Halia Thornton

Halia Thornton was a Zhentarim agent and the guildmaster of the Phandalin Miner's Exchange.

Description
Thornton was a calculating agent with huge ambitions. She wished to further the Zhentarim cause by taking over Phandalin and adding it to their territory. Thornton wished to do this by slowly establishing her guild as the governing body of the village.

Personality
The fierce woman was not harassed by the Redbrands, the local outlaws, even though all the other businesses seemed to be. She desired to control the Redbrands to bring the town under her iron fist. She had few qualms about helping those who seemed like valuable business partners, and equally few qualms about stabbing those same people in the back if it suited her (or even if they were simply rude to her).

Possessions
Thornton owned a house to the southeast of the Miner's Exchange.

History
In the, Halia wished to exploit adventurers that had come into town. She would tell them the location of the base of the Redbrands, and where they loitered, as well as offer them a reward for their leader's head. Halia hoped that she could use this information and the reward as leverage to control the new adventurers into doing her bidding. This way, she could assume leadership of the Redbrands.

During an ongoing regional conflict between the Cult of Talos and a sect of Myrkul followers, Halia kept close tabs on both groups' spies operating in Phandalin, although she was not averse to working with them if the opportunity made sense.

Following the decision by Phandalin's townsfolk be governed by a town council instead of a townmaster, Halia campaigned for and was successfully elected to a two-year term on the council, alongside retired soldier Sildar Hallwinter and the former townmaster Harbin Wester.

In the, Halia was killed by the Manshoon sect of the Zhentarim as a way to muscle in on Phandalin. She was replaced at the Miner's Exchange by the Zhentarim affiliate and Manshoon loyalist Sharna Quirstiron, who convinced the town that Halia had left Phandalin because the mines were failing under her oversight. This disappearance of one of their town councilors led to another reorganization of Phandalin's political structure.

Rumors & Legends
Halia had come across information that the Redbrands had a goblin contact who knew the location of Cragmaw Castle.