Marella “Spark” Vint - Human Expert

Marella “Spark” Vint

Level 4 Expert

Female Human Expert 4
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 12 (+2 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Flintlock, Light +5 ranged (1d8/x3) or dagger +3 melee (1d4/19–20)
Full Attack: Flintlock, Light +5 ranged (1d8/x3) or dagger +3 melee (1d4/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Risk-Taker (Ex)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Craft (Engineering) +11, Craft (Alchemy) +9, Disable Device +9, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +9, Profession (Siege Engineer) +8, Use Rope +6, Appraise +7, Spot +6
Feats: Demolitions, Skill Focus (Craft [Engineering]), Point Blank Shot
Environment: Any urban or frontier settlement
Organization: Solitary or with 1–2 accomplices
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Dwarven

Possessions: Flintlock, Light; dagger; powder and shot (2 pouches); assortment of fuses, wires, and ignition tools; small toolkit (engineering and alchemical); worn leather satchel; 18 gp

Risk-Taker (Ex): Marella gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid catastrophic firearm failure or explosions. She takes a –2 penalty on Will saves against effects that would prevent her from engaging in obviously dangerous actions involving fire, explosions, or unstable devices.

Physical Description

Marella is a wiry woman with sharp, slightly asymmetrical features and a constant, unsettling grin that never quite reaches her eyes. Her skin is weathered and marked by minor burns and powder stains, while her hands are perpetually blackened from soot and chemical residue. Her dark hair is loosely tied back, though strands frequently escape and cling to her damp face.

Her clothing is practical but heavily worn — a rough linen blouse, a wool skirt, and a patched leather vest, all stained with dirt, oil, and scorch marks. Various tools, wires, and lengths of fuse are tucked into her belt and pockets in no apparent order, suggesting both constant use and a lack of concern for organization.

Lore

Marella Vint, known as “Spark,” built her reputation not through caution or discipline, but through survival. Beginning as a simple laborer assisting in demolition and construction, she quickly demonstrated an unusual aptitude for understanding structural weaknesses and the application of explosive force. Where others required careful calculation and oversight, Marella relied on instinct, experimentation, and an alarming willingness to accept failure.

Over time, she became proficient with firearms and gunpowder alike, developing an intuitive grasp of how pressure, confinement, and ignition interact. This knowledge, however, was never tempered by restraint. Marella’s methods are effective, but often excessive — she has a tendency to escalate situations beyond necessity simply to see what happens.

What sets Marella apart is not recklessness born of ignorance, but a genuine indifference to her own survival. She does not seek death, nor does she fear it. To her, life is simply a sequence of increasingly interesting risks, and she sees no reason to avoid one simply because it might be fatal. This perspective makes her both dangerously unpredictable and strangely reliable - if something needs to be destroyed, Marella will see it done, regardless of the cost.

Marisella Vance - Human Pirate Bard

Marisella “Stormsong” Vance

Race: Human (Créole)
Class: Bard 10
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 10d6+20 (55 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (10 base, +4 Dex, +4 armor, +1 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+8
Attack: +1 scimitar +12 melee (1d6+2/18–20)
Full Attack: +1 scimitar +12/+7 melee (1d6+2/18–20) and masterwork dagger +11 melee (1d4+1/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bardic Music 10/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire courage +2, inspire competence, suggestion, inspire greatness), spells
Special Qualities: Bardic Knowledge +13
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +8
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18
Skills: Balance +17, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +17, Gather Information +15, Perform (sing) +19, Profession (sailor) +13, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +15, Tumble +17, Use Magic Device +17
Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Combat Casting, Dodge, Mobility
Environment: Warm coastal regions and open seas
Organization: Solitary, crew leader (Marisella plus 6–20 pirates), or aboard a ship crew
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard (plus ship share, jewelry, and fine instruments)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun

Possessions: +1 scimitar, masterwork dagger, mithral shirt, cloak of charisma +2, ring of protection +1, masterwork concertina, spell component pouch, assorted jewelry and nautical charms

Spells Known (CL 10th, concentration +14)

3rd (3/day): haste, displacement, charm monster
2nd (4/day): mirror image, invisibility, suggestion, glitterdust
1st (4/day): grease, charm person, expeditious retreat, cure light wounds
0 (6/day): daze, detect magic, ghost sound, prestidigitation, message, flare

Physical Description

Marisella embodies the unmistakable presence of the Créole people - a living blend of distant northern ancestry and southern heritage shaped by heat, salt, and culture. Her skin carries a rich, warm brown tone, often sun-kissed from long days at sea, contrasted by striking sea-green eyes that seem to catch light like shallow water. Her dark, naturally curly hair is thick and expressive, usually tied back with beads, coins, and carved charms, though it never fully submits to order.

Her movements carry an inherent rhythm. Even at rest, there is a subtle cadence to how she shifts her weight or turns her head, and when she speaks, her accent flows with a musical lilt shaped by Franche roots. Her voice rarely lands flat - it rises, falls, and lingers, giving even casual speech a performative quality.

Her attire reflects both identity and profession. Bright sashes and layered fabrics hint at cultural tradition, while her weathered longcoat and hidden mithral shirt speak to survival at sea. Her scimitar rests at her left hip and dagger at her right, positioned for effortless ambidextrous use, making it clear that everything she wears serves both form and function.

Lore

Marisella was raised in a Créole port community where Franche was spoken as naturally as breathing and music was woven into everyday life. Songs carried memory, warning, humor, and identity. From an early age, she learned that a voice could shape not just emotion, but outcome.

That understanding became the foundation of her power. Her bardic magic is deeply rooted in Créole musical tradition - layered rhythms, shifting tones, and fluid language that blends Franche, Cajun, and Common seamlessly. Even those who don’t understand the words feel their weight. Her performances don’t just entertain - they influence, unsettle, and inspire.

Her transition into piracy came not from ambition, but necessity. Refusing to be controlled or owned, she took to the sea and found something unexpected - freedom that matched her spirit. There, her music evolved. The crash of waves, the groan of wood, the chaos of battle - it all became part of her song.

Among sailors, her name carries weight. “Stormsong” is spoken with equal parts admiration and caution. Some believe her voice can sway fate itself. Others say the sea listens when she sings. Marisella neither confirms nor denies it - but she chooses her songs carefully.

Marisella holds a deep and personal hatred for the pirate Captain Garsh, a man whose brutality and hunger for control stand in direct opposition to everything she values; where she fights for freedom, he crushes it. Their paths have crossed more than once, each encounter sharpening her resolve to see him undone. On at least one notable occasion, she set aside the rivalries of land and sea to ally with the elusive mermaid Mairabella, their combined efforts turning the waters themselves against him - songs above deck and siren calls below, striking his crew from both realms. Though Garsh still sails, he does so wary of certain melodies on the wind and shadows beneath the waves, knowing Stormsong has not finished with him.

Combat Tactics

Marisella treats combat as a living performance, establishing control through rhythm before blades ever decide the outcome.

She typically begins with Inspire Courage, her voice rising clear and commanding, often threaded with Franche phrasing that gives her magic a distinctive cadence. From there, she moves constantly, using Tumble to weave through combat while engaging enemies with a fluid scimitar and dagger combination.

Her dual-wielding style reflects her musical nature - the scimitar delivers sweeping, flowing strikes while the dagger punctuates with quick, precise hits. Together, they create a rhythm that is difficult to predict and harder to counter.

Her spellcasting reinforces her mobility and control. Mirror Image and Displacement make her elusive, while Grease and Glitterdust disrupt enemy positioning. She frequently embeds Suggestion within her singing, influencing opponents without breaking tempo.

If pressed, she disengages using Invisibility or Expeditious Retreat, repositioning to regain control of the fight. Once she establishes tempo, enemies often find themselves reacting instead of acting - and against Marisella, that is where battles are lost.

Personality

Marisella is vibrant, expressive, and fiercely independent, shaped equally by her Créole heritage and her life at sea. She embraces life fully - laughter, danger, music, and all - rarely holding back once she commits to a moment.

Her speech carries warmth and musicality, often slipping between languages depending on emotion or intent. She is quick with humor, sharper with insight, and far more observant than her playful demeanor suggests.

Freedom defines her. Not as an abstract concept, but as something lived, protected, and never surrendered. She values loyalty, but never ownership - and expects the same in return.

Wherever she goes, she leaves an impression. And when she sings, that impression lingers long after the sound itself has faded.

Marcelline Broussard - Human Druid

Marcelline Broussard

Female Human Druid 7

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 ( +2 Dex, +4 armor, +1 natural ), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5 / +5
Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6/18–20)
Full Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6/18–20) or sling +7 ranged (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Wild Shape (2/day), spontaneous casting (summon nature’s ally), venom affinity (see Special Qualities)
Special Qualities: Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy +9, woodland stride, trackless step, resist nature’s lure, insect empathy (custom), venom resistance +4
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +8
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 13
Skills: Concentration +12, Handle Animal +11, Heal +10, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +10, Spot +10, Survival +13, Hide +6, Move Silently +6
Feats: Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Natural Spell
Environment: Warm marshes and swamps (bayou)
Organization: Solitary or with animal companion
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun
Possessions: +1 leather armor fashioned from treated gator hide, masterwork scimitar with carved bone hilt, sling and pouch of smooth river stones, cloak of resistance +1, druid’s vestments adorned with beetle shells and cicada wings, herbalism kit, fetishes of bone and chitin, spell component pouch, various preserved venoms in stoppered glass vials

Animal Companion

Giant Dragonfly (reskinned Dire Hawk statistics)
Functions as a dire hawk with insect traits - chitinous body, compound eyes, and silent hovering flight. Marcelline uses it for scouting and delivering venom-laced distractions.

Special Qualities (Expanded)

Insect Empathy (Ex):
Marcelline may use wild empathy on vermin with an Intelligence of 1 or 2 as if they were animals. Mindless vermin are not affected, but she can influence swarms through pheromonal mixtures and subtle druidic magic, granting her a +4 circumstance bonus when interacting with insect-based creatures.

Venom Resistance (Ex):
Years of careful exposure grant her a +4 bonus on saves against poison. She often microdoses venoms to build tolerance.

Venom Affinity (Su):
Any summoned creatures via summon nature’s ally gain a +2 bonus to poison DCs if they possess a venom attack.

Typical Druid Spells Prepared (CL 7th, DC 13 + spell level)

0 (6): Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Resistance
1st (5): Entangle, Obscuring Mist, Produce Flame, Speak with Animals, Faerie Fire
2nd (4): Barkskin, Summon Swarm, Fog Cloud, Lesser Restoration
3rd (3): Call Lightning, Poison, Sleet Storm
4th (2): Giant Vermin, Reincarnate

Physical Description

Marcelline Broussard looks like she was born from the swamp and never quite left it. Her skin carries a warm, sun-darkened tone, freckled lightly across the nose and cheeks, while her long black hair is usually tied back with strips of worn cloth and bits of chitin. Strands of it are perpetually damp from the humidity, curling slightly at the ends. Her eyes - a sharp, mossy green - are always moving, scanning, noticing things most people never would.

Her clothing is practical but deeply personal. Soft leather armor, dyed in muted greens and browns, is layered with small charms made from beetle shells, cicada husks, and carved bone. Around her neck hangs a cord strung with tiny glass vials, each holding different shades of liquid - amber, green, milky white - her collected venoms. Her boots are caked in old mud that never quite washes out, and she walks with the steady, confident footing of someone who knows exactly where the ground is safe.

There’s always a faint hum around her. Sometimes it’s just the swamp. Sometimes… it isn’t.

Lore

Marcelline was born deep in the bayou to a family that understood the land not as something to tame, but something to listen to. While others feared the insects - the biting, stinging, crawling things that define swamp life - she was fascinated by them. Where most saw nuisance, she saw order. Purpose. A quiet, relentless intelligence.

Her early years were marked by long days trailing behind elders who taught her the rhythms of water and root, but it was the smaller lives that called to her. She learned how ants reorganize after destruction, how dragonflies hunt with surgical precision, how certain beetles only emerge when death has already begun its work. Insects, to Marcelline, were not lesser creatures - they were the true custodians of the wild.

As her druidic power grew, so did her connection to these creatures. She began cultivating venoms, not as weapons of cruelty, but as tools - precise, controlled, and purposeful. She uses them to heal, to hunt, and when necessary, to defend. Her magic reflects this philosophy: swarms answer her call, chitinous forms swell to unnatural size, and even the air around her can thrum with unseen wings.

Marcelline is not merely a practitioner of druidic tradition but a quiet scholar of the smallest lives that define the bayou, having authored three distinct and widely circulated treatises on insectology (aka entomology), each reflecting a different facet of her understanding - one a practical field guide to identification and behavior, another a dense and meticulous study of venom properties and applications, and the third a more philosophical work exploring the role of insects as agents of balance, decay, and renewal within the natural order. Her writings are sought after by herbalists, hunters, and even certain less reputable alchemists, though few who read them fully grasp the deeper message threaded throughout: that the smallest creatures are not merely part of the world, but the forces that quietly determine its fate.

Among the scattered communities of the bayou, Marcelline is something of a whispered figure. Some call her a protector. Others - especially those who’ve felt the creeping warning of a swarm gathering too close - call her something else entirely. But those who truly understand the swamp know this:

If the insects are restless…
Marcelline is already watching.

Kelwyn’s Notes

Ah… Marcelline Broussard. Yes, I have had the distinct - and increasingly persistent - pleasure of crossing paths with that remarkable woman no fewer than six times. Each encounter has been heralded not by fanfare, nor by the expected signs of a druid’s passing, but by the subtle, rising chorus of wings. One does not meet Marcelline so much as realize, often too late, that one has already been observed by her. There is, I must admit, something undeniably captivating about her presence - a quiet confidence wrapped in mud, chitin, and the faint suggestion that one is being politely assessed for decomposition.

She is not merely a caretaker of the swamp - she is an interpreter of its smallest, most easily dismissed voices. Where most druids lean toward fang and root, Marcelline has aligned herself with the infinitely patient, the innumerable, the inevitable. Insects do not rage, they do not plead - they persist. And so too does she. Her magic reflects this philosophy with unnerving clarity. It is not dramatic, not theatrical, but precise… incremental… inescapable. One does not fend off Marcelline’s influence - one is simply, gradually, overcome by it.

To the uninitiated, she is disarming - soft-spoken, observant, even warm in her own peculiar fashion. But that warmth carries conditions, most of which are unspoken and all of which are enforced by a thousand unseen agents. I have witnessed seasoned travelers grow deeply uncomfortable under her gaze, though they could not articulate why. It is because she measures worth differently. Not by strength, nor by intent, but by one’s place within a system far older and far less forgiving than any civilized law. Those who fit… are tolerated. Those who do not… are corrected.

And here, I confess, lies my irritation. She is, in every sense, lovely. Intelligent, composed, and possessed of a perspective that is both rare and deeply compelling. And yet - she insists on demonstrating that perspective in ways that test the very limits of my patience. I recall, with vivid clarity, an incident involving a cluster of mosslings - harmless in isolation, mind you - which she had apparently “encouraged” into a state of collective agitation. What followed was less an encounter and more a prolonged negotiation with a hanging, damp, mildly sentient inconvenience that refused to respect personal space. She found this educational. I found it moist, itchy, and profoundly unnecessary.

Still… one cannot dismiss her. Marcelline Broussard is not chaos, nor cruelty, nor even mischief in the traditional sense. She is balance - but not the gentle kind so often romanticized. Hers is the balance of rot and renewal, of swarm and silence, of the quiet understanding that the smallest things, given time, will inherit everything.

And should you ever feel the faint brush of wings where none should be…

I would advise you to mind your place in the world.

She already has.

Madame Celestine Dupré - Human Expert

Madame Celestine Dupré, Queen of the Velvet Lantern

Female human Expert 7

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 7d6+7 (31 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (10 base, +1 Dex, +3 clothing, +1 deflection), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+5
Attack: Dagger +5 melee (1d4/19–20) or light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Full Attack: Dagger +5 melee (1d4/19–20) or light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Wealthy Patronage, Social Authority, Network of Informants, Business Acumen, Protected Establishment
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +7
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18
Skills: Appraise +12, Bluff +17, Diplomacy +19, Gather Information +17, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (local) +12, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +10, Profession (madam) +16, Sense Motive +14, Speak Language (Franche, Cajun), Use Magic Device +9
Feats: Negotiator, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Profession [madam]), Wealthy
Environment: Urban (Red Lantern District)
Organization: Solitary (unique) or with staff (10–40 employees, including guards, attendants, and workers)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double standard (plus business holdings worth tens of thousands of gp)
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Franche, Cajun
Possessions: Fine noble clothing, signet jewelry worth 2,500 gp, hidden dagger, light crossbow with 20 bolts, ledgers of coded accounts, keys to multiple properties, potion of cure moderate wounds (2), perfume vials (luxury, 300 gp total), discreet sending stone linked to her head of security, strongbox containing 1,200 gp, letters of favor from minor nobles, contracts of employment

Special Qualities (Detailed)

Wealthy Patronage (Ex)

Madame Dupré benefits from the Wealthy feat and receives a steady income from her family and business interests.

• Monthly Income: 4d4 × 100 gp (Cha +4)
• This income requires her to maintain favorable standing with her Créole benefactors and business partners.
• If her reputation is significantly damaged or her alliances collapse, this income may be reduced or lost at the DM’s discretion.

In addition, she maintains access to liquid funds equal to at least 1,000 gp per character level for operational needs, though such wealth is rarely carried on her person.

Social Authority (Ex)

Within the Red Lantern District, Madame Dupré is treated as a figure of status and influence.

• Gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks when dealing with local officials, criminal elements, or merchants familiar with the district.
• As a full-round action, she may attempt to assert dominance socially:
  • Make a Diplomacy check opposed by Sense Motive
  • On success, the target’s attitude improves by two steps instead of one

This ability only functions where her reputation is recognized.

Network of Informants (Ex)

The Velvet Lantern acts as a nexus of whispered truths and careless confessions.

• After 1 hour of gathering information within her establishment:
  • She may take 10 on Gather Information checks, even under pressure
  • Time required to gather information is halved
• Once per day, she may declare an existing connection:
  • Gain a +10 circumstance bonus on a single Gather Information check

At the DM’s discretion, she may already possess minor but relevant knowledge tied to ongoing events.

Business Acumen (Ex)

Years of management have sharpened her economic instincts to a razor’s edge.

• Gains a +4 competence bonus on Appraise and Profession (madam)
• Always treated as having masterwork tools for Profession (madam)
• May reroll a failed Appraise or Profession (madam) check once per day

Additionally, after 1 minute of interaction and a successful Sense Motive check (DC 15), she can accurately gauge a creature’s relative wealth and social standing.

Protected Establishment (Ex)

Within the Velvet Lantern, Madame Dupré is never truly vulnerable.

• While inside her establishment, she gains:
  • +2 morale bonus on Will saves
  • +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate
• Creatures acting openly hostile toward her within the establishment take a –2 penalty on social checks, as staff interference and social pressure undermine them.

Physical Description

Madame Celestine Dupré is a striking woman in her early forties, with deep mahogany skin and an effortless, commanding grace. Her dark hair is worn in elaborate pinned styles, often adorned with jeweled combs or fresh flowers that somehow never wilt. Her eyes are sharp and observant, the kind that miss nothing, paired with a smile that can soften into warmth or sharpen into warning in a heartbeat.

She dresses in layered silks and velvets tailored to emphasize status rather than seduction - rich burgundies, deep violets, and midnight blues. Gold jewelry rests at her throat and wrists, each piece chosen with deliberate restraint. She does not glitter - she signals. Even at rest, her posture is impeccable, her presence controlled, her movements economical.

Her voice carries a low, musical warmth, shifting fluidly between Common, Franche, and Cajun. In Franche, she sounds aristocratic and precise. In Cajun, she becomes intimate, familiar, and quietly dangerous - the tone of someone who knows exactly how close you are standing to trouble.

Lore

Madame Dupré is not merely the proprietor of the Velvet Lantern - she is its architect, its spine, and its unspoken law. Under her direction, what was once a modest house has become the most prestigious and tightly run establishment in the Red Lantern District. Nobles arrive in disguise, merchants arrive in confidence, and criminals arrive carefully. All of them leave lighter in coin and heavier with obligation.

She does not work the floor, nor does she allow anyone to mistake her role. Her authority is administrative, social, and absolute. Every worker under her roof is contracted, protected, and expected to meet her standards. Violence is rare within her walls not because it is forbidden, but because it is unwise. Those who break her rules do not cause scenes - they simply disappear from opportunity, from protection, from relevance.

Her greatest strength is information. The Velvet Lantern is a place where powerful people forget to guard their words. Through careful listening and sharper memory, she compiles a living web of leverage - favors owed, secrets traded, alliances strained. She does not blackmail recklessly. She invests. A secret unused is worth more than one spent cheaply.

Despite her independence, she remains tied to the Créole family network that elevated her. Gifts are sent. Appearances are maintained. Respect is performed as much as it is felt. She understands that power is not ownership - it is permission, continuously negotiated. And so she maintains that permission with elegance, precision, and an unerring sense of timing.

Those who see her as merely a madam misunderstand the structure of power in the district. Madame Dupré does not sell pleasure. She curates access - to influence, to discretion, to survival. And in a city like this, that is worth far more than gold.

Maribel Thistlewick - Gnome Expert

Maribel Thistlewick, Hearthmother of the Lower Wards

Female Gnome Expert 6

Size/Type: Small Humanoid (Gnome)
Hit Dice: 6d6 (21 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 armor), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4 / –2
Attack: Dagger +7 melee (1d3–1/19–20) or light crossbow +7 ranged (1d6/19–20)
Full Attack: Dagger +7 melee (1d3–1/19–20) or light crossbow +7 ranged (1d6/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision; gnome racial traits (+2 saves vs. illusions, +1 attack vs. kobolds and goblinoids, +4 dodge AC vs. giants, +2 Listen checks, +2 Craft (alchemy) checks)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +6
Ability Scores: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 13
Skills: Craft (alchemy) +15, Heal +13, Profession (herbalist) +13, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge (local) +8, Gather Information +8, Diplomacy +10, Sense Motive +11, Listen +9, Spot +9, Speak Language (Elven), Speak Language (Sylvan), Speak Language (Franche), Speak Language (Cajun)
Feats: Skill Focus (Heal), Skill Focus (Craft [alchemy]), Negotiator
Environment: Urban
Organization: Solitary or with 1–2 assistants (commoners 1–2)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard (primarily in herbs, tinctures, and alchemical supplies)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Gnome, Elven, Sylvan, Franche, Cajun
Possessions: Leather apron, healer’s kit (fully stocked), alchemist’s lab (home-based), assortment of herbs and poultices, 3 potions of cure light wounds, antitoxin (2), smokestick (1), masterwork dagger, light crossbow with 20 bolts, simple wooden holy charm (nonmagical), midwife’s tools (clean cloths, cord ties, small knives), satchel of dried medicinal plants

Physical Description

Maribel Thistlewick is a small, steady presence - the kind of person who makes a room feel calmer simply by being in it. Barely over three feet tall, she carries herself with quiet assurance rather than urgency. Her olive-toned skin is marked faintly by years of work, and her hazel-green eyes are attentive without ever feeling intrusive.

Her dark brown hair is usually kept in a practical braid, though loose curls escape when her work runs long - which is often. She wears layered, well-used clothing suited for constant movement, covered by a leather apron stained with tinctures and herbal oils. Small pouches line her belt, each carefully organized, each exactly where her hands expect it to be.

Her hands are the most telling thing about her - steady, worn, and precise. They move with the confidence of long practice, whether mixing remedies, stitching wounds, or guiding a new life into the world.

Lore

In the lower wards, Maribel is simply there - a constant in a place where little else is reliable. When someone falls ill, when a wound turns bad, when labor begins too early or too hard, her name passes quietly from one person to another until it reaches the right ears. She does not advertise, and she does not refuse. Coin helps, but need is what brings her to a bedside.

Her apothecary is less a shop and more a lived-in space of care. Shelves bow under jars of dried herbs and cloudy mixtures, bundles hang from the rafters, and the air is thick with the sharp, grounding scent of medicine in its most honest form. People come for remedies, but they stay because she listens - truly listens - in a way few others in the city ever do.

As a midwife, she is trusted without question. She brings a quiet authority to every birth, guiding mothers through fear with calm words, switching effortlessly between Common, Cajun, and Franche depending on what soothes best. She treats each child as something fragile and fiercely important, keeping mental note of families, histories, and hardships long after the moment has passed.

Maribel understands the city’s harsher truths - the desperation, the quiet suffering, the systems that overlook entire neighborhoods. She has had opportunities to leave, to practice somewhere cleaner, safer, more profitable. She never has. To her, healing is not about comfort or recognition - it is about presence. And in the places most forgotten, she has chosen to remain exactly where she is needed.

Sélène Vireaux - Half-Elf Thieves' Guild Master

Sélène Vireaux, Veil of the Marai

Female Half-Elf (Creole/Wood Elf) Rogue 15

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Elf, Human)
Hit Dice: 15d6+30 (82 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (+5 Dex, +5 armor, +3 deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+12
Attack: +1 keen rapier +17 melee (1d6+2/15–20) or masterwork hand crossbow +17 ranged (1d4/19–20)
Full Attack: +1 keen rapier +17/+12/+7 melee (1d6+2/15–20) or masterwork hand crossbow +17/+12/+7 ranged (1d4/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak attack +8d6, crippling strike, opportunist 1/day
Special Qualities: Evasion, improved evasion, trapfinding, trap sense +4, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge, elf traits, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +14, Will +6
Ability Scores: Str 12, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 18
Skills: Appraise +12, Balance +15, Bluff +22, Climb +10, Diplomacy +20, Disable Device +22, Disguise +18 (+20 acting), Escape Artist +18, Gather Information +22, Hide +23, Intimidate +20, Jump +10, Knowledge (local) +18, Listen +15, Move Silently +23, Open Lock +23, Search +18, Sense Motive +15, Sleight of Hand +21, Speak Language (Common, Elven, Franche, Cajun), Spot +15, Tumble +23, Use Magic Device +20
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Bluff), Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Iron Will
Environment: Urban (Ville des Marai)
Organization: Solitary (guildmaster), or with 2–6 lieutenants and 10–40 guild thieves
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: Double standard (plus guild-controlled assets)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Elven, Franche, Cajun, Thieves’ Cant
Possessions: +3 shadow studded leather armor, +1 keen rapier, masterwork dagger (boot-sheathed), masterwork hand crossbow with 20 bolts, ring of protection +3, cloak of elvenkind, gloves of dexterity +2, hat of disguise, potion of invisibility (2), potion of cure serious wounds (2), assorted signet tokens and coded ledgers, hidden network keys to guild safehouses

Physical Description

Sélène Vireaux moves like a secret that has learned how to walk. She stands just under average height, her frame lean and efficient, shaped more by survival than vanity. Her copper-brown skin reflects her wood elven heritage, while her features carry the warmth and expressive subtlety of her créole lineage. Her eyes - a striking blend of green and hazel - rarely rest in one place for long, always tracking, always measuring.

Her dark, tightly curled hair is usually pinned in a style that looks effortless but never is, with deliberate loose strands framing her face. She favors layered clothing in river-muted tones - moss green, wet bark brown, deep charcoal - blending practical elven sensibilities with the understated elegance of créole fashion. Leather is always present, though never obvious, worked seamlessly into her attire.

There is a faint scent about her - crushed herbs, damp earth, and something floral just beginning to turn bitter. It lingers after she leaves, often longer than is comfortable.

Lore

Sélène Vireaux was born between worlds, and from an early age she understood that belonging to none of them was its own kind of power. Her father, a créole broker of goods and quiet favors, taught her how cities breathe - where wealth flows, where it stalls, and where it rots. Her mother, a wood elf who never fully trusted stone walls or crowded streets, taught her how to move unseen, how to listen without being noticed, and how to wait without being forgotten.

She did not begin as a ruler of thieves. She began as something far more dangerous - someone who paid attention. In the docks, in the markets, in the low-lit corners where deals were made without witnesses, she listened. She learned who owed, who lied, who feared, and who thought themselves untouchable. By the time she was noticed by the guild, she already understood its weaknesses better than those who led it.

The transition of power was not marked by bloodshed, at least not publicly. The former guildmaster’s death was sudden, inconvenient, and impossible to trace. By the time suspicion began to circulate, Sélène had already stepped into the vacuum - not as a challenger, but as a solution. She did not seize control. She made herself necessary.

Under her leadership, the guild became something quieter and far more precise. Petty crime diminished, replaced by structured operations - smuggling, information brokerage, controlled extortion. Violence became rare, and therefore meaningful. The city’s officials began to notice a strange stability in the underworld, never quite realizing that it was being managed.

Sélène does not rule through fear alone, though fear is certainly present. She rules through inevitability. Deals made with her feel less like choices and more like conclusions that have already been reached. She is known to switch languages mid-conversation - Common for business, Franche for negotiation, and Cajun when things turn… personal. Those who hear that shift rarely misunderstand what follows.

In Ville des Marai, there are louder criminals. There are crueler ones. There are even more ambitious ones.

But there are very, very few who are more certain.

Mariette Thibodeaux - Human Traiteuse

Mariette Thibodeaux, Traiteuse of the Lower Reeds

Female Human Traiteur 5
Medium Humanoid (Human)

Hit Dice: 5d6+10 (28 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Sickle +4 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Sickle +4 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Gift of Aurelisse, Traitement (lesser, 4/day), Herbal Lore, Lay on Hands (15 hp/day), Marsh Sense, Remove Affliction (1/day)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 13
Skills: Concentration +10, Diplomacy +9, Heal +14, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (religion) +5, Profession (herbalist) +11, Sense Motive +8, Survival +11
Feats: Skill Focus (Heal), Negotiator, Self-Sufficient
Environment: Warm marshes and bayous (Ville des Marais)
Organization: Solitary or with 1–3 villagers
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard (primarily goods, food, and offerings; minimal coin)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Languages: Common, Cajun
Possessions: Simple linen dress, worn overtunic, cloth headscarf, sickle, woven herb basket, clay jars of poultices and oils, bone-and-herb charm necklace, walking stick, small river skiff, Charm of Quiet Hands (+2 competence bonus on Heal checks), Marshwater Phial (1/day reroll a Lay on Hands or Traitement healing result, must accept second result)

Physical Description

Mariette Thibodeaux is a weathered woman in her mid-40s, with sun-darkened skin and fine lines earned through years beneath open sky and reflected marshlight. Her dark hair, threaded with gray, is tied back with a simple cloth, though the humidity rarely allows it to stay contained. Her eyes are calm and steady, carrying a quiet attentiveness that suggests she is always listening - not just to those around her, but to the land itself.

She wears a loose, undyed linen dress belted at the waist, layered with a worn overtunic softened by years of use. The fabric is permanently marked by mud and water, the hem darkened from constant contact with the marsh. She often goes barefoot, her steps sure and practiced along unstable ground. Around her neck hangs a small charm of bone, twine, and dried herbs, worn smooth with time.

Lore

Mariette was raised in a small settlement deep within the lower reeds, where the land and water shaped every aspect of life. From a young age, she showed signs of the gift - small things at first, fevers breaking under her touch, pain easing when she sat beside it long enough. Her grandmother recognized it immediately and began the long, careful process of guiding her, never rushing, never explaining more than was needed at the time.

The knowledge of the traitement was not given all at once, but in fragments carried across years. The final words came only at the end, passed in a quiet moment at her grandmother’s bedside. Mariette has never spoken them outside of their purpose. To her, they are not meant to be understood, only carried and used as they were intended.

Now, she serves her community without ceremony or recognition. People come when they must, and leave what they can - eggs, bread, small kindnesses. She neither asks nor refuses. There are no signs marking her home, no formal title given to her by the people she helps. She simply remains, as steady and present as the land itself, offering what was given to her without claiming it as her own.

Marrec Landry - Human Dockside Collector

Marrec Landry, Dockside Collector

Male Human Rogue 2
Medium Humanoid (Human)

Hit Dice: 2d6+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 leather armor), touch 13, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: short sword +4 melee (1d6/19-20) or dagger +4 ranged (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.)
Full Attack: short sword +4 melee (1d6/19-20) or dagger +4 ranged (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: sneak attack +1d6
Special Qualities: trapfinding
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills: Bluff +5, Gather Information +6, Hide +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +8, Open Lock +7, Sleight of Hand +7, Spot +4, Tumble +7
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: urban (riverfront, docks)
Organization: solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: standard (plus ledger)
Alignment: neutral
Advancement: by character class
Level Adjustment: —

Languages: Common, Cajun

Possessions: leather armor, short sword, 3 daggers, thieves’ tools, water-stained ledger book, coin pouch (12 gp mixed coinage), cheap silver ring

Physical Description

Marrec Landry is lean and unassuming, the kind of man who looks like he’s worked his whole life without ever getting ahead. His clothes are practical and worn - dock boots, layered shirts, a weathered coat that could belong to any laborer along the waterfront. Nothing about him stands out at first glance.

Up close, the details tell a different story. His movements are too precise, his posture too balanced, and his eyes far too attentive. He watches everything - hands, voices, hesitation. The sort of gaze that notices what people wish went unseen.

Description

Along the riverfront, Marrec occupies a quiet but necessary role. He is not the man who lends coin, nor the one who enforces repayment with broken bones. He is the space between those things - the reminder that debts do not disappear.

He works through implication rather than force. A misplaced crate, a delayed shipment, a conversation that reaches the wrong ears at just the right time. Marrec understands that pressure, applied carefully, is more effective than violence ever could be.

His ledger is the heart of it all. Within its warped pages are not just names and numbers, but leverage - patterns of behavior, quiet weaknesses, and the invisible threads that bind the docks together.

Personality

Marrec is measured, cautious, and deeply pragmatic. He values stability above all else and avoids unnecessary risks whenever possible. Systems make sense to him. Chaos does not.

Adventurers unsettle him for that reason. They act without pattern, without restraint, and often without foresight. Still, he respects capability. If the party proves reliable, he can become a useful contact - careful, reserved, but valuable.

He is not cruel, and he is not kind. He is practical. People are not judged by who they are, but by what they do and what they owe.

Lore

Among dockworkers and small traders, the name Marrec Landry carries quiet recognition. Not fear, exactly - but awareness. Those who deal with him tend to settle their affairs promptly afterward.

He claims no official employer, and none openly claim him. Whether he serves a larger interest or simply maintains the illusion of one is unclear. The uncertainty works in his favor, and he does nothing to dispel it.

Marrec survives not by strength, but by attention. He listens when others talk too freely, watches when others grow careless, and acts before problems become visible.

By the time most people realize they are in trouble, Marrec has already accounted for it.

In plain terms, Marrec Landry collects debts for those who prefer not to do so themselves. He tracks what is owed, determines who can pay, and ensures that payment is made - not through overt violence, but through careful, escalating pressure. When necessary, he disrupts shipments, spreads inconvenient truths, or places the right words in the right ears until settling the debt becomes the easiest option. He is paid a portion of what he recovers, and the rest moves quietly up a chain of interests he does not openly name.

Rellin “Muck” Voss - Human Assassin

Rellin “Muck” Voss

Male Human Rogue 10
NG (publicly) / NE (in truth)

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 10d6+10 (45 hp)
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Mostly Harmless)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 Dex, +2 leather), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+5
Attack: Light crossbow +11 ranged (1d8/19–20) or dagger +9 melee (1d4+2/19–20)
Full Attack: Light crossbow +11/+6 ranged (1d8/19–20) or dagger +9/+4 melee
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.

Special Attacks: Sneak Attack +5d6, Poison Use
Special Qualities: Trapfinding, Evasion, Trap Sense +3, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge

Saves: Fort +4, Ref +11, Will +3
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 11

Skills: Bluff +13, Disguise +11 (+13 acting), Hide +19, Move Silently +19, Sleight of Hand +17, Spot +10, Listen +10, Open Lock +17, Disable Device +17, Tumble +17, Use Magic Device +11
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Finesse, Mostly Harmless, Darkstalker (Lords of Madness)

Environment: Urban slums
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard (often hidden, never carried openly)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

DESCRIPTION

Rellin Voss is the sort of man no one remembers seeing.

He stands barely five feet two inches tall, with a narrow chest, sunken cheeks, and limbs that look more like bundled twigs than muscle. His skin is perpetually stained with filth, his hair thin and greasy, and his clothing consists of layered rags stiffened by years of labor in stables, alleyways, and refuse pits. He smells faintly of rot, manure, and stagnant water - the honest scent of a life spent hauling other people’s waste.

He keeps his posture hunched, his gaze lowered, and his movements hesitant. When spoken to, he stammers. When struck, he recoils. When ignored, he disappears.

And he is ignored constantly.

COMBAT

Rellin does not fight - he arranges deaths.

He prefers to observe a target for days, learning routes, habits, blind corners, and moments of isolation. When the time comes, he strikes from concealment using a light crossbow loaded with poisoned quarrels - typically delivered from shadowed alleys, rooftops, or refuse carts.

If forced into close quarters, he becomes something else entirely: fast, precise, and utterly without hesitation. His dagger strikes are aimed for arteries, kidneys, and the base of the skull - always where it matters most.

His Mostly Harmless feat ensures he is almost never perceived as a threat until he is already acting.

Typical Tactics:

• Remains hidden among common laborers or refuse workers
• Uses disguise and filth as camouflage rather than concealment
• Opens with a poisoned sneak attack at range
• Withdraws immediately after the strike
• Uses crowds, alleys, and confusion to escape
• Avoids prolonged combat at all costs

GEAR

• +1 Light Crossbow
• 20 Bolts (typically poisoned)
• Dagger of Venom (primary assassination weapon)
• Leather armor (filthy, intentionally unimpressive)
• Disguise kit (hidden within refuse tools)
• Thieves’ tools
• Assorted contact poisons (varies by job)

Common Poisons Used:

• Medium Spider Venom
• Large Scorpion Venom
• Black Adder Venom

All poisons are carefully stored in grime-coated containers disguised as waste residue or alchemical runoff.

LORE

Rellin Voss was born in the lowest gutters of a crowded river city - the kind where sewage runs openly and the poor are simply part of the infrastructure.

He began life as a dung-boy, hauling night soil from wealthy districts before dawn. Invisible. Unwanted. Untouched.

And in that invisibility, he learned something profound:

No one sees what they refuse to value.

At some point - no one knows when - someone did see him. A handler. A broker. A whisper in the dark who realized that a man no one notices can go anywhere… and leave without memory.

Rellin was never trained in the traditional sense. No formal guild, no brotherhood, no doctrine. Just tasks. Simple at first. Then harder. Then quieter.

Now he is something rare - an assassin without reputation.

No wanted posters. No whispered name. No legend.

Just a man with a cart of filth… who was there the day someone important died.

PERSONALITY

Rellin is quiet, observant, and eerily patient.

He does not relish killing, but neither does he recoil from it. To him, death is transactional - a task completed, no more significant than hauling waste from one place to another.

He speaks softly, avoids eye contact, and instinctively lowers himself in the presence of others. Whether this is lingering habit or deliberate manipulation is difficult to tell.

The truth is simple:

Rellin has spent his entire life being beneath notice - and has weaponized that fact into something deadly.

ADVENTURE HOOKS

• A noble is assassinated in a locked courtyard - witnesses recall only a “filthy little worker” nearby
• The party unknowingly hires Rellin as a guide through the slums
• A rival assassin guild is trying (and failing) to identify an unknown killer disrupting their contracts
• Rellin is assigned to kill one of the PCs… and spends days traveling alongside them first

Brunna “Latchkey” Moltgrin - Dwarf Expert

Brunna “Latchkey” Moltgrin

Female Dwarf Expert 7
Lawful Neutral Medium humanoid (dwarf)

Hit Dice: 7d6+21 (45 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5 / +7
Attack: Light hammer +7 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack: Light hammer +7 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Dwarf traits (+2 vs. poison, +2 vs. spells and spell-like effects, stability, stonecunning), Urban trap sense +1
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +6
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 10
Skills: Appraise +14, Craft (locksmithing) +16, Craft (trapmaking) +14, Disable Device +15, Open Lock +17, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +12, Profession (locksmith) +13, Search +12, Sense Motive +11, Use Rope +8
Feats: Skill Focus (Open Lock), Nimble Fingers, Alertness
Environment: Urban
Organization: Solitary or workshop (Brunna plus 1–2 apprentices or street urchins)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard (plus masterwork artisan’s tools, specialized lock components, a jeweler's loop, and custom keys)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Advancement: By class
Level Adjustment: —

Urban Trap Sense (Ex): Brunna gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves and AC against traps and mechanical hazards in constructed environments. She also gains a +2 bonus on Search checks to notice hidden compartments, false panels, or tampered locking mechanisms within buildings.

DESCRIPTION

Brunna Moltgrin is a compact, iron-framed dwarf with ash-gray skin and tarnished silver hair worn in thick, practical braids. Her beard is short, tightly bound, and threaded with dozens of tiny etched keys that softly chime when she moves. Her pale eyes are unsettlingly still - when she studies a lock, it feels as though she is listening to it rather than looking.

She dresses in layered work leathers heavy with hidden tools, each precisely placed and obsessively maintained. Nothing she carries is decorative. Everything exists for a purpose, and often more than one.

Her voice is low, controlled, and deliberate. She wastes no words and has no patience for those who do.

LORE

Brunna is not merely a locksmith - she is a keeper of thresholds.

Her past is murky and intentionally so. Stories claim she once breached a vault she was sworn to protect, or proved her clan’s greatest works flawed beyond denial. Whether exile or departure, she arrived in the city decades ago and embedded herself so deeply into its workings that removing her now would be like pulling out a cornerstone.

What defines her, however, is her absolute disdain for thieves.

To Brunna, a lock is intent made manifest - a boundary given form. Theft is not just a crime; it is a dismissal of craft, a crude violation by those too impatient or ignorant to understand what stands before them.

In response, she has devoted her life to escalation.

Her shop, The Third Turning, produces locks that are less mechanisms and more arguments. False feedback, layered redundancies, deceptive tolerances, and punishing countermeasures are all hallmarks of her work. She studies every successful break-in in the city not to prevent theft, but to refine her designs.

Each failure is a lesson. Each lesson becomes a stronger lock.

She is not building security.

She is building judgment.

PERSONALITY

Brunna is patient, exacting, and quietly intense. She values precision, discipline, and understanding above all else.

In most dealings, she is pragmatic and controlled. But in the presence of thieves, something colder emerges. She does not rage or threaten - she evaluates. Measures. Decides.

To her, a thief is not a rival.

It is an error.

And errors, in her experience, are meant to be corrected.

HOOKS

A series of high-profile locks have been defeated, each more complex than the last. Brunna is tracking the pattern and may enlist the party - or test them.

A client hires the party to bypass a vault of her design. Brunna may already be aware of the attempt and watching to see how it unfolds.

Several thieves have vanished after targeting her work. No evidence remains, save for untouched locks.

Brunna offers to create an “unbreakable” lock for the party, but insists on personally testing it against them.

A rival locksmith has begun crafting devices that deliberately counter her designs. Brunna wants the matter handled - quietly and definitively.

Tamsin “Tallman” Brindle - Halfling Warrior

Tamsin “Tallman” Brindle

Male Halfling Warrior 5
Small Humanoid (Halfling)

Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 chain shirt), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +5 / +0
Attack: Longsword +7 melee (1d6+3/19–20)
Full Attack: Longsword +7 melee (1d6+3/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Halfling traits (+1 all saves, +2 vs fear, +1 thrown weapons and slings), Delusional flaw
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 9
Skills: Climb +6, Jump +6, Listen +3, Spot +3, Profession (Guard) +5
Feats: Weapon Focus (Longsword), Power Attack, Cleave
Environment: Urban
Organization: Solitary or squad (3–8 guards)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard (guard issue)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Advancement: By class
Level Adjustment: —

DESCRIPTION

Tamsin Brindle is, by any objective measure, unmistakably a halfling - standing at a mere 3 feet 2 inches tall, with broad, slightly oversized feet, a round face, and the compact proportions typical of his kind. His hair is a dark brown mop perpetually flattened beneath a dented guard’s helm, and his expression carries a stubborn, almost heroic seriousness.

He wears a well-maintained chain shirt tailored to his size and carries a longsword that is, in his hands, functionally a greatsword. He grips it in both hands at all times, swinging with determined, practiced arcs that are surprisingly effective, if somewhat unconventional. His stance is wide, mimicking human infantry drills he has clearly studied and internalized.

When questioned about his stature, Tamsin responds with mild irritation rather than confusion. “Family trait,” he might say. “We Brindles run short. Happens.” Any suggestion that he is a halfling is dismissed outright, often with a polite but firm correction. “No, no. Human. Just… compact.”

LORE

Tamsin was born in a halfling community but, for reasons no one fully understands, developed an early and absolute conviction that he was human. Whether this belief stems from a childhood misunderstanding, a stubborn personality, or some deeper psychological quirk is unknown - and, perhaps, irrelevant. What matters is that the belief is unshakable.

Rather than isolating himself, Tamsin leaned into human society with remarkable determination. He adopted human mannerisms, speech patterns, and even martial traditions, deliberately avoiding halfling customs. He enlisted in the city guard at the first opportunity, insisting - with paperwork, persistence, and sheer confidence - that he met all requirements.

His fellow guards are… divided. Some humor him, treating his insistence as an eccentric but harmless quirk. Others find it vaguely unsettling, particularly because Tamsin is not foolish - he is competent, disciplined, and brave. In combat, he holds the line as well as any human soldier, his smaller size offset by grit and technique.

There are, however, quiet moments that give pause. Tamsin avoids mirrors when possible. He never removes his boots in public. And on rare occasions, when caught off guard, there is a flicker - just a flicker - of something like doubt in his eyes… quickly buried beneath the unyielding certainty of who he believes himself to be.

USING TAMSIN IN YOUR GAME

Tamsin walks a beautiful line between humor and tragedy.

At first, he’s funny - the tiny “human” guard with a two-handed longsword is inherently absurd. But the longer players interact with him, the more uncomfortable it becomes. He isn’t joking. He isn’t pretending. This is his reality.

You can play this a few different ways:

• Comic Relief (surface level): He argues with players about “halflings” while clearly being one
• Earnest Soldier: He proves reliable, even heroic, forcing players to respect him
• Quiet Tragedy: His identity is a fragile construct he cannot afford to question
• Mystery Hook: Is this just delusion… or was something done to him?

If you ever want to twist the knife a bit:
Someone from his past - a halfling who knew him as a child - recognizes him.

And Tamsin simply says:

“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”