NPC Catalogue
Those Who would Come to Help
The Champions of Mystara have not been alone in their struggles. There have been those who have come to help the Heroes in their journeys across the world, trusted friends and allies, or even those whose purpose has not always been clear but who have always been there to lend a hand. And then there are those who have stood against the Champions, opposing them not always through direct conflict, but hoping to see the heroes crash and fall.
Friends
Adriana Karameikos-Hyraksos, female human Noble. Adriana was Stefan Karameikos’ eldest daughter, and eventually succeeded him to the throne. As headstrong as her father, but lacking in his political wiles and without Queen Mother Olivia’s social graces, Adriana often comes across as brash and impulsive, a reputation that has not earned her many enemies at home. Although she has the best intentions of the kingdom at heart, she is a jealous leader, always afraid of the scheming of the court nobles around her.
Shortly after ascending to the crown, Adriana attempted brisk economic reform of the kingdom in order to subsidize the cost of the Black War. She was opposed, however, by the newly established Karameikan Senate, who was at the time majorly controlled by the nobles and the richest and most powerful merchants in the Kingdom. Her failures in the Senate eventually led to her being considered politically weak. and had the number of votes that she could levy as the Crown lowered, a major coup for the Senate against the Royals.
With the coming of the Demon King, Adriana has grown increasingly reclusive. She ordered a quarantine of the kingdom as soon as the plague showed, and has refused to hold court since the disappearance of her brother. Adriana has taken to wearing black and shunning even her husband and children from company.
Devon Hyraksos, male noble. Lord Admiral Devon Hyraksos is Adriana’s loving husband. He has remained with her since before she was crowned Queen, through the end of the Black War and into the present day. Many a ballad has been sung of their adventurous courting – how they met in the high seas, battling pirates together, as she undertook her shearing. Devon was eventually promoted to the Admiralty, and Adriana returned to the royal family, but they later met again in court and married.
Although now King, Devon knows this is title is in name only. He has used his position to maintain his rank in the Admiralty, however, and continues to this day to command the Karameikan Fleet Division of the Karameikan Army. Thankfully, this position has not required him to leave home to wage war against the Demon King, although it has kept him busy arranging for supply runs and ensuring that trade continues undisrupted.
With his wife wrapping herself deeper and deeper into depression, Devon has turned his full attention to his family life, especially that of his two children, Lucien and Argent, now teenagers in the Court and expected to do their part.
Duris Everast, female fighter/noble. Princess Duris Everast is third in line for succession of the Dwarven crown of Rockhome. Despite her royal blood, her heart lies more with the working – or, specifically, fighting – dwarves of Rockhome, and she wishes to be allowed the full use of her rank as General in the Rockhome army. King Everast, however, has so far kept her close to home, assigned to training new recruits.
Duris and Krogoth have begun something of a stalled relationship. Neither one appears particularly willing to go for a full launch, despite Duris’ strong hinting. Primarily standing in their way is the existence of General Balin Torkrest, one of the current high commanders of the Dwarven military. Balin and Duris have a love/hate relationship, with the one consistently one-upping the other. Coupled with Krogoth’s lack of presence in Rockhome due to business elsewhere, it is difficult to tell which of the two courtiers will win out in the end.
Following the attack of the plague on Rockhome, Duris talked her father into allowing her to lead the new assault on the front lines of the dwarven efforts for the BDC, once again overcoming her rival Balin. She is scheduled to head out by the end of winter.
Elena de Cadron, female Noble. A Lady of Glantrian descent, Elena came to the village of Keleben around 882 A.C. seeking word of her sister Maria. She was attacked by vampires and wights shortly after her arrival, and was rescued by the Champions.
Lux Iustatiae, LG male elf Cleric/Knight of the Griffon. Born to elven parents, Lux never knew much of an elven upbringing. His parents were victims of goblin attacks when he was still quite young, orphaning him at an early age. He was rescued by adventurers from Threshold, and spent his youth there under the care of the Traladaran villagers. He became something of a town oddity, an eternal child constantly wandering the streets of the village. When Stefan traded his lands for Karameikos and established Sherlane Halaran as the Baron of the Threshold area, Lux joined the Church of Traladara, the primary beneficiaries of his youth.
Lux spent his formative years in the Church, curving his naturally inquisitive and carefree nature towards that of ordained order and peace. He became a cleric of Petra the protector, and vowed to protect Threshold from its enemies when they came. When Halaran adopted the Church of Traladara, Lux expanded his view to protect all of Karameikos, figuring that in difference, the new Karameikans had much in common.
Lux came to the Champion’s attention during the beginnings of the war of the thieves’ guilds. Baron Halaran sent the knight to the Champions in order to assist them in rooting out the corruption that was spreading across Karameikos. When the Black War broke out, Lux remained with the Champions, finding in Aramil Korrelin a like mind he could follow and learn from.
Olivia Karameikos, female Noble. Olivia Karameikos-Promethian is the Queen-Mother of Karameikos, and to this day continues to be the leading lady of court society (a position which has caused her no small amount of trouble with her daughter, who resents the role.) She is charming, witty, and impressively fast on her feet, making her an endearing presence in Karameikan politics. Stefan’s shrewder political half, the kingdom would not stand today were it not for her quick and nimble thoughts.
Although politically powerless, Olivia continues to exert a lot of pressure in the Karameikan landscape. Many are the individuals who owe her favors, and she has seen to the rise in fame of many an adventuring career. The Champions even met her once at a soiree in the royal palace, when they were newly arrived to Mirros, where she introduced them to the esteemed Doctor Romuald VanHosten. That the doctor needed help with an assignment was of no small coincidence at the time.
Priniel Cormandell, LN female Cleric/Church Inquisitor. The High Inquisitor of the Church of Karameikos, Priniel is a stoic, hardened woman who has led a life of mystery and secrets. Born the only daughter of Thyatian nobles in the west of Karameikos, her parentage was stolen from her when Baron Ludwig von Hendricks and his seneschal Bargle the Infamous murdered her father and stole her lands. Her family was offered a penance in Mirros, and spent the rest of their declining days in the capital. Priniel, angered and vengeful, entered the Church of Karameikos to curb her frustrations.
Her church studied led her to the worship of Tarastia, Immortal Patron of Justice and Punishment. In her service to Tarastia, she joined the secretive Confessor’s Order of the Church of Karameikos, pushing her focused vision towards rooting out corruption within the heart of the Church. She rose steadily through the ranks, accepting various missions for the Church in weedling out those unworthy from the ranks of the clergy. When she uncovered a plot by the current Confessor Last to extort nobles of their wealth and other immoral practices, she was promoted to the office, where her first task was to watch over the workings of the up and coming Bishop Malhavoc Brazzengarde.
Over time, however, she came to respect Brazzengarde’s rigid morality. Ambitious though he might be, he was certainly not corrupt, and she followed him in many of his adventures. As Malhavoc rose through the ranks of the Church, the long shadow of Brazzengarde quickly overcame the rising star of Priniel Cormandell. She has remained in his shadow for the last twenty three years, a constant guardian against the predations of the world.
Romuald VanHosten, LG male human Fighter/Necromancer. The name Romuald VanHosten is known throughout the circles of Academia for his great studies into the nature, psychology, and biology of various creatures common to the darker forces. He’s also known by adventurers everywhere, for having published several treatises on the subject of monster hunting and dealing with particular creatures of a supernatural bent. From giants to demons, Professor VanHosten has written about the great dangers that most Mystaran adventurers face in their everyday lives.
His particular renown for dealing with the supernatural led him to investigate a haunting in Marilenev Castle, where he first came to the attention of the Champions of Mystara. VanHosten recruited the assistance of the heroes in helping to unravel the mystery of the Marilenev ghost, and was impressed by their skill and abilities. When Drakath was cursed with Lycanthropy, Romuald accompanied the heroes to the Demiplane of Dread, where he lost a hand in the battles against the supernatural horrors of the Land of Mists. When they returned to Mystara, Romuald went into a semi-retirement, his academic skills useless against the humanoid opponents of the Black War.
Romuald continued to publish treatises and accomplish research. With his new handicap – no pun intended – Romuald sought a more academic role by teaching at the University of Darokin in Darokin City. He continued to teach for several years, until recently retiring to life in his country manor in southern Darokin. There he continued to offer consulting services, but no longer goes on adventures of his own.
Sigil Vannes, NG male elf Bladesinger. Wielder of the sword Azanel the Elf-Flame, Sigil is an ancient and powerful elven warrior. Sigil was a hero to his people long before he retrieved the legendary sword. When his kingdom came under attack, Sigil was one of the knights sent to defend it. His mission was compromised, however, and he was captured by the forces of the Abyss. Lucky for him, a young paladin named Korren was infiltrated the abyssal prison where he was kept, and rescued the elven warrior.
Attempting to escape their demonic captors, Korren and Segian (Sigil’s name at the time) jumped through a portal that took them to the Land of Mists. The two adventurers spent years traveling the Demiplane of Dread, looking for a way to escape, when they learned that there was a legendary elven artifact kept somewhere in the city of Il’Aluk in Darkon. The two infiltrated the fortress of the lich-king Azalin and drew the sword from beneath his nose. Barely managing to escape, Sigil used the Azanel’s energies of pure goodness to rip a hole in the fabric of Ravenloft, escaping back into the Material Plane. This magical experimentation, however, left Segian and Korren unable to travel across the planes for a time.
Stuck in Mystara, the two decided to do some good until they recovered from their curse. They adopted the names of Sigil Vannes and James Korrelin, and settled in the city of Specularum. The two became legendary heroes in Karameikos and developed lives of their own. When war broke out among the Immortals and Karameikos declared its independence, Sigil volunteered to join the Karameikan army. He was sent across Brun on special missions for Stefan Karameikos. When Alphatia was destroyed, Sigil was in Glantri in search of a secret weapon that would later be revealed to be the Rings of the Spheres. His friend James was stuck on Alphatia at the time of hte disappearance, and was thought killed alongside everyone else on the island.
With the death of his friend, Sigil disappeared for a time, retiring from the limelight. He continued to do good deeds throughout Brun anonymously, until one of these deeds brought him in contact with a young up and coming mage named Drakath Tanilia. Sigil was chosen to lead Drakath and his party back into Ravenloft in a secret mission to recover the Ring of the Entropy Sphere, under the pretext of curing Drakath of his contracted lycanthropy. While traveling through Ravenloft, the party learned that James Korrelin had not died, and a little of the wonders of the Hollow World.
Upon their return, Sigil and James decided to pick up their adventures where they left them, doubling their efforts against the Blackguard. They joined the Champions in the final assault on Darkhaelic Keep, helping to bring down the Black Wraith and his cronies.
Little was heard of Sigil following the events of the Blackguard, save that he has been spending a lot of time in the northern elven kingdom of Wendar. After the coming of the Demon King’s forces, Sigil traveled to the World’s End Desert with a warning to the Brun Defense Compact forces as to reinforcements hurrying towards Bao’Garan. With Sigil’s timely intervention, the reinforcements never arrived and the BDC captured the fortress of Bao’Garan.
When it was revealed that Prince Valen Karameikos had fallen to the enemy after the recapture of Bao’Garan, Sigil volunteered to enter enemy territory to find him. He has not been heard from since.
Terari, LG male human Archmage. Once the most powerful wizard in Karameikos, Terari surfaced shortly after the destruction of Alphatia during the War of the Immortals. Already a powerful archmgae, he was chosen by King Stefan Karameikos to help found the School of Magic and Magecraft in Krakatos, and Terari based the design and curriculum of the school much around the Alphatian schools of magic. It was widely known that Terari himself was Alphatian, though how or why he came to Karameikos is largely a mystery.
Terari mentored Drakath Tanilia in the ways of magic and taught the young mage the secrets of the High Arcana. When the Black War broke out, Terari traveled north into Glantri, to participate in the location of the rings of the spheres, weapons which he believed could be used against the Blackguard. He also worked alongside his colleague Nethril in locating and safekeeping the Orbs of Dragonkind, artifacts for which the Blackguard were searching to make themselves a draconic army. When the time for the final assault on Darkhaelic, Terari and Nethril stepped up to defend Karameikos, lending their magical might to the Champions of Mystara in their fight against the Black Wraith.
Nethril died shortly following the Black War of old age. Terari returned to teaching at the Krakatos School of Magic and Magecraft, expanding the school’s curriculum and recruitment programs across the nation. He built a second campus for higher studies of magic in northern Karameikos, in the place where his friend’s tower resided. Now that Terari is as ancient as Nethril, he has retired from the life of active schoolteaching, and promoted Drakath to the position of Headmaster. Terari has retired to Mirros, where he now owns a tower from which he runs a very succesful magical customization shop.
Sir Tungsten of the Fields, male Knight. Sir Tungsten-of-the-Fields, captain of the Men of Courage, is the most brilliant military prodigy to have come from Karameikan lands in the last three decades. With a reputation for unwavering steadfastness and loyalty, Tungsten has made himself a legend at the incredibly young age of 21. Orphaned as a child, he was placed under the care of the Church of Karameikos, where he spent the majority of his youth. Before the age of 12, the boy’s adoptive father, Father Uther, passed away of old age, and Tungsten met the Archbishop of Mirros for the first time at the priest’s funeral.
Tungsten went on to attend the relatively new Korburg School of Liturgical Studies, to date the youngest student to enroll on record. His stay at the school would not last long, however, as his inflexible morality proved to be too stringent for the philosophical applications required of the institution. He came again to the attention of the Archbishop Brazzengarde, who had recently traded his lands in Karameikos to build a school of military studies in the Holy Vanyan Empire. Malhavoc personally tutored the boy for a few years, until at the age of 15 he left to study at the Vanyan Academy of War.
Tungsten excelled for all of his four years, quickly climbing the ranks of the Academy. After a particularly brave mission where he sacrificed himself for the rest of his team mates, who went on to win the battle, nearly cost him his life, Tungsten was granted the great honor of Master of Courage. He graduated shortly thereafter, and was invited a position to remain as an instructor for the future generations.
Tungsten accepted, molding many to his own particular take on the philosophy of battle – quite divergent from that of the Academy normally. His men were nicknamed the Men of Courage, specializing in field superiority and cavalry tactics. When the war against the Demon King broke out, Tungsten lobbied for his Men of Courage to take the field against the enemy as field experience – the ultimate test of their abilities. He was allowed, and the Men of Courage went on to become one of the rising stars of the War of the Demon King.
It was for his leadership of the Men of Courage that Tungsten drew the attention of Prince Argent Karameikos-Hyraskos, serving as a supply sergeant for the Karameikan Army. The Prince recommended Tungsten for knighthood after learning that Tungsten was of Karameikan birth, and Queen Adriana, desperate for heroes and good news of the war, readily accepted. Sir Tungsten was knighted, in a lavish ceremony attended by many in Mirros’ upper strata. He returned to the field of battle the next day, forging an alliance between his Men of Courage and the Church of Karameikos.
Valeria, female human Druidic Heirophant. Heirophant of the Dymrak Forest order of druids, Valeria met the Champions long before their names were legend. She sought their assistance in stopping one of the more fanatical members of her order from draining the world of all magic through the use of a specially constructed sphere of draining. The party managed to stop the renegade druids, for which they gained the young druidesses’ favor.
Valeria continued to have varied contact with Drakath Tanilia. When the wizard became afflicted with lycanthropy, she sent a student of hers to act as a guardian on their travels across Ravenloft. When the party returned the world had changed, and the echoes of war were beginning to erupt. After the rescue of Karameikos from the hands of the Blackguard, Valeria and Drakath finally managed to find time to spend together. Valeria did not join the fighting directly, but did serve as a support and advisor to Drakath. When the Black War ended, she was named the Heirophant of the Dymrak order of druids in Karameikos. There she managed to stay close with the archmage, and the two have continued their relationship.
Vayne Ondurin, male Wizard. Lord Regent of Transmutation for the Glantri School of Magic, Vayne Ondurin is a keeper of ancient lore and a man of many comforts. He offered the Champions some assistance in their search for the knowledge of the Rings of the Spheres, and allowed them to stay at his place while their research was ongoing.
Victor Radu, male Rogue/Noble. Lord Victor Radu is the last remaining son of the Radu Clan of Traladaran Families, and the leader of the Traladaran peoples in Karameikos. He inherited the position of Clan Head when his father Anton was murdered as a victim of the thieves’ guild war. Victor, as shrewd a politician as his father, took the reigns of the Radu family, quickly pacifying enmities with the other Traladaran heads and quietly neutralizing all Radu politics. When the Traladaran insurrection came, Victor remained placently neutral, while Boris Torenescu thought him compliant.
Upon the return of the Champions to Karameikos, Victor formulated a plan to advance his power. He gave the Champions shelter and fed them information about the Traladaran and invading forces, and gave the Champions access to a meeting between Governor-General Arwen Forsythe and the Torenescu heads. There, the Champions cut off the head of the invasion, and sparked the liberating call throughout Karameikos. With the head of the two rival Traladaran families cut off, Victor rose as the last remaining stronghold of Traladaran traditions.
He has lobbied this position well, getting himself elected as the Lord Chamberlain of the Karameikan Senate. There he is both feared and admired by his peers, as a mind of sharp cunning and and wit. His politics, whole progressive by Traladaran standards, still continue to push towards a preservation of Traladaran customs, and he is a staunch supporter of the Church of Traladara, making him the sometimes-political-opponent of Patrairch Malhavoc Brazzengarde.
Zandra Sulanov, LG female human Paladin, Knight of the Order of Karameikos. Head of the Order of Karameikos and former Minister of War, Zandra was one of the most accomplished Karameikans following the kingdom’s separation from Thyatis. Daughter of a wealthy Traladaran family, Zandra joined the military at a young age during her Shearing. She rose through the ranks quickly for her tactical abilities and her uncompromising ability towards evil. When Lord Lucius Hyraskos was seeking a replacement for the position of Minister of War, he thought immediately of Zandra.
In her mid twenties, Zandra was the youngest of the Kingdom’s ministers, and perhaps the most idealistic. Together with King Stefan, she founded the Order of the Knights of Karameikos, recruiting the most powerful, wise and faithful paladins of the Kingdom into joining. Among this crop of paladins was James Korrelin, father of Aramil Korrelin. Zandra was relatively newly appointed when Stefan declared his secession from Thyatis, and planned the major battles of the Kingdom’s rebellion. Her victories during the War of the Immortals gained her much acclaim, and quieted any fears that the King might have held about her ability to run the Ministry of War.
When the Order of the Black Guard began to operate within Karameikos, she declared an errantry war against them. Members of the Order were tasked with locating and disrupting all of the Black Guard’s operations fervently throughout the Kingdom. These early efforts helped stymie the Black War for as long as possible, until the Order became embroiled in the near civil war between the Traladaran revolutionaries and the crown, fueled by the shadow war between the Iron Ring and the Veiled Society.
Zandra stood by the King’s side when Karameikos was invaded, and was the last warrior to fall to the enemy when they invaded Mirros and the King’s Palace. Zandra was taken prisoner alongside the King, and was later freed by Tug Heavyfut and the Champions. When it came time to fight for the Kingdom’s side, she did something she had never before done: She called a warhorse.
It is every paladin’s prerogative to entwine their spirit with that of a powerful steed – a constant companion against the forces of darkness. Zandra had never seen a need to, prefering instead to ride the backs of the same horsemen that a commoner would. She reasoned that at some time a day would come, the eve of some great battle, when she would summon her mount and the great steed would answer. The day of the insurrection against the invaders was the eve of that great battle. She called, and in answer came a silver dragon. Zandra rode the dragon into battle, assisting the Champions of Mystara from the air against the Thyatian invaders. Together, they managed to retake the palace and expell the invaders from Karameikos.
Zandra continued to lead Karameikos’ troops in battle throughout the Black War. After the war was over, she began an aggressive recruitment campaign to ready the Kingdom’s defenses. She restructured the Kingdom’s military and expanded it greatly, nearly doubling the number of active duty soldiers in peacetime. Zandra gave up the position of Minister of War when the Queen asked for her resignation, and focused her efforts entirely on the training of new members of the Order. Now in her sixties, Zandra no longer actively participates in missions for the Order, relaying all of these responsibilites to the office of the Acting Commander. She spends most of her time in her estate to the northeast of Mirros, Silverpoint Keep, which serves as a second headquarters for the Order outside of the city.
Enemies
Esharlean Masslivak, female yuan-ti noble. Princess of the Darashi Clan, she was sent to the Brun Defense Compact forces in Bao’Garan to sue for peace with the human kingdom between the Yuan’ti and the BDC. Aramil, Malhavoc and Sigil found her amidst a grizzly slaughter of dozens of yuan’ti following the siege of Bao’garan, and she asked Aramil for assylum. Despite granting her plea, Aramil placed her under guard and kept her from speaking with Queen Adriana, despite her multiple protests. For this reason, she feels slighted towards Aramil and the Champions, and attempted upon her arrival to Karameikos to have Aramil’s title and lands revoked. She failed, and continues to simmer in her political scheming.
The Iron Ring, thieves’ guild. An organized group of bruisers, highwaymen and robbers, the Champions dealt the Iron Ring a heavy blow when they killed the leader and founder, Bargle the Infamous, when he attempted to strike a deal with the Blackguard to take the city of Mirros from the Veiled Society. Bargle was betrayed, however, as the Blackguard’s assistance was just a ploy to get the Iron Ring and Veiled Society at their throats in order to incite a riot between the Traladarans and the Thyatians in Karameikos to open the way for the invasion that would start the Black War. Broken, but not destroyed, the Iron Ring went again underground and has remained in the shadows of Karameikos ever since.
Order of the Blackguard, knightly order and cult. Although their powers have waned since the end of the Black War, the Blackguard continue to toil and work underground towards the glory of their dark master, the newly Immortalized Black Wraith. Wherever there is a knightly order of virtous paladins, the Blackguard begin to form a presence like a cancer. Dedicated to the eradication of virtue, the Blackguard are far more leaning towards subtle manipulation and temptation from their overtake-the-world roots, having learned the virtues of secrecy from having been nearly eradicated.
The Veiled Society, thieves’ guild. The Veiled Society, largely known to be the Traladaran mafia, were manipulated by the Thyatian Praetor – later learned to be the Black Wraith – into a shadow war with the Iron Ring that drew the attention of the Order of Karameikos. The guild war led to the assassination of the Society’s leadership, which allowed the Traladaran families to ban together against Stefan Karameikos’ rule and instigated a new rebellion. The Kingdom buckled under the threat of civil war, leaving Mirros wide open for Thyatian invasion. The Veiled Society continues to operate within Mirros and the larger Karameikan cities where the old Traladaran families continue to exist, although they no longer hold the power they used to.
Unknown
The Mysterious Stranger, unknown entity. Arriving out of nowhere, the Mysterious Stranger first appeared to the Champions at the base of the Cave Without End. The Stranger attacked Aramil on sight, without even a word. When the party refused to fight back, he drew first blood, at which point Atton jumped on him. The Stranger easily sidestepped Atton’s attack, knocking him to the ground. Tasting Aramil’s blood from his claws, the Stranger declared that the Champions were not yet ready, and ripped open a portal in reality.
Some of the Champions followed into the portal, finding themselves in a strange void. There, a voice gave them directions to the lair of the Fire King, offering no useful explanation to their cryptic circumstances.
The Champions again were confronted with the Stranger in the Necrohol of Xactaquaritzl, where the Stranger helped to even the numbers in the battle by taking out several of the mummies under the command of the Tomb King. He once again declared the party unready, and slipped away, this time with no followers.