Baylor Thrasian's Early Adventures

Baylor, alongside Cambray, Kayosaur Minblaum, Veritica Grey, and Tarmen Stovar, launched an expedition to Dragon’s Head, about 11 miles from Manta. A notable feat of this venture was defeating an Eye of the Beholder. Tarmen, grievously wounded, urged a tactical retreat to recover. Baylor, however, saw this as a sign of weakness and, prioritizing his own reputation, decided that Tarmen's threat to his honor could not go unchallenged. He swore to himself that Tarmen would be dealt with permanently.   Weeks later, Baylor and a red mage named Ravyn struck up a swift friendship. He shared with her his grand designs for a Thieves' Guild and his personal vendetta against Tarmen. Ravyn accepted the terms of their partnership, one enriched by the spoils of their escapades.   As Baylor's ultimate aspiration was to establish a dominant Thieves' Guild, he realized the importance of incremental progress. His immediate plan was to acquire a secure base, a keep that would serve as the foundation for his future operations.   Baylor's next step was to confront Tarmen, a move that would serve both his personal vendetta and public image. He intended to eliminate Tarmen, thus beginning the creation of his own legacy as Baylor Thrasian, Master of the Triad Thieves’ Guild.   Prior to carrying out this assassination, Baylor would seek a discreet blacksmith to craft special daggers, embedding the insignia of his burgeoning guild into their pommels. While these weapons were not necessarily intended for the act of murder, they were to be left in the body as a signature of his deeds, sowing fear and marking the rise of the Triad.   Despite his rise, Baylor yearned to involve his estranged cousin, Keesha Knight, a former Thieves’ Guildmaster with the requisite skills for this crucial phase. Yet, his reluctance to share power kept him from reaching out to her, unless a secure alliance could be forged.   An encounter with Valdar the Ultimate, a formidable Pixie mage, led to an audacious challenge: parley with a red dragon. As dragons didn't exist of course, Baylor determined the pixie was lying. The party did however follow Valdar into the dungeons, curious about what Valdar was talking about. Though there was no red dragon, there we other formidable creatures, and the ensuing battles were fraught with danger, culminating in the maiming of Kayosaur, whose healing necessitated the intervention of a Sea Elf prince. This act, however, did not sit well with Kayosaur's influential father, Aragon.   Meanwhile, Baylor commissioned special daggers bearing the Triad's emblem and recruited a cadre of young thieves as potential assets. His quest for a base led him to a tower, whose use was restricted against malevolence, a condition imposed by Calver, the guide to this edifice.   In a lapse of memory, Baylor failed to retrieve his ordered daggers, incurring the wrath of Shák the Blacksmith. This slight reached Mentaur, a figure of influence, who, amused by Baylor's ambition amidst martial law, offered him a stark ultimatum in his own tower: subservience or death. Baylor reluctantly accepted the former, receiving a brand as a token of his new status.   This branding marked the beginning of Baylor's mental anguish, as he grappled with being a figurehead leader of Triad. This realization drove him to finally contact Keesha, offering her leadership of Triad with himself as her second-in-command.   Baylor's vendettas remained, particularly against the red mage and the spurned blacksmith, the latter of whom he plotted a fiery revenge against. Baylor had intended to enact his vengeance by setting Shák’s forge ablaze, ensuring Shák would perish within. However, Baylor later abandoned this cruel scheme.   A sudden revelation convinced Baylor that the mark Mentaur left on him was not a curse, but rather an asset that lent credence to his words and served as a key with certain influential individuals. As the construction of the tower struggled against security breaches, the costs soared, compounded by a wartime levy. During this tumultuous period, Baylor allied with Cambre, a mage of unwavering moral compass. Together, they journeyed to Dragon’s Head, where they vanquished three hydras and secured a considerable hoard.   The spiraling expenses led Baylor to seek additional funds for the tower project. Another expedition to Dragon’s Head ensued, culminating in a fierce confrontation with a Manticore and its Drow Elf companion. Baylor sustained a grievous wound that marred his charm but survived to claim a significant trove.   From this wealth, Baylor generously donated 100,000 gold pieces to the war effort, entrusting the sum to Marjon. In gratitude, Marjon pledged to provide Baylor and his allies with permanent accommodations at The Golden Griffon upon completion of its expansion.   With the remainder of his portion, Baylor cleared the tower's debts and financed further fortifications against terrestrial threats. He learned from the wood Elves that the tower could be concealed through specialized painting, diminishing its visibility from the skies. Meanwhile, Tormen Stovar, the red mage Baylor despised, extended an invitation for a future joint venture, which Baylor accepted.   Baylor discovered a twin tower across the mountain, as informed by Dwargen. Dwargen probed Baylor's intentions for the structure, whether as a fortress or a mere outpost. Baylor confirmed his desire for a fortress. Dwargen then enumerated the necessary resources, modifications, and personnel to transform the tower into a sufficient stronghold, with an estimate of 300,000 gold pieces. Once again, Baylor embarked to Dragon’s Head to finance these ambitions. There, his party clashed with orcs who had pilfered a trove of invaluable Elven artifacts, including the remains of an ancient Elven prince with a storied past. After the battle, the corpse was entrusted to the local sage for repatriation.   Baylor commissioned a breeding pair of hawks from Marjon, intending to train them as sentinels for his keep. He also contemplated acquiring a "soul-bonded" overseer to manage the keep, a safeguard against treachery despite the steep price of over 300,000 gold pieces.   Cambre's heritage was revealed as originating from Yokuza, an island of honorable, skilled Elven archers. His grandfather, Makaman, was a venerated member of the Shield, serving Sebastion and protecting Duventar Stovana.   Rumors spread that Baylor's branding by Mentaur was public knowledge, alongside whispers of the keep's success. Metalla, a Dragonborn officer from Derelict, confronted Baylor at The Golden Griffon, challenging him to a duel. Marjon and Veritica intervened before Baylor could respond, with Marjon leveraging his Shield influence to dismiss Metalla, who ominously threatened Baylor's life.   This act of solidarity profoundly affected Baylor, leading him to envision the keep as a sanctuary for those seeking redemption. He proposed to Veritica to co-own this operation, which she agreed to under the condition of having a say in its moral direction and defense. Solace, following Veritica, also agreed, with the stipulation of a future alliance.   Baylor's ambition expanded further, aspiring for the keep to evolve into a self-sustaining province of Manta. Meanwhile, Veritica trained under Marjon to enhance her swordsmanship and prepared to join the war effort.   The mutilated corpse of Metalla was later discovered, sparking rumors of Baylor's involvement in the heinous act. Veritica financed the discovery of new routes into Dragon’s Head. An attempt to breach a secret door left Baylor gravely injured by poison, but he was revived by a sage for a hefty sum, plunging him into debt.   After recuperating, the party embarked on another mission, overcoming Ogres and encountering books with magical effects. Everyone experienced changes in abilities, save for Cambre and Solace, who suffered curses and required additional funds to be cured.