Sir Tristan the Red

Sir Tristan Winfield, known as Tristan the Red, is a Genaran ambassador to the Kingdom of Forenthia. He resides within the city walls of Morn Durahl in an estate built by the Genaran government.

Tristan is a skilled fighter and arcanist, which was revealed during a brief fight in the sitting room of Tristan’s estate.

## History

### Pre-Campaign

At some point prior to the current campaign, Sir Tristan encountered Geppetto's alter ego Duke Montgomery and has fond memories of a Winter's Crest celebration they both attended. Geppetto vividly remembers this festival, wherein Tristan drunkenly tried to climb an exterior tower of the palace, pantsless. Geppetto remembers Tristan as a youthful wildcard, frequently making jokes about Tristan's past behavior.

Geppetto also attended Tristan’s wedding to the Lady Lana, noting in retrospect that both Tristan and Lana are human, but Tristan’s daughter Wendy is half-elf.

Though Tristan was not one of the uber-wealthy aristocrats Geppetto swindled during his time in Morn Durahl, he was one of Montgomery’s drinking friends along with other richer men and a friend nicknamed “Winking Charlie.”

### With the Party

As the party's prison convoy entered Morn Durahl, they were stopped in the middle of the busy road by Sir Tristan, who recognized Geppetto as Duke Montgomery. Tristan flashed his identification and status to convince their escort to relinquish the prisoners to him. He brought them to his estate and provided them with hospitality for the night.

That evening, Tristan offered "Montgomery" a proposition - head to the citadel of Candlekeep to find a sage named Matreous, an old school friend of Tristan's. Tristan believed Matreous to be a helpful asset in researching the mysterious plague that has destroyed local crops and livestock. Just outside the city walls of Morn Durahl in the nearby valley resides a small population of formerly Genaran citizens who brought the issue to Tristan's attention as their ambassador. The party accepted the assignment and made the journey to Candlekeep the following day.

After about a day at Candlekeep, the party received a message from Tristan instructing them to return to Morn Durahl, noting there was a breakthrough in the case. The party returned to the city with a plan to investigate Tristan’s home to find any dirt on him, but their plan was quickly foiled. Tristan greeted them as they arrived, insisting they all sit down to a discussion about their journey and investigation. The party reluctantly agreed, but a fight quickly broke out when Tristan revealed his knowledge of Geppetto’s history. Tristan revealed his skill with arcane magic, and his daughter Wendy defended her father with a well-placed dagger on Geppetto.

The fight was over as quickly as it began, and the party agreed to talk candidly and openly over dinner. Geppetto gave Tristan the sheet he’d torn from a journal in Candlekeep that mentioned the Ravager, warning him that the information within was dangerous. Tristan glanced briefly at the sheet before throwing it in the fireplace. He assured the party there was nothing to fear and that he would protect them so long as they were truthful.

Later, Tristan revealed to the party his investigation into their history - he'd found out about Karmai's attack on a dwarf woman in town, and he'd learned of Geppetto's involvement in the attack on Illia. He decided to do some more digging on the subject.

Tristan also updated the party on the issue of the dying crops: there were reports of a creature with many heads spewing acid around the Genaran part of town, and Tristan believes it to be the source of the plague. He offered 300 gold pieces for every head the party returns to him.

Later that night, the party awoke to kidnappers breaking into the estate, dragging a bound and gagged Wendy away. The party killed the kidnappers, noting they bore the crest of the royal family under dark, nondescript clothes. Wendy and Aleria got into a dispute after the battle and caused a ruckus. When Tristan arrived on the scene, Karmai provoked him with accusations of conspiracy. After a spat, Tristan shot off a fire bolt at her in a rage, knocking her unconscious. Aleria revived her, and Karmai deescalated the situation. The group agreed to cool off and reconvene at breakfast.

Later, Tristan ensured the security of the estate before attending breakfast with the party. The party decided to infiltrate the palace disguised as guards, and Tristan offered them their daily rate plus a bonus for any information on the secret police that had tried to kidnap Wendy.

After slaying the thessalhydra, the party returned to the estate to find it burned and empty. Tristan has not been seen since.

## Family

Tristan’s illegitimate daughter Wendy lives at the estate and performs various duties, including tending to the library.

Geppetto attended Tristan's wedding as Duke Montgomery. Tristan revealed his wife Lana had passed a few months prior to the party's arrival in Morn Durahl. A portrait of Lana, a dark-haired human woman, hangs in the sitting room alongside a similar portrait of Tristan.

In addition to the livestock that lives on the property, Tristan also owns a large mastiff named Rudy. Rudy has apparently made friends with the fluffy black cat that followed the party from Candlekeep.

## Estate

Sir Tristan's estate is expansive. It sits upon ten acres of land owned by the Genaran government, which encompasses the multi-level building, a courtyard for entertaining, and wooded grounds.

Rooms in Sir Tristan's estate include the sitting room, the dining room, the library, and many guest rooms. In her room, Karmai located a few books on Forenthian history and arcane studies. In the library, Geppetto located some machinal designs, including a design for a trebuchet.

Tristan has shown the party to the armory, which contains many weapons including a greatsword forged with metal from the Shadowfell.

Geppetto located the servants’ quarters and kitchen, accessible behind a hidden door. He got himself stuck in the dumbwaiter and was released a few hours later by Astrid. Additionally, Geppetto located Wendy’s room upstairs in the estate and convinced her to lend the party her Hat of Disguise.

The party investigated the home while Tristan was out, locating both Wendy and Tristan's bedrooms. Wendy's room was unlocked for servants to go in and out, but there was not much to find in the room. The party stole a collection of letters from Wendy's birthmother, replacing it with a threatening letter regarding the incident at the cobbler's. Tristan's room was locked and warded, and though the party had Astrid's keys in hand, they decided not to risk it for fear of setting off an alarm or trap.

The party found the estate burned to the ground after slaying the thessalhydra. Aleria attempted to put out the remaining flames, and the others searched the rubble for survivors and magic items left behind. Aleria used Speak With Animals to converse with a squirrel named Pisces, who told her there had been chaos at the house shortly before people arrived and set fire to it. Pisces had seen the estate's residents descend the stairs to the basement, prompting Aleria to perform a search below.

Simultaneously, Geppetto located Tristan's magic item storage, still intact due to the modified Wall of Force protecting it. He tried a couple of code words to enter, ultimately succeeding with "Root Beer," the name of Tristan's dog. Here, he found an Immovable Rod, alchemist's materials, and a spell scroll. The room looked ransacked, as if Tristan and the servants had had a short head start to collect high-value items before escaping.

In the basement, the party located what seemed to be a panic room, protected by a half-orc man named Iverson. The party threatened Iverson, causing him to cave in the entrance he was guarding. Geppetto started moving the rubble bit by bit when Tristan and Wendy came down the stairs, Iverson behind them. The three were in fact doppelgangers and attacked the party when they saw the opportunity. The fight was brutal, but ultimately the party prevailed. In celebration, Calvin took from his pack what looked to be a very spicy peanut, ate it, and was promptly sucked into a portal and disappeared.

The party found a receipt on one doppelganger for the Onyx Claw Brewery and headed that way. They have not since returned to the Genaran Estate.

### Servants

Sir Tristan's estate employs many servants, both humanoid and constructed. At least two homunculi serve the estate and accompanied the party on their journey to Candlekeep.

Tristan’s daughter Wendy performs various roles around the estate, including tending to the library.

Astrid, a brunette human woman, works in the kitchen and has made friends with Geppetto. Gossiping with him, she revealed Wendy to be Tristan’s illegitimate daughter and claimed Tristan took “odd bedfellows.” Astrid allowed Aleria to steal her keyring, insisting she would not be involved in their mischief and demanding the keys be returned in ten minutes.

Natalia, a brunette half-elf, assisted Karmai in the library following Wendy’s near-kidnapping. She showed some knowledge of arcane magic, assisting Karmai in her attempted alchemical research. She was made visibly uncomfortable by Aleria’s public changing of clothes, excusing herself back into the library.

Iverson, a half-orc man, defended the panic room after the fire, ultimately caving in the entrance when threatened by the party.

## Appearance and Personality

Sir Tristan is a human man with blond hair and dark eyes. He frequently dresses to the nines, even in his own home. He stands just under six feet tall, towering over Geppetto and standing just short of Aleria.

Tristan carries with him a swagger and bravado, flirting with beautiful women and charming his fellow nobility. He has, however, shown a genuine attention to his constituents, keeping their best interest in mind in his decision making.

In his youth, Tristan was known as a bit of a wildcard, causing frequent ruckus (including his stint at Winter's Crest) and enjoying the drink. Tristan has acknowledged his problem with alcohol, though he keeps his problem out of the house. Though he has matured since his days of drunken tower-climbing, Tristan does occasionally let his instincts get the better of him, including firing off spells that almost killed Geppetto and Karmai.