Puppetmasters

The Puppetmasters were an adventuring company that operated in Cormyr circa 1369 DR. They were originally a troupe of entertainers, but turned their skills towards adventuring after growing tired of their audiences. They strongly preferred to earn their income by scamming and tricking others, with actual adventuring something of a last resort.

Known Puppetmasters

 * Brenna, the leader and deadly fighter.
 * Dorenn, a cunning rogue.
 * Golias, a fearless dwarf fighter.
 * Zeran, a priestess of Leira.
 * Bruk, a Zhent wizard.

History
In 1369 DR, the Puppetmasters were in dire financial straits and were having trouble paying for their Cormyrean adventuring charter. They managed to buy the location of Barrenstone, the hidden home of the wizard Adzerak, from the scholar Barrit in Tilverton. Rather than perform the work of excavating the dungeon and fighting through its defenses, the Puppetmasters decided to trick another group of adventurers into doing the work for them. In Arabel they faked the death of Dorenn, placing a letter and treasure map on his person that the other group found, then spread supporting rumors at the Wink and Kiss tavern to further encourage the expedition.

The plan worked well, and the Puppetmasters waited above the entrance to Barrenstone, laying an ambush for the duped adventurers as they climbed out of the dungeon laden with treasure. Unfortunately for the Puppetmasters, their ability in combat was not as great as their cunning, and they were defeated with nothing to show for all their efforts.