Pelyious Avhoste

D&D 2024 monster: Pelyious Avhoste. Source: Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy. challenge rating 9, creature type Humanoid (Human), Medium size, speed 30 ft... Pelyious is a Halruaan sky captain who hires out his services to those with a desperate need to get somewhere quickly. His skyship is one of the fastest in all Faerûn, designed by his uncle, Zythan Oolorius Avhoste, the famed Halruaan designer. Charismatic, cultured and sophisticated, Pelyious is a lover of ancient art and music. He professes an admiration for the extinct Netherese-precursors to the Halruaan people-and the ancient kingdom of Mezro. His skyship is decorated with artifacts and paintings from these cultures, and he enjoys showing off his impressive collection to his guests. He is also an excellent musician and delights in playing complex compositions from the "lost ages" that haven't been heard in centuries. Though a bit pretentious, Pelyious is unfailingly courteous and polite. He has utter disdain for those who do not share his refinement, viewing them as barbarous, rude, or just plain uncouth. Pelyious is a skilled ship captain and an excellent swordsman. He has also been mentored in the magical arts by his uncle Zythan. This combination of skills makes him an unpredictable and dangerous opponent; someone who can engage in close melee combat or use magical spells from range. However, unbeknown to most, Pelyious and his crew are also faithful servants of Bhaal, the God of Murder. Beneath his cultured veneer lurks a bloodthirsty monster (a lycanthropic form he learned through an ancient Mezro ritual), and he occasionally plans "murder rituals" where he turns his entire Halruaan skyship into a slaughterhouse. Victims in these massacres are not merely killed, but often tortured, mutilated, and eventually skinned. While most of the remains are tossed over the side of the airship when it crosses the oceans, the hearts and other vital organs of his victims are used for ritual feasts to celebrate...