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Pock-Marked Po (pronounced: /ˈpɛPOE[6]) was one of the so-called "beggar princes" of Port Nyanzaru in Chult, making him an influential figure in that city's underworld in the late 15th century DR.[1][2][4] He was known as the "Hideous Prince".[4][7]

What secrets do you hold dear? Wager that I know what they are?
— Pock-Marked Po[1]

Description[]

Po was a Calishite man with dark hair and dusky skin. His body was significantly deformed by a serious illness. Po had reduced eyesight in one of his eyes, and his joints had become inflexible. His hands were deformed into gnarled shapes, and he had a stooped gait owing to trouble walking unaided.[1][8][3] He dressed in a frayed cape.[9]

Personality[]

How can you prove to me that you aren't lying snakes?
— Pock-Marked Po[9]

Po was very crafty and had a quick wit and a silver tongue. He had a level head, and a polite demeanor.[1][8]

Activities[]

As a beggar prince, he was one of the unofficial rulers of Port Nyanzaru's Old City[2] and the thieves of the city listened to his commands.[4][9]

He was connected to the Zhentarim and acted as their principle contact in the city, although his superiors allowed him to operate mostly autonomously.[6] However, he was responsible for protecting their secrets[5][10] and improving their reputation.[11]

Relationships[]

Due to his poor health, Po was attended to by a number of young Chultan women who cared for him, fed him olives, and helped him with things that his body did not allow him to do.[1][4]

Po had many contacts throughout Port Nyanzaru, through which he conducted his affairs.[1] His subordinates among the Zhentarim included Henry Hallowhall,[12] Zansha,[13] Jaha Mubsie,[4] and Rokah.[14]

Why should I trust the merchant princes? What have they ever done for us here in the Old City?
— Pock-Marked Po[9]

Among the Merchant Princes of Port Nyanzaryu, Po respected Kwayothé[4] but disliked Jessamine and Wakanga O'tamu.[9]

He generally strove to ensure that the Zhentarim seized favorable opportunities out from under rival factions,[13] however he occasionally cooperated with representatives from such other factions within Port Nyanzaru, such as when several of them elected to hire the mercenary Pozzanna Lordeaux to secure a stronghold within the Chultan jungle,[15] when they rallied behind Hawkdriver Mazugulak to drive back an undead attack on the city,[16] or when they came together under Alastar Bol to send agents to investigate undead forces stemming from the ruined city of Matolo.[5]

He had a son named Basu, although he outwardly cared for him relatively little compared to his "bigger family" of the Zhentarim.[5]

Possessions[]

Po lived in a lavishly decorated and perfumed hut that had a dilapidated exterior, in the south end of the Old City.[1] However, in his capacity as a beggar prince, he held court in the smallest of the three step-pyramids overlooking Executioner's Run.[4]

History[]

At one time, Po had been an adventurer,[2] however he was left deformed after a disease nearly killed him.[8]

As of the events of the death curse around 1490 DR,[note 1] Po was in his mid–30s and worked as an agent of the Zhentarim. During this time, he tasked a group of adventurers with participating in a dinosaur race in the Market Ward in order to win the Oracle's Eye, a piece of a Dreamer's Amulet.[1] He also hired adventurers to investigate the disappearance of a beloved local tavern owner, Miboro Yan, and personally oversaw the near-execution of a witness, Favin Kreeger, to learn what had happened to her.[3]

My people need to see strong leadership. So, what would you do in my shoes?
— Pock-Marked Po[9]

When Port Nyanzaru came under attack by the fiendish forces of Idrianne Smoke, Po's thieves waged guerilla war against them in the Old City. The Merchant Prince Kwayothé sought to strike a deal with Po that would see him ally with her mercenaries.[4][9]

When his son Basu disappeared on a trip to Fallen Feather, Po sent adventurers to find him and the information that he carried.[5]

When the Red Wizards of Thay threatened Chult, Po hatched a plan to create "proof" of the Zhentarim's superiority to goodly factions. He planned to send agents against the Red Wizards whom he would order to behave especially "heroically" and have record their deeds with a memory crystal.[11]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in Tomb of Annihilation, however it is understood to take place sometime between 1488 DR and 1492 DR. The earlier date is based on the fact that Port Nyanzaru is stated to have gained independence from Amn nine years prior to the start of the adventure (p 15), which would be 1488 DR at the earliest given the city was firmly under Amnian control as of 1479 DR (as described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p 102). The later date is based on the presence of Volothamp Geddarm, who is promoting the in-universe Volo's Guide to Monsters during the adventure (p 24) but is stated to have concluded his promotional tour and begun a new book as of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (see pp 5, 24), which is understood to be set in 1492 DR. Unless a canon source states otherwise, this wiki will use this range for events related to this sourcebook. The adventure is also assumed to take place concurrently with or slightly after the events of Storm King's Thunder based on the subplot involving frost giants in the service of Jarl Storvald (p 13).

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Rich Lescouflair (2017). A City on the Edge (DDAL07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 James Introcaso (2017). Fester and Burn (DDAL07-06) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 James Introcaso (2017). Fester and Burn (DDAL07-06) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Will Doyle (2016). Peril at the Port (DDEP07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 7.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Cindy Moore (2017). Putting the Dead to Rest (DDAL07-08) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 4–5.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Rich Lescouflair (2017). A City on the Edge (DDAL07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
  7. Will Doyle (2016). Peril at the Port (DDEP07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 48.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 James Introcaso (2017). Fester and Burn (DDAL07-06) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Will Doyle (2016). Peril at the Port (DDEP07-01) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8.
  10. Robert Alaniz (2018). Old Bones and Older Tomes (DDAL07-13) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Greg Marks (2018). Turn Back the Endless Night (DDAL07-18) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4.
  12. Monica Valentinelli, Shawn Merwin (2017). Over the Edge (DDAL07-02) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 21.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Dan Dillon (2017). Unusual Opposition (DDAL07-09) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4.
  14. Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
  15. Monica Valentinelli, Shawn Merwin (2017). Over the Edge (DDAL07-02) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4.
  16. Lysa Chen (2017). Rotting Roots (DDAL07-07) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3.
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