Minor Villains

In the dark corners of the worlds or sometimes in plain sight there are ruinous powers and foul beings which dwell. There are others less rancid and depraved but still as tainted as the rest. These villains are integral parts of your story and as you either dispatch or dismiss these characters their names will be added to your heroic annals. Some will remain memorable while others will become forgotten over time.

Arietta Graves

A Warlock sworn to the Demon Prince Kothradin. Little is known about her past other than that in the last six months she had imprisoned, tortured, and killed dozens of country folk who had taken up residence in the Fist of Scarwood to fuel a demonic ritual to bring her benefactor to the mortal plane. She was killed by Olo Silver following an intense battle in the library of the Fist of Scarwood.

Iarno "Glasstaff" Albrek

A former member of the Lords' Alliance, Iarno seized an opportunity in Phandalin to line his own pockets. Originally tasked with setting up a constabulary, the mage instead assembled a group of outlaws and local ruffians to secure his own position in town.

Iarno knew of the Black Spider through his contacts in the Lords' Alliance and brokered a meeting. The drow promised to share the secrets and wealth of the Forge of Spells with the wizard in exchange for his help and loyalty.

Iarno put on a gentlemanly demeanor but when backed into a corner, ordered his ghastly servant, a Nothic, to wayleigh the party, and escaped Tresandor Manor to disappear into the Storm Mountains.

Hector

The Self-Proclaimed King of the Bridge. Operating from under a small bridge north of Phandalin, this Troll has extorted a heavy toll on the people of the region for years. He does remain relatively quiet for those who pay, only venturing out occasionally to steal a farmer's sheep for food. Hector was killed on the 25th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms) 1491 DR during a ranging to the Ruins of Thundertree by Aethulian Quel'alin.

Klarg

The Warchief of the Cragmaw Goblins. Operating out of Cragmaw Cave, Klarg is a particularly brutal leader. The bugbear is often seen with his feral hound, Ripper. On the orders of the illusive Black Spider, Klarg orchestrated the attack on Sildar Hallwinter and Gundren Rockseeker as they traveled to Phandalin. Klarg was killed in Cragmaw Cavern with a killing blow from Dwalin the All-Seer.

Kothradin, Lord of Blood

A demon prince from the demon plane of Asmodeus. He had bound the Warlock of the Fiend, Arietta Graves, to his will and charged her with the bloody ritual of to summon him to the mortal plane. His servant had almost succeeded in this feat were it not for the timely intervention of the party.

Kurdan the Bone Seer

Kurdan is the Chief Shaman of Xulkug the Unbroken and a integral member of the Burned Snake Clan. Little is known about Orc Magic as it is drawn from a veritable cornucopia of sources. With touches of wild magic, necromancy, conjuration, illusion and a dozen other schools, the shamans and doomscryers of the orcs horde manipulate the magical energies around them to provide either boons to the warriors of the horde or summon minor thaumaturgistic effects and label them as omens.

Kurdan differs from the others shaman as he actually has an awarness of the magical powers he commands. Kurdan was not born into the Burned Snakes. He arrived one day to Krogar Grul broken and beaten. He claimed to be from a smaller tribe of orcs who were attacked by Knights from Waterdeep. The tribe was smashed against the river where they made camp. He managed to escape in the torrential waters and made his way to the encampment in a hope of finding another tribe. Shamans are always valuable to a clan, especially if the warchief is as superstitious as Xolkug. Kurdan rapidly ascended through the ranks, any rivals in his path curiously ended up burning out of their magic or disappearing entirely. He began to whisper stories to the orc warchief of Tulag Kurz and a prophecy that the great horde master would eventually return. Xolkug devoured these stories and began to escalate his raids in the region.

It's not known for certain on the truth of Kurdan's origins or the nature of his power. He remains surprisingly charismatic for an orc, a peculiar quality. He is often found meditating or 'consulting with the powers' in his shrine hut. What remains to be seen - who are these powers? Are they a force of nature or something more...sinister.

Kurdan was killed while trying to flee the Battle of Krogar Grul on the 18th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms) 1491 DR.

Xolkug the Unbroken

Xolkug the Unbroken is the Warchief of the Burned Snake Horde, an orc warband which has been amassing in the Storm Mountains and has built a large camp known by the orcs as Krogar Grul, an orcish slang which roughly translates to "hill of bloodied steel". Xolkug is a descendant of Ralgut the Wise. In 900 DR, Ralgut had rallied the Burned Snake Horde to the infamous Warchief Tulag Kurz of the Nine Clans Horde. Ralgut had questioned move against the giants as he saw it as reckless. Unlike other orcs, while he was still a formidable warrior he also possessed a superior intellect. Anticipating defeat, he positioned his clan far from Tulag's Vanguard.  Following the massive rout at the hands of the the Giant Tribes of Ranglokh, Ralgut consolidated the Burned Snakes with the Stone Scars and retreated from the Northern Wastes into the Storm Mountains. They established Krogar Grul and sought to reave the local area, which was bountiful in loot and opportunity. It is rumored that Ralgut knew of the splinter faction of orcs from Uruth Ukrpyt who had aligned themselves with the malignant dark sorcerers but refused to either take up arms for or against them.

Centuries later, the line of Ralgut has become - sullied. The once fabled wit and intelligence which his forefather bore was now gone and replaced with the brute strength and bravado associated with many other Orc Warchiefs. Despite lacking his ancestor's intelligence, Xolkug remains undefeated, hence his title of the "Unbroken".

Where Ralgut saw to preserve the Burned Snakes through subtle diplomacy and measured raids, Xolkug believes the time has come for the Burned Snakes to reassert their dominance on the lands. Xolkug believes he is a reincarnation of Tulag Kurz, a belief largely influenced by the shaman and doomscryers he surrounds himself with. The large orc is as superstitious as he is reckless and often consults with Kurdan the Bone Seer, a Chief Shaman within the Burned Snakes and the informal advisor to the Warchief.

Xolkug was killed during the Battle of Krogar Grul 18th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms) 1491 DR.

Yeemick

The second-in-command to Klarg, Yeemick was an enterprising goblin with aspirations of usurping Klarg and taking command of Cragmaw Cave for himself. Despite his fearsome combat prowess Yeemick's ascent to greatness was cut short when Mazekk Tibbett castrated and then beheaded him in close combat.