Praxiteles

Praxiteles was a legendary bandit king who lived four hundred years ago. The charismatic and brilliant Praxiteles raided caravans across the Balican peninsula and beyond, boldly staging raids as far as Tyr and Nibenay. A master of cavalry strategy and hit and run techniques, he was rumored to be a sorcerer, for his forces would seemingly disappear after a strike.

Born in the Bard's Quarter of Balic, Praxiteles grew up poor and learned the art of thievery and combat from several mentors. His reputation as a skilled, ruthless, and effective rogue led many of the unsavory types to his banner, and he became the leader of a loose guild in Balic's northern section. Tenacious templars, though never able to break his ring of thievery, made it clear that to become truly powerful, he must leave the city. Taking many faithful followers, he moved his operation to the Pedastos Mountains, a range north of Fort Glamis many miles west of the city.

From his hidden mountain fortress, Praxiteles and his forces terrorized villages and caravans, his hit-and-run techniques extremely effective against his slower foes. The problem became such that Andropinis realized he could no longer ignore the issue. He first ordered a templar-led force into the mountains, but they were harried at every pass, taking heavy losses, and still not able to determine the location of Praxiteles's base.

Andropinis became personally involved, leading an army of Balican soldiers into the mountains and using powerful divination magic to finally discover the lair of the bandits. A fierce battle followed, and though Praxiteles was a skillful combatant, his power was insignificant against those of a sorcerer-king. His forces were wiped out and the wealth he had accumulated was added to the Balican treasury.

The mountain base used by Praxiteles temporarily became an outpost used by Balican soldiers, but was too distant to be useful to them. The place was alternately occupied by mountain creatures, slave tribes, undead, and bandits. Today, it is used by General Zanthiros, who departed Balic after House Wavir seized control of half the city and interrupted the democratic election process which may have led to the general's rise to power.

Though the Praxiteles has been dead for centuries, rumors persist that Andropinis did not seize all his wealth, and that hidden chambers high in the mountains still contain mounds of coins and jewels. Further rumors whisper that Zanthiros has discovered the secret of Praxiteles's magic, and is ready to use it once again to become the terror of Balic.