Chef (Cook) & Nicolao "Handcutter" Avenci (Judge)
Header Art: Hammer, Warforged Barbarian Miner by Olie Boldador and NPC Codex (2012) by Paizo
Chef (Bastion) - Cook
Known as Chef, the Salty Siren's cook is a culinary genius. He rarely leaves the kitchen except to take deliveries and check if the tavern's owner, Maugia, needs anything. Whether it be dinner for her and her wife or kegs from the basement, Chef is utterly loyal to Maugia. She gave him a purpose beyond just being a killing machine.
He takes great pride in the food he creates, honing his skills over the years at the Salty Siren. Chef has gained quite a reputation throughout the city for his innovative yet simple food. His most prized possession is a giant meat cleaver, usually within arm's reach.
Hammer, Warforged Barbarian Miner by Olie Boldador; Art Inspiration for Chef
Chef avoids fighting at all costs. He only engages in combat if someone enters his kitchen with ill-intent or if Maugia calls for help. Only she knows about Chef's past and will only call for him in the direst of situations, knowing he will be stronger and deadlier than most of the tavern's patrons.
Physical Description
Chef is tall for a warforged, standing a hair short of 7 feet tall. He always wears a crisp white chef coat. Chef changes the coat often, not only to maintain his professional appearance, but to hide the splint armor permanently fused to his body. His most prized possession is his giant meat cleaver, which is usually within arm's reach.
Background
A warrior of great renown in Eberron, Chef, now abhors violence. His given name was Bastion, but he was better known as the Harbinger of Death. Chef was a ruthless force of destructive power, slaughtering his foes without a second thought. Once the Last War was over, Chef was released from his servitude to House Cannith via the Treaty of Thronehold.
After years of constant fighting in Eberron, Chef has numerous physical and psychological scars. He traveled the planes, searching for meaning and purpose in his life. After years of wandering, Chef grew weary, coming to believe that his was a never-ending fool's errand. Vowing to stop at the next city, he found a job as a dishwasher at the Salty Siren, his quest at an end; or so he thought.
Even though he does need to eat or drink, Chef found the beauty of food, the combinations of flavors one could create, and the wonderment on people's faces when they taste something delicious and intoxicating. He quickly became the head cook of the tavern, with Maugia giving him free rein over the menu.
Quick Reference Traits
Personality Traits. Quiet and reserved, he shows little emotion.
Ideals. Food is a creative medium to be shared with everyone.
Bonds. Chef is willing to die for Maugia.
Flaws. Passive to the extreme, unless someone harms Maugia.
Adventure Hooks
Deliveries to the Salty Siren have ceased because the Salty Siren refuses to pay the local gang the 'delivery tax' it is demanding. Chef wants you to explain to the gang that they will not be paying any tax and get the tavern's deliveries to start up again.
Strange things are afoot in the basement of the Salty Siren. Chef wants to know what's going on down there. And don't forget to bring up a keg of ale when you are done.
Agents of House Cannith are looking for Chef. Maugia wants you to find out what they want, and make it clear to them that Chef has no desire to ever go back.
Nicolao “Handcutter” Avenci - Judge
His Honor Nicolao Avenci is a judge with a powerful reputation within the city of Ferrum. Those who hate him call him "Handcutter" due to his predilection to believing that most problems can be solved by simply cutting off a hand, or both hands if the crime permits it. Those who don't hate him, know that he pushes for the strictest punishment from the law, and may even suspect that he thinks the laws aren't strict or punishing enough.
NPC Codex (2012) by Paizo; Art inspiration for Nicolao
Physical Description
With a permanent sneer on his face, his ordinary features seem to be twisted into the sinister. He wears fine clothes as befitting his station and carries himself with the air of someone who knows he is better than all others.
Backstory
From a young age, Nicolao knew he would join the court system of Ferrum the same as the rest of the Avenci family. With his connections, he quickly rose from court clerk to a minor judge in a burrow, and from the judge of a district to the District Judge, the one who presides over all other judges in a district within Ferrum. He holds sway in the district of Middleton, while not the most prestigious of districts, it is a popular district in the city and lets him get just one step closer to his desired position, the Ferrum Judge Panel, the ultimate sayers of the spirit of the law in Ferrum. In that position, he can ensure that criminals are properly punished and that his name, and family honor, will live on in the city's future.
Handcutter. It only took a year of being a minor judge before Nicolao gained his nickname, Handcutter. While it isn't a word that he ever uses to describe himself, he is secretly pleased that his reputation took so little time to be set up. He is a hard and cruel man, believing that criminals can only be rehabilitated through trauma. One must first break their spirit, best done by removing something important like a hand, and then they can begin remaking themselves into lawful people.
To date, almost everyone who he has declared guilty in his court has lost a hand as part of their punishment. In a city where dismemberment is quickly falling out of fashion, Nicolao the Handcutter has no problem utilizing the city's executioners to remove hands from any number of 'criminals' in his city. Thieves, those who have failed to pay their debt, murderers, arsonists, tax avoiders, and more have all had their hands removed to remind them to follow the law.
Quick Reference Traits
Personality Traits. A simple, direct solution is the best path to order.
Ideals. The laws of the city keep us all safe.
Bonds. The Avenci family's good name holds us above others.
Flaws. Only punishment is effective in upholding the law.
Adventure Hooks
Nicolao has one regret, a thief by the name of Kassidy. He hires the party to watch Kassidy and alert the guards when Kassidy inevitably breaks the law so that he can retry the thief in a court of law.
The party must defend themselves in the court of law for a perceived slight against the written law of the city (even if it isn't in the spirit of the law).
Nicolao is looking for a party of adventurers willing to journey into the Hells. He is hoping to get a copy of a law book from the City of Dis to add to his collection.
If you liked our NPCs and want a PDF of them, or any of our homebrew, consider supporting us on Patreon! For just $5, you get full access to our vast Homebrew Hoard which includes over 300+ monster statblocks, magic items, spells, and more!
Like what we are doing here?
Support us on Patreon!
You’ll get early access to deep dives, our Homebrew Hoard, Monster Thursdays, and more!
Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on everything we talk about!
