Liara Portyr is the commander of Fort Beluarian and the highest-ranking Flaming Fist officer in Chult. She holds the rank of blaze (major) and answers directly to Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard of Baldur’s Gate. At 47 years old, she has commanded the fort for three years and views her Chultan posting as a test of mettle, though many of her subordinates see it as banishment.
Secret Alliance with Pirates
Unknown to her superiors, Liara operates a profitable criminal enterprise in league with the pirates of Jahaka Anchorage. She receives ship manifests and departure schedules from her spies in Port Nyanzaru, which she passes to pirate captain Zaroum Al-Saryak via a sending stone. The pirates agreed never to attack ships flying Baldur’s Gate’s flag in exchange for this intelligence. Liara receives a cut of the pirates’ profits, some of which she uses to pay bonuses to her garrison to maintain morale and loyalty.
Zhanthi, a merchant prince and secret member of the Ytepka Society, has discovered evidence of Liara’s arrangement with the pirates but keeps this knowledge to herself for now. Zhanthi is also funding a reward for adventurers to eliminate the pirates, coordinating with Zindar the half-dragon harbormaster.
Role in the Adventure
Despite her criminal activities, Liara has no reason to be antagonistic toward adventurers. She spends most of her time managing fort security, reviewing field reports, and analyzing intelligence from her Port Nyanzaru spy network. She admires adventurers and can provide useful advice and material aid against jungle threats as long as characters don’t antagonize her.
Liara is puzzled by reports of large, unknown creature tracks south of the fort (actually frost giants searching for Artus Cimber). She seeks information about unusual activity between the east coast and River Tiryki and would appreciate any intelligence the characters can provide.
Services and Missions
If characters spend a day at Fort Beluarian, Liara summons them to the great hall (area 10C) and may offer them work as Flaming Fist agents. She can assign missions including:
- Ghoul Hunters: Rid the jungle of ghouls for 20 gp per severed head, plus a free charter of exploration
- Shilku Reconnaissance: Scout the destroyed village of Shilku Bay for one week, with free passage, charter, and ongoing hospitality at the fort
- Strangers in a Strange Land: Investigate giant footprints and identify the threat to Fort Beluarian (the frost giants), rewarded with five magic arrows
Characters who refuse her summons are banished from the fort. Those who decline to serve can continue their business but face quintupled prices for all purchases.
Authority and Resources
Liara issues charters of exploration for 50 gp, granting permission to explore Baldur’s Gate’s claimed territory (everything east of Mistcliff and north of Kitcher’s Inlet, extending south to Refuge Bay). Charter holders can hire up to six Flaming Fist guards for 1 gp per tenday each.
She carries keys to the fort’s locked storerooms (area 10G) and to an iron strongbox in her quarters (area 10I). The strongbox contains 220 gp and her sending stone for communicating with the pirates.
Relationships
- Shago: The guide and son of merchant prince Zhanthi is stationed at Fort Beluarian. He believes he’s been recruited by his mother to spy on the Flaming Fist, but his sympathies actually lie with the mercenaries. His main goal is to impress Liara enough to earn a rank within the Flaming Fist
- Gruta Halsdottir: The lawful neutral castellan who serves as Liara’s second-in-command, responsible for day-to-day fort operations
- Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard: Liara’s superior in Baldur’s Gate, who would prioritize Baldur’s Gate’s interests over the Lords’ Alliance if necessary
Current Concerns
Liara faces pressure from patrons in Baldur’s Gate to begin exploring and excavating the ash-buried ruins of Shilku for treasure. This would require building a new fort on the southwestern coast, but she lacks the personnel and funds for such an undertaking.