NPC Master Index (GM Only)

Campaign Status: Post-Session 3 | Campaign Level: 1

I. The High Council (Surface Authority)

Name	Race	Role	Alignment	Status	Motive	Virtue/Vice	Weakness
Caspian Vane	Human	Mayor	LN	High Palace	Stability	Diplomatic / Indecisive	Family Legacy
Alysande Thorne	Half-Elf	Merchant Guild	NE	High District	Monopoly	Brilliant / Ruthless	Rare Gems
Brom Goldfinger	Dwarf	Engineers Guild	LG	High Palace	Reclamation	Genius / Stubborn	Hard Cider
Mella Iron-Weaver	Dwarf	Crafting Guild	NG	High Palace	Quality	Generous / Vain	Praise
Vilkas Iron-Blood	Half-Orc	Fighters Guild	LN	High Palace	Martial Honor	Loyal / Rigid	Old Scars
Hannibal Traven	Human	Mages Guild	LG	Bottom Tier	Containment	Wise / Paranoid	Ancient Scrolls

Detailed Backstories

Caspian Vane: Career politician struggling to manage a decaying city. Obsessed with his family's prestige while the docks rot around him. Lineage traces to the first "Consuls." His grandfather betrayed the founders via the "Mercury Pact."

Alysande Thorne: Secretly funds underworld activity to keep competitors weak. Views the city as a spreadsheet. Wealth comes from controlling trade routes. Currently buying stolen Construct Hearts for a private army -- unknowingly spreading necromantic corruption.

Brom Goldfinger: Obsessed with rebuilding the failed city below. Remembers the old foundries. Lost his clan to Bilfur's madness. Knows Bilfur is the city's foundation-engine but is too stubborn to admit it.

Mella Iron-Weaver: Treats every craft as a legacy extension. Susceptible to praise. Professional rival of Louis Vuitton. Seeks to patent "Efficient" Soul Stones. Currently victim of the labor fraud -- a Dust-Skulker goblin is cleaning her guild instead of Heinrich/Splinter.

Vilkas Iron-Blood: Served in the final Siege of the Gear Icon. Still has night-terrors. Harbors guilt over abandoning his men. Values the letter of the law above all else.

Hannibal Traven: Witnessed Maliki's workshop fallout as a young apprentice. Maintains anti-teleportation wards. Potential ally if he discovers Maliki's return.

II. District Authorities & Law

Name	Race	Role	Status	Key Intel
Thrain Ironfoot	Dwarf	Dwarf Warden	Stronghold	Furious about scrap theft; pressuring Tibbald. Representing the Dwarven Kings. Desperately searching for Kings-Bane.
Haldor Stout	Hobgoblin	Watch Captain	Patrolling	Honest officer investigating "K" bracelets. Secret gambling addiction. Gold Dragonborne. Target of Splinter's ghost.
Elder Rykar	Dragonborne	Tribal Elder	Enclave	Secretly employs Dust-Skulkers for security. Descendant of Glaurung's direct bloodline. Values blood over gold.

III. The Syndicate (Maliki's Network)

Cheese Cartel — True Hierarchy

(Splinter now knows this structure; rest of party does not)

KRENKO (Boss)
├── Silas "The Snout" — Logistics / Operations
├── Bippy — Street-level crew boss (known idiot internally)
├── Bonnie — Explosives specialist; surrounds herself with similar operatives
└── Frank — Mage Lieutenant; commands the cartel's magical enforcement arm
    └── Squeeks — Senior field operative; reports to Frank
        └── Unnamed mentee — identity unknown

Name	Race	Group	Role	Status
MALIKI	Gnome	Exiled	The Grand Architect	Ghost-in-the-Machine at the Gear Icon. Obsessed with Mercury's Justice.
KRENKO	Goblin	Syndicate / Cheese Cartel	Boss	Leads the Cheese Cartel above Silas. Building the Foundry. Reports to Maliki. "No one steals from Krenko." All "K" branded items are his.
Silas "The Snout"	Ratfolk	Cheese Cartel	Lieutenant	Krenko's logistics manager. Blackmailing Splinter over labor fraud. Waiting to frame the party.
Bippy	Goblin	Cheese Cartel	Lieutenant	Sloppy crew boss — widely regarded as an idiot within the Cartel. Framing Big Boss. Owes Tibbald money. Hoarding stolen Construct Hearts. Secretly hunting a traitor in his own crew; knows who it is but hasn't told anyone yet.
Bonnie	Unknown	Cheese Cartel	Lieutenant	Explosives expert. Deliberately surrounds herself with operatives of similar skill set. Dangerous and methodical. Not yet encountered by party.
Frank	Unknown	Cheese Cartel	Mage Lieutenant	Extremely powerful mage. Commands the cartel's magical enforcement arm. Squeeks reports to him. Not yet encountered by party.
Squeeks	Ratfolk	Cheese Cartel / Frank's Division	Senior Field Operative	Old hooded ratfolk mage. Hunting whoever killed the Cartel's wolf scouts. Was fooled by Splinter (who cut the "K" mark off the pelt). Immobilized Splinter without apparent effort — extraordinarily powerful. Parted on friendly terms; went west after the encounter. Carries a staff with 6 chevrons (see below). Reports to Frank.
Squeeks' Mentee	Ratfolk (assumed)	Cheese Cartel	Unknown	Unnamed. Accompanied Squeeks in the tunnel. Did not identify himself. Stayed back during the encounter.
Fixer Jax	Ratfolk	Cheese Cartel	Thief	Caught by Parallax stealing high-tensile wire for Krenko.

Squeeks' Staff — The Chevron System

Six chevrons: 2 silver, 2 gold, 2 platinum. These are rank markers within Frank's internal mage division informally called "The Six."

Metal	Tier	Earned By
Silver	Field Operative	Completing a significant magical contract — rival mage, guild enforcer, etc.
Gold	Senior Operative	Eliminating a named target with major political or criminal standing
Platinum	Master of the Order	Achieved something of legendary difficulty; only a handful awarded total

Squeeks holds 2 of each — he is the senior enforcement arm of Frank's operation. The mentee is likely working toward his first silver. "Who holds the other platinum chevrons?" is a live question worth future development.

The staff is a recognized artifact in criminal circles. Anyone who knows the system will know exactly who they're dealing with the moment they see it.

IV. The Shadow Resistance

Name	Race	Group	Role	Status
Vesper	Tiefling	Thieves' Guild	Guildmaster	Holds the "Construct Hearts." Refuses to work with Krenko. Hiding Queens-Grace in deepest vault.
Big Boss	Goblin	Dust-Skulkers	Chieftain	Guarding mountain passes. Being framed by Bippy. Deeply afraid of Maliki's return.
Fred	Goblin	Dust-Skulkers	Sub-Character	Heinrich's eyes/ears and fish vendor. Survived the Gear Icon takeover. Has the only surviving map of the Palace sub-basement.

V. Other Notable NPCs

Name	Race	Role	Notes
Louis Vuitton	Human	Leather Artisan	Heinrich's father. Professional rival of Mella. His records contain the Mercury's Justice clue.
Olaf "One-Ear"	--	Barkeep (The Rusty Cog)	Knows everyone. Stoic but gossipy. Weakness: flattery.
Zora	--	Alchemist	Sells Soul-Stone Stabilizers. Key contact for the Healer's Debt quest.

VI. Vesper's Intercepted Message to Krenko

"Listen carefully, you little grease-stained rat. You can build all the iron dolls you want, but without the hearts I hold, they're just scrap with a heartbeat. Maliki was a genius, but you're just a scavenger. Stay out of the Mid-Level pipes, or I'll tell the Dwarven Warden exactly where you're keeping his Kings-Bane."