Notorious Renegades of Vlaad

 

Image by FerdinandLadera, source

I described in a previous post how this campaign's version of Ierendi has been changed quite a bit, with a number of the lesser islands becoming effectively independent pirate ports. One of these is Vlaad, on  Fletcher Island, fairly close to the Five Shires on the mainland of Brun. 

Vlaad has a population of 20,000 (upgraded from the gazetteer's 1,100) and is a busy port city. All sorts of business, both legitimate and shady, takes place here. It is a rowdy, chaotic place, not suited for the quiet or timid, with merchants and street traders hawking their wares, drunks stumbling out of taverns, sailors looking to replenish their ships' supplies, gangs of teenagers running around trying to mob the occasional market stall, and plenty of criminals of all sorts. There is no proper city guard to maintain law and order, though there are mercenary companies based here hired by merchants to keep their assets and stock safe. 

Like many cities there are colourful and weird characters at different strata of society, from the gutters to the palaces. The most infamous of these include:

Garrazol the Furious (human male, 19th level fighter, align Chaotic, Str 17, Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 13, Con 14, Cha 14) is a pirate originally from Darokin. His violent temper has got him into trouble many times, but his skill with a blade and his loyal men means that the trouble usually ends with the other person dying. He initially started out as a merchant trader in the Darokin port of Athenos but after several arguments with rival traders ended bloodily and with the Darokin authorities wanting him for manslaughter, he abandoned his homeland and legitimate trade, and threw his lot in with the pirates of Ierendi. Once his blood is up he rarely takes prisoners, and his ship, the Dreadrider (named after the Sea of Dread) strikes fear into all who know of her. He is feared and respected by his crew, though not loved as he has a tendency to kill anyone who disagrees with him - he sees any back-talk as a challenge to his authority. 
Appearance: Garrazol is a tall, burly man (6'3", 220lb) with black hair, big dark eyebrows and black beard and is 47 years old. He wears chain mail made of Neptunium and wields a magical scimitar, and often wears a black leather tricorn hat. His voice is deep and can reach a terrible volume when he is angered (which is quite often). 

Jerrillia Raveneye (elf female, 10th level spellsword (fighter/mage), align Chaotic), Str 13, Int 17, Wis 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Cha 13) is a calm, measured sociopath. She is fascinated by magic and biology, and collects many spells and books that involve magically transforming or enhancing life functions. This would be academic except that she has no qualms investigating how these spells affect innocent passers-by. She has left Alfheim after being caught experimenting on captured human peasants. She now lives in Vlaad, mainly earning a living as a mage for hire, but her house on the outskirts of town has a basement of horrors. 
Appearance: Jerrillia is typical elf maiden with golden-blonde hair and pale flawless skin. She is short and slim (5'0", 95lb). She rarely wears armour (though she does have a suit of chain mail in her closet) but she often wears her magical shortsword and dagger on her belt, as well as a wand tucked into the same belt. She usually wears clothes typical of a well-to-do lady of court but she has a blood-spattered white overcoat for when things get messy.  

Turgon Menhir (human male, 16th level fighter, align Neutral, Str 15, Int 12, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con 17, Cha 17) is the captain in chief of the Grey Halberds, a company of 250 mercenary fighters based in Vlaad. He is often hired by various groups, factions and powerful individuals to protect their assets or lives, or attack others. He is primarily a business man - as long as the client pays and knows what the limits of the company are, Turgon will stick to the contract. Turgon is a native Ierendian and  has been a mercenary all his adult life, rising up through the ranks. He is strangely fond of Vlaad, and although he is not blind to its many faults and dangers he will not deliberately act against it. He and his Grey Halberds are often the closest Vlaad has to a proper city watch. 
Appearance: Turgon is a large man (200lb, 6'3") and approaching middle age (45 years old). He has short iron-grey hair and full mustache. He is usually in his officer's armour (Banded armour +2) and tabard with the company emblem (black halberd head against a light grey background) and carries around his magic sword Ironslicer (normal sword +3, cast Bless 1/day). Turgon nearly always maintains a dispassionate, calm and calculating demeanour - only rarely do his emotions get the better of him.  

Nelth Varangus (human male, 15th level thief, align Chaotic, Str 14, Int 16, Wis 12, Dex 18, Con 10, Cha 17) is the leader of the Sail Street Syndicate, an organised gang of thieves and other criminals based in Sail Street, the heart of Vlaad's artisan and workshop district. Nelth is a gangster and a crime lord who rules by fear. Although he does not kill for fun, he has a low threshold for violence, mainly to send messages to those who witness or hear of his brutality - the people who pay for his "protection", rival gangs and occasionally his own underlings. Nelth owns and runs several disreputable taverns on or near Sail Street, including some that also act as brothels and gambling houses. His gang includes at least 20 thieves, 15 fighters and 3 mages of varying level - they all help protect the Sail Street Syndicate's properties as well as carrying out jobs, usually sanctioned by Nelth himself. 
Appearance: Nelth is tall and thin (6'3", 120lb) and now getting old (63 years old). He has silver-grey hair he keeps in a ponytail and his face is clean-shaven to show off several scars from fights in his youth. He usually wears close-fitting leather armour underneath loose-fitting merchants' garb, and will often act as a respectable businessman. He has an aura of menace and steely resolve that others find intimidating. 

Baronia the Shackler (human female, 14th level MU, align Chaotic, Str 7, Int 18, Wis 12, Dex 13, Con 9, Cha 9) runs a slave-trading outfit based in Vlaad. She is a cruel and heartless woman who seems to enjoy her chosen profession. She only occasionally organises expeditions to enslave people - much of the time she just buys, transports and sells on to the end-user. She has often bought slaves from Vladivar Cariolis and his ship the Ocean Manticore and then sold them on to Thyatis. She has a manor house on the outskirts of Vlaad with a large walled compound patrolled by a company of hobgoblin mercenaries, though her senior henchmen are all humans. She keeps her slave-trading relatively low-key and out of sight of most townsfolk, as some do not approve of it, and officially it is illegal in Ierendi. 
Appearance: Baronia has long blonde hair and is quite elegant (5'7" tall, 105lb) but always has a look of cruel disdain on her face, and rarely acts pleasantly. She wears the dresses of a lady of high status, but with a belt bedecked with daggers, wands and spell components. She often wears jewelry, though most of it is somehow enchanted (including a Ring of Spell Storing, a Ring of Levitation and an Amulet of ESP)

Tallagelle of Slagovich (human female, 14th level Cleric, align Chaotic, Str 13, Int 12, Wis 17, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 16) is a trader of various wares and goods, including foodstuffs, metals, crafted items and anything else she can transport in her ship. Unbeknownst to most she is also the Cult of Chaos' top agent and cultist within Vlaad and possibly all of Ierendi. Every few months she sails back around the Serpent Peninsula to Slagovich not only to trade but also to consult with her superiors in the Hagiocracy of Hule. She has established a small but fervent cult within Vlaad with at least 50 dedicated followers of Chaos. She keeps this discrete - Vlaad may be a rough and lawless city but most inhabitants draw the line at worshipping Chaos. Tallagelle is a zealous follower of Chaos but she is also a competent merchant and is always on the lookout for a good deal if it does not compromise her main vocation. She owns several warehouses in Vlaad's dock district, underneath one of which is her cult's hideout and secret chapel. 
Appearance: Tallagelle is 53 years old, 160lb and 5'5" tall. She has tanned skin and dark hair streaked with grey pulled back into a ponytail. She often appears calm - she is inscrutable and has become good at hiding her emotions. Although she rarely shows it, her left forearm has a tattoo of the eight-pointed star of Chaos while her right arm has a tattoo of a grinning demon. She usually wears a chain mail shirt and simple helmet over her town clothes (with long sleeves), with a warhammer on her belt - she explains she has been robbed and attacked several times and does not want to be unprepared. She will often have an unholy symbol of  Chaos on a chain around her neck underneath her blouse.