Barnaby Mot
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Barnaby Mot

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Foreman

Barnaby Mot

Foreman of the Ram's Head warehouse
Male Half-Elf | Neutral Evil (resentful pragmatist)

Appearance

A thick-shouldered half-elf in a sweat-stained vest and rolled-up sleeves, Barnaby always looks halfway between overworked and angry. His graying black hair is slicked back with oil, and a permanent scowl folds deep lines around his mouth. He wears a rust-colored neckerchief (to hide an old knife scar) and carries a brass whistle he blows at anyone who slows down. His right ear bears a silver hoop— supposedly “for luck,” but really a tiny enchanted charm used by the Knights of the Shield to contact him.

Personality

  • Cranky & Commanding: Runs the warehouse like a drill sergeant; every sentence sounds like an order.

  • Officious & Petty: Loves paperwork, hates people. Will cite imaginary “dock codes” to get his way.

  • Fearful Loyalist: Knows the Knights of the Shield are dangerous and serves them out of equal parts greed and terror.

  • Secretly Ambitious: Dreams of being promoted into the “real organization,” not stuck pushing crates for men he fears.

“You get paid to haul, not to talk. The less you know, the longer you live—and the more I sleep at night.”

Public Role

Officially, Barnaby manages the Ram's Head warehouse, a dingy riverside depot near the River Docks. He’s notorious for hiring non-guild laborers—dock drifters, debtors, desperate kids—paying them just enough to keep quiet.

He warns all new hires: “You see somethin’ you don’t understand, you didn’t see it. You hear somethin’ after dark, you were home sick.”

The city inspectors find the place unpleasant but orderly: crates stacked tight, ledgers immaculate, no questions asked. That’s how he likes it.

Secret Role

Behind the locked inner doors, the warehouse hides a member of the Knights of the Shield: ledgers of blackmail payments, hidden vaults for contraband, and a lower cellar used for “interrogations.”

Barnaby is the logistics man—he schedules shipments, pays bribes, and moves illicit goods under legitimate cargo manifests.
But the real Knights treat him as expendable muscle with good organizational skills. He knows it and despises it.

He’s quietly collecting leverage—names, dates, shipments—just in case an opportunity arises to bargain his way up the hierarchy or out entirely.

Mannerisms

  • Keeps a cigar stub clenched between his teeth but rarely lights it.

  • Constantly slaps his ledger with a stick when giving orders.

  • Counts crates aloud—usually wrong, but no one dares correct him.

  • When nervous, jingles the coins in his pocket to remind himself who pays him.

Personality Traits

  • Ideal: “Order keeps the chaos off my doorstep—even if the order’s rotten.”

  • Bond: The Ram’s Head is his domain; insult it and you’re on his blacklist for life.

  • Flaw: Seethes with resentment and envy; one whisper of a promotion and he’ll betray anyone.

Stat Block (for quick play)

Medium Humanoid (Half-Elf), Neutral Evil

AC 13 (leather vest) | HP 49 (9d8 + 9) | Speed 30 ft.
STR 13 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1) INT 11 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 15 (+2)
Skills Deception +4, Intimidation +4, Persuasion +4, Sleight of Hand +4
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Elvish, Thieves’ Cant
CR 2 (450 XP) Proficiency +2

Actions

  • Club. Melee Attack +3 to hit, 1d6 + 1 bludgeoning.

  • Shove Foreman (Recharge 5–6). Barnaby shoves a creature within 5 ft.; DC 13 Str save or knocked prone and takes 1d6 damage from falling crates.

Abilities

  • Half-Elf Resilience. Advantage on saves vs. being charmed; can’t be magically put to sleep.

  • Street Foreman. Allies within 10 ft. who can hear him gain +2 on Intimidation and Persuasion checks against common laborers or dock hands.

Hooks & Use in Play

  1. The Silent Shipment: Barnaby hires the PCs for “after-hours” loading. If they ask questions, he turns on them or warns them off—depending on pay.

  2. A Foreman’s Favor: He offers information about the Knights if the heroes promise him protection and “a seat at the grown-ups’ table.”

  3. Warehouse War: Guild enforcers try to unionize his workers; Barnaby begs (or pays) the party to keep them away before the Knights notice.

  4. Paranoid Outburst: If he suspects betrayal, he barricades the warehouse, taking hostages and ranting that “the Shield never meant to promote me!”

Quotes

“You think the Knights run this place? You’re lookin’ at the one keepin’ the wheels greased.”
“I don’t care what’s in the crates. As long as it don’t crawl out before payday.”
“Guild men want rules. My boys want coin. Guess which one I can afford.”