Exemplars of Evil

CHAPTER 3
EDGAR & KATARIN
TOLSTOFF
52
Illus. by E. Widermann
Katarin Tolstoff
Instant Daze (Sp) Four times per day, when an enemy that has
8 or fewer Hit Dice makes a melee attack against Katarin,
she can as an immediate action daze the opponent for 1
round unless it succeeds on a DC 16 Will save.
Push the Weak Mind (Sp) Once per day, Katarin can influence
a creature through speech or telepathy as the suggestion
spell, but with a range of 100 feet and a duration of 7
hours (or until completed); Will DC 17 negates; CL 7th.
DRAEN RALGAEL
“Kill them all. Stab out their eyes. Tear out their tongues! Eat,
eat, eat!”
—Draen Ralgael
Edgar and Katarin’s most useful and powerful servant is Draen
Ralgael, a whisper gnome cursed with lycanthropy. Although
he is raving mad, utterly obsessed with eating living flesh, he
remains a reliable agent, adept at moving unseen and learning
the secrets of their enemies.
Draen was not always evil. He was once a champion of his
people—a fearless guardian who helped to patrol the borders
of his community, safeguarding it from kobold and goblinoid
attacks. The coming of the dark host, a vast army in service to the
evil god Nerull, shattered his world, and Draen was one of many
who fell to the enemy. Unlike his kin, however, he survived,
invigorated by the curse of lycanthropy that he acquired when
he was bitten by a wererat during the attack.
GOALS
Draen is filled with self-loathing, haunted by the memories of
his old life. He pines for the past, yearning to go home to his
people, even though he knows that any survivors are scattered
to the winds. Regardless, his curse—and his acquiescence
to the dark impulses that accompany it—forever bars him
from rejoining his kind. However, he still clings to the hope
that if he could somehow escape the beast within, he could
resume the life that was stolen from him.
Draen believes that his salvation lies with Edgar. The corrupted
Baron has promised to find some way to alleviate the
gnome’s suffering in exchange for service. Edgar has dangled
countless possible cures in front of the gnome, but each one
has failed, driving Draen deeper into madness. Despite these
disappointments, Draen remains loyal, believing that Edgar’s
efforts will one day pay off.
USING DRAEN
Draen is the Tolstoffs’ problem-solver: their spy, bodyguard,
and personal assassin. Currently he is charged with protecting
and assisting Katarin as she works to funnel gold back to
the estate. Thus, whenever Katarin finds herself in over her
head, Draen is always nearby, ready to lift her out of trouble
by butchering those around her.
A capable opponent in his own right, Draen sometimes
undertakes missions for Katarin. Generally, these jobs entail
murder and espionage, but in between such tasks, he is notorious
for snatching innocents off the streets and dragging them into
the sewers, where he and his dire rat friends eat them alive.
Appearance and Behavior
When in humanoid form, Draen looks like a tall, slender
gnome, about 4 feet in height and weighing 40 pounds. His
skin is pale green, and he has gray eyes. He favors body art;
whorls and patterns cover him from head to toe. He wears
two silver rings in his left ear and an iron ring in his nose.
He rarely goes without his mithral shirt and always keeps
his hand crossbow ready.
When Draen changes shape, his hybrid form and his dire rat
form are particularly foul. He looks like a big, bloated rat covered
in bristling black fur, with a bright green tail and nose.
Draen has no knowledge of his masters’ true goal or the
thing that is trapped beneath their keep. In his ignorance,
he happily serves. To him, the Tolstoffs are trustworthy,
tolerant employers who have accepted him despite his cruel
and unpredictable nature. They comfort him when they can,
and though they clearly exploit his talents, Draen does not
mind since it makes him feel useful.
Draen Ralgael CR 5
Male whisper gnome RS wererat rogue 3
Humanoid Form
hp 25 (4 HD)
CE Small humanoid (gnome, shapechanger)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent;
Listen +11, Spot +11
Languages Common, Gnome; rat empathy
AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 17; Dodge, +4 against giants
(+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 armor, +2 natural)
Resist evasion
Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +6