Howard Holiday

Howard Holiday was the Deputy Mayor of Ravens Bluff circa 1357 DR.

Description
Howard stood tall and weighed. He wore stylish clothes and was one of the most handsome politicians in Ravens Bluff. He was rarely seen without his signature hat, a fancy broad-brimmed hat decorated with a hippogriff plume. The hat was a magical hat of difference, which gave him his illusionist ability.

He was aged 38 around 1357 DR.

Personality
Obsessed with details, he continually interfered in the work of others, thinking that nothing could be done properly without his assistance. As a result, he was often weeks behind schedule on projects the Lord Mayor assigned him. However, he was very friendly, outgoing, charismatic, and generous to a fault, which made it hard for people to refuse his "help". As he saw it, marriage was not in his near future because he was too busy to become seriously involved with a woman, even though he was one of the most desirable bachelors in town.

History
Howard came to Ravens Bluff around 1347 DR looking for something less dangerous than the life of an adventurer. He held jobs as a constable, security guard, stock boy, merchant's assistant and other odd jobs. While working for a merchant waiting on customers, he befriended an old wizard who was a regular customer and who enjoyed his tales of adventure. The wizard invited him on a short mission that turned into a two-month journey to a partly demolished castle and a tough battle against several trolls. When he returned to Ravens Bluff, he was out of a job so his wizard friend gave him a job as a guard and started tutoring him in the ways of magic. Howard began to adventure again, and by age 32 had attained a moderate spellcasting ability and held the respect of other mages in the guild. This brought him to the attention of Ambassador Carrague, who recommended Howard to Lord Mayor Charles Oliver O'Kane. The Lord Mayor gave him a chance and Howard exceeded all expectations, eventually becoming Deputy Mayor and one of O'Kane's chief advisors.

Activities
Howard's duties included keeping the Lord Mayor's schedule and appointments, setting the agenda for Council meetings, managing the city bureaucracy, and receiving regular reports from the Lord Regent, the Chancellor, the Lord Marshal, the Chief Prelate, and the Lord Speakers of the Council of Lords and the Advisory Council. He had one other duty that few knew about—he managed an extensive network of spies and informers, usually through his chief spy Chaney. Howard kept all covert activity from being traceable to the Lord Mayor. If any operation should go spectacularly wrong, Howard would take the blame.