Kaeroven Yuluth was the human owner of the Thirsty Sailor, a seedy tavern in Waterdeep. He was also known as Smiles, though the nickname was ironic, for he smiled only rarely. The only times he did, as far as anyone else had ever seen, were when he disposed of the Thirsty Sailor's freshest corpses, throwing them down the Smugglers' Runs sewers after dragging the bodies to the back.[2]
Description[]
It always was unfortunate when Smiles lived up to his nickname.
Kaeroven was a man of disagreeable appearance; his small eyes were recessed, emitting only the most piercing and uncomfortable of gazes, and they were oft likened to the twin points of drawn daggers. He cut an imposing figure, towering and heavyset as he was. Though his curls were blond, the unmistakable lines of razor nicks on his clean-shaven face made him all the more off-putting.[2]
He was also known to don, near-constantly, an inscribed apron. The fact that it was smothered in both blood and the cheap scent of women's perfume did Smiles little favor; whatever the reasoning behind the smell, it seemed a mystery to all.[2]
Possessions[]
Among the many oddities surrounding Kaeroven was the enchanted ring he wore. Though the exact effects were unconfirmed, the mage Volo suspected it to be a variant ring of regeneration—one with vampiric qualities. This he surmised after seeing the effects on Smiles' injuries during his involvement in a fight.[2]
Relationships[]
Kaeroven was known to have a frequent accomplice in the man known as Winestab, who served as a spy both within and without the walls of the Thirsty Sailor. He was Smiles's lackey in more ways than one, however, and often performed other errands for the tavernmaster.[4] Besides him, and besides the employees of the Thirsty Sailor, Kaeroven was also known to occasionally hire criminals.[5]
This latter sort were typically robbers and thugs, people whom he assigned duties of an even more illicit sort: to knock someone around, or even steal something if he needed to get his hands on it.[5] Despite this, Smiles' demands were not truly his own. When he orchestrated such crimes, it was because he himself had been paid to do so, likely by a wealthier patron who wished not to be associated with these base delinquencies.[4]
In fact, Kaeroven was a recognized contact for one such patron: the Kraken Society.[2] Though the group did not fear getting its hands dirty, its role as an information network across the North necessitated the cooperation of individuals to gather said information in the first place.[6][7][8][9] This was the sort of role that Kaeroven fulfilled.[2]
Rumors & Legends[]
Much like the tavern he owned, Kaeroven was infamous among the citizens of the Dock Ward, and many of them believed him to have ties to smugglers. Smuggling was how he made most of his coin, according to those very same rumors. It was left unsaid to whom, precisely, he was linked, but some alleged that it was to Calimshan and its slave traders. Local talk went as far as to say that Smiles would kidnap members of the citizenry to be sold and used as Calishite slaves; whether or not this was true, many who openly quarreled with or slighted the man disappeared soon after.[4]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 230. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 188. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 223. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), p. 189. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ed Greenwood (January 1993). Volo's Guide to Waterdeep. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 188–189. ISBN 1-56076-335-3.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 67. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Sean K. Reynolds and Eric L. Boyd (June 2000). Cloak & Dagger. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 81. ISBN 0-7869-1627-3.
- ↑ Jason Carl, Sean K. Reynolds (October 2001). Lords of Darkness. Edited by Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 154. ISBN 07-8691-989-2.