Baeneral Pikestaff
Planar tiefling priest of Math Mathonwy [he/him] / Fated / NE
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him. A really friendly cutter, but tight around the jinkpurse, if ya catch my meaning. He’s a big tax collector for the Fated. Something to do with wizards who worship some pantheon; the Celtic powers, perhaps. I think I heard he’s also a priest.
“But he’s a real nice guy. I’ll wager a stinger he would be handing his jink to people on the street if he wasn’t one of the Heartless. He’s probably the most friendly Fated tax collector I’ve ever seen. Certainly nicer than that dreadful witch Llysadia and her metallic minion.”
—Nally Redstone, a Guardian merchant
“Baeneral Pikestaff? There’s a knight if I’ve ever seen one. He’s got one half the Cage thinking he’s all lovey-dovey, and the other thinking he’s just another tax collector. Heh, but he’s told me otherwise. Told me he’s sick of working as a tax collector, and that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his mentor in wizardly magic, Ramander the Wise, and throw off the shackles of law and order to forge his own fate. I’m not sure he’s sincere, as he’s still kissing up to those sods in the Temple of the Celts and to the Duke at the Hall of Records. But some of my cell believe him. He even managed to hire some of them out! Anarchists with a boss, I tell you! Weak-minded, the lot of them.
“But that Baeneral’s a dangerous cutter, no doubt about it. Chant is that he’s both a wizardly and a priestly spellslinger. I never heard of a tiefling pulling off that sort of career change before, but he may be one of ’em. And he’s well-lanned, too. Got contacts peppered all over the Cage, just waiting to find some new wizard to tax.
“He’s not too big a problem in the end, I suppose. He’s just sweet on magic, and easy to please. Just last week he bought some pricey weapon from the Friendly Fiend. Not that he can use it. He just “wanted to study it.” What a leatherhead! All that jink wasted on a worthless weapon.”
—Beringe of the Revolutionary League (allegedly)
“Baeneral’s my most valuable clergyman. Don’t tell those priests of Lugh, but he brings in more jink and more new worshippers to the temple than any of those other craftsmen and street preachers. He’s just started to delve into more wizardly sorcery. A little known dark, but most of we priests of Math Mathonwy can cast a wizard spell or three.
“He’s a bit too driven, some say. It seems like he’s following some of his own pursuits as if they were a holy quest! I heard he’s spent thousands of jinx on magical devices and nik-naks. One of old Lu Ruskin’s best customers, I hear tell. Don’t know where he got it all, and I don’t much care. He brings in the jink, and he gathers the flock. Not a whole lot else matters.”
—Mathew O’Malley, head of Math Mathonwy’s wing of the Temple of the Celts
“Pikestaff. Now there’s a pretty individual. His cat eyes and bariaur horns really set you on edge don’t they? Of course, most people are too polite to mention them, but they serve his purpose.
“Yes, he shops here at the Friendly Fiend fairly often. He has a particular fascination with automatons or intelligent weapons. Says he wants to know how they think. He has spent huge sums on the like, but I’ve heard they aren’t good enough. That their minds are too rigid. I’ve even heard he’s willing to pay big money to someone who can get him a scurpyon, one of those clockwork pests from Mechanus. I’m too busy, but maybe I’ll get my hands on one someday.
“I’ll tell you this much for free, though. He’s not the friendly sod he pretends to be.”
—A’kin, the Friendly Fiend
“That sod’s a real bastard! He’s got everyone all friendly with him, while he robs them blind! I’ve been following his movements for over a month now. So far he’s had at least four people killed, and has embezzled a huge amount of money from his tax collections. And his hickory staff? He’s got the name he’s got for a reason, as that thing’s got a retractable blade in it.
“But he’s in cahoots with some odd berks around the cage. Chant is he’s working with Za’rafas and his tanar’ri assassins. He’s also been seen in the company of that shifty salesfiend, A’kin, and a number of baatezu dignitaries. But that’s not the oddest. He’s been seen with a unit of three quadrone modrons (The Rogue Unit), in the company of the aasimar Qaida, and cavorting about the cage with some clueless noble who’s new to Sigil (Timothy Murone). No one knows where he stands. Next thing you know he’ll be doing business with celestials!”
—Elyssa, Sensate spy among the Fated
“Your total due comes to 50 gold. What? You haven’t got that much? By the Lady, I hate it when you do that. Well, you know the rules. I hate doing this, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask for your spellbooks. Yes, all of them. Oh, and anything you can pay now will go directly toward your debt. Look, my hands are tied. If the law’s unjust to you, talk to Temple. They set it up, not me.
“Hmph. He’s a sour sport. Let’s see here. Hey, I haven’t seen this spell before. Powerful, too. Looks like this one’ll take some time for the Hall of Records to process.”
—Baeneral Pikestaff, adding to his purse and his spellbook
See Also:
- Cage Rattlers: Llysadia, Timothy Murone, The Rogue Unit.
- Uncaged: Faces of Sigil: A’kin (p8), Qaida (p80), Lu Ruskin (p86).
- Factions: The Fated
- Ramander the Wise is detailed in In The Cage (p31).
- Beringe is detailed in The Factol’s Manifesto (p114).
- The Scurpyon is a clockwork horror detailed in the Mimir.Net Monstrous Compendium.
Source: Belarius