The Coin Lords’ public personas and family histories are a matter of record. The people of Stormreach think they know everything about Varen Lassite and Yorrick Amanatu, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Every family has secrets—and the Coin Lords have more than most.
Each of the Coin Lords has a hidden motivation. Five options are presented here; it’s up to the DM to decide which secret is associated with each Coin Lord, and which is a red herring.
The Murderer (LN expert 8) is a capable administrator and diplomat—levelheaded and dispassionate, true to his (or her) word, always doing his best to hold Stormreach together. However, he is also responsible for the death of a prince of Breland, and a warrant for his arrest remains on the books. Consequently, he rarely leaves Stormreach, and the King’s Dark Lanterns seek to kidnap him and bring him to Breland to face justice. If this is Yorrick Amanatu, the crime might date all the way back to his years of piracy. If it’s Varen Lassite or Paulo Omaren, it might be a relatively recent crime—a duel sparked by an unwise romance. If it’s Kirris Sel Shadra, the victim might have been a captain of the King’s Citadel who was investigating her smugglers.
The Orphan (N artificer 6) has always had a talent for artifice and infusion. However, she never knew about her blood connection to House Cannith until she manifested the Lesser Mark of Making, just one year ago. It turns out that her pirate ancestor was punished for stealing from the house. Now this Coin Lord is trying to decide whether she should reveal her true nature to House Cannith and how this revelation would affect her role as a lord of Stormreach; beyond this, with Cannith fractured, she needs to determine which Cannith faction she should deal with. Since the Mark of Making can only be carried by humans, this has to be Paulo Omaren or Varen Lassite. As the lord of the Stormreach Forge, it makes sense for Omaren to be an artificer—but Varen might have been hiding his interests while running the distillery.
The Fiend (LE rakshasa sorcerer 5) is one of the Lords of Dust, a rakshasa named Kashurashan. He has been monitoring Stormreach since before the downfall of the giants, reporting to the Council of Ashtakala. Purely an observer, he might provide assistance to other Lords of Dust who come to the region, but he rarely takes direct action. The fiend knows more about Stormreach than virtually any other living creature, having been watching the area in various forms for over fifty thousand years; though he rarely shares his knowledge with adventurers, he could be a valuable ally or deadly foe.
Any of the Coin Lords could fill this role, and the fiend plays out the political games attributed to his surface identity for his own amusement. As Kirris Sel Shadra, the rakshasa would take great pleasure in moving the pawns of the underworld. In any case, the fiend is an expert in long-term infiltration, and uses the cloak of Khyber spell (page 59) to avoid detection.
The Seeker (LE expert 5/adept 2) has a deep fascination with the Blood of Vol. She has delved into the mysteries of the Divinity Within and learned to touch the magic of the Blood. She is enthralled by the legends of the Queen of the Dead and has strong sympathy for the Order of the Emerald Claw. She keeps her faith secret from strangers, and she doesn’t attend the services in Grindstone. But she stays in touch with the priests of the Blood and the knights of the Emerald Claw who pass through the city and provides what assistance she can. Any of the lords could fill this role. Paulo Omaren sees the Blood as another path to the power long denied to her family. Yorrick Amanatu’s ancestors brought the faith with them from the Lhazaar Principalities, where Vol lies hidden in Farlnen. Kirris Sel Shadra learned of the Blood from her subjects in Grindstone. In time, the Seeker might gain greater power; at the DM’s discretion, she could be a cleric or a favored soul (Complete Divine) instead of an adept.
The Quori Spy (LE expert 2/telepath 8) is an agent of the Dreaming Dark, mind seeded long ago by the dominator Tirashana. He’s not the first; every Storm Lord in his line has been subverted by Tirashana, and his heir apparent has likely already been seeded. The goals of the Dreaming Dark are mysterious, and the quori spy might behave in exactly the manner described for his surface identity. However, the spy has additional goals, specifically gathering information about the quori–giant conflict and preventing any kalashtar from doing the same. The spy tries to avoid direct actions that could threaten his cover, but might employ adventurers to achieve his goals.
If the quori spy is human—Omaren or Lassite—he can allow himself to be possessed by a tsucora quori (ECS 296). While possessed, he has access to additional skills and psi-like abilities.