Brunt+d'Vadalis

Dover d'Vadalis

 * UPDATE, 3 Eyre 998:** Dover d'Vadalis was slain in battle outside New Cyre, in a skirmish with party members Aiwyn Elenwyd and Choraan. He was brought down by various martial powers, and his buffed, enhanced Griffon proved spectacularly inept in the battle. It eventually was allowed to flee.

Dover was the Stablemaster of Sterngate, and as such is the senior House Vadalis representative at that key Brelish Border crossing. Dover was a younger son of Tiber d'Vadalis, patriarch of House Vadalis' operations in Breland, and a second cousin to Brunt. However, Dover long harbored secret ambitions -- including secret contacts with the Hobgoblin warlord Kogaa and his Manticore -- and put them into effect about the time of the Bugbear threat to Sterngate in Olarune 998 YK.

Abruptly leaving Sterngate at the hour of its need, Dover went straight to his family's enclave (PrairieHearth, north of Sterngate and SW of New Cyre), where he joined forces with the terrorist leader, the Red Owl. The Owl needed a place to gather the Swords of Liberty militia to begin an offensive against the Brelish monarchy, and the vast acreage of the Vadalis-held pasture lands and stables seemed perfect. Dover betrayed his family, killing some and exposing others to horrid aberrant grafts -- all at the Red Owl's command. He has since been seen at her side, apparently as her consort.

Dover aided the Swords of Liberty in their muster of Brelish malcontents and foreign mercenaries, taking control of the surviving Vadalis horses and other mounts and seeing to their well-being during the forced march. He was also responsible for setting various animal traps and ambushes at PrairieHearth (such as stocking the small lighthouse island with Bandytailed Fighting Cockatrices and other extremely-expensive magebred creatures, and filling the manor house itself with an array of guard drakes and shocker lizards -- which ended up killing his cousin Brunt).

Dover bears the Lesser Mark of Handling, which reportedly grew to a Greater Mark following his betrayal -- an occurrence that "proved" to Dover that his actions were righteous.

Brunt d'Vadalis
Brunt owns and manages the New Cyre Livery stables, a House Vadalis operation that caters to horses and riders. There are rental stables for travelers, an attached shop selling saddles, bridles and other tack, a small smithy for horseshoes, and a supply of horses for sale. The latter are standard riding and war horses, not the magebred animals the House is known for. He is Cyran by birth, but had been at the Vadalis breeding enclave in Breland when The Mourning struck. Tiber d'Vadalis, patriarch of Vadalis operations in Breland, is Brunt's great-uncle.

Prince Oargev requisitioned all of Brunt's stock for the Muster that took place on 15-18 Zarantyr. All the horses were returned safely. Earlier, several warhorses had been secured by a party of adventurers in order to pursue fleeing elements of the Dark Hand Goblinoids. Three of them had been stolen by enemy leaders and ridden into the rugged terrain beyond the foothills. Later, on 23 Zarantyr, two of the horses were discovered, alive, inside Frostsilver, an abandoned Dwarf hold (once claimed by Clan Soldorak) that had been occupied by the Dark Hands as their forward base. Nina Moondown, a Warden of the Woods (and bearer of the Least Mark of Handling), took charge of their care and made sure they and the other horses borrowed by her party were returned unharmed.

Brunt bears the Least Mark of Handling, visible on the right side of his neck, partially covered by a close-cropped sandy beard. He has also displayed evidence of training as a Ranger. As he and Nina got to know each other, she shared with him that the party had encountered Vadalis-branded animals -- Krenshars, Worgs and small Winter Wolves -- at the Dwarf Hold. Brunt admitted that he was concerned about PrairieHearth, the Vadalis Enclave to the south-southwest of New Cyre, and promised to check it out. The two agreed to communicate via House Sivis messages.

Brunt's last message to Nina came in early Olarune. Nina's messages to Brunt have gone unanswered.

On 23 Therendor, the party found Brunt, along with several other lost party members and allies, at the House Vadalis mansion at the center of the breeding enclave. Brunt had been rendered comatose by poisoned //goodberries//, which were apparently fed to him every day since his capture. He was otherwise uninjured and thus spared the horrid fate of other members of his House, who had been corrupted by aberrant grafts and coopted by the Red Owl. Unfortunately, shortly after being freed and awakened, Brunt was killed by an electrical blast from a colony of magebred shocker lizards planted as a trap in the basement of that very house.