Freecity of Haldane: Kallas the Shameless

"Baseless lies," he says. 

“It’s not polite to stare at a man when he’s doing his business.” 
     Kallas, as he urinates in the street

Wanted for various crimes, some violent, Kallas the Shameless is rumored to be hiding out in a rather filthy brothel called The Laundry.

     Kallas has been described as being tall, with long, greasy hair and a rather serious face. Kallas prefers to wield a shortsword as it is easily concealed. It is fairly well-known that Kallas enjoys the company of prostitutes and often urinates in public, which he feels adds to his roguish reputation

     The church of Risa the Bountiful is offering an impressive 500 gold piece reward for his capture. It is alleged that he used a potion of Charm Person to lure an impressionable, yet highly regarded, acolyte of the church into a night of debauchery. Church officials are understandably upset and want the fiend brought to them for justice.

     Via intermediaries, Kallas has insisted that he would never waste a magical potion on a love conquest and that - in fact - the young cleric spent an unforgettable night with him willingly. No one outside the church has been able to speak to the cleric regarding the veracity of this defense.

     This fact has fueled speculation that perhaps the 500 gp reward is meant to appear as if a great wrong has been committed when - in fact - the church is merely trying to save face. Only time - or a Detect Lie spell - will tell if Kallas is a foul debaser of clerics or the victim of a smear campaign designed to cover up a youthful indiscretion.

Kallas the Shameless; Level 3 Fighter; Str 16 (+2 to hit and dam), Dex 12, Con 13 (+1 hit point), Int 9, Wis 9, Cha 9; Armor Class 11 (+1 Cloak of Protection); Hit Points 18; Atk 1; THAC0 16; Dam 1d6+2 (short sword); Move 30’; Alignment Chaotic; Treasure: 1 x 50 gp gem, Potion of Charm Person, 30 gp; XP Value 50.

Freecity of Haldane: Aurumvorax

“I’ve watched over this city for far too long to let anything happen to it.”
     -Aurumvorax the Gold

Aurumvorax is a mature gold dragon and the ruler of the Freecity of Haldane. When Aurumvorax was a hatchling, the city was nothing more than a few tents inhabited by nomads. As the settlement grew, so did the dragon's interest. He was - and remains - fascinated by the lives of humans and demi-humans. Their romances, humor, triumphs and tragedies never cease to amaze him.

     Driven by his curiosity, Aurumvorax interacted frequently with the people who built the city. As he watched Haldane grow from camp to village to town to city, he began to feel a certain fondness for the place. After all, he had personally known generations of Haldane's inhabitants.

     Gradually, Aurumvorax ingrained himself into a position of power and influence. As decades passed, people began to feel as if the city and the dragon were synonymous. Even the long-lived elves agree that the two are intimately linked. Ultimately, Haldane's citizens became quite taken with the idea of a draconic mayor. As a result, Aurumvorax has enjoyed managing Haldane for nearly a century.

     Aurumvorax governs the city with the assistance of capable ministers and officials. He prefers that the city runs smoothly and efficiently, but Aurumvorax understands that demi-humans and humans are fallible. He also employs a group of stout dwarven warriors as his personal bodyguard. The dwarves, recruited from a distant mountain forge, are loyal and impossible to bribe.

     Because Aurumvorax is a magical creature, he prizes arcane pursuits. Under his tutelage, Haldane has earned a reputation as a center for magical research. The hall where Aurumvorax holds court is always teeming with alchemists, aspiring magic-users, explorers and anyone interested in the arcane.

     Aurumvorax is always looking for adventuring groups to retrieve rare ingredients for a potion, a lost book of spells or to perform some task vital to the welfare of Haldane. He pays well, but is rather demanding. While Aurumvorax allows for missteps among the citizens of the Freecity, he is rather impatient with ineptitude as it pertains to outsiders.

     Like all dragons, Aurumvorax lusts for gold and treasure. His hoard is impressive, which causes some citizens to resent his wealth. They wonder how much of their taxes go toward the maintenance of the Freecity and how much of it is used for Aurumvorax’s bedding. Similarly, critics also suggest that the dragon should attend more closely to the city's mundane affairs instead of fixating on magic. Finally, a small yet vocal minority feel that it's time for Aurumvorax to graciously step down and to let the city's leadership pass into mortal hands.

     When Aurumvorax leaves his mansion, he does so in humanoid form. He is very secretive about his comings as goings as he does not want to attract a crowd. Those who have seen him in a humanoid form say that he appears as a 6' tall, striking human male with shoulder-length blond hair, light golden skin and an athletic physique. The city's elves and dwarves are most likely to spend time with him as the dragon loves to spend time with beings his own age.

Aurumvorax (male gold dragon); AL: Lawful; Move: 30', Fly 80'; AC: -2; HD: 11; HP: 66; Atk: 3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite or breath); Dmg: 2d4/2d4/6d6; Spells: 1-Charm Person, Light, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Sleep; 2-Detect Evil, Detect Invisible, Detect Magic, ESP, Web; 3-Clairvoyance, Hold Person, Lightning Bolt x 2; SV: F11; ML: 10; XP: 4,400 (1,200 base + 800 x 4 for the following special abilities: flight, shape change, spells and breath weapon).      Aurumvorax has two breath weapons available to him. (He still only gets three breath attacks per day.) He can breathe a 90' long, 30' wide cone of fire or a 50' long, 40' wide cloud of chlorine gas.      His treasure hoard consists of 4,000 cp, 20,000 sp, 15,000 ep, 20,000 gp, 20 x 100 gp gems, 20 x 200 gp jewelry, Potion of Undead Control, Ring of Water Walking, Sword +2 and Shield +2.