Oboe

Oboe, also known by his code name Hierophant, was an alchemist and the leader of the Arcana, a drug-trafficking gang residing in the city of Drakmort. As the Arcana's kingpin, Oboe held a tyrannical rule over Drakmort's criminal underworld until his eventual defeat and death at the hands of Team Dustbowl.

History

As the leader of the Arcana, Oboe (known to the public as "Hierophant") held a monopoly over the manufacture and trade of nearly all illegal drugs within Drakmort; this included mundane narcotics as well as drugs with magical or alchemical qualities, such as Dragon's Blood, which could bestow its user with sorcerer-like spellcasting abilities for a limited time, as well as a mutagen capable of granting the user superhuman levels of strength and agility.
With his near-total control over the city's drug trade, Oboe was able to rule Drakmort's criminal underbelly unopposed, becoming a figure of almost mythical importance as citizens of Drakmort grew fearful to even speak the name "Hierophant" for fear of drawing his ire or that of his followers. This fear was for good reason, as it was well known that the Hierophant possessed a loyal team of spies and assassins willing and able to make anyone who opposed their leader disappear.

Versus Team Dustbowl

When the Arcana's control of Drakmort was challenged by former adventurer Cello Redcrest, Oboe sought to make an example of the old man by targeting his daughter, a young woman by the name of Lyra. Fearing for his daughter's safety, Cello employed four mercenaries to escort Lyra out of the desert and to the city of Renouvelle. While disguised as a dim-witted vagrant, Oboe spied on the party and uncovered Cello's plans; in retaliation, Oboe sent several assassins to pursue Lyra and the mercenaries, hounding them on every step of their travels.
Eventually, Team Dustbowl decided to abandon their quest to reach Renouvelle and instead chose to confront the Arcana head-on. After some investigation, the party was able to locate the Hierophant's underground safehouse located deep in the desert, and mounted a full-scale assault against the leader of the Arcana directly.

Death and Attempted Resurrection

Cornered by the party in his own safehouse, Oboe quickly injected himself with a mutagen granting superhuman strength, speed and endurance, nearly defeating all of Team Dustbowl singlehandedly in his transformed state.
Just as Oboe prepared to strike the killing blow against Maldrek, the Hierophant was shot in the neck by a hiding Lyra, rupturing his carotid artery and weakening the mutagen in his bloodstream. In this weakened state, Team Dustbowl was able to quickly turn the tide of the battle as Oboe struggled to hold his ground against the four heroes.
In a last-ditch effort to destroy the party, Oboe attempted to detonate a bandolier of explosives strapped across his waist; this attack was foiled when Brother Kraugh used his aerokinesis to create a bubble of air around Oboe which contained the explosion, causing the detonation to kill only Oboe. At last, the dreaded kingpin of the Arcana was slain.
Years later, a necromantic cult named the Brotherhood of the Wilted Rose attempted to use the Book of Vance to perform a ritual which would have brought Oboe back from the dead as a Revenant; the Brotherhood, recognizing the cult of personality that had formed around the Hierophant, hoped to install the revived Oboe as the figurehead of their organization to help them assert control over Drakmort. Unfortunately for them, the ritual was interrupted before it could reach completion, and the Brotherhood was defeated by the staff of the Twisted Knuckle (with some help from their friend Saladin).

Abilities

Oboe was a talented alchemist, specializing in the creation of mutagenic drugs which enhanced their user's physical abilities to superhuman levels. In his mutagenic state, Oboe eschewed the use of proper weapons and instead fought against Team Dustbowl with his bare hands, implying he had some proficiency as a brawler as well. In addition, Oboe was a skilled actor, able to disguise himself as a vagrant and pass through the streets of Drakmort undetected, allowing him to spy on potential threats to his criminal empire firsthand.
Had the ritual to resurrect Oboe been successful, it is presumed that he would have gained the undead properties and abilities of a Revenant as well.

Role
NPC
BBEG (Team Dustbowl)
Race
Human
Pronouns
He/Him
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Status
Deceased