NPC: Dul Bilderbottom

Another NPC. This one is very closely related to the last, as they are meant to be a pair. I didn't really know how to convey how I wanted this one to play as, but mostly I do want to see how he would work in a planned-out battle.


Name: Dul Bilderbottom
Race: Gnome
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Appearance:
This gnome is far from what you would expect. While he is of a normal build and height, he has a certain threatening appearance that doesn't befit his kind. A jagged scar runs down one side of his face, crossing lightly over one of his eyes. His hair is black and scraggly, and his skin is as pale as the moon. He wears dark purple robes, with small silver charms dangling from his wrists. He normally wears a hood to conceal his face. He has no apparent facial hair.

Profile:
  Dul Bilderbottom is a gnome that has seen too much of the world to retain his former cheeriness associated with his race. He is now completely devoted only to his own self-interest, specifically his pursuit of magical power. He has seen no small amount of death and injustice done to living beings, and decided that the only way to survive was to become ruthless and brutal himself. He is a Wizard of exceptional strength, and conducts numerous experiments to further his goals. Those goals change between the years - Dul has studied many different fields, ranging from necromancy to golemancy to enchantments. He is mostly attempting to master each field of magic as he sees fit, understanding that his goals may require a number of different approaches. This requires him to constantly seek artifacts, masters of each discipline, and enough subjects to experiment with. Dul tends to be somewhat secretive about his work, unless he is discussing with a contemporary. When he begins to talk about his studies, he can sometimes go into gruesome detail. 
  Dul is, above all else, an opportunist. When the PCs encounter him, he is working with Kel Deathsickle as his "court wizard." Dul sees everyone in his life as tools to further his cause, and Kel especially appeals to him. They both have similar motivations to acquire power, though they treat it very differently. For now, Dul helps Deathsickle wage his wars at the price of unlimited freedom in his research. Dul often employs random adventurers to bring him magical trinkets from around the area to further his research, something made much easier by his political connections. Dul Bilderbottom considers Kel to be the closest thing he has to a friend, but his affections are hardly expressed outwardly. They help each other to achieve their goals, and Dul sees nothing wrong with manipulating Kel, but would still prevent harm from coming to him. They oftentimes tell stories of their adventures, but Dul prefers to do so in private while Kel boasts of them openly. 
  With the PCs, Dul Bilderbottom is manipulative and at times antagonistic. He may employ them to get magical artifacts for him from the surrounding area, and will pay them accordingly. However, if they ever find out about his unethical research and try to oppose him, he will try to destroy them by all the means available to him. Kel Deathsickle will likely intervene and prevent him from killing them outright, but he will oppose them politically at every turn. Perhaps even hire assassins to go after them. He is obsessed with forms of magic that he has never seen, and will lose sight of any conflict he's had with the PCs if they bring him something interesting. 
  Otherwise, Dul is secretive and quiet. He spends his time in Bicka in his study, occasionally attending meetings that Kel Deathsickle holds. His studies are done in secluded areas, mostly underground. He responds in short, curt statements to most people that try to engage him. If they annoy him enough, they may become his next experiment. While he is not really a combat expert, Dul Bilderbottom does have very powerful magic at his disposal. Most notably, he has a number of trinkets that have impressive defensive enchantments, and is capable of using a variety of spells in a battle. If he has time to prepare, he may plan a very elaborate mixture of different schools of magic to assault his enemies in every way possible. Mostly though, Dul falls back on illusions and trickery, much like his own personality. If he is fighting with allies, such as Kel, he is very adaptable and will aid them with his own magic. 
  Dul had a number of adventures that left him so world-weary and cynical. He rarely talks about them to outsiders. Most of his adventuring was done with a party of like-minded good people, back when he himself was a cheerful gnome. However, a number of his tales have bittersweet endings - demon lords were sealed away, but the cost of life was too great. Personal sacrifices were needed from all of them to drive back the forces of the Underdark. He was forced to battle his personal demons, and lost. One by one, each member of his band was either killed or disillusioned as they saw the horrors of reality. They faced down the greatest darkness in this plane of existence and most of the others, and none of them walked out the way they went in. Dul has no interest in finding his previous comrades, and presumes them either dead or irrelevant. He doesn't like being reminded of his scar.