Korvus Dane
A forty-six-year-old Thrax warlord holding three systems east of Dustfall, eleven years a Surikov Dynamics asset-recovery contractor before he walked off-contract.
Forty-six, Thrax, heavy-set, with a cybernetic left arm from the elbow down: Surikov Dynamics surplus, military-grade, the sort of thing a PMC discard buys when the contract ends and the debt does not.
Eleven years in Surikov's asset-recovery division before he walked off-contract on the Rim and began collecting territory the way the Corps collect assets -- by putting a flag on it and shooting whoever disagrees.
He is not a legend. Nobody speaks of Korvus Dane in the same breath as weather. He is a mid-tier operator who fills the gap while the legends are looking elsewhere, and he has been expanding west for two years on exactly that basis.
What he wants is the rare-earth deposit under the Reach, which is worth enough rek to fund a fourth system and put him within reach of a minor warlord cluster further west. The settlers are not the objective. They are an obstacle to be removed, negotiated with, or killed if they fight.
He uses violence the way the Nine use ledgers: as a tool, applied precisely and no further than the sum requires. His terms have been used twice this year and both settlements accepted. He expects a third.
He does not lead from the front until the breach is made. He comes out of the war-rig's rear hatch with a heavy assault rifle in one hand and a power machete in the other, and four enforcers fan out behind him.
Rules Reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abilities / Cha | 14 |
| Abilities / Con | 17 |
| Abilities / Dex | 14 |
| Abilities / Int | 13 |
| Abilities / Str | 18 |
| Abilities / Wis | 14 |
| Armor Class | 18 |
| Base Attack Bonus | 8 |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Flat Ac | 16 |
| Hd Count | 8 |
| Hd Sides | 10 |
| Hit Dice | 8d10+24 |
| Hit Points | 68 |
| Hp Bonus | 24 |
| Initiative | 2 |
| Languages | Core Standard; Trade Cant; Thrax; Surikov contract cant |
| Senses | Thrax low-light vision; eleven years of asset-recovery target assessment; passive Perception 16 |
| Size | M |
| Skills / Athletics | 9 |
| Skills / Intimidation | 12 |
| Skills / Leadership | 8 |
| Skills / Notice | 6 |
| Skills / Survival | 6 |
| Skills / Tactics | 10 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Threat Rating | 6 |
| Touch Ac | 12 |
| Xp | 2400 |
| Dialogue Path | game/dialogue/npc-korvus-dane.yaml |
Attacks
Heavy assault rifle
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 11 |
category | ranged |
damage | 2d8+3 |
name | Heavy assault rifle |
notes | Range 100 ft. Surikov pattern, maintained the way a contractor maintains the thing that is still paying him. |
Power machete
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
bonus | 12 |
category | melee |
damage | 1d8+4 |
name | Power machete |
notes | Held in the cybernetic hand, which does not tire and does not shake. |
Special Abilities
Warlord's Retinue
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Warlord's Retinue |
description: Dane never appears alone. Four enforcers fan out with him and act on his initiative. Player-visible: the hatch drops and five people come out of it.
Territorial Advantage
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Territorial Advantage |
description: Dane has scouted the valley for a fortnight before the terms arrive. +2 to attack and damage in any ground his warband has surveyed. Player-visible: he already knows where the barricade is weakest, and does not have to look.
Reign of Terror
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Standard (1/encounter) |
name | Reign of Terror |
description: Dane kills or breaks one visible defender to shatter militia morale: every settler defender within 60 ft checks morale at a penalty. Player-visible: he selects the person the settlement was watching.
Heavy Ordnance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | Full-round |
name | Heavy Ordnance |
description: The war-rig's gun answers Dane's call on a designated point. Player-visible: he raises the cybernetic arm and something else does the shooting.
Break and Rebuild
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
actionCost | passive |
name | Break and Rebuild |
description: Dane's terms are not a bluff and never have been. A settlement that accepts is genuinely protected and genuinely worked; a settlement that fights is genuinely destroyed. Player-visible: nothing the party can say changes the terms, because the terms are the whole of his method and both previous settlements confirm them.