House Penhaligon

House Penhaligon rules the town that bears their name.

Lady Arteris Penhaligon
Ruler of Penhaligon

Arteris is the daughter of the town’s late founder, Arturus Penhaligon, an adventuring companion of King Stefan before he came to Karameikos. She grew up in the roadside town and knows both the town and the area around it intimately.

Personality: Arteris Penhaligon is a dedicated, no-nonsense warrior who thinks of the safety of her town first, the caravans that pass through it second, her loyalty to the crown third, and the lives of individual adventurers not at all. She is passionate in protecting those she knows well, but unconcerned about risking the lives of those she knows casually. As a result, if there’s a gnoll lair to be raided or goblins to be combated, she prefers to hire mercenary adventurers for the job, paying a percentage of any treasure recovered in the process.

What She Says: “Though the cost may be high, one life or a hundred, the town shall live” (attributed and used as a quote in Emilio the Great’s production of The Grand Duke’s Road).

What Others Say: “Cold as a glacier. After I turn her into a bloody hero, she threatens to break my knees!” (Emilio the Great after Arteris saw The Grand Duke’s Road).

Appearance: Arteris is a tall, middle-aged warrior with brown eyes and brown hair worn in the Thyatian style. She seems to have a permanent scowl and is said to smile only in the midst of battle.

Using Arteris: Arteris’s penchant for hiring strangers for missions on behalf of the town makes her a likely employer for the traveling sell-sword and the wandering mage. Low-level adventurers may be employed as scouts and spies in the mountains surrounding Penhaligon. Interestingly, once player characters get to know Arteris, she will not give them additional work, for she does not like the idea of risking friends. She will, however, send letters of recommendation on their behalf.

Combat: Arteris Penhaligon is an accomplished swordswoman. She wears a set of bracers of defense, which were a gift from her father.

Arteris Penhaligon (9thlevel fighter): THAC0 11; (broad sword +1, flamentongue) or 1d6 (short bow & arrows); AC 2 (bracers of defense AC 2); hp 53; MV 12; ML fearless (19); AL LN. Str 14, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 17. Languages : Dwarvi sh (Hi ghf o r g e diale c t ) , Thyatian, Traladaran. Prof iciencies : Animal lore, blind-fighting, hunting, tracking.
 * 1) AT 1 or 2; Dmg 2d4+1