Baran of Whartol

Baran of Whartol is a character in Harn: Clawing for Power.

Biography

Baran was the former guildmaster of the Kotros Lia Kavair. He was deposed by Liakos of Malthain but his life was spared thanks to Kraebor pleading on his behalf. He's currently living somewhere in Ostenor with his wife and some servants.

Prior to the usurpation, Baran was regarded as a level headed, if perhaps overly cautious, leader. Though he disliked Koral's methods and mannerisms, he was not willing to go to war with him so long as business was good. This lead to a schism in the Kotros guild, roughly divided into three parts.

The "Don't Rock the Boat" faction, led by Baran, felt that life was pretty good. Though the Kotros Lia Kavair paid tribute to the Coranan Guild, the situation could have been much, much worse. This faction advocated placating the Coranan thieves, continuing business as usual, and maintaining the status-quo. They sought to avoid open hostilities between the various chapters as much as possible.

The "Screw the Coranan Guild" faction was rankled by the extra part of their earnings that was required by the Coranan chapter. They looked back to a "better time" when the individual chapters weren't forced to pay tribute. They were fiercely independent and spoiling for a fight.

And finally, the "It's All Profit to Me" faction really didn't care one way or the other. They would have liked to pocket more money, but they knew that regardless of who was in charge, they'd still be employed and profitable. They were also unlikely to get caught up in any violence should it come to armed conflict between chapters. Most of the thieves who fell into this category had very specialized talents (such as expertise in forgery) or an existing clientele (the head of Kotros' prostitution).

Ultimately, due to a disastrous meeting with Koral that saw him demanding Kraebor pay up 50% directly to him, Synainova met with Kraebor and tried to convince him to depose Baran. Kraebor had apprenticed as a thief under Baran and so he gave tacit consent but dragged his feet on acting against his former mentor.

Things came to a head when Cadulus of Rutagor, another underboss for the Kotros guild, set up Kraebor and framed him for attempted regicide. Cadulus had come to Kraebor about a job at a manse on Achiva street, a simple B&E that needed to be quiet as they were tasked with finding out what was in a lockbox, but were not to take or disturb anything. The job was completely fake and Kraebor found himself stranded on the roof of the mansion, surrounded by guard and armsmen. It wasn't until he was at the caer, already clapped in chains, that he was told the manse was the home of a senator who was in residence, Wysele of Nordaka.

This event pushed Liakos to side with Synainova and she asked him to be the one to take control of the guild. Liakos assembled Synainova, Yeremor of Hask and his crew, Umis of Gamling, as well as Graenath, Kavon, Enthor and Sir Bail and stormed Barans manse two days after killing Cadulus in retaliation. Baran and his wife left for Ostenor that night and he has not been seen in Coranan since.