55 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
55 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: npc
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role: "Kethran Ambassador"
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location: "[[Freehold]]"
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alignment: Lawful Good
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race: Half-Elf
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class: Bard (College of Eloquence) 8
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---
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# Ambassador Kael Vess
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## Appearance
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A half-elf in his early 40s with impeccable posture, salt-and-pepper hair slicked back, and the easy smile of someone who's talked his way out of worse situations than this. He dresses in Kethran naval formalwear — a deep blue coat with silver buttons, polished to a mirror shine. A rapier hangs at his hip, more decorative than functional, but he knows how to use it.
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## Personality
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- **Charming** — genuinely likeable; even people who disagree with him enjoy his company
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- **Sharp** — reads people exhaustively and remembers everything
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- **Patriotic** — loves [[Kethra]] deeply and will not compromise its sovereignty
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- **Humble** — despite his skill, he knows he's out of his depth with the seals and the cult; he's desperate for competent allies
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## Role in Campaign
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- Arc 2, Hook 6: Key figure at the peace summit in [[Freehold]]
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- Can become the party's primary Kethran contact and ally
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- Surviving him and winning his trust makes the World Council (Arc 4) significantly easier
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## The Peace Summit
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Vess genuinely wants peace. He's authorized by [[Queen Selara IV]] to negotiate, but he won't accept terms that subordinate Kethra to Valdris. Key negotiation points:
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| Issue | Valdris Position | Kethra Position | Compromise |
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|-------|-----------------|-----------------|------------|
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| Trade tariffs | Valdris controls rates | Joint commission | DC 16 Persuasion (either side) |
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| Border forts | Valdris keeps them | Dismantle them | Shared garrisons; DC 18 |
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| Naval rights | Valdris claims river access | Kethra claims coastal exclusivity | Treaty of mutual passage; DC 14 |
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| War reparations | Valdris demands 50,000 gp | Kethra refuses | Split into trade credits over 10 years; DC 16 |
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If the party discovers cult involvement in the war's instigation, all DCs drop by 4.
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## Stat Block (CR 6)
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- **HP:** 55 | **AC:** 15 (leather + DEX) | **Speed:** 30 ft
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- **Spellcasting:** Bard 8 (DC 15, +7). Key spells: *charm person, suggestion, tongues, dimension door, greater invisibility*
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- **Silver Tongue:** Treats Persuasion and Deception rolls of 9 or lower as 10
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- **Unsettling Words:** As a bonus action, subtract 1d8 from a creature's next saving throw
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- **Cutting Words:** Reaction to reduce attack roll, ability check, or damage roll by 1d8
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## Secrets
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- Vess has a lover in [[Valdris]] — a noblewoman who would be ruined if the relationship were discovered. He's at the peace summit partially to be closer to her.
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- He has proof that Valdrian merchants started the trade war deliberately (falsified cargo manifests). He hasn't shown this to anyone because it would scuttle the peace talks entirely. If the party earns his trust, he shares it.
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- He was an adventurer once, 15 years ago. His party died in a tomb raid. He carries one party member's signet ring on a chain around his neck and talks to it when he's alone.
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