Hiram Creed

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General

Species
Black Drakonid (Human)
Gender
Male
Death
Killed by Velameestra Windrunner and her companions after his schemes were found out.
Eyes
Dark brown in human visage form; bright yellow in true drakonid form
Hair
Thick, white from age, coupled with a full beard in human visage form
Scales
Obsidian black
Status
Deceased

Known Languages Common, Draconic

Affiliations Blackhowl Company (Founder)
Black Dragonflight

Relatives Unknown

Lord Hiram Creed was a dragonsworn drakonid of the black dragonflight that used his affluent position in Gilnean society to further the goals of his Authority, Onyxia.

Description

Creed's human guise was that of a large, imposing, muscular older man with thick white hair and beard. He didn't have the appearance of a typical noble, and he had the presence of a veteran mercenary as he was frequently well-armored and never far from his weapon, a large axe named Blackburn.

His true drakonid form mirrored his human appearance, as he was a particularly large, well-built drakonid with bright yellow eyes and deep obsidian scales.

Creed was a well-respected member of Gilnean society and he was known for his level head, pragmatic views, and willingness to make himself available to those in need. Like many Gilneans, he was fairly blunt and had little patience for dancing around a topic, but he also had a political cunning that made him well-equipped to maneuver delicate situations. He was also incredibly hard to read, and was prone to getting involved in as many situations as he could so that he could remain as well-connected as possible.

At the time of his death, it was unclear how much loyalty he actually still held for Gilneas, but he was extremely devoted to his "queen" Onyxia, and her will, to the point he was willing to destroy Greymane manor and a large number of loyal Gilneans to vanquish those that threatened the success of her plans. In the past, he had strategically sacrificed loyal men, and also utilized magical badges to bend the minds of a large number of people so that his plans could more easily come to fruition. He was willing to play multiple sides if it served his purposes.

Biography

At an unknown point in Creed's past, he had encountered the black broodmother Onyxia and became a dragonsworn with her as his Authority, which eventually resulted in him undergoing the transformation into a drakonid. Throughout his entire life, he had seemed to serve as a loyal Gilnean, as he had been entrusted by Genn Greymane to help stop the Northgate Rebellion when it broke out following the erection of the Gilneas wall. However, it seemed even as far back as then, Creed was playing multiple sides, as he had also become an ally of Darius Crowley, the leader of the Northgate rebellion.

While he became an incredibly powerful dragonsworn capable of reality-rending magics, he successfully kept his powers hidden from those he worked with, and even after becoming a drakonid, he still maintained a human visage.

Chapter Five: Civil War

Hiram Creed was introduced, by name, as an ally of the worgen that had taken up shelter in the Blackwald. Darius Crowley, in fact, further explained to Uther Menethil and his companions that Creed had done a great deal to help them in their time of need and had served as an "inside man" amongst the nobility of Gilneas that had taken up residence around Greymane Manor under Liam Greymane, along with his Blackhowl Company. Galadin Windrunner, who was undercover in Gilneas on behalf of Wrathion, also described him as a large help and a trusted ally because he had known the code phrase that Wrathion had given him.

He also proved to be a stalwart ally of Liam Greymane, as during the meeting of the nobles to discuss the worgen and the potential remedy that had been presented by Tol'vas Moonshadow, he was one of the voices that spoke up in favor of investigating the cure further, and Liam's decision to go to the Blackwald and witness its effectiveness for himself.

When Creed approached Uther and his companions in private following the meeting, he readily made himself available to help and revealed he actually had some of his men on the inside with the Wolf Cult—a circumstance that he was happy to allow the party, and Gilneas, to make use of if they needed information or an in. Uther quickly set about putting Creed on the trail of anyone capable of scrying, as he explained that someone had attempted to watch them during their discussions in Greymane Manor, a task that Creed said he was happy to do what he could to aid with.

Velameestra Windrunner, however, was suspicious, as Wrathion had informed her that he only had one other agent in Gilneas, and Creed's involvement would make that two. Sure enough, when she spoke to Wrathion to confirm who his agent was, the young black dragon had no idea who Hiram Creed was, and expressed there was no reason he should have known his passcode. Furthermore, investigations by the party into the ettin activity in the area revealed that the banner of Koroth the Hillbreaker had been destroyed by a black drakonid, and her memory of the encounter had been wiped.

When Liam returned to Greymane manor with Darius Crowley and several other worgen in tow, Creed expressed joy to see Darius again and, once more, expressed that he was in favor of the changes that Liam was proposing where the worgen that regained themselves through the Ritual of Balance would be treated with the respect and rights of true Gilneans, as that was ultimately what they were. Later, Velameestra, Tol'vas, and Seria attempted to scry on Creed. The first two attempts, Tol'vas and Seria's, were unsuccessful, but Velameestra managed to successfully watch him as he approached Vincent Godfrey and spoke of a "line of communication" he had into the city (the agents he had infiltrating the wolf cult). All-in-all, everything they had seen of Creed implied he was loyal to Gilneas, eager to offer his aid, and was trusted by the royal family and many of the nobles, and Godfrey too expressed that Creed was the type of man Gilneas needed to see their kingdom through. Sure enough, during the planning of the assault on Gilneas City, Creed revealed that his men had managed to secure some of the sewers that led to the heart of the city, and it could be used as a point of infiltration. It was an approach that was being seriously considered.

But something still felt off, enough so that Velameestra Windrunner and Halford Ramsey chose to go and speak to Creed directly in his camp, using the reason of speaking to the man about the scrying matter that Uther had set him upon. Creed willingly offered Velameestra a list of mages that he had gathered that he felt were capable of scrying, and he asked why she felt someone would be trying to watch them. The arcanist replied that, ultimately, she recognized that she and her fellows were outsiders and she had no doubt there was a healthy amount of suspicion held for them as a result (a fact that Ramsey also agreed with), but she ultimately preferred to have a more frank discussion if that were the case. She also dropped the first part of Wrathion's code phrase, and after a moment's hesitation, Creed offered the second half. During the course of the discussion that followed, Creed revealed that he was a dragonsworn and a drakonid, as Velameestra had suspected, but when he revealed his drakonid form to her, he had it take the appearance of crimson scales. He explained that he was hunting the same thing they were, as Gilneas, when it had pulled away, had escaped the eyes of the red dragonflight for a long time.

However, when Velameestra asked him the oath he had sworn to uphold when he became dragonsworn, he deflected, and said that they were ancient words he held close to his soul and he didn't dare repeat frivolously. He said he was willing to subject himself to a zone of truth when Uther returned, if that would ease her concerns, and he requested that Velameestra not spread word of his true identity beyond her immediate companions, as he did not wish to start further panic. Velameestra agreed, and she and Ramsey left after thanking him for his candor.

Unbeknownst to Creed, however, Ramsey set up an opportunity for Velameestra to temporarily get her hands on the magical badges the Blackhowl mercenaries wore, which she had observed when she and Ramsey entered the camp. In the confusion, she successfully was able to use her magics to identify the nature of the badge, which revealed it to be a device not dissimilar to those that had been used to control the gnolls in the Red Ridge Mountains, though more subtle–it ultimately eroded what limits and ethical lines the bearer had and heightened whatever they strove to fight for, while also instilling a loyalty to whoever bore the master badge, who was likely Creed. It also served as a one-way sending stone from the commander. The badge was returned to the mercenary when it was conveniently "found", scarcely a minute after it was dropped.

When prince Uther returned the following day, Velameestra, Ramsey, and their allies returned to the Blackhowl camp so that Creed could make good on his offer to undergo a zone of truth. By retreading ground they had covered the prior day, it was soon evident that Creed was protected by the effects of the zone of truth spell, which, as Velameestra had suspected, was why he had been so willing to subject himself to it. Ramsey took point on the questioning as Velameestra had disguised herself as the "urchin boy" that Creed claimed to have gotten the passcode from, and the questioning eventually turned toward the situation with the ettins and Koroth's destroyed banner, and finally, the badges that Creed's men were wearing. Creed realized he was caught, and pointedly called out Velameestra as being the urchin boy, which revealed that he was capable of seeing through any such magical disguises.

Creed offered one final deal: if they gave him the name of their benefactor, he would give them his badge, leave, and they would never see them again. Velameestra, however, refused, as ultimately the only options before them was whether Creed was going to surrender or not. He expressed frustration at the situation, as ultimately things would have been easier if they had this altercation in the sewers beneath Gilneas City as he had planned–as he intended on killing them there and making it look as if Alpha Prime had been responsible, so they could have gone out as heroes at the same time Liam did, but he reasoned that he could come up with a story for now. He took his true drakonid form, revealing his black scales, and ordered his men to attack.

The group was incredibly outnumbered, and Creed had brought his full magical ability to bear. Uther was severely injured by a cannonball, and Creed attempted to disintegrate him like he had done with Koroth's banner, but the spell was successfully countered. He chose to back off from the group and let his men wear them down, but Velameestra pursued and gave herself an opening to rip his own badge from him before she teleported onto the wall around the town and hurled it to Liam–who had been informed of the situation and was out ensuring that Blackhowl reinforcements couldn't arrive. He used the badge to command the mercenaries to remove themselves from the field and cast their badges into the sea.

Recognizing his defeat, Creed decided to attempt a final assault to destroy as many people as he could, and used his magic to rend the sky asunder and cause meteors to fall upon the manor and the surrounding areas. However, with the combined effort of Uther, Luma, and Seria, the powerful spell was successfully thwarted, and Uther was able to close on Creed and deal a devastating blow which allowed Velameestra to finish him off using her wand of arcane missiles after leaping off the wall. With his dying breaths, Creed confirmed that Onyxia was his Authority, as Velameestra had guessed, but proclaimed that they would never defeat her.

Liam decided to keep Creed's body preserved for a short time so that what he was could be studied, but ultimately decided to have him buried in the graveyard as a Gilnean alongside the rest of the Creed family, as even if his motives had been fueled by a darker purpose, he had done a great deal from Gilneas all the same. Investigating Creed's tent revealed a crystal ball that could be used for scrying and, Velameestra determined, was likely directly connected to a similar one held by Onyxia. Several correspondences meant to go to his Authority were also found, which revealed that he intended on keeping the war between the Gilneans and the Wolf Cult going for as long as possible, and that he planned on having Alpha Prime and the Gilnean forces destroy each other. It also seemed he had been trying to bend or break Isiden Perenolde for an unknown reason, though there was frustration that he was never far away from other nobility or Liam himself, and an opportunity to remove him had not come up.

While there was reference to Uther and his companions, it did not seem that Creed had known they were supposed to be dead, and he had not managed to uncover the true identities of Galadin nor Wrathion. In any regard, none of the missives had been sent.

Appeared In

Chapter Five: Civil War

Statblock

Show statblock

Medium Humanoid, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 17 (half plate)
Hit Points 165 (20d8 + 45)
Speed 40 ft.

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
16 (+3)14 (+2)16 (+3)12 (+1)12 (+1)18 (+4)

Saving Throws Wis +6, Cha +9
Skills Arcana +6, Religion +6
Damage Resistances Psychic, Fire, Shadow
Senses darkvision 60 ft., true sight 30 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages common, draconic, telepathy 30 ft.
Challenge Rating 13ㅤㅤㅤㅤProficiency Bonus +5

Traits

Innate Spellcasting. Hiram Creed casts one of the following spells using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks):

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Hiram Creed fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Whispering Aura. At the start of each of Hiram Creed's turns, each creature of his choice within 5 feet of him must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage, provided Hiram Creed isn't Incapacitated.

Spell Penetration. When Hiram Creed casts a spell and is interrupted by an enemy's counterspell, treat the spell's level as 3 levels higher.

Supreme Focus. Hiram Creed has Advantage on saving throws it makes to maintain concentration.

Actions

Multiattack. Hiram Creed makes three attacks with Blackburn or Eldritch Blast. He may replace one attack with the casting of a spell or his Shadowflame Breath if available.

Blackburn. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d12 + 6 magic slashing damage plus 2d6 fire damage. Once per turn, he can deal an extra 3d8 shadow damage on a hit.

Eldritch Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 300 ft., one target. Hit: 2d10 + 4 shadow damage, and the creature is pushed back or pulled forward 10 feet.

Shadowflame Breath (Recharge 5-6). Hiram Creed exhales shadowflame in a 30-foot cone. Creatures in the area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 fire damage plus 2d10 shadow damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. A creature who fails this saving throw by 5 or more must immediately save against Mouth of Madness.

Bonus Actions

Smoldering Step. As a Bonus Action, Hiram Creed teleports 30 feet. He deals 1d6 fire damage to a creature within 5 feet of the location he teleports to or form.

Legendary Actions

Hiram Creed can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn. Hiram Creed regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Move. Hiram Creed moves up to half his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Strike. Hiram Creed attacks with Blackburn or a single Eldritch Blast.

Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). Hiram Creed casts an at will or 8/day spell.

Mouth of Madness (Costs 1-3 Actions). Hiram Creed utters an unworldly phrase and targets up to 3 creatures it can see within 30 feet of him. If the target can see and hear Hiram Creed, it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target must use its Reaction to move up to half its speed toward a creature of Hiram Creed's choice that it can see and make one melee weapon attack against it if it is within range. It costs 1 legendary action per target.

Special Items

  • Blackburn (Wakened Dragon's Wrath Fire Greataxe)
  • Half Plate Armor of Necrotic Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage while you wear this armor.

Trivia

Related Pages

Categories: Black Dragonflight | Black Dragonsworn | Black Drakonids | Blackhowl Company | Chapter Five | Deceased | Dragonsworn | Drakonids | Humans | Male Characters | NPCs | Statblocks | Warriors