El Filibusterismo's Simoun in Eberron, Part 2

Check out Part 1 here!

The immaculately dressed man makes a courtesy. "Simon ir'Baran, a humble jeweler and purveyor of wonders and antiquities." The dark crystal lenses of his spectacles whir as they telescope in and out to bring you into focus. He strokes his goatee and smiles. "How may I be of service?"

**

"An infidel and heretic. Krystom ir'Wynarn's 'reforms' would turn our people away from the Silver Flame in the name of some naive 'enlightenment' and cast us into darkness. That man represented everything that was wrong with the decadence of the aristocracy. We are well rid of him."

-High Cardinal Krozen

Roeder Camañag as Simoun.
Photo owned by Gantimpala Theater.

Simon ir'Baran / Krystom ir'Wynarn

Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil

Armor Class 15 (concealed chain shirt)
Hit Points 27 (6d8)
Speed 30ft.

***
STR 10 (+0)   DEX 15 (+2)   CON 10 (+0)   
INT 12 (+1)   WIS 14 (+2)   CHA 16 (+3)

Skills Deception +5, Insight +6, Investigation +5, Perception +4, Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +4

Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 19 (Eyes of Night)

Languages more than what he is expected to know.

Challenge 1 (200XP)


***
Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Simon can use a bonus action to take the dash, disengage, or hide action.

Eyes of Night This magic item gives Simon advantage on all Insight and Perception checks to notice things by sight. It also grants him darkvision and a +5 bonus to his passive Perception score (already included above.)

Morgrave Education. Simon can use magic items as though he was a 6th level wizard.

Sneak Attack. Simon deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack roll and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of one of Simon's allies that isn't incapacitated and Simon doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

***
ACTIONS

Multiattack. Simon makes a melee attack and, if he has any remaining, throws one vial of alchemist's fire onto a target.

Alchemist's Fire. Ranged Item Attack: +4 to hit, range 20ft., one target. Hit: The target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by using its action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to exinguish the flames. Simon typically has 4 vials of alchemist's fire on him.

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

REACTIONS

Parry. Simon adds 2 to his AC against one melee attack that would hit him. To do so, Simon must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

***
Build Notes.

• Simon is essentially a spy, with some knowledge of basic dueling defenses from his noble upbringing. He is also wearing a chain shirt. (The increase in AC is not significant enough to change his challenge rating.) The original stats can be found in the 5E SRD. 
• His expertise skills are changed to Investigation and Insight, which are a better fit for someone who seeks out and exploit his enemies misdeeds. He is still proficient in Perception, though! 
• Simon's Morgrave Education allows him to function in many ways as an NPC artificer of sorts, and he may in be a good source of magic items if the GM so wishes. Notable magic items related to Simon ir'Baran are the Eyes of Night and the Lantern of Fireballs.

Getting the PCs involved: Story Hooks

There are many ways for players operating in and around Thrane to become involved in Simon ir'Baran's machinations.

• Debt Collection & Skullduggery: Perhaps the party's patron is indebted to the pawnbroker, and is unable to pay up. Simon is perfectly willing to accept favors in return for wiping the slate clean. Still, such favors can be risky indeed. Alternatively, discrete adventurers with an underworld reputation might also be hired to do some debt collecting for the pawnbroker.

• No Questions Asked Pawnbroking: Though anti-clerical conspiracy and revolution is his burning passion, Simon is still a canny pawnbroker, and due to his special interests, he is less likely to ask embarrassing questions of his clients. PCs who need to liquidate jewelry or magic items quickly (especially if they are of dubious provenance) might encounter Simon. Any magical weapons, items, and other sundries will eventually find their way towards Simon's dissidents. The pawnbroker also keeps careful note of his clients, as such dubious sales might make for useful blackmail material down the road.

• Weapons Dealer: Simon's conspiracy requires arming his dissidents in key centers of Thrane. Secret cargoes of weapons smuggled in might eventually start attracting suspicion. However, it will be hard to pinpoint Simon as the source of these weapons. He believes in striking at the right time, and if found out too early he will likely "take the side of the Church" and help broker information to quell brewing rebellions. Rebellions whose seeds he himself has planted.

"What will be left of your country's future?"
Scene from the 1998 José Rizal movie.

• The Bomb Plot: Currently, Simon plots to get in the good graces of the various Cardinals that rule Thrane. Once he earns their trust, he plans to sponsor an event - a festival, perhaps, or the feast of some saint - through a different noble. Feigning sickness on the day itself, he will apologize for being unable to attend the party, but he will not neglect to provide a special lamp as a gift to Cardinal Krozen, himself. Magnificently crafted lantern with shapes of fire wrought from the finest silver, the lamp is a "sign" of Simon's devotion to the Silver Flame. But in truth, the lamp's purpose is as a bomb set to deliver a Delayed Blast Fireball, which in turn will ignite the flasks of Alchemist's Fire hidden all over the event's location. What better way to end the Silver Flame Cardinals than to purge them with righteous flame?

• The ir'Wynarn Connection: Kristom ir'Wynarn is officially dead, and while he can be in line for the throne of Thrane, (give or take four royals before him) Simon's dark heart is too fixated on vengeance to even think of aligning his schemes with the crown. Nevertheless, if his bomb plot is successful and royals die as collateral damage, Simon as Kristom may then become Thrane's rightful king. The real tragedy in this scenario, however, would be Queen Diani. The Church's actions that led to the "death" of her cousin Kristom is still a wound that she nurses, and if she realizes that Simon and Kristom are one and the same, she would have helped him in his plot to rid her nation of the Council of Cardinals. But Simon himself will never think to trust her, and will in fact use her to host the festival where he plans to set his trap.

Magic Items

Eyes of Night

Wondrous item, rare, requires attunement

While wearing these goggles, a character attuned to the Eyes of Night has advantage on Wisdom (Insight and Perception) checks to notice things by sight, has a +5 bonus on passive Perception checks, and gains darkvision 60ft. This darkvision supercedes any existing darkvision abilities that the character may already have, as the tint of the Xendrik Khyber shards used as lens interfere with natural sight abilities.

Lamp of Fireballs

Wondrous item, rare, does not require attunement, but see below

This artfully shaped lamp made of silver and glass functions as a Necklace of Fireballs, except as noted: First, it can function as a regular lamp for all intents and purposes. The beads are glowing orange pearls that appear only when the lamp is lit, dancing around the central flame. Once during a long rest, a character attuned to the Lamp may pour a vial of alchemist's fire into the unlit lantern to restore one bead, up to a maximum of ten beads. Finally, it can be set to perform a timed explosion as an action. Every round thereafter, it will consume one bead. When there are no beads left to consume, the lamp destroys itself, dealing damage as a Delayed Blast Fireball left for a number of rounds equal to the number of beads consumed. (save DC 15).

Even without the magic, the lamp itself is an art object worth 750gp.