Warfred Bartosz

—Warfred

**Warfred Bartosz** is a dwarven artist who paints portraits at the Gilded Brush. He's a copper member of the Aurum.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Warfred is a clean cut dwarf with pale skin, platinum blonde undercut, and thick beard. He wears copper rings on his fingers, a symbol of his position in the Aurum

### **Personality**

Well spoken and intellectual, Warfred is drawn to dark subjects and deep conversation. Though polite, sophisticated, and not one to waste his time on petty gossip, he carries an unnerving air about him.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

*Proceed at your own risk if you have not yet watched to Episode 84 and beyond.*

Son of Durfred Bartosz, Warfred was sent on an expedition in his father's mines. Things went horribly wrong, and Warfred emerged from the mines as one of the only survivors. When he confronted his father about the incident, he was given the most powerful Symbiont excavated from the expedition as compensation. With no love for his family, Warfred donned the powerful Symbiont helm and struck out into the world.

Travelling from Regalport to Sharn for education in the arts, Warfred's festering sense of invalidated suffering leads to his darkest impulses manifesting. He ends up killing multiple people in his search for "real suffering," and eventually falls in with The Beholders of True Beauty in Sharn.

Later he finds employment at the Gilded Brush in Regalport as a portrait painter. After attending the Folly of the Four Sons, he becomes transfixed by its playwright Tarek Elham, jumping at a chance to paint the man's portrait. This is the beginnings of his ploy to get close to Tarek, slowly poisoning the man with the intention of ultimately murdering him and putting him on display so the world might finally see and understand the suffering of Cyrans. When he learns that Edmund Beckett will also be attending the auction, he plans to use the opportunity to impress Sir Beckett as well.

### **Metanoia Blues**

#### Chapter 7: Death of the Artist

Warfred is first seen as an artist displaying his work at the "a New Khorvaire" art gallery and auction. His piece was "the Survivors," a sculpture featuring Mror Death Masks depicting each nation that took part in the Last War. Tarek Elham congratulates Warfred on his piece getting accepted into the gallery.

A few days following the attack on the auction, Warfred is approached by Willow under the guise of the warforged Gil. They book an appointment with him at his home studio, asking for a sculpture commission rather than a painted portrait. During the first appointment, Warfred asks Gil many questions about themselves in an attempt to find inspiration for his piece, but their conversations carry an undercurrent of something darker.

Between appointments, Warfred stumbles upon Willow during a midnight stroll. He watches from a distance as Willow steals from Morrowdale Antiquities, but does not intervene or report Willow. When challenged to a game of truth on their second appointment, Willow calls Warfred out for lying about a scratch on his neck. In response, Warfred casts a spell to erase Willow's memory of the lie ever being caught.

The next appointment with Gil remains in limbo, both Gil and Warfred continuing to reschedule. In the meantime, Warfred is approached by Alonso Reedfoot, who claims that Edmund Beckett is not impressed by Warfred's "work." Later he attends the memorial for those who died during the attack on the auction hall, leaving a mirror engraved with Mrorish writing at Tarek's shrine. He appears agitated by the lack of reverence being offered to Tarek in the wake of his death. When speaking with Gil at the memorial, it is discovered by En that he's capable of reading Gil's mind. As Warfred takes his leave, Gil notices a silver tragedy mask pinned inside his coat.

For a few days Willow and Warfred circle each other, attempting set a date for their next appointment. In the meantime, Warfred keeps busy by using a variety of methods to covertly contact local papers and force the murder of Tarek's death into the public eye. He attempts to then taunt Miraldine, only for her to shock him with a revelation; she intends to resurrect Tarek.

As the walls start closing in around Warfred, he makes his play, attempting to use a Suggestion spell to lure Willow to his apartment in the middle of the night, and taking on the visage of Miraldine to trick and kidnap Luca. Recruiting the help of Alonso, Warfred begins preparing Luca's end in a mine he keeps hidden under his apartment, however he's interrupted by a knock at his door. Despite breaking his spell, Willow appears at his doorstep a few hours late. He and Willow engage in one more battle of wits, until Warfred becomes fed up with Willow's blathering and returns Willow's stolen memories to them. This merciless mental blow knocks Willow out.

While dragging Willow into the mine, Warfred overhears a struggle taking place. Upon investigating he discovers, Brina d'Medani, En, and Luca fighting Alonso. He joins the fray, revealing the Symbiont helm he's been hiding under illusion magic all this time. The source of his magic, the devourer of eyes, and the murder weapon that killed Tarek Elham.

During the struggle, Warfred nearly kills Luca, but is once again interrupted by Willow. Thanks to their incessant meddling, Warfred fails to take another life. As the fight goes south, Alonso causes Warfred's helm to reject him, the fleshy magic item splitting from his skull in a brutal fashion and leaving him on death's door. Luca heals him, and he is taken away by the Port Authority.

It's later discovered by Willow that the helm's removal by Alonso resulted in Warfred losing all memories of his connection with The Beholder's of True Beauty, leaving him dazed but no less bloodthirsty. During his trail his sentence is reduced, actions wrongfully blamed on the helm. He's stripped of his wealth and status, but gets away with 100 years in Dreadhold rather than execution.

## **Relationships**

### ***Tarek Elham***

Warfred holds Tarek in a regard that could be considered obsession. He painted Tarek's portrait, and has made multiple comments on Tarek and his personal life, including disapproval at Tarek's choice of partner in Miraldine Frostroot. He insists that he was Tarek's friend, though the evidence is scarce.

### ***Willow Jenkins***

Known to Warfred as the warforged "Gil," Warfred accepts commission work from Willow, finding the enigma that is Gil most fascinating.

## **Character Information**

### **Notable Items**

* Silver Tragedy Pin
* Symbiont Helm of Phantasmagoria

### **Abilities**

***Spells***

***1st Level***

* Disguise Self
* Dissonant Whispers
* Mage Armor

***2nd Level***

* Detect Thoughts
* Phantasmal Force
* Suggestion

***3rd Level***

* Fear
* Major Image

***4th Level***

* Phantasmal Killer

***5th Level***

* Modify Memory