These are the recurring non-divine NPCs that the heroes come across over the course of the story.

Acastus, King of Mytros#

Acastus Arkelander has been the King of Mytros for two decades. As the husband to the goddess Vallus, he is the most powerful political figure in all Thylea, and he has a towering ego to match his fame. Although he is naturally charming, he is not a man who brooks being challenged or overshadowed.

Beneath his outward confidence lies a deep-seated insecurity, because he has accomplished nothing important during his lifetime. He fears death, because he feels that he will quickly be forgotten. He desperately wishes to achieve immortality by increasing his fame, so that he will be remembered for many great deeds, like his ancestors.

Acastus has no faith in the Oracle’s prophecy, and he is immensely suspicious and jealous of her chosen “heroes.” He would rather believe that the heroes are not the answer to his kingdom’s problems. He has solutions of his own: he has depended upon the Order of Sydon to maintain peace with the Titans for years. He also plans to rebuild the ancient Order of the Dragonlords with dragon eggs that Lutheria secretly gave him.

Dragon Rider#

King Acastus is one of several famous dragon riders in Mytros. His mount is Icarus, an Adult Silver Dragon who spends his time flying around the city, stealing cattle and over-fishing the waters beyond the harbor. Everyone considers Icarus to be a nuisance, but no one has ever dared to complain to the king. Acastus rides him around the city during festivals to show off his power. The dragon is only an adult because Acastus forced him to age quickly from the egg using Potions of Aging. Icarus still has the callow mind of a wyrmling.

Dragonlord Descendant#

Acastus’s insecurity is made worse due to a connection he has with his direct ancestor, Estor Arkelander. Estor was the Dragonlord responsible for starting the First War, and is now the infamous captain of the ghost ship, the Ultros. Every night Estor whispers in Acastus’s dreams, taunting him for his lack of achievements. The ghost has promised Acastus the immortality that he so desires, but only if he makes himself a willing vessel.

Consort of Vallus#

Acastus’s marriage to the goddess Vallus has suffered over the years, mostly thanks to his own pride. He believed that winning the hand of the goddess was a sign of great things to come. Over the years, the romance turned sour as the king’s obsession with fame became clear. Now, the two can barely stand to be in the same room together and view the marriage as a sham. Acastus has brazenly taken consorts that he openly parades before his estranged wife.

Roleplaying Acastus#

Charming**.** Acastus makes a great show of treating guests well. He conducts himself with apparent grace, humility, and amiable good cheer. His true nature is nearly impossible to discern, even by the most perceptive and suspicious observers.

Faithless**.** Acastus’s loyalties change, sometimes in the space of moments, depending on his understanding of the power balance in Thylea. He is adept at making promises that he never intends to keep, but he’s careful never to swear oaths that would bind him to what might be the losing side in a battle.

Chondrus#

Chondrus (CE Mage) is a disciple of Lutheria who works alongside the Order of Sydon to secure magical secrets and political influence for the Titans. He currently serves as the master of the Great Library in Yonder (area Y14), though he occasionally makes trips to Mytros to oversee the Cult of Lutheria’s activities in the city.

Chondrus was born an orphan in Stygian Row, where he was treated with suspicion, like most of his kind. Eventually, he was taken in by priests at the Temple of Lutheria, where he learned magic and came to view the Mistress of Death as his own personal savior.

When Chondrus came of age, he dared to travel to the Nether Sea to see the Lady of Dreams in person. After many trials, he succeeded in joining her personal harem. He spent many years aboard the Hypnos, enjoying the pleasures of Lutheria’s garden, but eventually, she grew bored of him and cast him out. Ever since, he has sought to return to her good graces and rejoin her on the Hypnos.

Chondrus’s Motivations#

Chondrus may seek to join the party in order to make his way back to the Hypnos and regain Lutheria’s favor. He hopes to accomplish this by ingratiating himself with the heroes and then betraying them at the first opportune moment in the Nether Sea. For example, he might encourage the party to investigate the Iron Prison Cube and then lock them inside once they’ve entered.

Roleplaying Chondrus#

Arrogant**.** Chondrus believes that he’s smarter than pretty much everyone he meets. While it’s true that he’s survived an impressive array of dangers by the strength of his own wits, his arrogance frequently makes him short-sighted and undermines his plans.

Pedantic**.** The only thing Chondrus likes more than being right is correcting other people when they’re wrong. He relishes pointing out minor errors, and he makes a great show of being patient with those of “lesser intellect” than himself.

Darien#

Darien (NG Amazon Warrior, appendix B) is the rightful heir to the throne of the Amazons. Her mother, Queen Thesilea, ruled the Island of Themis along with her two sisters. But when Darien was five years old, her mother was betrayed by her closest advisors, who had transformed into medusae. They killed the three matriarchs and assumed their identities. But before the final stroke fell, Darien’s mother forced the medusae to swear not to harm her youngest daughter until she comes of age. Accordingly, Darien was thrown into prison, where she has remained for thirteen years.

In order to prevent Darien from revealing this dark secret, the new queen enchanted Darien’s prison cell with the Silence spell. Consequently, she has been unable to speak for over a decade. During that time, she has subsisted on the stories and scraps that her stimfay companion brings to her. She dreams of exacting vengeance on the medusae, and she trains every day in her cell, looking forward to the opportunity.

Roleplaying Darien#

Spirited**.** Darien has spent thirteen years trapped in a cell, listening to stories of grand adventure. She is restless and enthusiastic about the possibility of going on her own adventures. Once she achieves vengeance for her mother, she is eager to join the heroes on their quest and explore the world beyond her island.

Shy**.** Darien has not had much human contact in the time that she’s been trapped in her cell. She speaks haltingly and with some embarrassment about her limited social skills. She has never seen a man before, and she regards them with detached curiosity. She may develop secret feelings for female heroes.

Commander Gaius#

Gaius is the Commander of the Order of Sydon. He is a true believer who fervently wants Sydon to rule Thylea. He commands a force of over one thousand knights in Mytros and on the islands of the Cerulean Gulf. In Mytros, he can usually be found at the Temple of Sydon or the Great Palace, but he often travels to the Island of Yonder, where the ancient Gygan ruins serve as a military base for his faction.

Dragon Rider#

Gaius travels between Mytros and the Cerulean Gulf with ease thanks to Argyn, his Young Silver Dragon mount. Argyn was raised by Sydon and given to Gaius as a reward for his loyalty. For his part, Gaius loves Argyn and has vowed to marry her when she is old enough to transform into a human. Unfortunately for Gaius, Argyn merely tolerates him. She loves only Sydon, who has promised her a mountain of treasure in exchange for her loyal service to the zealot.

Roleplaying Gaius#

Zealous**.** Gaius is utterly devoted to Sydon’s cause, and he brooks no insult to the Titans. He spares nothing in punishing what he considers heresy, making (fatal) examples of anyone who threatens the dominion of the Lord of Storms.

Humorless**.** Gaius is dour and grim-faced, and he has absolutely no sense of humor at all. He crucifies bards just to shut them up. He never drinks. Even his own men are frightened of him.

Queen Helen of Aresia#

Queen Helen (NG Noble) is the ruling monarch of Aresia and the last sovereign of a lineage that has guarded Narsus for five centuries. She inherited the city’s enduring grudge against Mytros and its martial tradition. Many call her a tyrant, but her people see her as a bulwark against chaos and foreign ambition. She has no children. She has trained her entire life to be the shield of Aresia.

Helen was raised to believe that the Palladium (appendix C) made her city unassailable. She saw how generations of Mytrosian campaigns failed, and her faith hardened into certainty. In her youth, she studied under the Grandmasters of the martial temples, mastering strategy and discipline. She was crowned after her mother’s sudden death; a death she never publicly questioned, though some whisper of poisoned tea and a peaceful inheritance.

Helen does not hate the Dragonlords, but she sees them as destabilizing forces. The world she governs has survived in defiance of gods, titans, and ancient heroes.

Helen’s Motivations#

Queen Helen will do whatever is necessary to keep Aresia independent. She believes that surrendering Narsus will collapse her legitimacy, embolden Mytros, and expose her people to conquest. Her fallback strategy is to provoke the Dragonlords into overreach, revealing them as pretenders or tyrants. If all else fails, she will sacrifice herself to protect the city.

Roleplaying Helen#

Controlled. Every word is measured. She rarely reveals emotion except in brief, startling flashes.

Unapologetic. She believes rulers take responsibility for terrible choices. Regret is weakness.

Nessa the Centaur#

“Like, give peace a chance!”

—Nessa, huntmaster of the Scorpion Tribe

Nessa (CG Centaur Trooper) is a centaur who belongs to a cursed tribe on Scorpion Island. For the past few years, she has led a band of scouts who patrol the island, herding the giant scorpions away from the shores. Like all members of her tribe, she must bond with a mortal rider before she comes of age, or she will transform into a giant scorpion. When the heroes meet her, Nessa has a month before she comes of age, and she is desperate to find a rider.

Roleplaying Nessa#

Groovy**.** Nessa is relaxed and down-to-earth. She likes to braid hair, make flower wreaths, and smoke the lotus flowers that are common on her island. She’s good with a javelin, but she thinks war is boring.

Loyal**.** Nessa will be loyal to the mortal rider who bonds with her. She will try to learn everything she can about her rider, as her dream is to be best friends with her rider forever.

As a Companion**.** Nessa can be used as a mount. She is proficient with all musical instruments, and she can cast Druidcraft as a cantrip. Once per day, she can share her lotus flower pipe with one creature, in which case the smoker gains the effects of the Speak with Animals spell.

Pholon the Centaur#

“Always be there for your bros.”

—Pholon, brother to centaurs and mortals alike

Pholon (LG Centaur Trooper) is a centaur who once was part of the cursed tribe on Scorpion Island. Years ago, he bonded with a man named Ankaios, a human soldier whom he loved. The two of them had many adventures across Thylea, but sadly, Ankaios was recently killed in battle. Pholon must find a new rider before the next full moon, or else he will transform into a giant scorpion.

As a Companion#

Pholon can be used as a mount, and is proficient with all melee weapons. Once per day, he can chug mead as a Bonus Action, which grants him Resistance to all damage types for 1d4 rounds.

Roleplaying Pholon#

Adolescent**.** Pholon likes to party and drink mead. He’s always up for drinking, singing, or wrestling, especially with “his bros.” He’s good in a fight, but he thinks war is a real bummer.

Loyal**.** Pholon is loyal to the mortal rider who bonds with him, and will be determined to be the very best of friends with that person. He’s supportive to a fault, and he volunteers for anything that he deems too dangerous for his favorite bros.

Steros the Jancan#

Steros (LN Jancan Cyclops, appendix B**)** belongs to a rare breed of cyclopes known as jancan. Members of this species are born with ten fingers per hand and ten toes per foot, allowing them to become cunning artificers. Steros in particulas possesses incredible skills at the forge, as he was born and raised among the forgemasters of Praxys, the Tower of Sydon.

Steros stands only 9 feet tall, much shorter than other cyclopes. He was the butt of every joke at Praxys, and even Sydon treated him with contempt. Steros feels resentful toward his “family”, and he hopes to prove that they have always underestimated him. Steros’s father once served the lizard king on Fire Island, but after he was captured in an Amazon raid, Sydon sent Steros as a replacement for his missing father.

Talented Craftsman#

Steros is an amazing craftsman, known for his ability to engineer incredibly life-like clockwork animals. He designed his magic monocle that grants him special powers and compensates for his race’s poor vision. Steros can operate the Mithral Forge just as well as Volkan, and his monocle can be used in place of Pythor’s Hammer (appendix C, The Great Labors) to speed up crafting.

Steros’s Motivations#

Steros wants to rescue his father from the Amazons on the Island of Themis. He also claims that he wants revenge against Sydon. This is partly true, but he secretly hopes to hand over the heroes in the belief that this will finally earn him Sydon’s respect.

Roleplaying Steros#

Insecure**.** Steros has always felt as that everyone is secretly laughing at him. He even misinterprets simple greetings and commands as somehow insulting. He’s too much of a coward to act on his anger, though.

Awkward**.** Steros plans to betray the heroes, but he’s comically bad at hiding it. He even twirls his mustache and cackles to himself about his own cunning plans when he thinks no one is looking.