FreeNPC

Appearance: You’re guided through the river docks to a maze of rooms. In the smallest sits a squat dwarf at a modest desk cluttered with papers. He’s dressed humbly in workman’s clothing, his blond hair and beard going white at the edges. He eyes you warily and chews at the toothpick in his mouth, then takes a long drink from a metal flask on the table. He coughs slowly, “What’ll it be, then?”

Personality: Rowell Sunderwolf is just about as honest as a criminal can get. That doesn’t mean he won’t take advantage of weakness when he sees it, but unnecessary risk just isn’t good for business. He’s dedicated to The Union, Balthus Stormslaugh, and making sure the goods and the gold keep coming in.

Motivation: I don’t need much, and The Union gives me much more than I need. It’s better to stay in the back, run the market, and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. When people overreach, it’s a mistake.

Roleplaying Tips: Rowell is good-humored but firm, and a canny judge of character, knowing who to trust and when. His one extravagance is the expensive foreign alcohol filling the simple flask at his belt.

Background: The son of a successful smith, Rowell Sunderwolf grew up in the shadow of his older brother Korbin, the two always set at odds. Rivals for the same dwarven girl, she chose Korbin, and Rowell left for the north. Misfortune soon found him pressed into slavery, then joining Balthus Stormslaugh’s revolt and The Union. Rowell Sunderwolf now runs the criminal empire’s black market.

Traits: Criminal, Cunning, Merchant, Neutral, Persuasive, Resilient, and Wise

Dark Secret: Rowell never stopped loving Larra Sunderwolf, his brother’s wife, and when he returned to the city, the two had a brief affair. Rowell suspects that he may be the true father of Korbin’s daughter, Ianna Sunderwolf.

• A band of rogues has been selling stolen goods from the south, including a new and volatile drug, and Rowell has been tasked to find out more. He doesn't know if they would recognize Union faces, so he wants to hire you to purchase a small quantity of the drug and a variety of other wares. Return with the goods and the location of who sold them to you, and you'll be amply compensated for the risk.