Mantatlus

In the Wydmoor Thieves' Guild

Mantatlus was a low-to-mid level wizard that operated criminal activities in Wydmoor Free City. He was primarily known as an assassin, and was alleged by his henchmen to work for the elusive Wydmoor Thieves' Guild. He was known to employ two poisoners, as well as random thugs, to execute his assassinations. He also had a long-standing--but poorly understood--relationship with the Platinum Quill, and was known to have used them to set up marks. After attracting the attention and ire of the Wydmoor City Guard, Mantatlus's properties were destroyed or confiscated, and he was forced to abscond the location under an invisibility spell. His whereabouts thus were unknown for a long while.

As a wizard, Mantatlus was a transmuter, and made heavy use of Alter Self and Invisibility to aid in his clandestine activities. His notes indicated that the Alter Self spell does not mask his excessive perspiration, and he may have been recognized in any form by this marker (at least, in his pre-undead stage of life). He was also known to employ necromantic magics, and turned many of his targets into zombies to serve as guardians of his estate. Finally, he was an accomplished botanist, and in Wydmoor maintained a private garden of exotic, often poisonous or deadly, plants called the Pillars of Misanthropy. The latter was destroyed by representatives of the Guard, but later found to have been recreated during his time in Nia-Agliare.

Nia-Agliare, and Arekson

After the sacking of Wydmoor, the fate of Mantatlus and other prominent Guildsmen was unknown for some time. The Azure Geese, through a contact in the Bandit Kingdom, tracked his location to Nia-Agliare, where he had taken the name Arekson. At some point, he had also been turned into a vampire by a sire, who is also believed to be operating in the area.

Arekson was the "first among equals" of the five capos of the Bandit Kingdom, known as the Cartel. It was he that arranged the neutral grounds and issued guarantees for meetings. He was the most recent on the scene and saw the most rapid ascent in power. Of all of the Cartel, he was the best able to maintain secrecy about his whereabouts and identity.

His Necromantic leanings were well-known in this role. It was rumored that he commonly used undead to do his wetwork, and he was fond of sending messages via the animated speaking heads of one's associates (Levan Absold received two such messages in his career).

In FI 1402, Levan and Gnob's Folly hoped a drastic action would draw him out of hiding. Although his area of control was technically the smallest, he historically had a finger in all the other capo's pies and the most firm control of whatever constituted the "illicit underground" in a city of bandits. By destroying the other capos, they invited reprisal. The plan backfired when Arekson turned Levan against the party (and life itself), but Gnob's Folly (with the help of the Azure Geese) was able to deal with Arekson's new spawn and track the wizard to his lair, as originally planned.

Grimm Gallant, the fallen Traveler, was a lieutenant of Mantatlus, but not spawn of him (as Mantatlus, even in his peak, did not possess the power to turn a righteous Traveler from their path).

In 1402 (?), Gnob's Folly, with the assistance of the Azure Geese successfully raided Mantatlus' compound, defeating him and recovering his body.

Player's Notes

• Dark haired and portly in his natural form
• Orchestrated the attempted assassination of the Peteran merchant Kathkallan, and the successful assassination of his assistant Galliad.
• Apprehended!