravery was a tiefling who showed up in a single session when the team was faced with the magical darkness of the Banites. They could not look through the Banite's chambers to see their secret society mission, but luckily for them, by writing "HELP WE NEED MAGICAL DARKVISION" on a sign and busking on the streets of Galik they crossed paths with a helpful Tiefling, who's Devil's Sight allowed them to see the destruction of Bruneld Redmane, the head of the dragonborn who would later become The Crown of Empyrosis.
Brontalo was a Galik painter working at the plaza Rue Delour. He worked with Radonis (the owner of Yro) at first, but Radonis revealed to Brontalo that all of his paintings were shams---pieces inherited from his ancestors that he would then "present" as if he'd painted them himself. Pitying Radonis, Brontalo first tried to teach Radonis how to paint, but ultimately, in return for part of his wages, Brontalo would paint for Radonis and let him take the credit.
For a while, Radonis and Brontalo were close, but as Radonis tried to take back more of his own wages, the two got distant, various cover stories were concocted and rumors spread, but ultimately it came down to talent, wages, and compensation. However, Radonis did convince Brontalo to do one more painting of him before he stopped. Brontalo's final painting for Radonis was a "self-portait" which had him wearing Yro the crown.
About 5 days later, Brontalo entered the house as Radonis had been expected to pay Brontalo for the final painting, but instead he found Radonis dead near the painting. Yro, discovering that Radonis was risking its existence, killed its owner. Brontalo, worried he would be framed, stashed the body and the Self Portrait away, attempting to sell the city guard on the idea of Radonis "going off on some sabbatical". To make up for the wages he would never get, he would sell the (incredibly mythological and important) Crown to a lowly pawn shop.
When Croach put Yro on at the Pawn Shop, he was instructed on how to find Brontalo, and told to give Brontalo the crown. Upon touching Yro, however, Brontalo fell dead on his kitchen floor, kicking off the great mystery: What is this Crown, what power does it hold, and what to do with it?
Cethfhas (pronounced kay-os.), was the bickering sister of Caoilfhoinn , but when Cethfhas was lost at sea on a Sparklemas Barge, Caolifhoinn showed she did care about her sister, rushing to her side after finding out she was rescued. They did fight, but ultimately the two could return back to their homeland in Osugbo to celebrate the next year's Sparklemas with their parents.
Colwan is a Human, Garrison is a Elf. The two of them were Ynnis Valenford's friends before he became cursed. They were actually there when he got the curse, and lied to his college and family to cover for him.
Since then have made up about a dozen stories about what Ynnis has been up to because people ask them about him.
Dahlia was the former partner of Blumenthal, who eventually had their enemy Dendro Orchei killed. At the very end of the campaign she returned to recruit Blumenthal, only to find more recruits than she expected in Red and Croach.
A Galik-based Firbolg detective who helped the party investigate leads and conduct research. He was one of the very few who suspected that the sudden appearance of Banites, Thriskarn, and the fires of Rue Delour were connected. In a secret banite hideout under the burned Rue Delour he found banites talking about the Crown of Empyrosis. He attempted to kick the adventurers out of the mystery when he realized the stakes, but was instead knocked unconcious, only to return later on when the Lyreguard deemed him smart and quick thinking enough to join the new group known as AFEW.
Unfortunately, when the Banites launched their attack on the Aegirian temple outside of Galik where AFEW was hiding out, Agotcha was killed by an aspect of Iyachtu.
Dorbug Corbina was an artificergnome in Galik who specialized in orbs. He ran a shop called Exorbitant Orbitants. Members of the team, investigating leads on the Orb of Gales, went to Corbina and bought his most powerful storm orb. His shop's inventory included all of the below.
Not much can be said of Dorbug himself, but he tended to act much more higher class than he actually was. He might have had a passing resemblance to PM David Cameron.
Plain Orb
Used as spellcasting focus for mages
25 GP
Scroll of Chromatic Orb
Allows the casting of Chromatic Orb (only useable by spellcasters)
60 GP
Orb of Direction
Always shows North
300 GP
Orb of Time
Reveals whether it is morning, afternoon, evening, or night.
240 GP
Orb of Gonging
Mechanisms allow the orb to turn on and off, making a loud gonging sound.
A gregarious Kobold who hosted Kurrtlzaarfaask festivities on Amusa for which Kobold tribes made pilgrimage from all across the realm. Eddie was a particularly useful kobold as he was one of the few present who could also speak common. Adventurer Red had taken a liking to him and invited Eddie to join her and the others in Galik to help investigate a lead...unfortunately, within a week, the battle known as The AFEW Ambush took place, leaving Eddie one of the dead.
An Istishian Archcleric in Galik that sought to destroy the Crown. He opposed, then aided the party for a brief time. Chonszul and the other Istishians made a last grab for the Crown of Empyrosis in Nestle before they were talked into joining a larger alliance of earth, fire, and water clerics. Chonszul joined AFEW, but shortly after he met his end at the hands of the Banites in The AFEW Ambush.
Kugutsi was the Majordomo of Golkont the Hawk Mage (see above). Kugutsi was a summoned Arcanaloth that followed all of Golkont's commands. Kugutsi eventually sunk the Ellipses through powerful water magic. Golkont used Kugutsi as much as possible in public so that people attributed him as a close associate of Golkont. This was because Golkont himself was a disguised Arcanaloth, and if ever caught without his disguise, many would simply think Golkont was Kugutsi.
Lucian DiGennaro was Andif's master and trainer at the Laergul school of Bardic Arts. Andif ran away from school, and from his tutelage, as he seemed to prize her powers in unnatural ways. Andif's great potential never missed Lucian, and he tried everything to get her back to the school so he could mold her great powers. After Andif played at a city formal in Galik, Lucian had this message sent her way.
Andif,
News has reached me of a particular public performance in Galik that no doubt bears certain brown markings of my education. When I heard someone was using this dirty magic in public I knew immediately that you must be in the city. If this reaches you, I hope you hear me out this final time. You are my most powerful protégée and the loss of you from the Bardic College is a loss for all of us. Your training isn't complete and imagine just how many more things I can still teach you. As a favor and to entice you to return to finish your bardic college degree, I've included the second half of the Nota Marrone composition, allowing you to enhance the piece with your arcane abilities.
I am where I have always been, and am delightfully your servant in training,
Mahabhuta was an 800 years old WinterEladrinartificer and one of few surviving eladrin in the PR era of The War of Essence. An incredible magician, Mahabhuta is also able to create Devastation Orbs of Air, Water, and Fire, though her mentor died in the essence war before she could learn earth.
Mahabhuta had come to Warukami with her granddaughter Frori to meet at the Demon-Exorcist's exhibit (see Master Hyder, below). Hopiong to forgive and befriend the inner demons of her life. Unfortunately for her, in her current feeble state, she could not control the monster, and it has fled the town and out into the world. Now even weaker after the exhibition, she is relying on her granddaughter and former student Frori to track down the demon.
The party encountered her in Warukami, where her inner demon had taken a material form and frozen the harbor, rendering the port inaccessible. Upon retrieving and defeating the demon, the party learned that Mahabhuta had actually used the Orb and created a great storm long ago but struggled with the guilt that she felt over those actions. Her inner demon vanquished, she was finally able to conclude her Final Winter and pass on peacefully.
Later in the adventure, the team learned much more about Mahabhuta and the other Eladrin sent to Quelmar from the Feywild by the Seelie Court. She and the others fought in the War of Essence, where it was her specific duty to create a colossal storm in order to summon the Orb.
Master Hyder was a traveling Exorcerist (and secret Barbed Devil) who was touring the Troverthdomain, due to the long standing history of Troverth people and demon superstition. Mahabhuta (see above) had come to Warukami to have her life's sins exorcized, to give her peace before she died. As strange as he was talented, he performed at least two procedures while he was in town: Mahabhuta, and Chet Sexton.
Hyder has also performed in Xender City and Galik in his tour of Amusa. The team never discovered he was a Barbed Devil during the course of this campaign.
Midnight was the chosen daughter of Kossuth who was tasked with carrying the Smothering Pendant and soothing the enraged Crown of Empyrosis. Unfortunately, despite being Kossuth's chosen, Midnight quickly developed a chosen one complex, leading to her making more rash decisions, believing her actions to be righteous in the name of Kossuth.
Mong was a storm giant chief, who was impressed by Grindseed's wreckless determination to save the realm, ultimately curbing his attempt at destroying the team, and deciding to hear them out. It was Mong who revealed that Golkont had been paying the storm giants to create a storm...which was secretly Golkont trying to summon the orb.
Later on, Grindseed would call upon Mong's aid, and Mong (plus a small team of storm giants) would arrive to help at the Arctic Altercation, which ended the Arctic Autumn and finally stopped X (The Paladin).Muddy Hillcloak's menu, which contained a second menu if folded in half along a certain line.
Full name Muddatin Hillcloak, Muddy was a traveling barkeep with an official "Road-Housed Roadhouse" License which he named "The Bar From Afar". It's forged in dwarved metals, super valuable, and proves he underwent rigorous testing to ensure he can brew and serve no matter the weather or location. Inside his cart was a small tavern with enough room to sit 5 or 6 customers at a time, and Muddy himself worked as barkeep.
Muddy's "Bar from Afar" sold a number of drinks, but also useful "drinks" that people on the ride could use, such as potions of healing, or Moonflowers.Nim the Jewelspar Street Rat
A orphaned or abandoned child who lived in Jewelspar. He began to exhibit abyssal traits (horns, wings) from a young age and is bullied and excluded by his peers because of them. He looks up to Maverick as an adult who succeeded in life in spite of his Tiefling features. In exchange for help sneaking around the city Maverick agreed to foster the child.
Nim had a best friend Clancy who was also an orphan in the city. Clancy would later prove to be the key to Rowan Buckman understanding that some Tiefling are special, they don't show their heritage until a "coming of age" or another event causes the lineage to appear.
Radonis was dead the second the campaign started. It was his death that returned the The Crown of Empyrosis to the general public, and when Croach and Wanda teamed up with Luther and Solum to investigate the mystery around Rue Delour, they inadvertently stumbled into Radonis' house, discovering an old letter to Radonis you can find on the The Crown of Empyrosis page (alongside more info on Radonis).
Roanna Redmane was an NPC who lived in Ravendale, and asked for the team's help in recovering her daughter Shalia Redmane who was kidnapped by goblin bandits in the area. After the team recovered Shalia, the two were reunited, but then unfortunately captured again by Banites. Roanna and Shalia were originally sought after by the team due to their family name Redmane showing up on ancient documents referring to some of the earliest followers of Kossuth in prehistory. As it turned out, the Redmanes worship of Kossuth went back even further into Prehistory, and Shalia and Roanna were in fact descendants of Bruneld Redmane, the spirit inside The Crown of Empyrosis.
Salreen was an Istishian cleric and con artist who managed to work her way into the secret group known as AFEW. She was first encountered during Galik's great blackout.
Tia Ma (real name Tiane) was a long retired human adventurer who took up in her later years running the tavern of Warukami, a place known as Drihaol. Her grandson, Tyr, was her right hand man, and even though he was 15, he did most of the labor running around the place. Tia Ma and Tyr were both crucial to the team discovering the source of Warukami's strange weather, and the incorporation of Frori Predestine into the team.
A rival team of adventurers who claimed to share the goal of safeguarding the Crown, and felt that they could do a better job. Considering they lost, it would be logical to conclude that they were wrong. The Escapals were Free Defenders in Galik, and used their position to get close to the Lyreguards after learning about the crown in the Galik Gazette.
The team chased the Crown back down to Ambleside where it was being used by Rowan Buckman, and then, in their most successful action, were able to take the bartender of neighboring Nestle hostage, hoping to interrogate and get information out of her about the Crown. However, before they got far into the interrogation, the group was ambushed by allies of Rowan and Edna, who managed to kill half the team and escape.
Saph Fire - A Whisper Bard Half Elf, presumably the leader of the group. Status: Dead
Borina the Destructive - Storm BarbarianDwarf. Status: Dead
Robin Banks - Rogue Inquisitor Human, excellent sneak and even better liar. Status: Dead - Survived the initial attack that left Saph and Borina dead, and instead starting working for the Banites, later helping to execute the attack known as The AFEW Ambush, where he was slain.
32-Tooth Tommy - Status: Incarcerated - 32-Tooth-Tommy survived the ordeal that killed the others, but went on the run, causing a bounty to be placed on him for the following reasons:
Breaking and entering in Ravendale
Selling fenced goods
Wielding multiple weapons in Galik
Suspect in the murder of Carsley Arvan
Total reward estimated 1400 GP
After his brief stint in prison, 32-Tooth-Tommy, a lizardfolkranger, joined in the final assault against The Paladin, eventually making right by his friends by securing their names in the history books.Wanted posters of Thriskarn were placed all over Galik after his attack on the church of Istishia.
Thriskarn was a Dwarf veteran of the The Cavalry Rush who was living retired in the villa of Rue Delour alongside Brontalo and Radonis (see above). Thriskarn put on The Crown of Empyrosis after it was left in his house by Croach in an attempt to be rid of the manipulative headwear. Unfortunately, with Thriskarn being an accomplished warrior, and the crown being freshly reinvigorated with a new spark for violence, the resulting amalgamation creature was a danger to entire city of Galik. The first action Thriskarn-Yro took was to suppress all fire in the city, enabling Thriskarn to sneak around unseen in the night as Thriskarn guided the crown towards the churches of Istishia and Aegir, the most aquatic of the city's religions.
Thriskarn-Yro was successful in destroying both churches, but in the ruins of the Aegerian church, Thriskarn was ambushed by a combination of the Lyreguard, the Free Defenders, a cult of Banites, and opportunistic adventurers. At the end of the epic encounter, Thriskarn had the crown knocked off his head by Grindseed with a well placed bolt, freeing Thriskarn of the crown' s influence as he fell unconscious. Thriskarn was recovered by the Lyreguard and interrogated by a group later known as AFEW. He would then be placed in medical care.
Vorrow was the resident shaman and advisor to the Warukami Mandador (the town leader). Vorrow was a crooked man in shape and demeanor, and took dark magic seriously, using it whenever possible to ensure he got what he wanted. Tasked with removing a clan of Sahuagin who had taken up residence on the town's coast, Vorrow posted bounties that he knew fiesty adventurers would take up. When the posting, labeled "WANTED: Powerful People who are great at fishing out trouble!" , it brought several interested parties to town, including Chet Sexton, the gnome Caoilfhoinn, and Jedit.
Unfortunately for all parties involved, Vorrow also tricked all parties involved into signing a Contract of Nepthas, meaning if they failed to remove the fishfolk, they would be rendered blind, deaf, and mute.
Luckily for Vorrow, and for the heroes, they succeeded, and he paid them for their work.
You will soon depart to that place where those before you have gone, why do you miserably torment yourself, blind to the truth? Yes, I am speaking to you, you miser, who make your future heirs rejoice while depriving the gods of incense and depriving yourself of food. You stingy man, you save every penny for your estate, burdening heaven with promises you do not mean to keep, while you cut back on every possible funeral expense so that not even the goddess of undertakers will profit from your death! - Aesop
Aesop was a Kitsune (magic foxfolk) who originally owned the vessel later renamed to the SS NoSink. He attempted to steal from a Topaz Dragon named Prelnirith and profit off the stolen hoard, but was intercepted by the heroes of the adventure, who killed him and skinned him and turned him into a hat that would be worn by the ship's captain Harold.
Belle was a small girl rescued from Raritan by the LoxoHarold years befor the Greedy Green adventure. An orphan after the loss of her family (and running from her hometown), Belle found a new father figure in the Silver DragonSro.
Sro's ward, Belle was a paladin of Bahamut who worked closely alongside Sro, living in his lair with him, and learning all about Bahamut and the old eras of the dragons, She also had a boon from Sro that allowed her to alert him if there were intruders into his lair.
On more than one occasion, Sro would test Belle's might, as well as the might of other potential allies, by polymorphing Belle into a young dragon and having other heroes of the realm demonstrate their dragon slaying potential on her. Belle would learn more about the dragon lifestyle (perhaps in preperation for a Rite of Rebirth) while the heroes would learn what mistakes they made in battling the demo dragon.
An elf warrior from the Sylvan Order whose ancient burial site was raided by Cheshire forces in an attempt to steal ancient artifacts and weapons from the Sylvan Order crypts.
Beren's spirit gave his blessing for the party to take the remaining equipment from his lieutenants' tombs.
If Gildroy Lockhard was a brass dragon bard. Gideon arrived late into the adventures, and primarily utilized the heroes of the realm to serve his own goals. As a bit of a playboy he made many babies and made many enemies. Sometimes both at the same time, as is the case with the black dragon Thymor'ala and the eggs that were laid thereafter.
Honesty and sincere to a fault, very encouraging and supportive, positive, uplifting, a bit overbearing. He would sometimes see the heroes as "children", and could be too doting, especially when they would be tasked with his own self-serving goals.
One of his eggs was absorbed by the demigod Silent after it was sacrificed to her by her acolyte D'Kacilius Venrai. As a result, Silent could then take on powerful draconic forms.
Bit of a pacifist, after making enemies with powerful hags, tasked the heroes of the realm to fight off the hags for him, conveniently flying away at the top of each battle saying: "I've got to go help with a different hag".
Unsurprisingly, when Feredemius devoured the realm, he fell victim to The Umbral Flood, turning into a shadow dragon and repeatedly trying to attack Seglock. He required purification, a process which taught the players the power of the Moonflower.
Aldean El’Naddath of House Kessaria, Emissary of the Wold Order and member of the Sylvan Order.
He is comfortable with traditional decorum, customs and curtesies. Well spoken, but down to earth. He gets along well with all races and appreciates them for their differences. Falgrim playfully called him “Al” and he just rolled his eyes with a slight crack of a smile.
His clothes are a touch fancy but serviceable for traveling and doing a heroes business as needed.
On his main outer robe he has an Iron cross on a red field with the gold crescent moons of Correllon in the center circle of the cross, the symbol of the Sylvan Order.
Fun fact:He’s actually modeled after a PC a good friend of DM Dave who played at a LARP back in New Jersey. Great guy, great character.
Baron Virion Faro [m/Eladrin Elf] - Head of the Faro family of Seglock. The only remaining original inhabitants of this once heavily forested area. Owns a large share of the Sheridan Lumber company. Rich, flamboyant, and self-absorbed Baron Faro earned his wealth and clout by establishing a relationship with the founders of Seglock and involving himself in all of their major ventures.
He holds no political position or power, he was given his title of "Baron" early in the Seglock's establishing days to make him feel important and convince him to look the other way as the city began to take shape around his elven estate.
A looting band that sacked Briar Glen and sent sheriff Indy on a quest to track down and get vengeance. It's known that the company uses dynamite and arrows in their attacks.
Kelim and Esteban were two Korreds who worked on the barge known as The River Queen, which needed a guard patrol (and thus hired the players) to protect their ship while they took supplies to a mining colony just outside of Sneerwell on the River Titicaca.
A beat poet from the Deeplake Musician's Guild. Some debate whether spoken word poetry is music, but those who think it is are VERY passionate about it. Ross helped fill the team in on some of the suspicious happenings around Deeplake.
A dragonborn scientist with the Church of Innovation, operating the lab in Deeplake. After it was revealed that he was working for The Green Stag (see below) on a mission of territorial control against other dragons, the team robbed the laboratory of its equipment.
A scientist who offered his services to P'kinestra in return for his life. In return, P'kinestra pushes him and the Church of Innovation to target blue dragons as much as possible, as the ruins at Ethinok are TOO close to Deeplake, and P'kinestra is threatened by the blue dragons who had moved in there.
Slofen is not aware of P'kinestra's larger activities, including that P'kinestra is actually behind most disappearances.
A Bioinformatics professor at Seglock University who had theorized and experimented with the relationship between Drakkoth and Cheshire's Goblins, teaching the players that the blood of the former could be used as a one-hit killer of the latter. Often seen traveling with his companion Autom.
Professor Theron Hargraves was a former assistant to Horatio Cheshire when they were at Seglock University together, Hargraves later became esteemed faculty of the school, but got into hot water when Horatio seemingly was able to infiltrate the school despite its heightened defenses in the wake of the draconic war. He was captured and interrogated by the heroes of the Greedy Green after the events of Cheshire's Assault on Seglock, who suspected him of cohorting with Cheshire, but was later released by the heroes into state custody by Seglock.
He was later visited in prison (guarded by Lt. Torso) by the heroes, where they learned the true depth of his connections with Horatio.
Visio was the captain of the guard of Seglock, he mostly handled issues including resolving bounties on players heads, or rounding up and getting refugees home after the heroes did their part to secure safe passage or heal the wounded.
In the aftermath of Cheshire's Assault on Seglock, Visio helps the heroes track down Professor Hargraves to investigate the underlying causes of the attack. Visio himself also undersaw burial operations of the soldiers and civilians lost in the attack.
He was not a fan of Seglock University or the controversial things they did there.
A local shop owner in Briar Glen who was reporting issues to Gabriel (who escalated to Indy) when a junvenile kobold robbed the store inthe middle of the night of specific comfort items, setting off the adventure to meeting Tragdor.
"I just teleport out of these types of situations. Fighting is a young folks game."
Am unusually old wizard ("I've been around far longer than I should have") and retired illusionist who impersonated a Dragon with illusion magic in order to gain the service of a whole clan of kobolds. He had a kobold he trusted named Do'ki who would sneak into Briar Glen and steal him the necessities like food and blankets. However, the kobolds only listened to the old wizard because he was using illusions. When the heroes arrived they impersonated "the ambassadors of Tiamat" which put the wizard in a scary position. He was relived to find out they weren't really ambassadors of Taimat, but he was hoping they wouldn't ruin his scam. Instead, the heroes killed the kobolds and left Tragdor to keep up his scam without the kobold servants, deeming him as having not broken any laws himself, now that the kobolds paid the price.
After his scam was ruined, he began to pay for his goods directly from Briar Glen, and also paid a small fee to pay back the store owner Gertrude.
Later on, he would hire the Greedy adventurers after his voice was stolen by an old ally of his, the magician and secret dragon Venaleth ("Mr. V") as a punishment for saying his real name (and not "Mr. V") to someone on the surface, risking revealing his appearance in the region.
A mysterious Green Dragon that attacked Deeplake 3 years ago, and then seemingly began to pull strings among respected city citizens such as the church, the merchants, and the noble families.
A powerful noble of the silk-merchant house of Eilden, based out of the lake city of Deeplake. Thralls of P'kinestra who are big into silk trade. Keep tabs on the players if they get word that Miles is back in town. Rumored to have connections to The Green Stag the the city's frequent disappearances. It was noted that shortly after The Green Stag was confirmed slain, Arbane Eilden went on the run. Some point to the two of them being the very same creature, while others believe that Arbane had made a powerful enemy in the dragon, and his failure to protect the Stag lead to him running for his life from any form of ghostly revenge.
What we’ve been dealing with, everything we’ve accomplished, is all leading to something. The dragons, their kinfolk, were told to be pawns, minions to something so much more powerful. The enemies of Eros, according to this Scryer. He said that very soon, whoever or whatever is behind everything will be coming, and with him a terrible storm. Eros is said to be not long behind him, but we are to hold fast until the moon dragon can arrive.
The Crying Scryer was a Lunaran who lived at Rana Ndore, a holy mountain top near Hallasen. He was the guard and purveyor of the Crystal Moonwell, and upon visitation from the heroes of the realm, was willing to give them a scrying of the future. However, what he saw about The One That Waits revealed that the Moonwell was in danger. He asked the team to take the Moonwell with them from the site, where they would soon after set it up to protect the city of Seglock.
A magical bard and musician friend of Miles who brought him into the guild and gave him his lyre. Disappeared under mysterious circumstances in Deeplake, only to be found later a captive of The Green Stag in his lair, having been taken on the run to keep casting "Invisilbility" on him.
Tiriana and Miles continue to insist that they do NOT have any sort of romantic relationship, but we all know that Miles laid his life down on the line to save her in a very dramatic, very bardic fashion. Some say Miles is still in denial to this day.
An Oni Mercenary who hunts lesser folk and skins them to make exotic pelts, while robbing whatever material possessions they left behind in death. Slaughterer of the Skull Crushers.
A subservient tribe of goblins in the Isonhound wilds who previously served a group of Bugbears known as the Skull Crushers, of which Ulka is the last of her kind.
A neighbouring tribe of longtooth Shifters who were well regarded for their elite militia. Despite being well guarded, even they could not stop dragons from raiding and stealing from their towns.
The wife of the mayor of Musso, Mrs. Ludvater put out an APB to the heroes of Isonhound for someone to rescue her husband from the terrible grasp of Sro, a silver dragon wyrm who loves to steal mayors and keep them as little captives in his lair. She was reunited with her husband and paid well for the mission.
A shifter of the Igneous tribe who has been out in the wilds for years with an adventuring group of his own, investigating leads on the dragons who have been robbing the shifter tribes. A friend of Spinel's.
Formerly the site of a great temple, the Court of Quartz is set up in Jadenhill at the center of town, a massive mage tower that used to shield the town from crusaders and intruders looking to hunt its draconic inhabitants. They protected many treasures such as a large (dormant) gemstone dragon egg, and the Selune Splinter.
Pinkerton "Pinky" Dubois was born the last son of a minor noble family. Due to inheritance customs, his father made it very clear from an early age that Pinkerton would have to "make his own way in life". He was given the choice between studying at a temple or joining the military. Pinkerton decided on the military, specifically the navy - as it allowed him to get as far from his father as possible.
In the navy of his home kingdom, Pinkerton became a minor gunnery officer. He was skilled in his duties, but was often a disciplinary issue when not at his post. Eventually his superiors had enough with his antics and he was "accidentally" left ashore in a foreign port. However, skilled beings with knowledge of the sea are never long for work and Pinkerton quickly found another ship. His new ship specialized in moving cargo that would not be welcomed in many ports if its contents were publicly known. Now going by the name of Pinky, he did very well for himself on this ship and beat the odds for the majority called to such a life by retiring.
Pinky's life in his new station of Fasiltum was pleasant and uneventful. He would often go fishing, drink himself into a nap by noon and wake up in time to make happy hour in the town's tavern. Pinky knew this relaxed routine would be coming to an end when he spotted the survivors and adventurers from Jakalla. From his time aboard ship, he immediately recognized the make of the cannons. The gun he volunteered for was a model known to have a faulty site. However, despite trying to tell both the pale woman in blue and the elven bowwoman, both were too concerned to really hear him. Therefore, he was unsurprised when every shot his fun made missed.
Yet, at the climax of the battle, with the elf woman passed out and the dragon bearing down on him, Pinky took charge of his gun, compensated for the error in the site, and sent the ball down the throat of the dragon. From that moment forward, he became known as "Pinky the Dragon Slayer". However, this recognition was most annoying as he was old and just wanted to go back to drinking on the beach. As his surliness finally got people to leave him alone he was thankful of two things: the quite his "fishing trips" brought, and that he had worn brown pants the night of the dragon attack.Synara's Mayor Ó Donnchú
The Mayor of Synàra, O Donnchu was the target of an attempted Mayor-napping by the silver dragon Sro, who was then fooled into taking another creature in the city center after being convinced that the lowly assistant was in fact the mayor of the city. Later on he was revealed to also have connections to the Wold Order
Ameeka Townsend was the mayor of Seglock. She oversaw reconstruction in the wake of Cheshire's Assault on Seglock, and lent aid to the Greedy Green heroes to investigate Cheshire's motivations in the aftermath of the attack.
The amiable barkeep of the Locke & Key Tavern in the city of Seglock. Always willing to fill your glass (and your ear), this Satyr swears like a sailor but seems to have a heart of gold, or at least copper under his crass exterior. This is evidenced by his love and concern for the safety of his daughter, Wisty. He always keeps an ear to the ground and seems to "know a guy" for just about any situation. This could imply connections to Isonhound's Rimewald cabal, or another undercity crime syndicate with ties to the northern regions.
A geodaury magus from Katharda Academy who also worked at Seglock University. As someone not loyal to the uni but who knew the ins and outs, Yinceran shared all she knew about the university with the heroes, which later helped them discern Horatio's motives to attacking, and ultimately provided a useful ally.
Tarian was a young boy who lived in Tsojcanth who had "accidentally" stolen the Corundum Egg from Bleucorundum when they took it from the abandoned lab of the town's ex-wizard Revan. Tarian was tracked down by the players as the thief, and together with Tarian's help, the egg was returned to the rightful owner, ultimately used in the finale to rebirth Sardior himself.
A New Dryad with distinct purple blooming hair, Wisty is/was the daughter of Rory. She travelled to Chillcrest Forest in Northern Sylvanry as part of a relief effort to aid settlers that had fallen victim to Lindwurm attacks. Her New Dryad body was slain by the Lindwurms; but after dying her lifeforce took root, transforming into a purple sapling which was recovered by the party sent to bring her home.
The sapling was taken by a number of parties including Dancer of the Boreal Valley, but eventually handed off to fellow Dryad Grandmush. It is unclear if this sapling will eventually grow into a clone of Wisty, or into a new creature descended from Wisty.
Madame Webe (Web-bay) was a Lunaran priestess and survivor of the raid on Hallasen by the Drakkoth thralls of Feredemius. She believed that rumors of "The One That Waits" were simply stories of the Boogeyman.
A mysterious goblin with elongated facial features, they are a purveyor of magical curios and dealer in strange currencies. Their "shop" constantly changes location, but if found (and for the right price) you could have access to treasures beyond your wildest imagination.
A small elf girl from a tribe of map makers, Raritan had a very calm life while enjoying her guitar. Harold stopped by her tribe on a trading mission and was amazed on the quality of her maps. The likeness of her name to a town of his past seemed a clear sign to him and wouldn't take no for an answer. He insisted she join him as his navigator. She now accompanies Harold on the SS NoSink for adventures and riches while making additional maps for new travelers. Raritan was taken hostage by The Green Stag but ultimately saved by the team. She is an NPC and a consistent part of Harold's crew for as long as she still survives.
An ancient Loxo and one of the 3 powerful judges of the Hummintru Tribe known as the One Eyed Arimaspians, Pliny the Elder holds many wise secrets, and can share much of his knowledge of Ysgardsil, Ysgard, and it's ancient connection to the Isonhound forests, as well as information on Fylgja.
Arthur was the son of Alexias, and the great+ grandfather of Plutarch, who was only a child when Alexi joined the voyage that would ultimately lead to her death at the hands of the Tarrasque. Arthur was described as looking more like a bear than Alexi, foreshadowing that her bloodline would become more and more ursine. Alexi met with Arthur in the afterlife of Krigala. His mother promised him she would "be with you very soon" after her momentary demise at the hands of a Wyvern. Alexi was proven correct, deciding that while the other 4 vens would escape the island, Alexi would let herself stay behind, to be buried on the island, only to rejoin Arthur in the afterlife.
Doc, did it work? Did you get answers? - Bosworth the night of the summoning
Bosworth was a silver dragonborn described as a "Field Leader" of the Kistonian Institute of Strange Studies, and one of the finest pilots in the realm. Of course, the reason why he flew so naturally had to do with the fact that he himself was a silver dragon. When not using his own wings, Bosworth flew a Sixer, which the team named the Wings of Fate.
Bosworth had a working friendship with Presidith, having known him for centuries on the island.
Bosworth was taken down by a large white dragon in the skies over Kiston, the Fated Five later encountered the same white dragon inside the caves of The Crystal City, where it almost finished them off as well, but was outsmarted thanks to the team's knowledge of Dragon politics and dynamics, scaring off the dragon with a well placed illusion of Jatil Jivelg.
Cat-5 was a warforged, and the last person the The Fated Five met before locking the island. Cat-5 was a crystal harvester in the bottom floors of the Crystal City. He received conflicting psionic information from The Network, good intel from Tuning Fork, but bad intel from the MotherBoard, ultimately leaving him in a tenuous relationship with the characters. They won over his favor by giving him all of their remaining Kiston crystals that they had harvested.
He offered to escort them out of the city and to a safe haven and port for escaping the island, rather than lock it down. Though the team fought with each other about what to do, they ultimately decided to embrace their destiny, saying goodbye to Cat-5 and descending into the Spawn Hole containing the Kalachakra
[Behind the Screen: Cat-5 is a type of network cable, but it also made for a good pun considering his hostile relationship with Thimble the mousefolk]
David was some fuck who was stationed outside The Fated Five's door to guard, and when they asked his name, they got real snooty and judgy over his name, which was simply David.
"Are you crazy? We had a plan! Fighting is a death-wish on this island" - Fermi to Edgar, seconds before Edgar's death.
Fermi was the oldest (and de-facto leader) of a cult of Vecna which crashed on the island weeks (or months) before The Venship. Fermi was described as pale-skinned, gaunt, and heavily scarred all along his face and body, he held a wise and elderly weight to his words.
Fermi and Promissa were part of a larger group of Vecnans who were looking for the island. Promissa called them "Chasers of Secrets".
He spent much of his time on the island diving some sense from the ancient ruins which were already on the island when they crashed. Fermi's notes were kept in a journal that he left behind at their campsite when Draco-Orcs ambushed the Vecnans, bringing them up to the drop point. Fermi referred to the colored dragons of Kiston as "Rainbow Dragons".
Fermi suggested a plan of attack to the team that would let them avoid getting caught in the Draco Orc sacrificial ceremonies at the cost of his life, but unfortunately, the still-developing Venship acting rashly after Hoppert lured a Wyvern to his and Alexias' location. Alexi drew first blood when a Wyvern swooped near them, causing a battle against the full force of the Draco-Orc clan. Ultimately this led to the death of two Venship members, and Fermi would ultimately be sacrificed the next evening. Promissa did try to bring Fermi back from the dead, but ultimately his body was too destroyed and eaten by the Wyvern.
Full name, Caeruleum (not to be confused with the substance Caeruleum), was a warforged. He was encountered by The Fated Five after they crash landed on the island. He and a small platoon of warforged tried to explain to the Five that they shouldn't go into the crystal city and lock the island away, as that would be dooming everyone on it, including countless warforged, from ever going home. Liam had a bad relationship with the Kistonian Institute of Strange Studies after he felt they "used" warforged in order to further a mission that was against their interests.
After the players revealed their intention to turn the wheel, Liam led an ambush against the players, tricking them into all circling up with their backs to the Warforged, under the pretense of "a secret ritual to find the wheel". That ambush was foiled when a very savvy Plutarch realized the trap and began a counter attack against the robots. Some of Liam's companions ran and escaped the attack, but Liam himself would perish to the sunbolts of Thimble.
One of Liam's fellow warforged, Fork (see above) called Liam a "tight lipped leader" with a distrust of the fleshy folk.
When Edgar died, he got to see his father Mathias again in the afterlife. His father described it as "Everything here is so perfect. I have access to all the knowledge I could ever want. It is eternal satisfaction." But Edgar and his father wouldn't spend much more time together, as Edgar's soul was "still a little kid" with many years ahead of it. Mathias wouldn't yet know, however, that Edgar's soul would go on to live for nearly another 1000 years. Mathias was sure that Edgar would one day return, his mission on the material plane (of retrieving the artifact) completed.
Nuri was Presidith's mother, briefly appearing towards the end of the campaign when the ancestor characters returned Presidith to the Crystal City. In return for their generous act, and for saving her baby, Nuri escorted the team safely to one of the city's Spawn Holes where their creation, The Kalachakra, had fallen in and broke.
Presidith was a baby red dragon saved by The Venship who would grow into an important ally for their descendants. See Presidith's page above for more info.
"Dr. Tompion used to be a kind man. But his dreams overtook his humanity." - Liam
Dr. Thomas Tompion was the leading researching on the ill-fated experiment that would eventually bring The Fated Five to Kiston. He spearheaded most experiments at the Kistonian Institute of Strange Studies that involved the possibility of re-locking Kiston.
He said that he had already lost too many people he loved, including his daughter, to the dragons, and would put everything on the line, including his own life, if it meant finally stopping them for good.
Tompion was aware that locking the island would mean locking any Warforged on the island there, and didn't have a strong opinion on what the greater consequences were for the whole warforged race.
A dryadsorcerer specializing in illusion, physical transmutation, and luck domains. Stella Wonderwood hails from the Wraithwood, where the territorial elves of the area have made a pact of peace with the dryads. She has dreams of being a great performer, and envies the whimsical forms of fairies.
The older of the two Tempest Brothers, Darian is one of the co-founders of Tempest brothers Expeditionary Company along with his brother Adrian Tempest. Born well off, Darian took to the refined life of the upper class from a young age. He was stocky and tall even as a young boy and this didn’t change in adulthood. His size made him an imposing presence at first but his charm and personality was almost instantly disarming to anyone he met. But should an encounter come to blows, he was well skilled with blades and magic. His curiosities during his studies led him to research some of the legends and lore from times past, and it was this curiosity that helped to lead him to found the company.
Adrian is the younger Tempest brother, 6 years younger to Darian, and co-founder of Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company. He is lithe of frame but just as tall as Darian. He has a reserved demeanor and has never minded existing in his brother's shadow socially. Adrian is just as intelligent as his brother but was always more interested in developing his physical strength and prowess. Through this he grew to become an extraordinary explorer and fighter.
Adeline is Head of Mechanics at Tempest brothers Expeditionary Company. Her parents owned a successful airship repair company and taught her everything she knows about the industry. After her parents perished in a tragic accident, Adeline threw herself into the work of running the company and expanded into ground-up construction of ships. She became an expert in all aspects of airship construction, from the design of the engines to the fabrication of the hull. In later years her company was bought out by competing companies. Though she had lost her company, she did retain her personal wealth, a number of ships and the original family workshop. She met the Tempest Brothers who pitched their company idea. She agreed to work with them utilizing her remaining ships to redefine how exploration expeditions were conducted. Her workshop would become their base of operations.
Cookie the Otter is an abjuration wizard working for Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company. Cookie was formerly Lyowyn’s animal companion, but after being awakened and working with the Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company, they mutually parted ways so he could begin to pursue his own interests. He works in the Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company Mystix and Magicks division and has become proficient in abjuration magic. He is a small brown river otter wearing spectacle glasses, a small blue vest, and a small pack that is able to carry one to two scrolls.
Paul is a field research manager for Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company. Paul is a relatively, even surprisingly, young human male. He is rather lanky, but does have some muscle. He has big round metal glasses and shaggy, dirty blonde hair and is dressed rather simply. Paul is gifted in fields such as anthropology and history and religions. When he was younger he decided to travel the world doing his own independent research. When Paul saw the job listing for the new Tempest Brothers Company and approached the titular siblings with his skill set, though he wasn’t very good combat-wise, he was very good at exploring and unearthing things that many would overlook. They hired him on, and he’s been with them ever since.
Velemar Decrye is a professional consultant from Galik, first serving as an accounting manager for Coreway Trading and later working for the government as a guild auditor. He has now been hired by the Tempest Brothers to assist in managing finances and internal affairs. Currently he serves as the Department Overseer for Basecamp Operations. He is a tall half-elven gentleman with a dark suit, pale skin, and short well-groomed brown hair. Velemar also handles a majority of commission work that the company receives connecting specific departments of the company with outside entities who may be willing to pay or invest in the company for some small service in return that is related to the company’s expeditions.
Lucinda is a field specialist working for Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company. Lucinda is a tall imposing human fighter in her late thirties with brown hair and gray eyes. Wielding a halberd, she wears heavy plate armor and a heavy fur and feather cape, with her helmet shaped in the guise of a snarling dragon. She is the life partner of Lyowyn Mossbringer and is a former commander of the GalikLyreguard.
Lyowyn is a field specialist for Tempest Brothers Expeditionary Company. She is a skilled druid and explorer who is the life-partner of Lucinda Grimfold. Contrasting with Lucinda, she is very warm and caring, but holds a deep anger for when those she cares for get hurt. She is an elven woman with bronze skin and long red hair, wearing a simple green cloak and carrying a flowered staff. A young man called Billiam serves as her assistant.
Skippy is a young Halfling Skiff Strider working for the Tempest Brothers. His job includes ferrying company members about the regions surrounding the basecamp as well as organizing pickups. Skippy has also been awarded the captaincy of the company's newest airship, the Windrunner.
Bulio is the strange and mysterious proprietor of Bulio's Bobbles and Boons, a traveling wooden cart shop from which he sells his mystical wares. He wears a long dark cloak and a large wooden dragon mask which he never seems to remove. He is protected by his guardian, a massive white camouflage drake by the name of Duuk. It is unknown how he is able to move his cart through the dense and uncharted wilderness of Amusa, or what he looks like under the mask.
Sugarsprinkle is a fairy candy maker, and owner of "Sugarsprinkle's Wonderland Confectionary." They create magical candies which they would sell to company members. After some convincing and help in her store, she agreed to join the company as they traveled out east to establish a new waystation.
Widgit Wizzlepop is a gnomish inventor who designed suits that could withstand the dangers and great temperatures of the Scar of Amusa who has been working with the Tempest brothers Expeditionary Company.
Professor Madeline Cinder is an academic hailing from Xender City. She was first contacted by the company when the Tempest Brothers requested she study their piece of The Aestorian Codex. Professor Cinder continues to help the company in their search for the other three pieces.
Derwin is a shut in artificer who pioneered the creation of Harvest Reapers, large scarecrow-like constructs. He has a close relationship with the Markster farmers.
The Collector is a strange aristocrat stationed in Galik who wears a fine grey suit and a large owl mask. He is a collector of strange wares and is partial to items of magical or cursed origin.
More commonly known as just "The Seven," the Sepexilium are a cabal of mysterious entities inhabiting he wilds of Amusa able to wield near godlike power. They have operated in the background of major events within the wilds and have even reached out to mark those who travel to close to the edges of magic and madness.
Prince Ulftiir is the Frost Giant ruler of the The Frostfell Empire. He is the half-giant, half-dragon son of the Ancient White Dragon Ysildra, the Mother in Ivory. He seeks to regain The Ring of Winter's Wrath and freeze the realm. After acquiring the ring, his attempt to stop a portal from opening above Amusa was stopped by the Tempest Brother's Expeditionary Company who stole back the ring and slew the giant prince.
A strange and mysterious being who experiments deep in the wilds. A strange dimensionally locked box was recovered from one of their labs. Its true plans remain unknown.
Kalzivach is a Pit Fiend and servant of the ArchdevilMammon. Utilizing divine artifacts they have found a way to circumvent The Pact Primeval and operate without limits in Amusa.
Galidant is a loyal servant of the Twin Dragon Kavanmort. After being freed by company members he has been working to regain power in Amusa. Part of this is infecting dinosaurs with his vampiric bite and sending them to attack towns and travelers.
Jack of Hearts is a charismatic, mysterious, and debonaire adventurer out in the wilds of Amusa. He and those he travels with have clashed with members of the Tempest Brother's Expeditionary Company on occasion. After being revealed to actually be the noblewoman Jaqueline Hearthorne, she helped to stop her evil brother Alistair Hearthorne. She then formally disposed of her name and accepted the name Jack of Hearts. She would later travel to Eastern Amusa and become a Troverth Revolutionary.
Dorian Shroud is a ghost and gentleman thief reanimated with infernal magic. In return for their unlife they have been tasked with recovering all the pieces of The Aestorian Codex
A mercanti who kept a warehouse of goods in the city's Sticks district, Majd Al-Din was the target of an even larger investigation by The Seven Cities that roped in the local investigators of the Bodega.
Residing just south of the mosque, the khan stands as a significant structure within the marketplace, featuring two stories and an interior courtyard. Within the last year, Majd al-Din has secured a two-roomed storage space on the ground floor of this khan, which serves dual purposes as his living quarters and office. The space is strategically located in a hive of commercial activity, surrounded by other merchants' storages, ensuring a constant flow of people at all hours. This bustling environment might provide the perfect cover for illicit operations.
Majd al-Din himself is a man of average height and a slender build, his visage marked by pock scars and adorned with a short-cut beard, blending into the crowd yet distinct upon closer inspection. His operation is supported by two assistants, Tammo and Ponzio, who reside in a rented room on the second floor of the khan. Tammo, a clumsy teenager with long black hair, contrasts sharply with Ponzio, a lanky man in his twenties, known for his tall stature and long arms.
The Seven Cities, represented by the Bodega's client Marwan, is closely monitoring Majd al-Din's activities. A city gate guard, bribed by Majd al-Din, is under surveillance but remains unarrested to avoid alarming Majd al-Din prematurely. The plan is to gather undeniable proof of Majd al-Din's smuggling operations before taking decisive action, which will then prompt Marwan to dispatch guards to address the situation effectively.
For those navigating the intricate socio-economic web of the Tangle Bazaar, discretion is paramount. With limited funds and no authorization for extravagant expenditures, they must tread carefully, piecing together evidence of Majd al-Din's illicit activities without drawing undue attention to their investigation. The unfolding narrative is a testament to the complex interplay of commerce, crime, and surveillance in a market teeming with secrets and hidden agendas.
Katharine Altone was the vice president of AgraWealth, a research group that operates out of The Seven Cities, and also next in line for that company's CFO position. Katharine was a shred and manipulative person whose husband was Owen Altone, possibly the only person even more manipualtive. Her husband Owen staged his own kidnapping to get force his wife to steal money from her company, which he then planned to unveil and use to out her from her position. Despite being a pain and a backstabber, Katharine wasn't a monster. She was happy to money launder when she believed she was working for an international consortium of bankers and criminals operating under the name "AgraWealth", but not once did she really believe she was moving around black money that was secretly funded by the 7 Cities themselves. She didn't know about the experiments or even that they stole from The Lich Omoi.
A crimelord who ran one of the city's thieves guild, smuggling poisons in and out of the city. He was killed by the Marano family (see below) because of his corrupt activity in Harbor Approach. However, his ghost wasn't absolved through the power of Funerary Statues, and even from the afterlife, he was able to describe the penanggalan that killed him, helping the bodega employees track down the perpetrator. He was a known accomplice of Commander Antonio Teldi who was the corrupt cop that helped operations smoothly continue out of the warehouse Belto worked in.
Dr. Raymond B. Coombes, a face of the DarkSon Scion, was originally a distinguished research scientist specializing in blood diseases. In a dramatic shift, he diverted the remainder of his legitimate research funds, liquidated his laboratory equipment through illicit sales to Eastern nations, and secured passage to the New World aboard a cruise ship. Once on board, his expertise in medicine made him a valuable asset, leading to his high-priority absorption by the Scion.
Further investigation into Dr. Coombes may uncover that he is the subject of an active arrest warrant in Galik, indicating legal troubles and questionable ethics that extend beyond his professional misdeeds.
Despite his importance, Dr. Coombes finds that serving the Scion is a challenging and uncomfortable experience. The Scion's influence over him is not merely authoritative but also demeaning, often leading to public humiliation. This treatment is not borne out of malice but rather seems to be a deeply ingrained behavior of the Scion.
Harvey Cooper was a retired business magnate onboard the Darkson Princess, with his past shrouded in ambiguity regarding the specific industry he was involved in. He is slightly aware of a notable presence on the ship but finds himself ensnared by his addiction to Kraken Blood, a substance he was introduced to a few days prior. Harvey is responsible for overseeing financial transactions and has spent many years living on various cruise ships.
He attempts to embody the persona of a friendly and wealthy socialite, despite being in his 50s. This facade, however, is short-lived, as his true nature—a man given to bouts of drinking and deep contemplation—soon emerges.
Harvey's inherent frailty, compounded by years of substance dependence, renders him virtually incapable of envisioning a life of autonomy, much less one where he could challenge or outmaneuver influential figures. His inability to support or even conceive of opposing such figures means that, when possible, he inadvertently undermines their efforts without risking his own exposure.
Further inquiries into Harvey's background disclosed that "Harvey Cooper" is an identity meticulously crafted and maintained for approximately 20 years, primarily while traveling by sea. A search of Harvey's accommodations could uncover that his wardrobe consists of exceptionally high-quality garments, with some items dating back to before the war. These pieces often feature consistent initials for simplicity. Moreover, Harvey seems to be under the influence of a mix of medications, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, which theoretically should significantly impair his cognitive functions. Yet, he appears to counteract these effects with a potent stimulant. In a secure location, one might find title deeds and bearer bonds that substantiate Harvey's existence under various aliases since his birth in 699 PR, suggesting a long history of assumed identities.
A powerful and mysterious elan representing The Seven Cities, Mr. Darvall was the orchestrator of the heist of the Hydra Hydrangea, using a secretary spy to seduce the husband of the vice president, leaving a very obfuscated trail that wouldn't lead back to him if it weren't for the fact that two members of the Bodega at the time had literal powers of prophecy. Ultimately his goal was to unlock the power of the Hydrangea, absorb AgraWealth (the research company) into the 7 Cities government, and then use the new discovery to bring prosperity to the realm in the form of unlimited food and greenery....if the price is right.
His own private yacht, known as The Countess, can often be seen on the horizon around the dunes of Al'Adeaf...always watching, always ready to snatch up the next great opportunity the sinking city offers. Despite his power and money, Mr. Darvall looks like a vulture, bald with prominent chin and clawlike hands, often wearing just a bathrobe made of real Yuan-Ti.
The Demon of the Wastes was a key antagonist and interactive entity in the scenario, ensnared by Kyriakos (see below) through a spell on The Tablet of Enslavement. This creature, resembling a Efreeti, appears in a long black robe and headwrap, with eyes the only visible feature. Bound by strictures that compel obedience to Kyriakos and prevent him from harming the master's allies or discussing his imprisonment, the Demon nonetheless seeks liberation. He communicates in an archaic language perceived differently by each listener, a feature that might lead to a realization of the diverse perceptions among the group. Although invulnerable and capable of destroying the investigators if commanded, he desires freedom and subtly aids them within his constraints. Ultimately, his fate is tied to the destruction of the enslavement tablet, and he sees the investigators as a potential means to achieve his emancipation.
The original teacher and owner of the Denford School now located in a pile of quicksand just outside the city's harbor, a long time ago Ms. Denford ran the school for a small class of only 12 students, including Joseph Watts (see below), but paid the ultimate price when Joe began to experiment with immortality magics. He converted his fellow students and Ms. Denford into life size mannequin puppets with painted face. The investigators found old newspaper articles with portraits of Amabel Denford on them, and later recognized her face when they encountered her manniquinn form at the school's ruins. They released her from her hell when they slayed Joseph Watts, finally ending the curse for good.
Eel was a professional fisherman in the city who would typically live out of a room in the Fisherman Guild Hall when he wasn't fishing. A big burly man with fish tattoos all over his body, he wasn't very well educated, but was dependable and deliberate. Eel was a witness to the murder of Shawm by the Fisherman's guild, and provided key information to the heroes to help them track down the sorcerous cabal that was pulling all the strings. Unfortunately some of that key information involved that Eel was part of the team that tracked down and killed Shawm in the first place, leading to Eel getting pushed into the quicksands of the city...yet to be seen again.
A politician running for mayor of Nymphsview, Ehrmann began to rise supsiciously through the political ranks. From a nobody to nearly the mayor in only 6 short months. It was suspected that someone was helping Ehrmann over at the Franklin Stein Law Firm, which turned out to be the Agent of Hell. The devil did indeed give Nick all the dirty laundry he could dig up on any opposition, which let him rise so quickly. Unfortunately when Ehrmann discovered Brigadier Gaba was collecting intel to take Ehrmann down, he helped put out a hit that took down his enemy.
An owner of a motel in Ironcross that accosted the investigators when they broke into one of his rooms. He was intimidated by Elara and pushed away, but vowed vengeance on the team.
A fellow student and friend to both the late Arthur Schenbrink, and Clara Winkler (see below), Ferdinand was known as "Ferdi" by his friends. Unfortunately for him, he got roped up in Arthur and Clara's occult ritualism for the simple reason that Ferdinand owned a carriage that could take them out of the city and to a lodge his family owned near the Fiddlehead Mountains. Ferdi returned to Al'Adeaf after the incident seemingly as the only survivor of the massacre Arhtur and Clara caused when they summoned a serpentine demon. He became hopelessly insane and staggers and stammered about mumbling "Tsathoggua" and "blood".
The high priestess of the small sorcerous cabal that worked underneath the Fish Hall, Julliana was the guildmistress for over 40 years and spent the whole time performing dark rituals and making human sacrifices to ensure the guild had an amazing bounty of fish to feed the city. Her secret was discovered by the heroes of the The Beggar's Bodega, but ultimately it was decided not to rat her out to the cops.
A soldier in the realm's armies against Tiamat as part of The War of Many Names, Gaba was stationed in Nymphsview along other soldiers when he was killed after stumbling upon a conspiracy in the city that related to the upcoming elections which would keep the Dark Sons in power in Nymphsview.
The Handler Kim Gridley served as the initial liaison between the guests and the administrative functions aboard the Darkson Princess, tasked primarily with ensuring that each passenger's experience is seamless and enjoyable. The essence of the Handler's role is not to be universally liked but to be perceived as competent and reliable, capable of managing any situation that arises and effectively representing the interests of the passengers.
It is crucial that the Handler maintains a neutral stance, remaining detached from any direct involvement with the Scion's inner circle. This independence allows them to foster trust and build rapport with the passengers, focusing on enhancing their onboard experience without the complications of hidden agendas.
The Handler, identified as Kim, is dedicated to forming personal connections with the ship's patrons, striving to guarantee their satisfaction during the voyage. Kim's visible dedication and the considerable effort she invests in her duties, however, have positioned her as an unlikely candidate for the Scion's influence. Recognizing this, the Scion deliberately distances its operations from Kim, allowing her to shoulder any criticism independently. This strategy ensures that Kim remains an effective intermediary, unimpeded by the complexities of the Scion's machinations.
Servant to the Winkler family, Jenkins drove the carriage and escorted the players around Al'Adeaf when they investigated the missing Winkler daughter.
However, as they approached the lodge where the daughter laid unconcious and hidden, a result of a near deadly encounter with a serpentine shapeshifting monster....Jenkins sat alone, watching the cart, defenseless against a shadow in the night that launched on him.
When the players left the lodge and headed home with Clara in tow, they were happy to see Jenkins ready to drive them back to Al'Adeaf...if only they'd seen the REAL body of Jenkins sitting 10 feet away at the shore of a quicksand pit. Everyone pour one out for our homie Jenkins.
Snippet from Al'Adeaf Yearbook of AmeliaAmelia Kevlin was an accomplished student and freshman at Al'Adeaf University who disappeared after one proprietor of the Pussycat club in Alderhall saw her on the gambling floor and attempted to make her a vampire thrall. Her disappearance sparked off the Case of the Missing Landlord, in which Amelia was found half-way in the conversion process, but rescued by the investigators and taken to get medical care.
She was the daughter of Bart Kelvin (see below), who had asked her to go on some social calls with Peter Lankila (see below) in return for forgiving his gambling debt.
It was noticed by the investigators that she started her career at Al'Adeaf University with straight A's, but after being asked to meet with Lankila, began to drop through the ranks, eventually getting Cs and Ds in all of her classes.
As it turned out, Amelia was being turned into a Vampire Thrall as part of a way to pay off her father's (Bart Kelvin) debts. Several portraits of Amelia were commissioned by Lankila and kept in several secret rooms around the Pussycat Club as she was his favorite thrall.
Amelia was saved from nearly being smuggled out of town by Bart in his attempt to rescue him from Lankila, but the resulting skirmish led to Bart's death, and the recovery of Amelia, who was brought to the hospital to see if any clerical help could be applied to fix the turned thrall. While they considered killing Amelia, and resurrect her ghost, which should have the effect of removing the undead curse on her...they rescued her when her lovelorn bestie Adrian joined the Church of Waukeen and learned the rites of turning the undead himself.
The brother of Mr. Kelvin the bodega's landlord, Bart got himself way in over his head when he gambled too much and became indebted to Peter Lankila, owner of the PussyCat Club, causing him to hand his own daughter Amelia over the vampire Lankila to be turned into a vampire thrall. Bart lived in the poor district known as The Tangle.
When his brother (Mr. Kelvin, see below) attempted to save Amelia and confront Bart about his unethical actions, a small scuffle ended up in Bart accidentally shooting his brother to death. However, the message didn't go unheard, hoping to maybe make things right, Bart kidnapped the now-enthralled Amelia and the two of them skipped town. However, Bart and Amelia were hunted down by the investigators thanks to Mallen's tracking skills. Ultimately when push came to shove, the stressors of the debt, the guilt of what he did to his daughter, and the oncoming enforcers of both the city (for kidnapping) and Lankila (for stealing from HIM) caused Bart to take his own life when cornered at the train station leading out of Al'Adeaf.
Mr. Kelvin was the landlord of The Beggar's Bodega, but he didn't actually live in Al'Adeaf, whenever needing to collect rent, Kelvin would come back into town, visit some family, and usually stay at a hotel in Ironcross. He was shot in the back of the head, but his ghost wasn't found, so it was determined to be an arranged hit.
Kyriakos's life trajectory spiraled from an opium addict in Al'Adeaf to a mysterious leader of the Cult of the Serpentine, following a life-changing dream about a dark, sunken-in-sand city. This dream, a direct influence from the Yuan-Ti Anathema imprisoned under the city, initiated him into a world of vivid nightmares more potent than his addiction. As the dreams intensified, Kyriakos's actions grew increasingly desperate, involving theft, burglary, and murder to sustain his opium dependency and the pursuit of these otherworldly visions. Guided by a stranger to the ancient worship site of Serket, he encountered a cult led by the enigmatic al-Snobbit. Kyriakos not only joined this cult but also became a key figure in recruiting others and leading violent rituals.
Ultimately he was stopped by the Bodega when they unleashed Kyriakos' own Demon of the Wastes djinn (see above) who was able to intercept the ritual and stop the Anathema from being released.
Peter Lankila owned the PussyCat Club in Alderhall, and was a local racketeer. More importantly, he was also a vampire. Lankila kept a massive commissioned portrait of Amelia Kelvin on the wall in his casino penthouse. He slept in a secret chamber in the basement of the Pussycat club where a number of coffins were kept for himself and his vampire thralls.
Lanklia nearly killed the Bodega's client Adrian Moore, but Adrian's slippery dancing (and cheerleading training) made him hard to get a hold of. Despite having been the reason Amelia was drained of essence and lifeforce, Lankila became an unlikely ally to the bodega team when they discovered that Mr. Kelvin had taken Amelia out of the city and into hiding, to try to protect her from completing the vampire transformation. He and Adrian both decided they both wanted to find Amelia and make sure she's safe, he gave 10 wealth to the team to find Bart and Amelia.
The married couple that ran "Marano's Pickles" on the harbor, Lara ran the store during the day, and Sialia would only watch the store at night so they didn't need to pay for guards. They were also the secret criminals and killers of numerous in Harbor Approach as it turned out that Sialia was actually a creature known as a penanggalan, a cursed monstrosity whose head detaches every night and rises out into the city to devour and absorb the cruel and corrupt, whether that meant devouring a city guard or a pickpocket. Together, they planned an act of vengeance on the corrupt copy Commander Antonio Teldi, first by destroying all of his associates, but Teldi was able to recruit the help of The Beggar's Bodega to stop them before they claimed the Commander.
The security chief Georgia May's journey began in the Oppidan Navy, where she faced significant challenges advancing in a field dominated by men, especially within security roles. From the outset of her career, her intelligence and determination were acknowledged, but her physical capability to handle confrontational situations was questioned. To address these doubts and prove her competence, she immersed herself in various martial arts disciplines that were open to women and dedicated herself to a rigorous daily fitness regimen to enhance her strength and combat skills.
Her struggle with feeling inadequate made her an ideal candidate for manipulation. The DarksonScion, recognizing her vulnerability, offered her an opportunity to overcome her perceived limitations by augmenting her already impressive physical abilities with its blood. This transformation made Georgia exceptionally formidable, enabling her to surpass the expectations of those who once questioned her physical abilities and to confront any challenge with unmatched prowess.
The captain of the Darkson Princess is a seasoned professional within the cruise line sector, embarking on her inaugural command at the age of 51. Outside of her demanding career, she has a passion for collecting rare coins, a hobby that offers her a respite from her responsibilities. Despite her experience and dedication, the captain, Paulsen, has become increasingly wary, particularly in light of the mysterious deaths among her crew on the last three voyages. This heightened vigilance has made her a challenging target for the Scion, who seeks to direct the ship towards the Kraken.
Understanding the captain's cautious nature, the Scion is hesitant to exert its influence over her prematurely. It recognizes that securing control over the captain and, consequently, the ship's course, necessitates a carefully orchestrated approach. The Scion is determined to eliminate any potential threats or investigative efforts aboard the ship before attempting to sway Paulsen. This strategy underscores the Scion's methodical planning and its readiness to ensure that all obstacles are removed before making its move on the ship's highest authority.
A Snobbite prince visiting the city, Yousef was in Al'Adeaf for a meeting with AgraWealth, a company that promised it could bring infinite food and greenery to Pteris, a proposition that needed great funding, especially from someone as rich as a prince.
Based on the name alone, likely a descendant of Drake, famous hero of Realm War I and backstabber who orchestrated Drake's Deal.
Else Romano, the landlady who ran the house where the missing Clara Winkler lived, turned out to be a resolute war widow of 50 years, who enforced a dictatorial regime in her rental. She immediately complains to everyone who will listen that Clara is unbecoming, that she's so casually dressed, and that she's always accompanied home by some gentleman...sometime even by several at once! (Even if it's only to the front door). She ran a very small dorm-like room out of her second story, and overall was no help to anyone.
A devil living in Nymphsview operating the Franklin Stein Law Firm, Skiirl was able to give investigators any sort of information or leads that they want...but it cost them a soul every time they wanted to draw upon his dark prophetic powers. In the era of The Hermes Seal, it was pretty easy to find ghosts and then turn them over to Skiirl as currency.
A funerary statue carver, Antoni was the suspect of the Bodega's first case, when a rumor at the docks led them to his artist studio, where they would encounter a shocking number of bodies collecting in the under-basement. These bodies were used to create a flesh golem that Valori was going to use to extract revenge on his own grandmother. Besides being talented, he was technically a noble as he and his mother were members of the Ancient Snobbite Regality, but were disowned because his father was a commoner. After his mother's own tragic death, he wanted to have her interred in the family crypt, using dark magic from a book of Uxorioth, a connected spirit of the Old Ones. Valori was caught and stopped when his lackey Donastra was caught in the middle of the witchcraft ceremony, and was eventually turned over to authorities.
Joseph Watts was an 18 year old boy who used his occult powers to gain immortality at the cost of his friends' lives. He used a spell to turn his classmates and teacher into mannequin puppets which he locked in an abandoned house out in the Tangle. In order to keep his immortality, he continued to trick students into visiting the shack every 19 years, and it was the disappearance of one student, Bill Wessler, that led to the Bodega investigators taking on The Case of the Double Dare. Every 19 years Joe would return into the city under the psuedonym "Joe Canning" (and NOT Joe Mama like Dash might think) to trick more people into taking on double-dares and going to the haunted shack.
A side effect of his ritual caused anyone who knew the sacrificed persons to slowly forget their existence, so even after 114 years of sacrifices, the authorities were never alerted.
Inside the old shack which was formally Denford School, Watts kept arcane eyes and scrying devices watching any and all intruders so that he could ambush them and take their life force. However, the night the Bodega employees went in, he was up against more than he could handle, and eventually was killed by yo mama jokes (and magic). He claimed a total of 39 victims before his ultimate defeat at the hands of the Bodega.
The biggest bully at Al'Adeaf high, Bill dared the team's client into sneaking into the abandoned Denford school out in the quicksands outside the city, but when they instead challenged Bill himself to do it, leading to Bill's mysterious disappearance.
Wife of client Heimeric Winkler, and mother of the missing Clara Winkler (see below), Adelheid was a successful business tycoon in the chemical industry, and a partner in the corporation "Julius Sawback LP". Her husband was a bit of a homebody who enjoyed their wealthy lifestyle and smoked many of the weeds. In her late 40s, she wore highnecked clothes and oldfashioned braided hair. Altogether their family gave quite the conservative impression.
A university student at Al'Adeaf U, Clara Winkler's disappearance led her rich merchant parents to invite The Beggar's Bodega to locate their missing daughter. She had gotten caught up with a cute little man named Arthur Schenbrink at uni, who then convinced her to participate in an occult ritual just outside of the city. Clara went to the university against her parents wishes, who wanted her to just inherit the family business, and her disappearance caused immediate outrage and fuss in the Winkler villa.
Unfortuantely Arthur's schemes to academically seduce Clara into being his friend (and hope that her family pays for his now-missing scholarship) were ruined when Clara turned out to be much better at the occult than he thought. Together the two of them accidentally summoned a serpentine monster that killed Arthur and left Clara in hiding under a bed in the private lodge they had secured for the summoning ceremony. She was found, only barely alive, and rescued by the Bodega team in conjunction with her father and family servant Jenkins.
A hoard of gnomish glassbreakers who cursed the team, but then brought them under their wing, promising them answers and cures if they would go out of their way to do a job for the Glassbreakers. The job was easy, they were going to teleport the group somewhere random in the halls, and they just needed to find their way back, with a map of what they saw on the voyage.
The self proclaimed "Leader of the Map Gabbers", Tanya had a way with words, and could convince lots of bards and rogues to follow her lead through the hall as a merry gang of fighters.
A child who had been down in the halls for so long that he had forgotten his own name. Teleporting around at random, eventually Timmy got trapped in a corner of the halls that were completely sealed off from other rooms. The necromancer took Timmy's spellbook, and kept the kid around to lull him out of his stupor, eventually getting Timmy in quite a good mood that when Vadim's brain got wiped, Timmy tried to teach him back each lesson.
A ragtag group of penniless and powerless jerks, these three stooges only had one claim to fame: They had found a futuristic tablet which allowed them to take notes on a notetaking app. Moses and Jerome were desperate to stay warm, having arrived from The Arctic Autumn, while Louis appears to have been banished sometime during The War of Many Names, and had a cursory idea of how the tablet could be used.
The three of them had been in the backhalls for a whole week, long enough to learn a few things, and pass on that knowledge to the PCs. Unfortunately, they weren't great fighters, and wound up dying at the hands of a random encounter with one of the Vestiges of the BackHalls
A group of three druidic healers, these 3 members of the Sisters of the Mystic Eye briefly joined up with the party during their expedition north towards room 1. They protected the child known as Little Timmy, but eventually were forced to part ways after an attack from the City.
A generous woman said to be in charge of The Royal Court, one of her many clones encountered the team in the wild, telling them to head for the highest numbers to find the Kingdom. Ultimately she would continue to rule over the Kingdom's sanctuary up until 1295 PR, where it was discovered the Kingdom (and the BackHalls in full) would be dispelled and all creatures returned to Quelmar as part of the Fracturing of the Weave.
I’m sorry if you ventured to Room 1 to find escape.
It harbors none.
This chamber belongs only to Sparrow.
Do not attempt to seize it from me.
Do not attempt to live here with me.
Turn around and look for another way home, perhaps the city will accept you and unlike me, you will find your way home again. If the city doesn’t want you either, then gods have mercy on you.
I am sorry I have nothing else to offer you.
Goodbye.
Room #1
The lone occupant of Chamber #001, Mr. Sparrow was the husband of Corra Sparrow and father to Quinn Sparrow. In a twist of events, it was revealed that it was Corra's husband who had paid off and had the (poorly trained) mages ambush their family and imprison them. Unable to recover his family, and unable to pay off the debts he procured and was hoping to cash in with the false-kidnapping, Mr. Sparrow himself was also banished. At one point it is believed he joined The City but could not bring himself to escape the halls, viewing them as his punishment for his unforgiveable crimes. He kept his ultimate power, the power of a Guidance Counselor, but used it to only create his ultimate prison.
When his own son Quinn finally came across him, he expected Quinn to attack out of vengeance, only to learn that Quinn pitied his dad, instead choosing to leave him to suffer in his isolation. Mr. Sparrow begged Quinn to find a way into the city, to find the exit that he was never brave enough to use. Quinn was able to make his Dad's request come true, but opted out at the last moment, instead choosing (like his father) to stay in the halls. Instead of out of punishment, Quinn did so out of hope...hope he could find his mom one day, and together they would leave.
He keeps a room of clones of himself in a nearby locked chamber (Room 5 or so) so that if he is killed he can come back to quickly reclaim his room without losing time, power, or memories.
He has his own pack of Dire Bears. Over time he's killed and skinned them to amass a large collection of bearskins that cover the walls and floors.
He has a piece of Cryptid Machinery that breaks the backhalls rules, allowing him to age, as part of his suffering to "life full lifetimes in isolation".
He spent some time trying to reverse engineer why the Yugoloths can seemingly teleport in the halls without suffering the teleportation curses or penalties, but to no avail.
For fun, he also tried to break through the City's impenetrable walls using his own Sphere of Annihilation, but even with years of pushing it into their walls, it's only made a small bowl-shaped divet.
