Harlett

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Harlett (哈莱特)
Alias(es)	“Bloody Hand” Harlett; “Bloodhand” Harlett
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Captain of a mixed pirate crew operating in the Sea of Swords; maintained dealings with Amn’s Shadow Thieves 18 25
Occupation/Role	Pirate captain, kidnapper, intelligence broker, and contract enforcer
Status	Deceased; killed by Eric during a mutiny that installed Eric as captain 190
First Appearance	Chapter 18

Background

Harlett was reputedly the exiled son of a Tethyrian noble. Rather than limiting himself to conventional piracy, he accepted commissions connected to inheritance disputes: intercepting a client’s relatives, holding them captive, and forcing either the client or the prisoners to pay. If a client reneged on payment, Harlett would bargain with the captives instead and turn against the original employer. 18

His title, “Bloody Hand,” referred to a distinctive method of terror rather than blood on his own hands: he compelled victims to tear out the hearts of their own relatives. The resulting wealth funded an extensive coastal intelligence network, through which even the Amn Shadow Thieves occasionally cooperated with him. 18

Before his capture, Harlett intended to leave direct piracy behind, adopt a new identity, and manipulate affairs from shore. His abduction of Bernard was meant to be part of that larger ambition. 26

Appearance

Harlett appeared as a handsome, mature man around forty, sharply contrasting with the monstrous reputation attached to his name. 19

• Neat short hair and a goatee.
• Wore an Amnian white shirt beneath a dark-blue captain’s coat.
• Black trousers, brown waterproof leather boots, and a tricorn hat.
• Carried an ornate gem-set scimitar and a plain, non-reflective black short sword. 19

Personality

Harlett was calm, polished, and calculating. He combined refined manners and strategic insight with extreme cruelty, using information, ransom, betrayal, and psychological humiliation as readily as violence. His formal conversation with Bernard resembled advice from a mentor, but it was designed to expose Bernard’s failures and establish dominance. 24

He valued power over wealth alone. In his view, Bernard’s mistake was accumulating profit without building armed protection, alliances, or independence from his father and siblings. 24

Despite treating most subordinates as possessions or tools, Harlett understood the practical necessity of loyalty. He cultivated disciplined mixed-species forces, kept ambitious followers in check, and relied on intelligence from the Shadow Thieves to survive repeated attempts on his life. 19 25 67

His confidence broke when Zuo Si’s poison, undead, and deception annihilated most of his crew. Thereafter, he became increasingly cautious around his captor, recognizing that Zuo Si eliminated perceived threats before they could become future problems. 28 69

Abilities & Skills

Warrior Training

Harlett was an LV11 Warrior with notably strong Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. His physical force was sufficient to badly injure Mook with a kick, though Mook survived the blow. 68

• Personally fought at the front to stabilize his pirates’ morale against undead. 27
• Used his lightning scimitar to decapitate zombies while directing a defensive formation. 27
• Continued fighting after sustaining serious wounds during Zuo Si’s ambush. 28

Command and Intimidation

Harlett commanded more than two hundred pirates, including humans, half-orcs, hobgoblins, and ogres. His followers greeted him as the “uncrowned king” of the waters and displayed near-fanatical loyalty. 19

• Maintained military discipline among a diverse crew through authority and fear.
• Recognized when morale required his personal intervention. 27
• Promised a long-serving hobgoblin subordinate the “Bloodhand” title as an incentive for continued service. 23

Intelligence and Contract Operations

Harlett gathered extensive intelligence before accepting commissions and used informants to study targets’ business, family, and vulnerabilities. 18 24

• Learned Bernard’s commercial history, smuggling plans, family rivalries, and inadequate defenses before confronting him. 24
• Maintained information channels spanning coastal cities and ties to the Shadow Thieves. 18 25
• Honored confidentiality with clients, refusing to reveal Bernard’s betrayer until circumstances forced him to disclose Isadora’s role. 24 30

Equipment

Weapons

• +2 lightning scimitar — dealt additional lightning damage on a successful hit. 27 30
• +2 short sword — granted its wielder an additional three points of Dexterity. 30

Magical Gear

• Ring of the Ram — projected a ram-shaped force capable of smashing enemies, walls, ships, or spellcasters; Harlett expended its final charge destroying numerous zombies. 28
• Strength-enhancing belt — increased Strength by three points. 30
• Dispel amulet — could cast a powerful dispel once per day, comparable to that of a high-level cleric. 30
• Fear-immune boots — protected the wearer from fear-based magical effects. 30
• Constitution bracers — increased Constitution by two points. 30
• Enchanted captain’s coat — offered protection equivalent to +3 magical leather armor and resisted ordinary weapons. 30
• Hat of Wind Control — could create wind once daily to suddenly accelerate a ship for pursuit or escape. 30

After bargaining for his life, Harlett surrendered all of this equipment to Zuo Si. He later spent nearly all available funds redeeming armor and the Hat of Wind Control, prioritizing survival and his ability to rebuild a crew over recovering his weapons. 30 84

Relationships

• Zuo Si / Raymond — captor and eventual ally of necessity. Zuo Si poisoned Harlett’s pirates, devastated his force with undead, stripped him of his magical items, and held him for ransom. Harlett later relied on Zuo Si’s controlled assassin Yelinya to retaliate against Muke’s betrayal. 25 30 66
• Bernard Roldan — intended kidnapping victim and business target. Harlett captured Bernard’s ship, lectured him on power and family politics, then revealed that Bernard’s sister Isadora had arranged the attack. 19 24 30
• Muke / Mook — former trusted subordinate who attempted to seize Harlett’s wealth and organization. Harlett viewed Muke’s rebellion as unforgivable ingratitude and personally attacked him after his capture. 66 68
• Eric — subordinate who arranged Harlett’s ransom and inherited parts of his organization, but ultimately led the rebellion that killed him and claimed the captaincy. 35 190
• Yelinya — formerly Muke’s assassin; after Zuo Si transformed her into a shadow servant, she exterminated Muke’s associates while Harlett was kept alive to confront Muke personally. 66 67
• Amn Shadow Thieves — criminal associates who provided intelligence and advance warning about threats against Harlett. 18 25

Story Role / Major Arcs

Interception of Bernard’s Ship

Harlett’s pirate force captured Bernard’s merchant ship after its officers fled. Rather than settling for the cargo, Harlett ordered a search of the island for Bernard, judging the Roldan Merchant Guild’s assets and trade network to be the greater prize. 19

Defeat by Zuo Si

Zuo Si poisoned Harlett’s camp with ricin, leaving more than two hundred pirates dying or dead. Harlett initially tried to intimidate Zuo Si’s summoned soldier, but the soldier’s complete fearlessness convinced him that the unseen master was too dangerous to dismiss. 25

Harlett attempted to renegotiate for Bernard and his ship, but Zuo Si used undead attacks and the threat of further magic to reduce the pirate force to six survivors. Harlett exhausted the Ring of the Ram during the battle and was badly wounded. 26 28

Capture and Ransom

With his crew destroyed, Harlett bargained for survival by offering 170,000 gold coins and his collection of books and scrolls. Zuo Si accepted the deal but seized every magical item Harlett carried and bound him with an Animated Rope. 30

Imprisoned in Caledon, Harlett instructed the Thieves’ Guild chief Epke to tell Eric to bring ransom money and Harlett’s books and scrolls. 35

Muke’s Betrayal

While Harlett remained under Zuo Si’s control, Muke attempted to kill him and take over his wealth, trade network, assassins, and mercenaries. Zuo Si refused to free Harlett, instead deploying the enslaved shadow assassin Yelinya to destroy Muke’s organization. 66 67

Harlett confronted Muke after the massacre, but Muke argued that Harlett had no moral right to condemn betrayal after treating him as purchased property. Harlett nevertheless insisted that both Muke and Muke’s accumulated wealth belonged to him. 68 69

Death and Succession

Harlett’s reputation made his crew fear rebellion, since he had never previously suffered a mutiny. His imprisonment, however, gave Eric an opening to move against him. 67

Eric ultimately killed Harlett, cut off his head, and presented it to his own master as proof that he had taken command of the pirate fleet. 190

Legacy

• Harlett’s death enabled Eric to become captain of the pirate fleet and pursue the unification of the Nylanthian Islands. 190
• Eric later sought Harlett’s hidden mistress and daughter, intending to bring them to his territory and exploit Harlett’s surviving connections and legacy. 205
• Harlett’s former lover and daughter were subsequently absorbed into Eric’s new order; Eric married Harlett’s daughter, while Harlett’s former mistress became Eric’s secret mistress. 263