Crime Lord Dmitri Markov is a long way from home, having spent his childhood as an orphan on the streets of Kislev far to the north. He rose up out of the gutter with his belligerent attitude and brawn making him a very able protagonist. He took jobs as an enforcer and soon developed his own side operations to make money. As his power grew, he attracted the attention of the local crime boss and was forced to leave the city. He made his way south to Karak Azgal thinking, like so many others, he would find his fortune there.[1a]
Not wanting a repeat of what happened in Kislev, Dmitri decided to maintain a low profile in his new home. He became a Master Thief taking only the highest profile jobs with the biggest payoffs. Biding his time, he learned everything he could about the criminal underworld of Karak Azgal. When the time was right, he made his move, assassinating a minor underworld boss from the Empire named Adolphus Grimm and taking over his operation.[1a]
With Grimm’s outfit now under his control, Dmitri used the steady stream of gold and silver to expand his operation. He purchased the Ice Maiden, formerly just a tavern, and expanded its operation to specialize in gambling and other darker activities. His agents moved on from petty theft to extortion rings, fixed games, coercion, and major thieving operations, ambushing trade caravans and preying upon adventurers in the depths of the mines. To achieve the latter, he hired a few miners to carve an entrance into the mines in the backroom of the hostel, and has thus far kept existence secret from all but a few. He uses it to dispatch his own agents, using them to retrieve some item of value or to eliminate a rival or enemy group. Occasionally, Dmitri hires capable mercenaries to do the same.[1a]
The Kislevian does not pay any money to the Cult of Ranald and is therefore considered an unbeliever and their chief enemy. They do not want to risk open warfare with Dmitri, so they instead steal from him by bits and pieces themselves, or secretly hire operatives to do their dirty work for them.[1b]
Magic Items[]
- Ring of Iron: This simple ring of white gold was crafted by the Dwarf smith Thraim Hammerforge for his own son Morgrin. It is enchanted with a Dwarf rune of protection giving the wearer additional defensive ability to the arm on which it is worn. This item is obviously valuable to the descendants of the Hammerforge Clan and they would pay dearly for its return.[1a]