Weaponsmith
The Endearing Edge
A small but profitable weaponsmith shop located in the southern part of the Commercial District near Oldbridge, The Endearing Edge is known for finely crafted swords, axes and other edged weapons. In fact, its owner, Brandon Delswan, is known as one of the premier weaponsmiths in all of Enheim. His work garners much prestige due to the exotic materials he uses and the intricate symbols and markings he lovingly engraves into each piece he does.
As a result, most of his weapons are masterwork in quality, although he does sell swords and axes of slightly reduced quality. A wizard or sorcerer wanting an edged weapon to enchant, usually go to Brandon before anyone else. However, the amazing quality means that his wares aren’t cheap and even some members of the lesser noble houses in Mor’s End have been known to scoff at Brandon’s prices. Most, however, resign to paying his prices, as his wares are truly magnificent to behold and use. Once, a visiting paladin actually wept at the beauty of one sword, which bought on the spot and had enchanted in honor to his God.
All of this prestige means that Brandon has become quite a vain man over the years. He sells only to the highest bidder, although he has taken special requests from some of the more prominent members of the city’s military including several Royal Guardsmen. He never sells weapons to lowly adventurers unless they have a noble patron that vouches for them. There is nothing endearing about Brandon Delswan, just his weapons.
Brandon Delswan, male human Exp5: Medium-size Humanoid (human); HD 5d6+5; 26 hp; Init +0; Spd 30ft.; AC 10; Melee +5 masterwork short sword (1d6+1); AL NE; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 10.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +7, Bluff +2, Craft (engraving) +10, Craft (weaponsmithing) +12, Diplomacy +5, Forgery +7, Gather Information +5, Listen +6, Read Lips +9, Sense Motive +6, Speak Language (x2); Endurance, Skill Focus (craft: weaponsmithing).
Languages: Common, dwarven, elven, giant, goblin.
Equipment: Artisan’s outfit, belt pouch (21gp, 13sp), engraver’s tools, magnifying glass, masterwork short sword, masterwork weaponsmith’s tools merchant’s scale,
ring of mind shielding.
Brandon Delswan was born and raised in Mor’s End. A middle-aged man with blonde hair and cold blue eyes, Brandon is not known for his pleasant demeanor or sparkling personality. Born a lowly street waif, to parents he’d rather forget, Brandon was sold into his current life. Laedar Delswan, who owned the Endearing Edge at the time, needed an apprentice and Brandon’s father needed his next alcoholic fix. Thus, Brandon came to work for the old weaponsmith.
Laedar had been a good teacher and treated the young boy well. Brandon didn’t care. He used the old man to learn all his secrets while pretending to love Laedar back like a son would a father. Soon Laedar grew to old to work and passed down his shop to his adopted son. Believing that Brandon would take care of him in his old age, he didn’t realize the treachery in the young man’s heart until it was too late. Brandon snapped just as Laedar finished the process that would give ownership of the Endearing Edge over to the young man. He killed Laedar, in a moment of greed and senility, putting a knife through the old man’s back before the ink had even dried on the transfer of ownership parchment.
When Brandon came out of his emotional stupor he was unsure of what to do with the body. The man sat for nearly a day considering ever option his mind could conceive of, trying to calculate the best course of action to hide his crime. Finally he made contact with several prominent members of the city’s thieves’ guild striking a bargain beneficial to both sides. He would provide specially designed weapons, as well as his services to the guild as an appraiser for next to nothing and they would dispose of the body, frame the murder on someone else and protect Brandon’s shop in the future for a minimum charge.
Now Brandon is one of the guilds most trusted contacts in the city, as he owes them a lot. Of course, Brandon doesn’t concern himself with the legalities of what he did and enjoys working the guild. He often sells weapons to nobles in the city, informs the guild of who bought them and receives a nice back fee for tipping off the guild. He’s also sold flawed weapons to those city guards willing to pay his prices, knowing that if they go up against the thieves’ guild they will be sorely outmatched.
All this has lead to a standing agreement between Brandon and the thieves’ guild that the Endearing Edge is not to be touched. Many foreign rogues that inadvertently break this rule have ended up dead in the river or worse. The guild even provided Brandon with his magical ring, as to protect their investment from being detected by the city’s officials. In return, Brandon created a special bane weapon for the guildmaster as a token of his appreciation.
Note that Brandon is somewhat of a linguist as well.
Plot hook: Brandon plans on allowing the thieves’ guild to setup a forgery shop under the Endearing Edge but needs a way to expand his basement without drawing the attention of the city’s officials. He hopes to hire some unwitting adventures, through a third party, to break into his shop and steal several crates and other miscellaneous items that he no longer needs down there (worthless). Of course, the adventurers would then have to be eliminated to prevent other unscrupulous members of the city’s population, not associated with the thieves’ guild, from thinking that the Endearing Edge is no longer off-limits.
Plot hook: Someone has learned part of the truth behind Brandon murdering his former master, possibly the adventurers or one of their allies in the city. Brandon will do anything to prevent these people from discovering the entire truth and telling the local authorities. He contacts his allies in the thieves’ guild and asks them to take care of it. The guild sends several assassins, possibly even hiring magical assassins to take the PCs or their ally out. Fun and chaos then ensues.