A wealthy merchant of Novgorod, and secretly a demon.
General Information
Based in Novgorod, Isidor's trading company spans many markets and many endeavors, though deals primarily with the import and export of luxury goods: spices, silks, furs, crafts, precious metals and gems, and other, more exotic, things. Isidor is one of the richest men in Novgorod, a respected member of the merchant community, and he has access to the halls of Prince Vladimir's court, where he treats on equal terms with diplomats and generals.
Isidor is physically unimposing, and eschews the ostentatious dress and displays of wealth typical of his social class. He is polite, reserved, courteous, and measured in speech and action. He is not known to lose his temper, act rashly, or be guided by his passions. In his dealings he is fair and reasonable, even lenient and considerate to those he finds deserving.
Other identities
- the demon Ustyhrin-ja
- Prince Igor of Chernigov
Isidor's Past
Isidor is not Russian, but Greek, from Byzantium; he came to Novgorod some years ago, seeking to establish himself and grow rich. At least, that's the official story; it's a lie. The real man called Isidor was murdered en route to the Russian lands (and his death made to look like an accident); he was then, surreptitiously, replaced by another, who took on Isidor's name and appearance.
This impostor, who has been living as the merchant Isidor for over fifteen years, is actually the demon Ustyhrin-ja — an advanced cornugon? devil, once a general of the baatezu? forces, nearly the right hand of Azrashak? himself. Ustyhrin-ja has been in Midgard? since the time of Ragnarok, almost four decades ago, when he, his brother (now long dead), and a powerful assassin demon named Zarren were brought into this world to make preparations to call forth Azrashak into Midgard. After the failure of their mission, the destruction of Azrashak, and the defeat of the demonic forces at Ragnarok, Ustyhrin-ja and Zarren stayed in Midgard (possibly hiding for a time in the Shadow Realm?). Ustyhrin-ja eventually took on the identity of Isidor the Greek merchant, and has been living in Novgorod since.
(Isidor the merchant is not Ustyhrin-ja's only human identity; he is also Prince Igor, ruler of the Principality of Chernigov.)
The Demon Behind The Mask
Anait?'s supposition that Isidor is the demon Ustyhrin-ja was never conclusively proven, but circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. Assuming it's true, Isidor — Ustyhrin-ja — is a powerful demon, an advanced cornugon. He's a former general of the baatezu legions, the highest-ranking surviving member of Azrashak's hierarchy after Ragnarok. Anait has described him as "a highly intelligent opponent, an excellent tactician", and "a very old, very experienced demon". Past experience suggests that he has at least some access to magic, up to at least an intermediate level of power — whether by means of innate spellcasting ability, magic items, or simply keeping wizards on retainer. He has the ability to take on an unknown number of human forms, and to maintain them long and consistently enough to have a persistent public persona. In his true form he should be physically imposing and a terror in combat; he likely has innate powers exceeding those of lesser horned devils.
Isidor's Holdings
Isidor's primary residence is a lavish estate on the northern shore of Lake Ilmen?, in Novgorod. While he does meet with his allies, minions, and associates there, there's no special indication that the estate conceals anything supernaturally interesting (though anything is possible). In his guise as Prince Igor of Chernigov, the demon Ustyhrin-ja has, of course, the resources of that principality, including the prince's fortress-palace. (See the post on Prince Igor for more details). The Circle of Shadows? (the cult of assassins, called "shadowdancers", headed by Zarren) maintains a base somewhere in the Varangian Lands?, to the north of Novgorod; this base is presumably at Isidor's disposal (though there's no concrete indication that he's ever been there).
The Circle of Shadows
Isidor (or perhaps Zarren?) is responsible for creating the shadow assassin's rings and the black-camouflage armor worn by the shadowdancers of the Circle of Shadows. According to future-Anait, in that time line, Prince Igor wields some power that "flows from the depths of the Shadow Realm"; Anait speculated that Ustyhrin-ja and Zarren learned or acquired this power while they were hiding out in that realm after Ragnarok (which would mean that Isidor or Zarren has access to this power in the present, as well — though perhaps he has not yet learned to wield it as adroitly, or circumstances do not permit him to use it as effectively).
Dealings with the player characters
Isidor has had many dealings with the player characters, direct and indirect.
The Journal of Zmei Gromovoi
Through Isidor's associates, the minor traders Danil and Anastas?, the party first became involved in (what was only much later revealed to be) Isidor's plot to gain access to the fabled hoard of Zmei Gromovoi, the Demon of Fire and Storm. After Danil and Anastas were killed (probably by Ambassador Said), the PCs met Isidor directly, for the first time. Isidor revealed that he knew how to uncover the writing of Zmei Gromovoi's Journal, and concocted a plan by means of which the PCs might get the Khan of Crimea to take them to Zmei Gromovoi's lair. This plan worked perfectly, and the PCs were able to recover the Journal. Upon returning to Novgorod, however, the party betrayed Isidor; they lied to him, telling him that they'd failed to recover the Journal, and gave him misleading information about the defenses of the dragon's lair. This would be the last time the PCs had any direct contact with Isidor.
After acquiring the Journal and entering into an alliance with the Cult of the Fallen Trickster, the PCs became involved in a plot (orchestrated by Lev Gurov) to swindle Isidor out of a prime piece of real estate in Novgorod's Valdai Highlands? — land which contained a dungeon (constructed many years ago by Archmage Vladislav Chernovsky?) which the Cult had decided to use as a base of operations for the project to conduct research on Zmei Gromovoi's Journal. The PCs were key participants in this successful plan; not only did they leave Isidor cheated out of an excellent dungeon base, but they killed several adventurers whom the merchant had hired to spelunk it.
The PCs Become Outlaws in Novgorod
Some time later, the PCs discovered that they were wanted in Novgorod, having been declared as Kievan spies. It turned out that Isidor was behind this, along with the Polish? diplomat Rudolf Sikorsky?. Naturally, the PCs' behavior when the Prince's warriors came to arrest them — responding with deadly force, including powerful magic — only confirmed the accusation, and elevated Isidor in Prince Vladimir's eyes.
The Cult Research Base
Subsequent developments only further convinced Prince Vladimir that the PCs were spies and saboteurs. When Isidor realized that the dungeon base that had been swindled away from him was being used by the Cult of Loki (and the PCs especially), he leaked this information to the Prince's court. It was this knowledge — the indignity of allowing known Kievan agents to operate in secret within the lands of Novgorod — that led to Prince Vladimir acceding to the Cherkess request, in the wake of the Key?'s activation, to buy the land on which the Cult base stood (and which thus led to the base's destruction at the hands of the Cherkess battle-mages).
Espionage by Zarren's Shadowdancers
Isidor was not content merely to make trouble for the PCs in Novgorod. He sent his minions, the shadowdancers of Zarren's Circle of Shadows?, to spy on the party. Most notably, the shadowdancer Andrei Saratov? tracked the party all the way from Novgorod, through most of an overland journey to the distant south — but the PCs captured and neutralized him, questioning him about his masters (Zarren and Isidor) and their activities. (The PCs then killed Andrei — which had its own consequences some time later...) Isidor would use the shadowdancers to spy on the PCs, and on their allies in the Cult, several more times, but seems to have stopped doing so after Vasily began routinely scanning for the shadowy rogues' presence with magic.
Mining the Shadow Realm
The PCs clashed with Isidor again, when they were dispatched to the Shadow Realm? to find and rescue a mining expedition sent by Vladislav Chernovsky (to mine shadow-iron?, a material that Chernovsky needed for creating his Phobos-class golems?). It turned out that Isidor, too, had sent his people to the same place (a quarry known as the Valley of Scars?), and for the same reason — he needed the shadow-iron to craft the stealth armor and magic rings which his shadowdancers wore. The two expeditions had encountered each other and fought, to a stalemate — until the PCs arrived. Isidor's prospectors, wizards, and shadowdancers were killed or captured, both dealing a serious financial blow to the merchant and, no doubt, setting back his plans (whatever those may have been).
Recent Events
Isidor has not had direct contact with the player characters in almost two years (since late autumn of 1275). This last face-to-face interaction was on good terms, when the PCs were working with (or perhaps "for") Isidor. Since then, Isidor has certainly discovered the PCs' betrayal and dishonesty (he said that he planned to send an expedition to Zmei Gromovoi's lair, where he would have found it already plundered). He also, it seems, figured out the Cult's (and, by extension, the PCs') involvement in the plan to swindle him out of the dungeon in the Valdai Highlands. It's also almost a certainty that he knows, or has deduced, the PCs' role in taking out his shadow-iron mining expedition. Isidor has been working behind the scenes to cause inconveniences for the PCs and their Cult allies, and has used his shadowdancer minions to spy on them; however, he has never moved against the PCs directly, or in any significant or overt way.
Miscellaneous
Activities
Isidor's current activities (beyond the "mundane" business, the maneuverings, wheelings, and dealings that come with running a large and successful trading company), are unknown; if he's engaging in any nefarious plots, their nature is unknown to the PCs or their allies. However, the PCs know much of what Isidor "will" do — that is, what he did in the dystopian future which the party unintentionally visited.
The Dark Future
In that dark future, a hundred years hence, what remains of the Russian lands (minus most of Novgorod, which has been destroyed in the cataclysmic rampage of the primordial giant Ymir) are under the oppressive rule of Prince Igor — that is, Isidor/Ustyhrin-ja. He has an iron grasp on his totalitarian power, aided by his shadowdancers, who now, in much greater numbers, operate openly as instruments of his will. He has gotten there through a decades-long, infinitely patient rise to power, taking advantage of every opportunity and every weakness of his rival principalities and rulers. The PCs' source for most of this information was the celestial Anait? (see this page), who was one of a very few who still struggled against Prince Igor's rule. (It is from Anait in the future that the PCs found out about Prince Igor's true, demonic, nature; Anait also speculated that Isidor was another one of Ustyhrin-ja's identities.)
Relationships
In the present, however, Isidor is, to all appearances, a wealthy yet humble merchant (albeit one who sometimes engages in unusual, covert business ventures of questionable legality and ethics, such as the plot to recover Zmei Gromovoi's hoard, or mining expeditions to the Shadow Realm). Isidor has ties to various powerful and important personages. The demon Zarren leads the Circle of Shadows?, the cabal of shadowdancers who carry out various covert missions for Isidor. Rudolf Sikorsky?, the Polish courtier and diplomat, seems to have some alliance or at least commonality of purpose with Isidor (they have acted seemingly in concert on several occasions, in the course of political maneuvering in Novgorod), but the exact nature of this tie is unknown. It is not even known whether Sikorsky and Isidor have any personal acquaintance; they have certainly met, at Prince Vladimir's court, but beyond that — it's unclear.
Isidor & Satyros
The (former? now possibly permanently recalled?) Archbishop of Kiev, the Orthodox priest Satyros?, was also acquainted with Isidor, and even seemed subordinate to the merchant; this acquaintance and relationship was secret, and discovered by Johann Grimm, with the aid of the Eye of Colothys. (Unfortunately, that incident made Isidor aware of the Eye and its power; he is able to perceive when the Eye's gaze is upon him. See this session log for more details.) It is not clear what Satyros and Isidor had in common cause, or whether this was related to Satyros's dealings with the demons living in the catacombs beneath Kiev.