Halonidas Dreie

Halonidas Dreie was a wizard living in Scornubel with an eye for business and the wealth it could bring, circa the Year of the Lion, 1340 DR until his death around the Year of the Morningstar, 1350 DR.

Personality
Halonidas was haughty and cruel, even to his apprentices.

Abilities
He was an accomplished spellcaster who bested a number of journeyman mages, survived three assassination attempts, and possibly developed a spell that protected individuals from being approached by doppelgangers&mdash;it wracked them with pain if they got within a certain distance.

Possessions
Halonidas got rich off the spoils of dirty business practices by the cabal of merchants of which he was a member. After his death, his wealth was apparently split between the conspirators that brought him down, including a set of a dozen or more golden goblets that became the symbol of the organization that was formed while standing around his corpse&mdash;the Great Goblet.

Relationships
He was domineering and abusive to his apprentices, especially Glaratha Starntempest and her beautiful younger sister Ileldra, of whom he took advantage and coerced their submission. Glaratha was particularly incensed about their treatment and both were eager to listen when conspirators approached them with an offer of support in arranging his demise.

History
Halonidas joined a nameless cabal of merchants in Scornubel sometime around 1340 DR and provided magical services to the group. Their aim was to bring down certain Waterdhavian noble merchant families, or at least push them out of the local economy. As tensions escalated, the nobles hired mages to pose as mercenaries to surprise any attackers on their caravans. Halonidas was instrumental in dealing with the magical threats and felt it gave him the authority to speak for the group and hand out marching orders. This inevitably led to conflict and confrontation with the other merchant members of the cabal who did not feel he had the right or even a mandate. Three times they attempted to get rid of him and three times Halonidas killed the rivals that attacked him. Seemingly unassailable, the remaining conspirators approached his apprentices and found willing accomplices in the Starntempest sisters. Sometime around 1350 DR, they caught him in a relatively unguarded moment and drowned him while he was bathing.