Carrague

Ambassador Carrague has been the honorary building inspector in Ravens Bluff for decades. He has been in the city for so long that no one now remembers that his appointment was supposed to be honorary.

Appearance
(The "current year" for the people and events in Gateway to Ravens Bluff, the Living City is just before the Time of Troubles, approximately 1356 -- 1357 DR.)

Ambassador Carrague is a bent and stooped old man of 120 pounds with long white hair and beard. He always wears a red robe with gold trim and leans on his staff whenever standing. He is sometimes seen in the company of King, a well-known city dog with remarkable intelligence.

Personality
Carrague is a pleasant fellow, slow to anger, wanting peace and quiet. However he will not tolerate builders who use inferior materials or sloppy methods of construction and he has an abiding grudge against the Builder's Guild. Unfortunately he is growing senile and has trouble focusing on nearby events. In conversation he tends to ramble and become unintelligible at times. He can be oblivious to panic and chaos swirling around him which makes the people of Ravens Bluff believe his calm is due to high self-confidence. Indeed, even his confusing pronouncements are taken as pearls of wisdom from an inscrutable oracle.

Because his mind wanders, Carrague cannot focus long enough to memorize his higher level spells, but people respect him as a powerful wizard. He takes his position very seriously and often visits building sites or planning meetings, his primary goal is greater safety for workers and occupants. These days however, he rarely finishes what he starts.

Background
Carrague finished his apprenticeship with a powerful mage when he was around twenty four years old and set out on his own. After a short time of wandering he met a dazzlingly beautiful elf who called herself Whisper and they formed an adventuring company. Their first campaign turned out to be the most dangerous--of the original twelve members that went up against an old temple dedicated to evil, only Carrague and Whisper survived. Turning rumors of the battle to their advantage, The Hellraisers (a name that Carrague never really liked) became a name feared and respected, new members were recruited, and the company stayed together for almost twenty years.

When a number of Hellraiser members retired to enjoy the spoils of their adventures, Whisper and Carrague bought a ship and set sail, eventually landing in Ravens Bluff. Whisper took on the name of Raven TenTolliver and eventually became head of the Builder's Guild. Carrague rented a comfortable house and settled down to research mysteries he never had time to explore before.

After many years, Carrague gained a reputation for wisdom and the Lord Mayor at that time asked him to act as an ambassador to negotiate for assistance in defeating a demonic cult that had risen near Ravens Bluff. Carrague was successful in this mission and thereafter became known as "The Ambassador".

Eventually Carrague decided to build a wizard's tower for himself and this brought him into conflict with the Builder's Guild and his former comrade, Raven. He refused to employ guild supervisors because he felt his masonry and carpentry skills made him qualified for the task. Raven would not allow any exception to the rules and Carrague vowed never to mortar a single brick as long as the guild's rules were in effect. When it was clear that they were at an impasse, Carrague pointedly built a comfortable underground dwelling instead.

Ambassador Carrague was given the position of honorary building inspector by some friends on the city council to show their support for his anti-guild position. It was largely a symbolic gesture but Carrague takes it very seriously. He and Raven are still civil to each other and he occasionally dines at Raven's Inn, but he still refuses to call her by any name other than Whisper.