Rashad el-Hamil

Albiele Island » Albiele town » Important Figures in Albiele Town » Rashad el-Hamil
Note: The statistic blocks below are AD&D compliant, and need to be converted to [[BRCS]] (D&D 3.5) for use in a modern campaign.

Gender/Race: Male Khinasi
Class/Level: Thief 7
Bloodline: None
Blood Abilities: None
Alignment: LE
Hit Points: 29
Abilities: Str 10 (Sta 10/Mus 10) Con 7 (Hea 7/Fit 7) Dex 16 (Aim 15/Bal 17) Int 15 (Rea 14/Kno 16) Wis 13 (Int 14/Wil 12) Cha 16 (Lea 15/App 17)
Thief Abilities: PP 75% OL 52% FT/RT 40% MS 60% HN 44% CW 75% B 50% EB 52%
Equipment: Whisper?s Hide (see below), potion of invisibility, sabre, main-gauche
Description/History: Rashad el-Hamil is a very smooth operator indeed. He is 6?1? tall and extremely good-looking, with deep brown skin and immaculately clean black hair that he keeps tied in a pony tail which reaches to the base of his neck. Dark brown eyes look out of an elegant, almost sculpted face. Rashad wears nothing but the finest clothes, cut in the latest fashions and in colors which set off his dark colouring. He is exquisitely polite and charmingly suave. His mind almost matches his flawless features and the two in combination have brought him more wealth and success than physical prowess ever could have.
However, behind the smiling face and quick mind lies the heart of ruthless man. For Rashad, his looks and charm are tools he uses to further his own ambitions, regardless of the cost to others. He is well known in Albiele Town, being the owner and operator of the popular Port inn and tavern. Also, unknown to all but a very few (three to be exact), Rashad is the head of the Night Rogues, Albiele Town?s small thieves guild. This guild is described in more detail below.
Rashad lived most of his life in Ariya, the city of his birth. During a rough childhood, he learned the thieving trade and he learned well. He gathered a large amount of wealth and used it to gain entry into the high class society of the ajazada and tamounzada (Khinasi terms that mean minor and major nobility, respectively). His natural looks and charm served him well in that environment and he grew even wealthier as he stole from the truly wealthy.
Unfortunately, during one particular burglary, the owner of the premises in question, a close cousin of the Ariyan Prince Gerad ibn Farid el-Arrasi, chanced upon Rashad as he was busy emptying a number of chests of their treasures. A fight ensued, and Rashad was forced to kill the Prince?s cousin in order to save his own life. He left Ariya that same night, barely a step ahead of the Prince?s men. After trying his hand at piracy for a short time, Rashad arrived in Albiele Town and decided to build the Port. He risked his life re-entering Ariya in order to reach a large amount of money and other valuables he had secreted in a number of places around the city. After gathering up most of his money, he left the city, this time for good.
Rashad built the Port and it very quickly became popular with the clan captains who frequented Albiele Town (and a few others who could afford the Port?s expensive yet worthwhile prices). His close and regular contact with many of the southern seas? pirate captains has put him in a position of considerable influence among the clans. This is something that Rashad capitalises on at every opportunity, knowing full well that the pirate clans, despite their incessant feuding, are the most powerful group in the southern seas, and this fact is unlikely to change any time soon.
Whisper?s Hide
This is Rashad?s most prized possession. It appears to be a beautifully made cloak of the highest quality black velvet. Closer inspection of the garment, however, reveals that the outside of the cloak is covered in very fine, half-inch long black hairs. The inside of the cloak has a rough, leathery feel. It automatically resizes to fit any medium-size humanoid who puts it on.
The cloak was crafted from the skin of a fairly weak awnshegh known as Whisper. The creature?s origins are unknown, but it had numerous powers that allowed it to make itself almost invisible in any sort of shadow and when in darkness (or even near darkness), it gained the power of flight. Whisper had a very short career as an awnsheghlien, usually working as a paid assassin for a number of Khinasi regents.
When Aftane began to lose its garrisons in what was once Djira (now known as the Black Spear Tribes) to organized gnoll forces, the regent hired Whisper to find the unknown person behind the gnoll?s efforts and to kill him (or her). Unfortunately for Whisper, the gnoll?s leader was el-Sheighül, a very powerful wizard and one of the Lost. Needless to say, Whisper was no match for el-Sheighül.
After the brief battle, the undead sorcerer removed a large portion of the awnshegh?s skin and fashioned it into a cloak. Through various enchantments, he gave the cloak numerous powers that allowed gave its wearer powers similar to those possessed by Whisper. El-Sheighül then gave the cloak, now called Whisper?s Hide, to one of his most valuable agents, a skilled thief named Chalina in order to aid her in her work of spying the regents of southern Khinasi. Despite the cloak?s powers, Chalina was caught by the Red Kings of Aftane just over seven years ago and the cloak was seized by Bedoureg, the wizardly arm of the Red Kings. He subsequently lost it to a particularly clever thief who was able to substitute a fake cloak for the real one. It was some days before Bedoureg noticed the theft, which gave the unknown thief time to escape to Ariya, where both the cloak and its new owner dropped out of sight.
No more was heard of Whisper?s Hide until Rashad found it in the treasure room of one of Ariya?s minor nobles. When he tried the darkly attractive cloak on, it re-sized to fit him, so Rashad took the cloak with him, hoping to find out if the cloak had any other magical abilities. With the help of Ariya?s most powerful wizard (Khalil el-Arrasi, cousin to the realm?s regent), Rashad discovered all the cloak?s abilities as well as its history. It is worth noting that Khalil desired the cloak for his own, but Rashad was able to avoid a clever trap laid by the ambitious wizard that he hoped would deliver the powerful cloak into his hands. Rashad has had the cloak ever since.
In game terms, Whisper?s Hide has all the abilities of a cloak of the bat with the added power of allowing the wearer to use clairaudience once per day, for up to one turn at a time. The cloak?s clairaudience ability differs from the spell of the same name in one important respect - it can only target a locale the wearer of the cloak can see (this excludes locations seen through scrying devices or by spells). Also, when the cloak?s flying power is used, the cloak actually takes the form of a pair of large bat wings that the wearer must hold extended for the power to continue to function.
The Night Rogues
Rashad el-Hamil is the head of this small thieves guild (it is less than a year old) based in Albiele Town. Ever since establishing himself in Albiele Town, Rashad has practised his thieving skills, in particular his almost unnatural ability to pick pockets entirely unnoticed, on many of the town?s inhabitants and visitors. About a year ago, Albiele Town experienced a rush of new residents, causing the place to double in size almost overnight, and Rashad quickly realized that many pockets were going unpicked, a situation he found entirely untenable. So he carefully approached Stiele Ranorn, having seen through his façade but still unaware that Stiele was a priest of Eloéle, with an offer to form a partnership with a view to relieve the people of Albiele Town of their wealth. Stiele was quick to agree, telling Rashad of his faith which delighted the Khinasi thief and so the Night Rogues thieves? guild was formed, although it took some time for Rashad and Stiele?s partnership to really reach guild status.
The continuing growth of Albiele Town encouraged Rashad to take his operation a step further by recruiting a third member, Lauriél Vaumel, into the partnership. Lauriél (FAn; Thf 6; Br, minor, 22; NE), the daughter of Arron Vaumel, Governor of Mieres, was forced to flee her home city of Seaward after her cruel torture of a number of Seaward citizens became public knowledge. Her father, fearing the public outcry could oust him forcibly from his position if he did nothing, gave Lauriél the choice of hanging from a gibbet or leaving Mieres, never to return. Obviously, she chose to leave, and found her way to Albiele Town after spending a year and a half in Osoerde (where she aided the usurper Jaison Raenech in several unsuccessful attempts to capture or kill William Moergen, Osoerde?s true regent).
The only thing which arouses any sort of emotion in Lauriél is other people?s pain. Her sadism makes most people who know of it extremely uncomfortable around her, but her presence in the Night Rogues is tolerated, as she is very able at undertaking all manner of tasks that neither Rashad nor Stiele are willing to involve themselves in (murder, interrogation, etc). This dangerous woman is skilled at remaining unseen and unheard until it is too late for her intended victim, abilities which have earned the nickname ?the Ghost?.
The addition of Oeren (MAn; Thf 4; N), a thief who specialises in getting in and out of buildings, to the fold less than a month ago, prompted Rashad to give the group, now four strong, a name and attempt to fashion it into a true thieves? guild. After deciding on the name ?Night Rogues?, Rashad and Stiele have been actively searching for prospective guild members. However, the naturally secretive nature of the guild has hampered such efforts so far.
The Night Rogues are primarily interested in gaining wealth. Rashad is capable of stealing money out of someone?s hand even as they are counting it while Oeren uses his talents to steal coins and other valuables from the many pirate ships which dock in Albiele Town?s harbour. He usually reaches these ships by swimming, at which he excels, and then climbing the ship?s anchor chain, or failing that, the hull itself. Stiele serves as the guild?s religious arm, providing divine aid to thieving endeavours where necessary. As mentioned earlier, Lauriél deals with the uglier side of the guild?s activities, although Rashad is careful to keep her under control.
Aside from Rashad?s plans to the extend the guild?s reach and power by recruiting new members, the Night Rogues? only other current goal is to attempt to wrest control of the betting rings at the Battle Pit from the Knights of the Waves clan. This is certain to be a difficult and dangerous undertaking but it is definitely a case of risk equalling reward.
Regardless of any of the guilds? short term successes and failures, if Albiele Town continues to grow at its current rate (and it is likely the town?s growth will actually accelerate, assuming no destructive interference), the Night Rogues should be ideally placed to become quite a power in the town.