Who's Who Of Thunder Rift
by HåvardLets see if we can get some discussion about some more of Thunder Rift's NPCS.
Below are all of the NPCs listed under the Melinir entry in the Thunder Rift booklet:
Melinir NPCs
Connor the Scribe (3rd level Elf Cleric Neutral).
Connor is the scribe working for the Mayor at town hall. IMO Connor probably isn't his real name. I would guess it is probably something like Connorolas, which humans turned into Connor when he decided to move in and live with them. Demihumans are common in Melinir. Still, could there be a reason why he left the woods? His listed as a Cleric (??). I'm guessing his patron would be Ilsundal.
Mayor Valum (9th level Human Fighter, Lawful)
The Mayor is a member of the Quadrial (retired?) Why is he no longer an adventurer? He appears to be 10 years older than he is. The TR guide suggests this is due to his tough job, but could he have had encounters with Ghosts?
Stefan des Herbst (1st level Human Wizard, Lawful)
Stefan is the town weaver. Stefan Herbst sounds like a German name. Not sure about "des". Could he be Hattian? I don't see much else interesting with this guy though. But what is it with his quilts? some of them are on the beds in the Sarcastic Goat Inn. Do they reveal secrets like the tapestry from B10 perhaps? Or is there some other magic woven into them? Or am I giving too much credit to a 1st level magic user?
Shar (2nd level Dwarf Fighter, Lawful)
A female dwarf blacksmith, far from Hearthhome in the Farolas hills. What has driven this young dwarven lady from her homelands? Is she connected to Bediah Buhlon somehow? Only her first name is given. Is she an outcast of her clan since she gives no clan name? Or could Shar actually be her clan name. Dwarven females usually have softer sounding names according to Gaz 6. Shar might come from Sar which means South in Dwarven according to Gaz6.
Bediah Buhlon (3rd level Dwarf Fighter, Neutral)
Bediah is the owner of the Sarcastic Goat Inn. Bediah is probably a human corrupted dwarves name. Might be something like Bedin. Looking at the language list in Gaz 6, Buhlon might be derived from Buhr=Fire and Lin=Moon. Could the Buhlon Clan be an important clan, perhaps of inn keepers and the like in Hearth-Home? I love it if we can use these NPC descriptions to derive some greater information about Thunder Rift. Because of the name Sarcastic Goat, I imagine the Goat being the symbol of the Buhlon clan and Bediah probably has a Goat's Head symbol on his shield or armour.
Hodie (0-level Human, Lawful)
He is the stable boy at the Sarcastic Goat Inn stables and is a source of information. What is Hodie's story? How did he end up working for Bediah? Does he have some legacy out there waiting for him?
Enora (9th level human Cleric, Lawful)
Enora is the High Cleric of Melinir. She wields a mace and her valuables include 7 gems. Something tells me these 7 gems have some significance or other. I am reminded by those stones from Temple of Doom. Perhaps these can also be placed within some sort of holy statue to produce some magical effect? Which patron does Enora serve? It is likely some Lawful Immortal, Petra perhaps? I think I will start a discussion of Immortals of Thunder Rift afterwards.
Martin (5th level Human Cleric, Lawful)
Another Cleric here. He is Lawful as well. Maybe he serves Halav? All lawful Clerics are welcome on Temple grounds though. Interestingly, Neutral Clerics are not met with the same hospitality.
Karyn (9th level Halfling Thief, Neutral)
Karyn is the Melinir Banker and she is another member of the Quadrial.
Pickman the Sage (2nd level Human Wizard, Lawful)
This character has been discussed above. I still don't like his name for some reason.
Black Thomas (6th level Human Thief, Chaotic)
He is the leader of the Thief's Guild. He has an understanding with Nicholas Maybrush. He is not a nice guy.
Ainrie (1st level Human Thief, Neutral)
Ainrie poses as a serving wench over at the Dancing Dragon tavern. Is she connected to Black Thomas' guild? She does have a lot of connections within Thunder Rift's underground so it does seem likely. Ainrie sounds French. Is she from LaTerre?
Richard the Baker (1st level Human Fighter, Lawful)
Not sure what to do with this character. OTOH, the fact that he is a baker has become more interesting to me since I learned of Frank Mentzer's Bakery career. Richard does seem to be a curious guy who could get himself into trouble from time to time..
Nicholas Maybrush (7th level Human Fighter, Chaotic)
This Merchant is one of the biggest villains of Melinir, posing as a well respected citizen. He sort of reminds me of Al Swerengen from Deadwood, although probably way more classy on the surface.
The Recluse
No one knows who this is, but there is a manor whose owner is a mystery even to the likes of Black Thomas. Any idea who this could be? Sounds like a wizard to me.
Geoffrey of MageIsland (7th level Human Wizard, Lawful)
Geoffrey has been discussed above. He runs Mage Island and has apparently been doing so for centuries.
Daffyd the Wise (5th level Human Cleric, Lawful)
Another Lawful Cleric! He is a kind of oracle walking around in the streets muttering strange words. What is his relations to Enora and Martin?
Ap Hen of the Valley (5th level Human Fighter, Lawful)
A fighter who pretends to be wild to make people fear him. Seems a little dishonest for a Lawful character? Is Ap Hen a Celtic name? Can his origins be traced to the Isle of Dawn?
Dara the Barbarian (3rd level Human Fighter, Neutral)
Dara is described as a barbaric person wearing leather and furs. Is she originally from the Atruaghin clans?
Lars Jasse (4HD Doppelganger, Chaotic)
Lars is a doppelganger. Does he have some bigger scheme than just joining adventurer parties and killing them? Do doppelgangers eat their victims? He would be a very useful asset for Black Thomas if he joined the Thief's Guild...