Allustan - "The smartest man in Diamond Lake"

 Allustan, the Patient Patron, is the local mage in residence at Diamond Lake. He is called by many the “Smartest Man in Diamond Lake.”

Allustan offers his library and considerable intelligence to the citizens of Diamond Lake as a sage, although few miners have reason to seek his services. Allustan charges a standard rate of 20 gp per question. He does this more to sate his curiosity than for the money; gains from his adventuring days easily cover his modest lifestyle. He dwells within a charming red and deep blue house on one of the rare stretches of healthy grass in all of Diamond Lake. A small meditation garden abuts the face of the house, incorporating vertical stones and small pools of concentric circles. The fresh paint and well-tended yard contrasts sharply with the rest of the seedy town, a testament to the locals' respect for (or fear of) a main whose prowess is known as far as the Free City. The old tombs in the hills fascinate Allustan, and were a primary factor in his decision to relocate to his childhood home. He hopes to make a long-term study of the cairns, and plans eventually to publish his findings in a small encyclopedia.

Description[edit]

Allustan is middle-aged, with only a few lines around his kind, piercing green eyes. His skin is light without being fair, and is only lightly tanned from tending his meditation garden. His full head of short-cropped dark brown hair has only a slight widow's peak. He wears a very full, long beard which lays to the bottom of his chest. It is kept well-brushed and braided, often with silver adornments and bands, in an almost dwarven fashion.

Relationships

Brother to Lanod Neff

History

Allustan grew up in Diamond Lake with his brother, Lanod Neff. The sons of the town’s powerful and efficient governor-mayor, they abused their influence and shamed the mine managers with social indiscretions. When finally they went too far, their father sent them both to Free City of Greyhawk, urging Allustan to seek an education and placing Lanod in a plum assignment with the city watch.

Allustan soon found himself in the prestigious University of Magical Arts, where his apt scholarship and bravado caught the attention of a powerful master wizard named Tenser, a dynamic figure who traveled with some of the most renowned heroes of the day. Tenser offered to take on Allustan as his apprentice, assuring him a life of thrills and discovery. What Allustan got was a window into a world of manipulative chessmasters willing to backstab trusted friends to honor abstract principles of balance and neutrality.

Though he thrived in the company of Tenser and his ilk, the politics proved too much to handle, and he split with the group more than a decade ago after a bitter ethical dispute. He retired to Diamond Lake only to find his inept brother in charge and facing challenges from all sides. So he remains, knowing that his presence supports a corrupt leader but unwilling to leave his family to the wolves. The same political disinterest that got him into trouble with Tenser keeps him from seeing the worst of his brother’s offenses.