The inclusion of the Wylkes family among the Storm Lords was a concession to Galifar. As a sorcerer and sailor, Jolan Wylkes spent more time as a privateer than he did as a pirate, and the king of Galifar wanted someone he could trust to see that the Storm Lords lived up to their promises. Although many in the city despised Jolan Wylkes, they respected his prowess at sea and the talents of the Wylkes shipwrights. It was clear that Jolan’s presence was a necessary evil. He was made the fifth Storm Lord, but he was not a lord of the city. In a compromise between the demands of Galifar and the distaste that the others felt for Wylkes, he was declared the Harbor Lord—the gatekeeper of the city but always on the outside.
Despite this disdain, the Harbor Lord wielded considerable power. Stormreach was a city based on sea trade, and he held the keys, controlling the city’s docks. By the terms of the compact, the Wylkes family has the right to levy docking fees and other tariffs, and the family prospered. This power was vested in a series of capable lords, clever men who knew how to squeeze every coin out of their holdings. Over the years, the Harbor Lords fought off the machinations of the jealous Coin Lords and won vital concessions from dragonmarked houses and foreign nations alike.
And then disaster struck.
The death of Graden Wylkes, the previous Harbor Lord, remains a mystery. The Wylkes family takes great precautions to protect against poisoning and other forms of assassination, and it’s possible that Graden simply died of a heart attack. But most assume that someone managed to have him killed, and these suspicions are fueled by the incompetence of his successor. Harbor Lord Jonas Wylkes (CN male half-elf aristocrat 3/sorcerer 3) is the least effective individual—and the youngest—to ever hold the office. Graden always believed his son would grow out of his youthful indolence, and perhaps he would have, in time. But responsibility has been thrust upon him too soon. Lord Jonas has close ties to the Golden Lions (page 72); only a few years ago, he was an active member of this gang. Now he is a socialite, spending more time at Shadows or the Red Ring than he does on his familial duties. He is easily distracted by decadent pleasures. In the meantime, the edifice carefully built by his predecessors is beginning to crumble. House Lyrandar is already working on renegotiating its arrangements with the city, and others are following suit. The Aurum has extended an invitation to young Jonas, though this is hardly public knowledge. Both have offered to help him manage the family business, each hoping to turn the Harbor Lord’s domain into an extension of its own organization. For the moment, the indecisive lord is stalling on any firm alliance, but he is swiftly becoming overwhelmed by the insistent proposals.
Sorcery is strong in the Wylkes bloodline, and family tradition holds that the lordship passes to the oldest male sorcerer. Lord Jonas’s mother, Tulea Wylkes (N female half-elf aristocrat 2), is horrified by what has become of her family, but she cannot bring herself to turn on her son. And the next suitable heir is a boy of sixteen. Tulea might ask adventurers to help straighten out her son. She could manipulate the characters into a conflict with House Lyrandar or the Aurum, drawing their attention elsewhere. Or she might ask them to help arrange an “accident” for Lord Jonas.