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{"_id":"Pje4QXHGkD8DgMZt","name":"The Director","content":"<h2>Titus Lucretius Postumus</h2>\n<p><img src=\"modules/marks-headshot-remake/artwork/bela-lugosi-1931.png\" width=\"400\" height=\"293\" /></p>\n<p>Image credit by Screenshot from Internet Archive of the movie Dracula (1931)<br /><a href=\"https://archive.org/details/Dracula1931-Trailer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.org/details/Dracula1931-Trailer&source=gmail&ust=1652296635187000&usg=AOvVaw3kfiCEUZd8leNsKTalniOm\">https://archive.org/details/Dracula1931-Trailer</a>, Public Domain,<br /><a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11729355\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid%3D11729355&source=gmail&ust=1652296635187000&usg=AOvVaw2y80ce-7ROWF2TqWoC07jG\">https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11729355</a><br /><br /></p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-family:var(--sans-serif);font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase\">Background</span></h4>\n<p>Titus is the scion of a wealthy merchant family, born almost a year after his father’s death. Any questions to his parentage were quickly suppressed by his family’s influence. He is in fact a Dhampir, the living offspring of a vampire.</p>\n<p>The undead bloodline runs strong within his veins and drew him to both sorcery and an obsession with the occult. His family was happy to send him away to the remote Blythir College in the city of Alkenstar, as scandal and ill-deeds had already begun to collect around him.</p>\n<p>After a few years in the college Titus realized he had nothing to learn from these doddering academics, his power was a gift from Orcus - innate. He dropped out of the college and founded a successful theatre company, and a much less successful cult.</p>\n<p>Titus has conspired with the theatre troop described in Headshot the Rot (pg4) to unleash a terrible curse on the city of Alkenstar. He knows that the actors will be the first victims and gladly sacrifices them to power the ritual, for the glory of Orcus! Soon this city will be overrun with the dead.</p>\n<h4>Encounter</h4>\n<p>While events unfold Titus has secured himself within his house. He has greater ambitions than to become a mindless zombie! He will let the curse spread through the streets then emerge as a rightful lord and master of the undead.</p>\n<p>With him in the house is a skeletal soldier which he created. It is disguised as a prop for the stage and “mounted” on a stand which he posts at the top of the stairs in front of the window to give the impression of a guard. The skeleton will remain motionless, and attack on command. (DC 15 perception check to notice)</p>\n<p>When the ritual began Titus cast ‘False Life’ just in case there was trouble. (+10 temporary hp for 8 hours) He has also sent his bat familiar, Vesper to circle the house and report of any danger so he will know if the players break into his home.</p>\n<p>At the GM’s discretion he may try to drive the party out with words and intimidation. Above all he wants the house to remain secure though, so if pressed he would rather have a few intruders inside to deal with himself than a growing horde of zombies.</p>\n<p>Before confronting a group of armed people breaking into his house Titus will call upon the protection of Orcus (Casting sanctuary) then appear at the top of the stairs to demand an explanation, and immediate departure.</p>\n<p>If pressed he will cast magic weapon on his pistol, and give a final ultimatum. “Leave now or I shoot”. </p>\n<p>If the players persist, without yet attacking him - he will “bring down the fury of Orcus upon them”, casting Bless then firing his pistol.</p>\n<p>Once combat begins Titus will fall back upstairs, along the hallway to his room, taking cover and trying to lure the PC’s into a position where his skeletal soldier can attack and using the hallway as a chokepoint. </p>\n<p>If they clump up he hits them with the Bone Spray. No matter what he saves one 2nd level slot for Darkness. If things look futile, he cast that to cover his escape either through a window or down the stairs.</p>\n<h4>Rumours</h4>\n<p>Asking around can turn up a bit of information about Titus from people in the area</p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\">Barkeep</span> </strong><br />Titus is an arrogant, aristocrat with connections in city council. He’s got a glare that can turn your blood cold. I wouldn’t cross him. There’s something off about that guy.</p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\"> Bar Staff (waiter or Card dealer)</span> </strong><br />Back when Kelara (one of our workers) went missing, Pharasma keep her, she was spending a lot of time with that creep. I never knew what she saw in him, but some folks are blinded by the lights of the stage and the glamor of theatre. I think he had something to do with her disappearance, but of course the shield marshals would never trouble such an “upstanding citizen” <br /><br /><span style=\"text-decoration:underline\"><strong>Neighboring Gunshop</strong></span> <br />Ah Mr. Lucretius. Hmm well I don’t mind saying that his sort is not my cup of tea. A libertine and a philanderer, the missus and I attended a few of his parties when he first moved into neighborhood. But they got a might too dark and sordid for my taste. <br /><br />We left when things started getting weird and have not returned. We’ve often seen hooded folks congregating there at all hours of the night. I mean, one expects a certain level of irregularity from theatre folk, but this is really beyond the pale! Orcus?! I mean, I never!</p>","img":"modules/marks-headshot-remake/artwork/bela-lugosi-1931.png","folder":null,"sort":0,"permission":{"default":0,"aKpd8zBv3CLRLyjl":3},"flags":{}}
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