Ull: Land of a Thousand Villains - Ghular the Vanisher

Heya Greyhawkers! Time for another villainous addition to the Ull rogue's gallery. Unlike the previous two installments which appeared in Oerth Journal, this one is a wholly new creation for the blog. Be the first to use this wicked antagonist in your campaign, let me know how it goes, and if Ghular the Vanisher is not for you, just wait. There will be more! Enjoy.

“Outsiders think that the people of Ull do not value life. On the contrary, some know the exact value of a life”.

Ghular the Vanisher (human, female, wizard 5)

   Ghular is a ghost in Ull society. His name is well-known in certain circles, but Ghular enjoys a level of anonymity that most people in Ull never attain. It is assumed by locals that Ghular lives in the town of Kester where most of his ransoms take place. He is usually self-serving, but has been known to work for warlords, slavers, cults, and allegedly a few Pit Masters of Kester. Ghular is called the Vanisher because his victims are said to disappear without notice; abducted from their own homes, taken away in the middle of a crowded market, or silently seized while traveling overland. No one knows where Ghular lives, it is speculated he has many hide-outs throughout Ull.

   DM’s Campaign Notes: Ghular is actually a woman. Ghular (only she knows her actual name) was once a trained mage of the Mouqollad Consortium, an unassuming, small-time appraiser who worked for a disreputable Tusman merchant. She alone knew how the merchant cheated and held out pay from his hirelings. Returning from Kanak one day, Ghular was caught using her magic to steal from the caravans’ pay-chest. Admonished for this act, the caravan left her tied up in the middle of the Dry Steppes. Ghular escaped from her bonds, and safely schemed her way to Kester by capturing and releasing the son of a nomad chief. Thrilled by the adventure Fate thrust upon her, Ghular started a new career as a ransomer.

   Ghular strives to remain anonymous, working in disguise through middle-men, paid muscle and messengers. Ransom schemes frequently involve misdirection, money drop sites, and anonymous bag men. Despite these elaborate measures, Ghular is always within eyesight of an exchange to make sure her schemes go as planned. Those who double-cross the Vanisher often vanish next. The Vanisher makes a good villain for both urban and wilderness campaigns. Player characters can be sent to foil a ransom plot, or perhaps be hired as middle-men for one instead. Ghular is a low-level mage but has specialized her spell-list towards stealth and capturing single targets alive. Suggested spells and magic item effects for her include Sending, Clairvoyance, Fly, Gaseous Form, Phantom Steed, Levitate, Hold Person, Alter Self, Rope Trick, Nondetection, Ray of Enfeeblement, Invisibility, and of course Sleep.