Pristoleph

Pristoleph was a fire genasi who was active in Innarlith in the mid–14 century DR. He came from an impoverished background, but eventually rose to become the Ransar, the leader of the city state of Innarlith.

Description
He didn't tell people that he was a fire genasi and the people of Innarlith seemed to just accept that he had strange hair. He wore makeup on his face to lighten his complexion and told people that he was Chondathan.

Abilities
As a fire genasi, he had better vision in the dark than humans and had some ability to control flames.

Relationships
Pristoleph was raised by his human mother, whom he left at a young age to live on the streets of Innarlith. His mother had been wealthy at one point, but had lost her wealth and resorted to working as a prostitute. He never met his fire elemental father. He was disgusted by his mother and didn't maintain contact with her after he left home.

In the 1360s DR, he became an ally of the Red Wizard Marek Rymüt, who was stirring up trouble among the poor and working class. He assisted Pristoleph in becoming Ransar himself in the 1370s, only to turn on him later when Pristoleph went against his plans regarding the canal project.

Wenefir was Pristoleph's friend since childhood. The former eventually became a cleric of Cyric. Wenefir offered the help of the Church of Cyric for Pristoleph to become Ransar, however, Pristoleph distrusted using them to take power. Wenefir counselled Pristoleph not to trust Marek Rymut.

Phyrea was the daughter of Senator Inthelph and she became Pristoleph's wife after she divorced from Senator Willem Korvan.

Olin was a Black firedrake who served as Pristoleph's bodyguard and saved his life from an attack by a Maurezhi.

History
Pristoleph was born in Innarlith in the early 14 century DR. His mother was a human woman who worked as a prostitute. She was raped by a fire elemental who was disguised as a human client soliciting for her services.

He left home at a young age to live on the streets of Innarlith in the fourth quarter of the city. He got into trouble with a gang of child-aged burglars who were led by a boy named Mandalax. Mandalax wanted Pristoleph to join his gang, but Pristoleph refused. Mandalax then went after him because of his refusal. After a violent confrontation between Pristoleph and Mandalax's gang in the, Pristoleph succeeded in winning over the gang and became their leader.

Eventually he came to work for the city guard of Innarlith under Lieutenant Ptolnec. He organized a brothel during his time in the city guard with the prostitute Nyla. He left the city for a period and returned later.

Pristoleph succeeded in becoming a senator in Innarlith. He was present as a senator in the city in 1361 DR when strikes and social action was being taken by the working class and poor of the city of Innarlith. He had allied himself with Marek Rymut at this time, the latter of whom was regularly appearing at demonstrations and giving speeches in favour of the workers. Pristoleph advised Rymut on how to gain control of the various work gangs in the city in order to set up a collective organization of workers to engage in collective action.

During this turmoil, Pristoleph presented a public image of himself as a man of the common people who had come up from poverty in the fourth quarter of Innarlith, even though he had since acquired immense wealth to make him an aristocrat.

He took an attraction to Phyrea the wife of Senator Willem Korvan and decided he would take her as his own wife. Phyrea, who detested Willem, decided to divorce Willem and marry Pristoleph.

He long had ambitions of becoming the Ransar of Innarlith. He made plans and grew an army at Firesteap Citadel with which he planned to invade Innnarlith. Ransar Salatis became aware of Pristoleph's ambitions and he sent a Spirit naga assassin to kill him and Phyrea, but the attack was foiled by Pristoleph who used his control over flames to burn the naga and cause it to flee.

He took his army to invade Innarlith and besieged the city for a year. In 1371 DR as his soldiers had captured much of the city and came near the Palace of Many Spires, Salatis's bodyguards betrayed and murdered him. They handed the Ransar's corpse over to Pristoleph, who then was appointed as the new Ransar of Innarlith.

The Spirit Naga assassin that Salatis had earlier sent to kill him went to the canal site to murder the chief builder of the canal that was intended to connect the Lake of Steam to the Nagaflow. Pristoleph investigated and he found that Ivar Devorast, who had earlier been the chief builder of the canal, was still at the site and secretly directing the workmen how to build while he posed as a common labourer. Pristoleph had him arrested and locked in his dungeon for a year. Pristoleph became convinced that Devorast was not guilty of the assassination and had him released. He asked Devorast to take over construction of the canal, and Devorast agreed to do so.

Marek Rymüt who had profited from the sale of magical items and services for the canal project was very upset by this turn of events and strongly against it, however, Pristoleph refused to change his mind. Pristoleph and Devorast later travelled together to Shou Lung for half a year and when they returned, they found that a magical portal had been created for moving ships instead of the canal without Pristoleph's consent. Pristoleph was annoyed by this and found that some of Marek's henchmen were behind it.

Marek sent a Maurezhi disguised as Svayyah to assassinate Pristoleph. Svayyah was a Water naga that had earlier made an agreement with Devorast concerning the canal, but whom Marek was trying to incriminate and get Innarlith to distrust her. Pristoleph's bodyguards fought off the assassin and Pristoleph immediately went to the canal site to question Devorast about what happened. Svayyah then appeared and showed that she was not the assassin that Pristoleph had encountered, since she was not wounded and Pristoleph's bodyguards had cut off the Maurezhi's ear during the fight. Pristoleph came to suspect that Marek Rymut was attempting to kill him and tried to find a way to get Marek arrested, but this wasn't possible since Marek refused to leave the Thayan enclave in Innarlith, which put him legally on foreign soil and not under Innarlith's jurisdiction.

Rumors and Legends
On Nightal 24 1361 DR, there was a general strike that occurred in the third quarter of Innarlith that was rumored to have been instigated by Pristoleph while he was serving as a senator.

Quotations
"And you're wondering how you might benefit from the chaos?" Wenefir asked Pristoleph. Pristoleph responded, "If you can find a way to benefit from it, it isn't chaos."

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Whisper of Waves
 * Lies of Light