Verdis
Summary
Verdis was an Othar bent on garnering the favor of the goddess Pasquirn. To this end he became increasingly erratic, seeking to create potentially catastrophic events to trigger his own Ascension toward godhood.
Verdis served as the primary villain of Coils of the Silver Tongue adventure. He allowed nothing to stand in the way of his goals and delighted trying to raise the ire of those in pursuit of him. His often attempted to place the guilt of his actions upon the shoulders of others. Early on in encounters he hung several villagers off a bridge, carving taunting words into their flesh and scalping them to using their hair as wigs to "blend in" with local populations. He then lead his pursuers on a wild goose-chase across Mishar, finally stumbling across the stone of an ancient Etched City. Verdis used the stone, waking Brajlheim and using it to call dragons that he would use to attack Barrier Hold and Dantis.
The attack would kick start the Naltronian Aramish war, which Verdis would not live to see as he was slain by the Ephryn warrior Brent after carving of Rune of Stone into the Ephryn atop the ruined Citadel of the city. Brent lunged for Verdis even as his body turned to stone, locking the Othar in a deathgrip plunge from the top of the citadel into the street below. Followers loyal to the Othar would attempt to resurrect him months later.
The resurrection procedure was a success, but did little to temper Verdis's attempts at godhood or petty revenge. Verdis discovered that Brent was still alive, and sent a message to him, taunting him to try to stop his Ascension attempt. Brent and his companions were successful, and Verdis's failure at gaining the favor of Pasquirn saw him cast into the Hells where his soul would remain in punishment.
Verdis was nothing if not resilient, and even in death he plotted. His spirit attempted to get free by helping the heroes of the Hellbound adventure. He was nearly successful, convincing them that he was an innocent placed in Hell to be tormented for eternity. Taking pity, Anya-Star allowed him to cohabit her body to enable his escape. The groups efforts eventually caught the attention of a demon lord who ordered Anya-Star to yield the soul to it, or she and her companions would be consumed. Faced with a simple choice, Anya-Star ditched Verdis, leaving him to his final fate.