![[JarethPic2.png]] # Jareth Giltgrave _Human Crime Lord | [[Gilded Gallows]] Founder | [[The Shadow Basilica]], [[Elturgard]]_ ## Summary Fanatical founder of the [[Gilded Gallows]], transformed from revenge-driven criminal into [[Mask]]'s chosen prophet. Discovered both the [[Umbral Key]] and young [[Ravenna]] in the same forgotten temple. Known as "The Hangman." Seeks shadow rule behind every throne. %% ## At a Glance Deliberately forgettable—features that slip from memory moments after seeing them, clothes of quality that never draw attention. When angered, shadows crawl across his skin like living tattoos. His shadow moves independently, sometimes reaching toward those he addresses. Nearly sixty but appears in his thirties thanks to the [[Umbral Key]]'s unnatural gift. Speaks in a voice that somehow reaches only his intended audience, frequently pausing mid-sentence to listen to whispers others cannot hear. Something beyond human now—a creature of shadow wearing mortal flesh. ## Personality Coldly calculating, religiously fanatical, pathologically patient. Views criminal activities as sacred devotions to [[Mask]]. The slum child who strangled a merchant with the same rope that hanged his mother never really left. ## Quote _"The greatest theft is not of gold or jewels, but of truth itself. When you control what others believe, you own their reality."_ ## Background **The Boy and the Rope:** Born in [[Elturgard]]'s slums, watched his mother hanged for stealing bread. That night, the ten-year-old strangled the merchant responsible with the same rope, feeling [[Mask]]'s approval for the first time. **The Key:** Discovered the [[Umbral Key]] in a forgotten temple of [[Mask]]. The relic tested him by demanding he sacrifice his closest lieutenant. It granted shadow powers, unnatural longevity, and visions of [[Mask]]'s grand design. **The Weapon:** Years later, returned to that temple and found young [[Ravenna]]—a yuan-ti orphan unknowingly made a [[Soulmonger]] by the [[Sewn Sisters]]. Raised her as his protégé. She became the strategic mind behind the organization's continental expansion. **The Church:** Transformed the [[Gilded Gallows]] from thieves' guild into the "[[Umbral Conclave]]"—a shadow church devoted to establishing [[Mask]]'s dominion through [[Ravenna]]'s strategic insights. ## Stats **Archmage** (MM 342) modified: - CR 23 with legendary and lair actions - Shadow-based spells replace evocation - **Umbral Key:** Shadow teleportation, darkness manipulation, unnatural longevity - **Hangman's Noose:** Summons spectral nooses to grapple and strangle - **Shadow Form:** Incorporeal for short periods %%