Apr 13

Apr 13 Bezar Tharnuth (Bounty Hunter) & Nicodemo Valdis (Demonist)

Header Art: Bugbear by HIIDRAstudio and In Hell’s Bright Shadow by Paizo Publishing

Bezar Tharnuth - Bounty Hunter

A bounty hunter deals with some of the worst elements of society, but there is no creature that Bezar fears and no contract he won't take on. Whether his quarry is running through the forest or hiding in the city's bowels, Bezar will track them down and collect the reward. He doesn't care if he brings you in dead or alive unless, of course, the contract only pays out if the bounty says alive.

**Art Inspiration for Bezar;** Bugbear by HIIDRAstudio

Physical Description

Almost 8 feet tall, Bezar is 300 pounds of muscle with long arms, all covered by golden fur. Bezar looks fearsome in his armor and has a scowl on his face when working. When not, his hair is matted, and he constantly smiles while intoxicated.

Backstory

Bezar has always had a talent for tracking creatures. When he was young, he could find dinner when traveling with his family. Bezar could follow a target undetected through a crowded street or down a dark alley when they settled in the city. He did this for fun in his youth, but as he grew older, Bezar realized these skills could be put to profitable use.

This innate talent, and his need for money, led to his becoming a bounty hunter of some renown. Bezar usually only takes on significant bounties these days, preferring to spend his earnings in taverns and brothels. However, Bezar may be convinced to take on a minor job when the money dries up if there are no other prospects. Bezar has always said that vices can be expensive, and work is work.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Bezar always gets his quarry, no matter what it takes.
Ideals. The hunt is always fun, almost as much as fine wine and the company of a beautiful creature.
Bonds. It's nothing personal, but you're worth a lot of gold.
Flaws. Shiftless unless coin is involved.

Adventure Hooks

Bezar needs some backup on an enormous bounty, and the party looks like the help he needs. He will cut you in on the reward. Does 75%-25% split sound good?
A party member has a bounty on them, put there by a wealthy merchant who feels they were wronged. The price on your head is quite large, and Bezar will hunt you down wherever you go.
The local nobles need to find Bezar for a job that will prevent them from becoming embroiled in a public scandal but can't be found anywhere. They hire you to search the brothels and dive bars to locate him. Finding him might be the easy part, as Bezar still has plenty of gold from his last job and may not come along willingly.

Earl Nicodemo Valdis - Demon Summoner

Earl Nicodemo Valdis resides in the city of Agathon, located along the Kason Sea where he spends much of his free time tending to a massive rose garden he grows on his estates. He is known around the city as the Earl of Flowers thanks to his large gardens, a greenhouse filled with exotic plants, and his endless drolls about the proper maintenance of flowers. Behind this floral veneer, is a demonic influence.

**Art Inspiration for Nicodemo Valdis**; In Hell’s Bright Shadow by Paizo Publishing

Physical Description

Nicodemo stands tall with a genuine smile for everyone he meets. He has dark hair that is beginning to show silver at the edges and wears vibrant colors and expensive silks. He speaks in a boisterous manner, happily regaling all about his interests in flowers, soil, and sunlight.

Backstory

The Valdis family has always been prosperous in Agathon and seen as an important and influential family within the city since the city's founding. When Nicodemo took over the estates, after his father passed on, it was on Nicodemo's shoulders to continue the great Valdis name, something he ended up not being prepared for. He quickly burned through funds through bad investments, foolish purchases, and hosting far too many parties at his estates. His love for beauty brought him to his lifelong passion for flowers, and gold flew from the Vladis family accounts across the world so that he could have the rarest collection in not just Agathon, but across the world.

Cult of Flore'ret. After two decades of spending, Nicodemo ran into a problem. His investments never paid off and he was going to plunge the Valdis family into the muck. Desperate, Nicodemo began making deals with anyone who could help him from falling off a financial cliff, which was when he met the Cult of Flore'ret, a group devoted to the demon prince of deadly plants and poisons. From here, he learned that many of his odd plants were required in their various rituals and it wasn't long before his association with the secretive cult was beginning to make him money.

As his profits grew, so did his plants as a blessing from his patronage of the demon prince Flore'ret. Soon he found himself not just in charge of a small group in Agathon, but responsible for supplying many cells across Talia with the rare herbs, flowers, and poisons they needed for their rituals. His connections with many of them had turned his previous financial woes around and he is almost back to where the Valdis family was before he took over.

As thanks for his great services to the cult, he now holds some sway over minor demons controlled by the demon prince.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Beauty can be found anywhere.
Ideals. No one can tell Nicodemo how to act.
Bonds. He cherishes a rare flower given to him directly from Flore'ret.
Flaws. Nicodemo dislikes working with dwarves due to how unpleasant their language is.

Adventure Hooks

Nicodemo knows that there is a rival noble, Lord Erik, summoning devils. Nicodemo is looking for a group of adventurers to investigate the noble and get them arrested by the city for plotting with devils.
Nicodemo is in need of a rare material, a dryad's burned out heart, to help him with his demon summoning, though he claims that the rare material is solely for planting in a garden to help his flowers grow huge.
There is an old temple lost in the woods to a demon patron of Nicodemo. He wishes to hire a party to clear out the temple and bring back a lost artifact, he fails to mention that the temple is to a demon lord.

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