Useful. But Dangerous to Cross.

Farron appreciates good business. PCs who sell or buy lucrative items through him become treasured resources and may also get information or small favors from him, provided their cost in time, effort, and money is reasonable.

Nevertheless, though Farron hides it well from those he needs to do business with, he is both vain and dangerous if offended. While he shrugs off routine haggling (that’s just business), and may overlook shading of truth or clever omissions of facts, Farron is deeply offended by anything that looks like bad faith, deliberate conning, or betrayal. He has been friendly to the PCs and expects them, as friends, to be loyal in return. Such things should go without saying, as far as he is concerned. 

As a result, once Farron does business with the party, he expects them to work exclusively with him — and he expects them to understand that these are the terms of their relationship. If they do any private deals, and he learns of it (which he probably will), he will attempt to intimidate them through intermediaries. If they respond by admitting error and begging forgiveness (grovelling is a plus), he may be persuaded (DC 15) to overlook the first offense.

On the other hand, if the PCs respond in any way that makes their “betrayal” look complete, he adds them to his list of targets who are acceptable to kill and loot. They have just pissed off a mobster from a Brian de Palma movie. 

Astute players may pick up on the fact that anyone who calls himself “king” of anything and has a throne room where he entertains guests may have narcissistic and megalomaniacal, or unstable, tendencies. A player who hypothesizes correctly about his darker personality and asks to make an Insight check to test that hypothesis should be asked to roll. However, regardless of the result, tell the player that she is confident she is right. (She automatically succeeds.) If a PC attempts an Insight check without such a hypothesis, the DC is 15 to pick up on the fact that he’s a narcissist and a 20 to pick up on the more dangerous details.

Next page: Farron’s abilities, strategies, and resources — including several traps in his lair…