25 - 3/7/22 : Freewill

Portraits

 

The Red Spirits

  Reilly Springs - A young, anxious satyr artificer and inventor, who has fashioned for herself a magic suit of armor that grants her impressive combat capabilities. Now free of the debt that hounded her, Reilly is committed to supporting her friends as she sets down roots in Revelmoore. She has taken to spending time with Fala Lefaliir, the serene gardener and proprietor of Aelbwynn’s Crown; a relationship now sealed with a kiss.   Brooke Acropora - A charming water genasi and a native of Revelmoore, who supports the party with his keen intuition concerning the fanciful and fascinating goings-on of the city. Brooke moonlights as a contributor to The Targe, a broadsheets publication that seeks out the most interesting and sauciest news scoops of the day. Currently, Brooke is focused on ensuring that Troll Skull Manor becomes an unforgettable spectacle to its visitors, but part of his mind continues to be occupied by his tryst with the mysterious Zelem Corvo.   Yilani Deniz - A severe, perceptive Yuan-ti Pureblood druid who once masqueraded as a human refugee from Khemit in order to gather information on the wealthy and powerful of Revelmoore on behalf of a Yuan-ti cult of Aapep. After coming to love the city and her new friends, Yilani has turned her back on her people and helped to drive them out of the city before their nefarious plans could be enacted. Having helped Raeziel retake her family's legacy, Yilani has joined the new Xanathar Guild as one of Raeziel's most trusted 'eyes'.   Eula Havenspire - A calm and collected azure-haired knight, who wields a blade with inhuman precision and swiftness. She is the wife of Megumi, though she currently suffers from amnesia and remembers nothing of her life before awaking in the Undermountain. The party rescued her from the Xanathar's Arena of Blood and Fortune, and after being told of Megumi's actions and sacrifice, Eula offered her blade in the pursuit for the lost gold of Dagult Ambermantle.  

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  Violet - A strange purple cat that was purchased by Brooke at the Old Xoblob Shop. For all intents and purposes, she seems to be a completely normal cat; save for the fact that her fur is a deep shade of violet. She told Brooke her story, revealing that she was once a human adventurer that was polymorphed into a purple cat by Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage of the Undermountain. She appears to be more than happy with this situation.   Róisín - A homunculus created by Reilly out of a mechanical skeleton, an enchanted crystal, and plants grown from feywild seeds. Róisín resembles a winged rabbit composed of plant matter, and is unfailingly loyal to her creator.   Renaer Ambermantle - The estranged son of Dagult Ambermantle, the previous Open Lord of Revelmoore. A skilled fighter, an agent of the Masquerade, and a man of noble standing. Renaer faces scrutiny because of his father’s legacy, but still retains friends in high places. He has befriended the party and spends most of his time fraternizing with them. He was grievously wounded by a fireball aimed at a spy working for his father, but he managed to survive with only burn scars on his face, and has returned to the field with the rest of the party. He and Bonziel Ramrider have grown rather close since she joined the Masquerade.  

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  The Xanathar - The beholder criminal overlord of the Xanathar Guild. It rules the subterranean settlement of Ramrider’s Retreat with an iron eyestalk, and will go to any length to protect its power and its possessions. Its campaign of fear and threats to assure the Stone of Golorr’s return is raising public ire against its rule, and the party's arrival to save Eula was enough to spark a revolution against the beholder. After enduring an assault from the party and their associates, the Xanathar was finally convinced to flee after Raeziel successfully stole and held its pet fish Sylgar for ransom.   Victoro Cassalanter - The Half-elven Lord of House Cassalanter, one of Revelmoore’s founding houses and most influential families. A well-known and respected citizen, he is a successful shipping magnate and investor, who turned the failing finances inherited from his father into success and riches in little over a decade. The investigations of the party and Megumi's talks with Asmodeus revealed that he and his wife were high-profile Asmodeus Cultists, worshipping the Lord of the Nine in secret in exchange for wealth and power. He seeks the Stone of Golorr and the lost gold of Dagult Ambermantle in order to buy back the souls of his children, which he and his wife had foolishly sold in exchange for status. He was briefly seen while Yilani communed with the Stone of Golorr, placing the stone's final, red eye on an altar to Asmodeus. Vincent Trench deduced that the Shrine was located in the Cassalanter family crypt in the City of the Dead.   Zelem Corvo - The well-mannered yet conniving thief lord of the Devil’s Hands thieves guild from Fortune’s Crossing, a town from across the Gulf of Akados. A master of disguise and deception, he is conducting shadowy dealings in Revelmoore to unknown ends. After dangerously underestimating the party’s capabilities and losing his expensive submersible in the process, he approached them with an ultimatum to help him redistribute the gold back to Revelmoore or face him and his guild as an enemy in the Grand Game. He and Ruven briefly met with their old companion Panic to catch up and explain his motivations for his work in the city.  

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  Raeziel Ramrider - The youngest of the three Ramrider sisters. A duergar rogue and loan shark, who worked as the Doom Raiders’ Master of Coin. She has returned to her former home of Ramrider's Retreat in order to exploit the hatred currently being levied at the Xanathar and strike a blow against the organization that holds her family as little more than slaves. Even after losing her left eye to the traps standing between her and her goal, Raeziel pulled off a masterful heist and kidnapped the Xanathar's pet fish Sylgar, which she used to bargain for the Xanathar's permanent flight from the Undermountain. Taking her victory in stride, Raeziel stood before the fractured guild and proclaimed herself the new Xanathar, guildmaster of the Xanathar Guild and heir to the Ramrider family legacy.   Bonziel Ramrider - The middle Ramrider sister. A duergar bard, she was once a member of the Xanathar Guild, but felt little attachment to the organization beyond survival. After her encounters with the party and their efforts against the Xanathar Guild, she has decided to renounce the organization and play the part of a spy, joining the Masquerade under the tutelage of Renaer Ambermantle, whom she seems to be growing quite fond of. For the mission to rescue Eula, she elected to stick with the Red Spirits against the forces of the Xanathar, wielding her magic boomerang against her former compatriots and her elder sister. She was heartbroken to witness the death of her sister Genziel, and decided that the Xanathar Guild was no place for her even after her sister taking over; instead she decided to remain wholly with the Masquerade.   Genziel Ramrider - The eldest Ramrider sister. A duergar paladin who swore a twisted oath of service to the Xanathar as a condition of her family's surrender a century ago, she served as the Xanathar's most trusted lieutenant and main enforcer. The decades of service had taken a severe toll on her mind, and she shared a modicum of the towering insanity and paranoia that defined her many-eyed master, whom she served without question. After a long and heated battle, Genziel was finally laid low, and in her dying moments regained a hint of her former sanity. Her final wish was for her younger sisters to live better lives than she had, and turned to stone after she ceased breathing. Raeziel has sworn to memorialize the woman she once was before her fall.   "Don" Grimkon Ramrider - The patriarch of the Ramrider Crime Family, and the driving force behind their surrender to the Xanathar Guild a century ago. He acted as the Xanathar's majordomo and handled much of the practical operation of the Guild in the light of the Xanathar's erratic personality. Despite his unpopularity with his extended family for his choice of surrender, he did his utmost to assure their benefit in their service to the guild. He led the distracting charge against the Xanathar while Raeziel carried out her plan, and even lost his left arm in the process. After Raeziel deposed the Xanaathar and ended their family's servitude, Don Ramrider quietly bowed out, intending to leave the new generation to take charge without the shadow of his mistakes looming over them.     Davil Cedarfall - A retired sun elven adventurer and the leader of the ‘Doom Raiders’, a beleaguered sub-faction of the Black Network. After the Doom Raiders were scattered following Skeemo Weirdbottle's betrayal, he tried to lay low but was captured by the Scions of Black Hearts and imprisoned in Maleficarius Towers. He was eventually rescued and returned to one of his safehouses, and accompanied Raeziel on her grand heist on the Xanathar. Following Raeziel taking the title of Xanathar, he elected to stay on with the Doom Raiders being absorbed by the new Xanathar Guild, and took the role as one of Raeziel's 'eyes'.   Ziraj the Hunter - A tall half-orc man that carries around an absurdly large composite bow. According to Davil, he is the most talented assassin in Revelmoore. Originally a huntsman by trade, he moved to Revelmoore with his childhood friend Fala Lefaliir. The two were in a romantic relationship for a time, but Fala broke things off over Ziraj’s criminal affiliations and activities. Like Raeziel, Ziraj was made a fugitive by Skeemo’s betrayal, but he has reconvened with Davil and Yagra to aid Raeziel's grand heist. Like Davil, he decided to work for Raeziel in the new Xanathar Guild as one of her 'eyes'.   Yagra Stonefist - A powerfully built half-orc bruiser and a member of the Doom Raiders. Often acting as Davil Cedarfall's bodyguard, she reunited with her compatriots and eagerly went with them and Don Ramrider to confront the Xanathar directly while the other parts of Raeziel's heist were carried out. She managed to survive the bout and became one of Raeziel's 'eyes' following the Xanathar's flight.   Kronk, the Stomping Hill Giant - A charming hill giant capable of speaking common, who was a prisoner in the Arena of Blood and Fortune. After being distracted by one of Brooke's magic light shows and beaten by the party, he surrendered and aided them in their escape. He also participated in the fight against the Xanathar and survived, though his plans for what came after were unclear.   Nihiloor - A mysterious mind flayer who served the Xanathar directly. Previously encountered by the party when they rescued Floon Blagmaar, the Mind Flayer was finally brought down by Eula's deft swordplay, ceasing its threat to the brains of Revelmoore.   Nomad Vennel - An agent of the Devil's Hand who infiltrated the Xanathar Guild to act as a double agent for Zelem Corvo. They were kidnapped by Yilani's Yuan-ti compatriots before being freed thanks to her change of heart. They were put in charge of sabotaging the lower levels of Ramrider's Retreat by Zelem, and after their mission was successful, they quietly departed and returned to the Devil's Hand.   Samara Strongbones - A halfling thief working for the Scions of Black Hearts, an extremist splinter faction of the Black Network. She attempted to infiltrate Ulbrinter Villa during the gala, but was accosted and left for the guards by Megumi. She eventually escaped, only to find herself captured by the Xanathar Guild and held as a prisoner in the Arena of Blood and Fortune. Reilly purposefully left her behind after freeing the other prisoners. Raeziel promised that she would be fleeced for information and would not be allowed to return to her allies.   Sylgar - The beloved pet goldfish of the Xanathar, Sylgar is actually the latest in the line of many Sylgars; the Xanathar's poor fishkeeping ability resulted in the deaths of many goldfish over time, each being replaced subtly by the guild before the beholder could notice and go on a rampage; luckily, the Xanathar consistently failed to notice the difference. The latest Sylgar was used as a bargaining chip by Raeziel to force the Xanathar away, and although she promised they would return the fish to the beholder, she nonchalantly handed the fish off to the Red Spirits after the creature's retreat, confident that it would simply find a fish in the waters of the Revelmoore docks and claim it as a new Sylgar. The Sylgar used to defeat the Xanathar is now in Eula's possession, oblivious as ever to the important affairs surrounding it.  

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  Rydia Margaster - Known commonly as ‘The Seer’, this aasimar woman is the High Priestess of Jamboor and the head of the House of Wonder. She is a friend of Solauvaire and guards a two-way portal between the Tower of the High Dragon and the House of Wonder. She has been entrusted with watching over and containing the Stone of Golorr while the party pursues the stone’s remaining eyes.  

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  Fala Lefaliir - A serene wood elven individual and the owner of Aelbwyn’s Crown, a multifaceted store that functions as a florist, apothecary, and greenhouse. They have befriended the party, especially Reilly, and gladly helps them when asked. After Reilly proclaimed that the party was ready for anything, Fala threw her off balance by kissing her and departing, leaving Reilly near-catatonic.   Vincent Trench - A mysterious, hard-boiled human detective who operates out of the Tiger’s Eye Detective Agency in Trollskull Alley. He was revealed to be the alter-ego of a renegade rakshasa who fled Baator to spend his time on the mortal plane solving mysteries. In return for keeping his secret, he vowed to investigate the Cassalanters and their Cult of Asmodeus, free of charge. His investigations eventually bore fruit, giving the party a location for the third and final eye of Golorr.   Lif - A poltergeist and the former proprietor of Trollskull Manor. He was murdered forty years ago by the manor’s former owner out of jealousy for a girl he once loved. His spirit has remained in the manor, where he scared off intruders. After the party assured him that they wished to restore and reopen the tavern, Lif calmed himself and even aided in cleaning the place up. He has become very fond of the party and assists in their affairs however he can.   Bepis Flavorburgh - A prodigious halfling chef who works at Troll Skull Manor. Formerly of the Xanathar Guild as an indentured cook to the beholder itself, Bepis enjoys his new job and the culinary freedom it offers him. The party returned the old 'Flavorburgh' sign from his old kitchen at the Xanathar's lair much to his delight. He also introduced his new culinary invention - "Filly Cheese Steaks", named so for their filling nature - to Eula, who happily gobbled it up.   Nat - A mute human girl and the ‘fighter’ of the Rat Catchers, an ‘adventuring party’ made up of three homeless urchins. Nat cannot speak, and communicates through an invented sign language made up of broken Thieves’ Cant symbols and gestures.   Jenks - A human boy and the ‘wizard’ of the Rat Catchers. Jenks carries around a stuffed owlbear ‘familiar’ and keeps a bag of ‘spell components’ on his person, and is fiercely protective of his ‘spellbook’. He was nearly struck by the fireball that hit Troll Skull Alley, but Renaer saved his life. He seems to have lost his passion for spellcraft, at least temporarily, due to his brush with fire, but he is back to smiling and playing with his friends.   Squiddly - A tiefling boy and the ‘rogue’ of the Rat Catchers, as well as their fearless leader. Squiddly bravely leads his companions out of trouble as often as he leads them into it. Squiddly wears a fake eyepatch, which doesn’t help his aim with his bow. He is making it his mission to make Jenks feel a bit better and overcome his rough experience.   Zephyr - An excitable young bronze dragon who came to the party’s aid to strike back against the Devil’s Hand for killing her mother years ago. She is friendly, albeit a bit nervous in dangerous situations. To blend in better with society and not unnerve her new companions, she favors a human form clad in clothing similar to Reilly. She now lives with the party at Troll Skull Manor, where she spends much of her time at play with the Rat Catchers.  

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  Ruven Torrel - A wood elf shaman and agent of the Devil’s Hand thieves guild who answers directly to its leader, Zelem Corvo. She has an obvious affinity for water and has tailored her spellcasting powers for manipulating and surviving within it. She got to spend some time with her goddaughter Valor while having tea with Panic and Zelem. She promised Panic that the life she chose was one she enjoyed, and that she would do her best to remain safe.   Panikkaria "Panic" Vel - A tiefling more like a moth than a devil, this charming Druid once adventured to save her beloved from a terrible affliction, but now happily resides with her recovered wife as an astrologian and teacher. As the First Seer of the Seer’s League, an order of mages and spellcasters in the Frostgale Taiga, Panic rarely leaves her home of Aspencove; however, she has come to Revelmoore with her family to visit her wife’s noble relatives, as well as to check in on her adoptive father, Rishaal. She met with her former companions Zelem and Ruven at her in-laws' manor and discussed their plans, sharing her concerns for their well being.   Valorika "Valor" Ruven Vel - Panic’s three-year-old daughter. A moth-like tiefling much like her mother, Valor seems shy and reserved, and is quite hesitant to meet new people. However, she feels comfortable around her 'Aunt' Ruven, and even expressed some fondness for her distant 'Uncle' Zelem. Well-behaved, her approaching bedtime brought the appointment for tea to an end.  

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The Stone of Golorr A greyish-green ovular stone, about six inches long from end to end, with three recesses running vertically down its length. It is covered in a thin layer of ever-present mucus. With its second eye restored, it is closer to unlocking its vast repositories of hidden knowledge, and has revealed the location of its third, red eye resting in the grasp of Victoro Cassalanter.