42 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
42 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: npc
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role: "Duke of Valdris"
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location: "[[Valhold]]"
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alignment: Lawful Neutral (wavering)
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race: Human
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class: Fighter (Battle Master) 11
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---
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# Duke Edric Blackthorn
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## Appearance
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A lean, angular man in his early 50s. Close-cropped silver beard, piercing gray eyes, and impeccable posture. Always wears the Blackthorn signet ring (a thorned rose over a shield). Speaks with the weight of someone who expects to be obeyed.
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## Personality
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- **Proud** — believes in Valdris's supremacy within the [[Crown Concordat]]
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- **Calculating** — weighs every alliance by cost and benefit
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- **Short-tempered** — years of political warfare have worn his patience thin
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- **Secretly afraid** — the cult's reach into his court terrifies him; he trusts no one
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## Role in Campaign
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- Offers party commission as Swordsworn Investigators ([[Arc 1 - Heirs of Sundering#Hook 4: The Lords' Summons|Hook 4]])
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- His court is infiltrated — the party must root out the cultist without triggering a diplomatic incident
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- Arc 2: Pushes for war with [[Kethra]]; can be persuaded otherwise
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- Arc 4: Leads the Crown Concordat forces at the [[World Council]] and the [[Citadel of Sundering]]
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## Stat Notes
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- **HP:** 95 | **AC:** 19 (plate + shield) | **Speed:** 30 ft
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- **Multiattack:** 3 longsword attacks (+8, 1d8+4 slashing)
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- **Maneuvers:** Commander's Strike, Parry, Riposte, Rally
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- **Indomitable** (2 uses)
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## Secrets
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- One of his advisors — Chancellor Harlan — is a Witness of the [[The Hand of Ruin|Hand of Ruin]] (discovered in Arc 1 climax).
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- He once had an affair with a Kethran diplomat; the resulting scandal fuels anti-Kethra sentiment.
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- He genuinely wants to protect his people — but his pride makes him an easy mark for manipulation.
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