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3 Line NPCs Thread

Salix Bobbin, caravan purser
Appearance:
A female Halfling, middle-aged with long red hair and piercing blue eyes, never not smiling. A little pudgy, wears a comfortable travel dress.
Portrayal: Fast talking and professional, never allows another to even touch her record books, talks about her husband and kids a lot.
Hook: Incredibly good with math and numbers, never loses track of an item of inventory or a single coin, identifies contraband in a flash and has your loot confiscated with a smile.
 
Scilla, Female half-elf bard
Appearence:
either flowery dresses while in nice places, or leather adventure gear with bow and dagger. Quite nice looking and aproachable, but you won't get far easily
Portrayal: Seems very interested in adventurers with big quests, specially if a prophecy is involved. Will join any group of that kind if asked, but won't do much. For example after a big battle she might do 2 points with the dagger to finish off the enemy and pretend to do have done much more.
Hook: While she can actually engage in combat or sing for encouragement, she's not that interested in all that. She's actually a historian, and a book author detailing the quests of several groups she took part this way.
 
Tobias, the reluctant cleric
Appearance:
Changes often, he is adept at changing his appearance to pull off the con, the long game.
Portrayal: A Charleston. or con artist. His latest long game is selling potions and elixirs from his travelling wagon. He makes the potions in the wagon between villages, from herbs and roots he's found along the way. Mostly it's the alcohol he distills that causes most of the reactions.
Hook: He caught the eye of some clerics when one of the potions he made actually worked. Now he has a nagging feeling someone is directing his steps along the pathway of a healer. Maybe the trickster god has chosen him, pulling a long game of its own.
 
Scant, the noble merchant
Appearance
: Average build, black hair with a white streak, smiling face and open palms always greet you.
Portrayal: Talks fast, easy going, wants to make friend and get along. Always struggling to make ends meet though, so in needy sometimes.
Hook: As an excellent salesman, scant should be wealthy. But he gives most of his gold away to charities. And worse, two charities are fake and he's being scammed by 1) thieves' guild 2) a rival merchant 3) a cult 4) a wealthy noble 5) his mother 6) a rebel faction.
 
Ava, the withered hag
Appearance:
frail, withered, mean woman, as old as time, constantly frowning and chewing. No one has ever seen her standing from her chair or heard her talking.
Portrayal: she just stares all day long with her judging eyes from the darkness of the inner balcony of her son's tavern, "the withered hag" (they say the tavern is named after her). No one pays attention to her, but she sure has seen everything that happens in the tavern.
Hook:
for the first time in years, she has spoken! Pointing her bony finger to one of the PCs who entered the tavern for the first time, she has yelled "He is back! He is back!"
 
Mella, the burned out ranger
Appearance:
Dirty green studded leather armour, a bow that has seen better days, shoddy boots, and always an ale in her hand.
Portrayal: Laconic, droopy, and uncaring. After too many missions into the frontier, Mella no longer has any fight left in her.
Hook: She has an amazing knowledge of the local lands and many friendships or at least amicable contacts with denizens. The only thing that might convince her to be a guide is if the party has a lead on her version of "the great white whale."
 
1648556867704.pngSkorn
Appearance: A fine young man dressed in silks and finery marking nobility. Handsome, good posture, and smiling. Currently helping a noble women pick up apples from a dropped basket.

Portrayal: Bright, well-spoken, and charming. Quick to help others. Makes friends easily. Close study though reveals his smile never reaches his eyes.

Hook: Skorn is a grifter. Of low-birth and fake noble identity, he ingratiates himself with those of means and then robs them with a sad story and tear-filled request for 1,000 gp to help his sister or mother who've gotten into trouble.
 
Mr Grinns — The Cemetery Caretaker
Appearance: A dour person with thick beard and always in a threadbare black suit and well-worn black ankle boots. A bad skin condition makes children call him Mr Lizard. He looks very strong but his slow manner of speaking make most assume he's a dullard.

Portrayal: Speak slow and low. He's large and strong but tries to make himself small. He will swat children who range too close. He's always angry.

Hook: Mr Grinns swallowed a demon. It flew straight into his mouth and kept going down. Then it started digging, giving him constant pain. Ever since, he can hear the dead squishing, thumping, and clacking in their graves. He's angry from the pain and fear and is slowly going insane.
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Ryk, the Bard
Appearance: Armoured kilt and a brace of ever-sharp knives create a menacing first impression. Piercing green eyes and a serious face also help to repel all huggers.

Portrayal: Cautious demeanor but warm-hearted around drinking buddies. Neutral in outlook, he'd be just as happy relieving you from your purse as grabbing you from a burning tavern.

Hook: Ex-soldier with many active contacts, so he often receives very interesting kingdom news. In his forced retirement, his life is an infinite pub crawl where he plays the pipes for any tavern that won't throw him into the muddy lane.
Ryk-the-Bard.jpeg
 

Duberos​

Appearance: Tall, dark and handsome, Duberos is a snappy dresser. But his clothes are faded and scuffed and slightly out of style. An elegant rapier hangs casually from his slim hips.
Portrayal: Warm, friendly, dashing smile, puppy eyes, and charming. Bristles with energy and curiosity, eager to talk, but strangely seldom says much. Rather, he's a keen listener - and note-taker. "So! What's happening here, my friend?" is probably how he'll greet you, pencil poised.
Hook: Duberos works for the Courier, a regular broadsheet [a new-fangled invention] quickly becoming popular amongst the middle and upper-class. Duberos seems to know every barkeep, guard captain, and hosteler in town. In every town. Even quite ancient ones...

Duberos Rothschilde.jpg
 
Sheela "The Krone"
Is this woman often seen buying bread fresh from the oven each Marketday the true leader of the rival thieves' guild?

Appearance: Heavy makeup, squinty red eyes, and unsmiling. Dressed in tattered and unmended clothes, bare feet. Carries a satchel rumoured to hide knives, needles, and poison.

Portrayal: Direct, demanding. Says one word and expects to be understood and obeyed. Always a poker face and emotionally controlled, and calculates each moment for an optimal outcome. Voice like parchment paper tossed onto a fire.

Hook: A newcomer to the community, many believe the rumours that she is a powerful woman who runs a mysterious new guild of rogues. This stems from a series of unfortunate incidents involving people seen arguing with or disrespecting her in public who then die horribly the next day.

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Krate the "Acquisition Expert"
Appearance
: Leather garb, weapons on hip, and an unnerving smile. Intelligent eyes always scanning as if expecting trouble.

Portrayal: Friendly but wild, as if about to run away at any moment. Stands on the balls of his feet and hands always near weapons. You don't know if his deals will bring you boons or curses from his restlessness and ominous paranoia. Always looking to sell or trade something, even if he doesn't yet know where to find it.

Hook: Krate has many contacts who would not call him a friend, thus the constant and justified state of alertness. He can source rare, illegal, and special things for the party. He can also bring PCs trouble by drawing the wrong attention to them, likely as part of some other deal the characters are ignorant of.

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Borden the Smith
Appearance
: Bare chested with many burn scars on his arms and body from the forge. Strong muscles and arms. With no legs, he gets around on cleverly-crafted metal peg legs and special short walking canes.

Portrayal: Always busy in his workshop either forging things for clients or crafting clever peg add-ons for his legs. He he seems distracted as he's always working or thinking, and conversations must find space somewhere in between more important thoughts.

Hook: He can create cunning devices if given enough details, but it'll cost the customer a lot. Just the other week, for example, he made "imbreakable" lockpicks for a customer who "locks meself outta my house all the time."

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NPC Name: Etherost Tumal (Tew-mahl)
Role: Mystic/Sage
Appearance: Medium height. Stocky build. Light hair. Brown eyes. Wears the styles of commoners but made of more elite materials and all in shades of grey.
Portrayal:
Sitting near a bond seemingly fishing using a magically self-extending 10-Foot Pole.
Hook:
Has a variety of job offers for folks willing to enter the nooks and crannies of the wreaks and ruins of the past. Has very dangerous enemies that he can handle but might pose a serious threat to anyone with whom he associates.
 
NPC Name: Gonland, chief Inspector of the Witch Hunters
Role: Law Keeper, Harasser of Player Characters
Appearance: A hobgoblin in his late middle age. He is stocky for a hobgoblin and balding on top but has thick grey wings. He is always chewing on a short piece of licorice root. Though he looks slovenly with rumpled clothes and a worn over coat, his shoes are very well cared for.
Portrayal: Generally a polite and good humored older Hobgoblin who seems to be flummoxed by magic items and spells. Constantly uttering sentences like "I'll be" and "well isn't that a thing." He inundates PC with questions, especially magic users, innocently querying them about their abilities. He is not deceptive and always presents himself as an official of the lands laws. Very much patterned on "Columbo".
Hook:
Inspector Gonland starts poking around the party when they have left a trail of dead or "disappeared" people behind them. He is persistent but not threatening. He shows up nearly every time after the PC's have murdered someone (regardless of mitigating circumstances). He asks uncomfortable questions and every time the party gets him to leave, he shows up a scene or two later to ask more. He tries to avoid combat himself preferring to leave it to the fighting to "the boys", two greater earth elementals that follow him around below ground.
 
Jadranko Spiridon, Myrmidon Berserker
Appearance: Elderly Dwarf with grey-brown skin, bald head, and heavy grey beard. His clothes and a few scars speak to a difficult life.
Portrayal: He is haunted by the past and the horrors he has seen.
Hook: Barabarian who has fought one too many wars.

HIs name is courtesy of BehindTheName.com. I sprinkled Ancient and Mythic Celtic with Scottish and Serbian.
 
Glória Urarr, waiter & musician
Appearance: A young half-orc with deep blue eyes, medium brown hair, a handsome man. He wear simple clothes and sings like a cult pop-star realms' hits.
Portrayal:
He is a polite and smart guy, likes to sing and be the center of attention. He almost never will be in love or give in a flirting, it's a kind of collector of lovers.
Hook:
He always get time to sing for customers at tavern and win some new fans
 
1674483310618.png
Ivaniss

Appearance
: A sly grin hides a cunning mind. Half yuan-ti, half-orc. Wears gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Portrayal: Always willing to make a deal. Quick to laugh...and quick to draw his sabre.

Hook: Ivaniss leverages his purported royal blood to build out a growing network of important contacts to seek for a lost artefact that would make him very powerful.
 
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