Major NPCs
Acererak
A powerful Lich who resided in a mausoleum outside of Wellspring who for a time claimed to be the Goddess Thanaset.
The party encountered it while investigating the Cult of Thanaset in the region, and it quickly proved to be more than a match for them. The party withdrew and spoke with the groundskeeper Sam, who turned out to be a genuine Thanaset worshipper who seemed to be involuntarily bound to the creature and enthusiastic to aid the party in its destruction.
The party travelled to the Tomb of Kings and retrieved Acererak’s phylactery. Using it, Sam was able to arrange for a confrontation at the Court of Dead during which The party were able to defeat Acererak’s minions, forcing the Lich to withdraw from the material plane and freeing Sam from its control.
AMNT
The Adult Magic Ninja Tortles, defenders of the Woodlands and Tortonymous’ older brothers. Tortonymous thinks that they are a bag of dicks.
The party encountered them on their way into the Woodlands to bring Tortonymous to a gladiatorial match. The confrontation turned out to be a test of Tortonymous’ abilities to measure his potential to defeat Aurora Vasari, who was using the tournament’s inherent immunity to avoid justice for her crimes in the area. Following Tortonymous’ victory they arrested the defeated Vasari.
Arthur Ian Nerath
Human male, a so-called Grand Duke who claims to be descended from the line of Emperors of the Silver Empire of Nerath. He rules out of the city of Fallscourt and has vowed to oppose the reign of Yvonne Melissa Nerath. His Knights-Errant travel the Former Lands spreading word of his rule and battling monsters.
The party caught sight of him from hiding at the Tomb of Kings as he officiated a Knighting ceremony.
Following the destruction of Cathedral he has formally declared war on the Queen and his Knights-Errant have been actively battling the Army of Nerath across the Former Lands.
Berg
Human male, temporarily captain of the Town Watch of the village of Whisperwood after his predecessor Gideon turned bandit. This, in addition to a curse spreading through the village turning its citizens to crystal stretched him to his limit.
With the help of the party, Berg came to realize that Gideon was acting in what he thought were the best of interests of the town, and that the entire situation appeared to have been manipulated and escalated by Talia Hanneman. Gideon and his bandits were reintegrated into the Watch, the curse was lifted, and a détente of sorts formed with the local Orcs and Goblins with the help of the mysterious Sho’ran after which Berg resumed his position as Gideon’s lieutenant.
Doctor Zoidberg
Why not Zoidberg???
I just want to know if anyone is still using the site
Elhana Roywyn
A Gnome woman with some position of authority among the Zhentarim.
The party unknowingly encountered her at the Hoyle Estate in Coldfort, and she later followed them to Northreach to forcefully inquire about their role in the events there. The situation turned to violence and she turned her thugs on the party, only to disappear in a burst of smoke just before soldiers arrived to arrest all involved.
While being interrogated by Captain Gwen, the party was able to ascertain that there was some history or rivalry between Gwen and Elhana, but did not press for details.
Later, she turned out to be the mastermind behind a Zhentarim plot to ambush the party with a golem that was swiftly defeated, after which she fled.
After the start of the war in earnest, the the party encountered her again in Atheneum, where she and some of the Zhentarim had been hired by Irwinyn Alser as muscle to help support their resistance movement.
Essar Hanneman
A Human male, mayor of the village of Whisperwood, Hanneman faced a crisis when the crystalline curse struck his people due to the uncovering of dangerous ancient Nerathi artefacts by Tengin Caskbeard. He was approached by the mysterious Sho’ran with whom he worked out an arrangement where he would pass along news of Tengin’s caravans and Sho’ran’s Orcs and Goblins would raid them to seize the artefacts; hopefully removing the danger to the village.
Unfortunately Gideon, head of the Town Watch uncovered the deal with the assistance of the Mayor’s adopted daughter Talia Hanneman. Gideon assumed the Mayor was selling out the caravans for profit and tried to turn the Watch against him. When that failed Gideon escaped with his loyalists and formed a group of bandits to oppose the Mayor.
The party was eventually able to uncover the truth of the situation, lift the curse, and defeat the creature posing as Talia Hanneman. Mayor Hanneman was then able to reconcile with Gideon and the village returned to normal; although questions remain as to the nature of what “Talia” really wanted.
Ffej “The Flameblade”
An enforcer working for Phillipe, and colleague of Roger, he usually used the name Flameblade, named for his magical longsword. He was a man of few words and seemed to have an antagonistic history with Roger, although they have been seen to put their personal animosity aside when working together was necessary.
He accompanied Roger and the party on their journey across The Basin. During the journey, the ship stopped to aid a fellow ship caught in the storm at the center of The Basin. The party found that the ship’s crew had become strange storm-empowered zombie-like forms of themselves and battled them to recover the ship’s cargo. Roger and Ffej aided them against the creatures and they made their escape safely.
They would accompany him again on the same ship heading back north, and he assisted the party with defeating and seizing a Dwarven patrol ship in the basin. During this encounter they took note of his blunt distaste for Sam.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Ffej was chosen to be a member of the team.
Secretly Ffej was a Shadow, discovered only when he betrayed and murdered Roger during the Battle of Cathedral. Upon the discovery of Roger’s corpse, Ffej took advantage of the surprise to kill one of the last survivors of the Ordo Sororal and then attacked the party. They defeated him and recovered his eponymous flame blade for themselves.
Gavira Rockseeker
A female Dwarf, hunter and trapper from the village of Whisperwood. Gavira was stricken by the crystalline curse after stealing a small Nerathi artefact from one of Tengin Caskbeard’s caravans. The party gained her trust and was able to use this information to narrow down the source of the danger. Once discovering how to lift the curse they were able to save her in time.
The party later encountered here in the wilds of The Flatlands hunting a Chimera, an effort she was pursuing with great care and subtlety. She refused to let them assist her, as her hunt had taken on the aspect of a personal grievance.
Later on The party would accidentally stumble into a trap she had set for the Chimera and ended up fighting the creature with her. Although she resented their ‘help’, she did collect the creature’s carcass and she and the party separated on good terms.
Gideon
Human male, Captain of the Town Watch of the village of Whisperwood. Gideon discovered that the village’s Mayor Hanneman had struck a deal with local Goblins and Orcs to raid caravans coming from the town. He tried to rebel and was ousted from the village, and in response he and his loyalists became bandits with the goal of seizing control of the village from the seemingly corrupt Mayor, opposed by his former lieutenant Berg.
With the help of the party, Gideon came to realize that Hanneman was acting in what he thought were the best of interests of the town, and that the entire situation appeared to have been manipulated and escalated by Talia Hanneman. Gideon and his bandits were reintegrated into the Watch, the curse was lifted, and a détente of sorts formed with the local Orcs and Goblins with the help of the mysterious Sho’ran after which Gideon resumed his former position.
The party would later encounter him at the Flatlands Arena where they learned he occasionally fought for some extra coin.
Gundren Rockseeker
Male Dwarf, The proprietor of the Sledge and Candle, an upper middle class inn located in the city of Coldfort. He seems to be comfortably connected with both legitimate and underground powers in the city.
Gundren hired the party to stage a complicated robbery of the wealthy Hoyle Estate in Coldfort to recover proof that the land legally belonged to the Rockseeker family rather than the Hoyles. The Party succeeded in recovering the deed as well as a number of valuables that Gundren agreed to fence on their behalf.
Gwen
A Human Captain in the Army of Nerath in charge of the forces garrisoned in the city of Northreach. Her sarcastic attitude belies her true skill in combat.
The party was arrested in Northreach after a battle with Zhentarim thugs and was interrogated by Gwen. She revealed that the party’s actions had made them wanted by the authorities in Coldfort and Cathedral as well; which put her in a difficult position. The conversation also revealed some sort of history or rivalry between Gwen and Elhana Roywyn. Before any decision could be made, the party was ‘rescued’ and lured into a Zhentarim ambush. Gwen slew many of the Zhentarim thugs but was prevented from recovering the party due to the arrival of Sister Constance, who later arranged for the the party's escape from the city.
Much later the party would spy her at the head of a force of the Army of Nerath negotiating unsuccesfully with the gladiators of Victor’s Hollow for permission to enter the town. She was handily rebuked by Shathur Blacklock.
The ‘Hammerstones’
Lord Volur, Lady Krysathra, and young Gunna. The family of Garron Hammerstone, who rose to prominent power after the Dwarven Council decided to make him King. He has recognized that, while the names are right, they are not actually his family.
They turned out to be Shadows who were using the absence of the Hammerstones to integrate themselves into Dwarven society and leadership. Volur and Krysathra tried to convince Garron of the Dwarves’ need for a strong leader and bring them into the war raging across the continent in exchange for helping The Party to steal an OmKey from the Quarrycrest Guild Hall.
Gunna instead approached them with the location of a different key. Once The Party obtained it however they also recovered an Orb of Nightmares, which Gunna took and immediately disappeared with.
Holgan
An older Elf, proprietor of the Golden Touch theatre in Sunshade, and a major criminal competitor of the Zhentarim. He has been implicated in fixing gladiatorial matches in the Sunlands Arena.
While in Sunshade, the party briefly scuffled with some of his goons picking on local businessmen with ties to Trustworthy Shipping.
Khudar Dragonslayer
A Dwarven champion with an undisguised loathing of Garron. He, alongside Khyrus Steelpike, presented Garron with the medallion marking Garron as King of the Dwarves.
After The Party uncovered the throne room of the first Dwarven king in the Ironcliff Mine, they finally had a chance to explain to Khudar about the Shadow Hammerstones and how they were not part of the growing conspiracy in the Clifflands that had him so concerned. Garron returned the kingship medallion to Khudar, stepping down from his unwanted roll as king, and Khudar promised to use it to oppose the Shadow Hammerstones and get the Dwarves back on the right course.
(Sir) Khyrus Steelpike
A Dwarven Knight-Errant from Marsalim, who often adventured with Sir Eckhart. He seems less pretentious than his comrade about the knighthood, often neglecting his formal title, but remains an ardent follower of the Duke.
The party encountered him several times travelling with Sir Eckhart. Later, he alongside Khudar Dragonslayer, presented Garron with the medallion marking Garron as King of the Dwarves. He would later make an impassioned plea for the Dwarves to join the Duke’s side in the war, but newly kinged Garron demurred to join either side leaving the Dwarves in an awkward semi-neutral position, much to the irritation of the Hammerstones.
Master Cellini
A soft-spoken old Tortle, master of the Cellini Dojo in Duskbarrow, sensei of the AMNT, and father of Tortonymous Bosch, a relationship that seems to cause equal amounts of frustration to both.
The party encountered him in Duskbarrow where he had taken possession of some of Tortonymous’ arena winnings in the hopes of forcing an attempt at reconciliation. The encounter went badly and father and son went their separate ways perhaps even worse off than before.
Minerva Hoyle
A high-ranking member of the court of Queen Yvonne Melissa Nerath. The party encountered her briefly at her estate in Coldfort, but as they were there to rob her at the time they kept their distance.
She later approached the party in their guise as lords of Stillsnow Manor to ascertain the safety of her clandestine business arrangements in the traditionally neutral space. She also heavily implied that she was well aware of their history and encouraged them to stay far away from the court in Coldfort.
Phillipe, Trustworthy Merchant
(Baaloth, the Last Prince of Hell)
A perpetually cheerful Human who is the founder and driving force behind Trustworthy Shipping.
During the Hoyle Estate Heist, the party recovered a Sending Stone that apparently connected Rhodasius Hoyle to a merchant south of The Basin. The cheerful Phillipe seemed completely at ease at the unusual circumstances and arranged to buy a small metal box from the Hoyle’s vaults from the party through his intermediary Roger.
He later attempted to contact the party through the sending stone they had recovered, but was quickly rebuffed by the wary group of adventurers.
Much later upon arriving in the south, the party quickly found themselves having drinks at the firm but polite request of the delighted Phillipe who pressed them for information regarding their task and agreed to assist them in their search for Thanaset worshippers. They would cross paths with him again during their adventures here and kept him appraised of their progress.
The party seized a vessel belonging to the Dwarven Council that tried to board and search their ship while sailing The Basin. The ship was turned over to Trustworthy Shipping for their use. Later on in return, Phillipe turned over control of Stillsnow Manor to them.
When the party was captured during an attempt to infiltrate the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Phillipe organized a group of the party’s allies to rescue them - a plan he bombastically named Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer. The rescue was, mostly, a resounding success which Phillipe is only too happy to remind anyone nearby of at any and every opportunity.
Eventually, the Devil Baaloth revealed to the party that Phillipe was created to serve as a camouflage for him to live a life of luxurious exile in the Material Plane after what he thought was the destruction of the Hells. Once the party discovered tangible proof that the Hells still existed, he urged them to focus their efforts on learning how to journey there so that he may return home.
Red Mother
The mysterious and otherworldly leader of the Ordo Sororal who has apparently been directing their actions since before the fall of the Empire. A divine being of the order of angels, the Red Mother expressed a singular purpose - to protect the Gods at any and all costs. This included, among other decisions, the condemnation and call for eradication of anything and anyone connected to the Goddess Thanaset.
Despite their best efforts, the party seemed to be completely beneath its notice. However, during a pitched battle they were able to bring Sam to the Red Mother and he, though tempted to take revenge for the death of his mother, instead communicated with the angel and convinced it of his genuine intentions to help rather than harm. Finding itself in conflict with its own reason for being, the Red Mother disappeared and left the Ordo Sororal bereft of its influence.
Rhodasius Hoyle
Human, younger brother of the Lady Minerva Hoyle who comes off as a bit of a fop. His arrogant and demeaning manner do not appear to be a result of anything other than wealth and privilege. The party spoke with him briefly during the party at the Hoyle Estate in Coldfort.
Roger
A well-spoken and presumably well-educated Loxodon, Roger turned out to be connected in some way to Phillipe, Trustworthy Merchant. Using a code-phrase provided by Phillipe, the party sold him a small metal box taken from the Hoyle’s vaults - a circumstance that seemed to alarm Roger greatly.
The party later encountered him again while seeking passage aboard a ship to the south. They found that Roger was running the Atheneum-based businesses of the Trustworthy Shipping company in Phillipe’s name. In exchange for the Sending Stone the party had that connected them to Phillipe, Roger arranged for them to pose as debt-collectors and start a fracas with a ship captain that could lead to them being selected as replacement crew. While the plan was successful, the party soon learned that Roger’s first orders from the Stone was to accompany them on their journey.
During the journey, the ship stopped to aid a fellow ship caught in the storm at the center of The Basin. The party found that the ship’s crew had become strange storm-empowered zombie-like forms of themselves and battled them to recover the ship’s cargo. Roger and Ffej aided them against the creatures and they made their escape safely.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Roger was chosen to be a member of the team.
Roger was murdered by Ffej the Flameblade during the Battle of Cathedral.
Roger’s body was recovered on the orders of Phillipe so that he could interrogate Roger’s corpse for necessary information. Roger’s corpse also passed on the instructions for Phillipe to introduce the party to Phillipe’s employer (whom Phillipe strongly preffered to describe as a “benefactor”).
Sam (Vultsamothrax)
A kindly old human groundskeeper at the Wellspring mausoleum, Sam turned out be a Thanaset worshipper from before the schism with the Ministry of the Pantheon.
The party encountered him while pursuing a cultist member who Sam initially tried to hide out of paternal concern for the boy. However the Party was soon confronted by a Lich who seemed to have a powerful domination over the old man. Although apparently magically bound against speaking about the Lich directly, Sam was able to tell the party about his history as son of the Last Bishop Thanaset, and insist that Thanaset’s followers turning on the Ministry was a result of something malevolent and not their own decision.
He informed the party that while they could not defeat the Lich in direct combat, if they were able to recover the Lich’s phylactery for him from the Tomb of Kings, then Sam would be able to make a case against the Lich at the Court of the Dead.
The party travelled to the Tomb of Kings and retrieved the Lich’s phylactery. Using it, Sam was able to arrange for a confrontation at the Court of Dead during which the party were able to defeat the Lich’s minions, forcing the the Lich to withdraw from the material plane and freeing Sam from its control.
He has since been accompanying the Party has they head north to try and reconnect him with the Bishops of the Ministry to try and contact the Gods to ask them about the Shadows.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, Sam was chosen to be a member of the team. Rather than rescue the party and escape however, it was his idea to instead confront the Red Mother to convince it to give up its pogrom against the worshippers of Thanaset.
After the party had left, it was Sam who would catch up with them to warn them about the Battle of Cathedral that had broken out, and used a scroll from Furnace to teleport the party back to aid them in rescuing the Bishops there. Taking his place as Bishop Thanaset, he was able to relay the news of Thanaset’s disappearance to the party and has since maintained his position as a Bishop of the Ministry.
Sho’ran
An Orc leader belonging to an otherwise unknown organization called The White Circle. It is up for debate if she is more impressive due to her obvious combat prowess or unusually sophisticated speech and demeanor.
The Party encountered her at the Greykeep Ruins where she revealed that her band were hunting down the Nerathi artefacts that were the source of the crystalline curse. When the curse was lifted, she was able to expose Talia Hanneman as a strange shapeshifting creature she described as “Shadows”. Sho’ran and the party defeated the creature after which she and her Orcs disappeared (literally, in the blink of an eye) leaving only the cryptic farewell “Beware the dead”.
After retreating from a battle with Morphidel, who had revealed himself to be a Shadow, Sho’ran appeared again briefly to converse with Meltari. Sho’ran appeared curious that the party had spoken to the Shadow, before she disappeared as quickly as before.
She has continued to appear and disappear in brief moments, often offering affirmation and approval of the party’s actions.
Sildar Hallwinter
A Human retired member of the Queensguard of Yvonne Melissa Nerath. The party encountered him at the party at the Hoyle Estate where they spoke briefly, determining that his role there was mostly a ceremonial gesture from the Queen to the Lady Minerva Hoyle.
Sir Eckhart
A dapper Half Elf member of the Knights-Errant. His party, including his friend and fellow Knight Khyrus Steelpike, fought the party in the Coastlands Arena and he later tried to recruit them to the cause of the Grand Duke. The party demurred but he remained optimistic of changing their minds one day.
Red Wind (former Sister Constance)
A Human female and former member of the Ordo Sororal. As a sister, her presence made others uneasy but this seems to have mellowed in her new life as a mercenary.
She came to the party in Northreach and compelled them to tell her the details of their encounter with the cultists of Thanaset in Coldfort. Afterwards she informed them that as penance for participating in the Hoyle Estate Hesit, they were to serve her as she and her Order required. Her first assignment was simply to flee the Frostlands so that she could investigate the cult and attempt to de-escalate the tensions the party had raised between the Army of Nerath and the Ministry. She covered their escape from Northreach and into the wilderness.
The party would soon discover however that this was partially a ruse, and that Sister Constance used them to expose Professor Dia Sirani as a heretic for her open discussions about the cults of Thanaset. Upon entering to make the arrest however, Sister Constance and her companions were confronted by Morphidel who fore bade their presence on University grounds. The standoff escalated into conflict with the party caught in the middle. Morphidel’s true nature was exposed and the party and the Sisters were forced to flee. She confessed to the party that the Bishops of the Ministry had been unable to commune with the Gods due to the absence of a Thanaset worshipper. Feeling some connection between this and the appearance of the Shadows, she and the party agreed to work together and travel to the south beyond the Sisterhood’s reach to try and find a Thanaset worshipper who could serve in that role and help unravel the mystery. Although she did accompany the group to the south, she was recalled when she received word that the Army of Nerath was taking positions to threaten Cathedral. She entreated the party to continue the search before she left to return to the north.
The party would later learn that she had appealed to the Ordo Sororal to assist in bringing in a Thanaset worshipper peacefully with disastrous results. She was imprisoned and tortured as a heretic, her status and name stripped away from her. She was eventually rescued by Irwinyn Alser and reunited with the party as they returned to the North, but she remained a shell of her former self. Meltari gave the former sister her old mace and shield to arm herself with, a gesture that the former sister seemed to accept with deep solemnity.
When Phillipe prepared his Operation: Arctic Thunder Hammer to rescue the party from the secret temple of the Ordo Sororal, the former sister was chosen to be a member of the team.
She fought against the Army of Nerath at the Battle of Cathedral, and has since taken up mercenary work for Phillipe. It was during this work that the townsfolk of Stillsnow gave her the nickname Red Wind. She has since been working many small jobs for Phillipe including the recovery of Roger’s body.
Sister Mercy
A powerful Ordo Sororal warrior and one of their overall commanders. She was in charge of the forces protecting the Red Mother when the party broke into the Ordo Sororal’s secret temple, and it was she who organized the party’s capture.
After the arrival of the the party’s allies and the subsequent pitched battle that followed, she maintained a leadership role with the few sisters still at the temple who were learning to cope with the Red Mother’s disappearance.
When the Battle of Cathedral erupted, she an the rest of the Ordo Sororal travelled there to protect the Bishops, but in the end were overrun by the Army of Nerath and the Shadows. Now the only survivor of the order, she has devoted herself to the safety of the Bishops but is in temperament only an echo of her former self.
She has also since expressed distrust and disappointment with the party following their failure to arrive in time at Cathedral to help hold the defenses.
Talia Hanneman
The adopted daughter of Mayor Hanneman of the village of Whisperwood. Talia worked as a secretary of sorts in the Mayor’s office.
The party discovered that in reality, Talia had been manipulating the people of the village and drawing them into a potentially catastrophic conflict between the villagers and the Town Watch, captain Gideon and his ‘bandits’, and the local monsters. After the destruction of the Greykeep Ruins, the Orc Sho’ran exposed Talia as a strange shapeshifting creature she described as “Shadows”. Sho’ran and the party defeated the creature, and her true motivations remain a mystery.
Tar Gorath
A Demon released from imprisonment in The Long Road when The Party became Silver Knights. The fiend battled The Party all the way back up the road and escaped into the material plane where it remains at large. The Party has been warned that the demon is particularly devious and cunning.
At some point, Tar’Gorath made a deal with Magnus conDoin to help locate Magnus’ son in exchange for the party. Magnus led the Demon to the party but they were able to destroy the creature.
Tarim
Tarim is a Quori, a spirit-like creature that are occasionally bound to people. Bound to Meltari for as long as she can remember, she has always been privy to the impressions of his memories and knowledge. During her adventures with the party, after a confrontation with Siren Odessa, Meltari and Tarim found that they were able to communicate directly with each other for the first time in Meltari’s dreams - or perhaps they are Tarim’s?
Once embarked upon the Long Road, Tarim remembered his death at the hands of Siren Odessa, thousands and thousands of years ago, and also identified himself as a Silver Knight. Unfortunately he could not recall much else, including why and how he was bound to Meltari.
Twotonymous
The party’s somewhat derisive nickname for this doppelganger of Tortonymous Bosch; created under mysterious circumstances. Tortonymous is driven by supernatural impulse to destroy this creature, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
The party finally managed to track down the doppelganger, only to be whisked away to the Court of the Dead to confront Acererak in a case of bad timing.
The party was confronted by Twotonymous again as they attempted to take ship back to the north. Aided by a powerful Drider witch, the doppelganger attacked the party with an unrelenting rage. Though it was a close call, the party prevailed and the doppelganger was destroyed.
Yvonne Melissa Nerath
A self-proclaimed Queen who claims to be descended from the line of Emperors of the Silver Empire of Nerath. She rules out of the city of Coldfort and has vowed to re-unite the Former Lands under a renewed Empire. Her efforts put her at odds with the religious authorities in nearby Cathedral who politely but firmly refused to acknowledge her authority. Her new Army of Nerath, tightening its grip on the territories under her control, responded by encircling Cathedral, enacting a siege in all but name - not coincidentally shortly after Morphidel took control of Atheneum and pledged it to her service.
In the end tensions erupted and the Army of Nerath attacked and destroyed Cathedral, declaring an end to their ways in favour of worship of the Silver God. This in turn led to open war with Arthur Ian Nerath, the Grand Duke of Fallscourt. With the Duke’s forces crumbling, it seems increasingly inevitable that the Queen will be able to re-establish a dynasty to rule over all the Lands of Former Nerath.