Aurelian Binder

Start-class article · First seen: s20 · Last seen: s20
Aurelian Binder
The binder · Aurelian heretic-hunter
Portrait of Aurelian Binder.
Character
StatusAlive
First seens20
Last seens20
FactionAurelian forces

The Aurelian Binder is the unnamed heretic-hunter who led a patrol to the party’s camp near the Eldwythe bridge in session 20: an elite Aurelian fighter and magic detector, with a horse-sized mastiff and two archers [1]. He outranked Father Thomas “by quite a lot” [3], pressed his bluff with “Are you lying to me, cleric?” [6], and broke off to investigate a flash in the sky with “I’ll deal with you later” [7]. In session 23 the DM called the man who holds The Egg “an Aurelian binder” [18]; the line does not say whether that is this man, and this wiki keeps the two apart.

Overview

The Aurelian Binder is an unnamed heretic-hunter of Aurelia who came to the party’s camp in session 20, half a day from the Eldwythe bridge [16][17]. The DM defined a binder as an elite Aurelian fighter and magic detector, “basically a tracker of heretics” [1][2], and one of “the Inquisitors’ general attack dogs” [4]. He was turned aside by chance, not by anything the party did, and left a threat behind him.

In session 23 the DM said the man who holds the Egg “is an Aurelian binder” [18]. The line gives a role, not a name, and does not say whether that man is this binder or the session 15 Aurelian chain-master; this wiki keeps the two pages apart (DM ruling 112).

Appearance and demeanour

He wears a mask, and his eyes tighten around it when he doubts a story [6]. He arrives with a mastiff the size of a horse and two archers [1], walks through the camp unhurried [19], and questions Father Thomas as a superior would: “Did you check them for heresy?” [20].

Relationships

  • Father Thomas: outranked by the binder “by quite a lot”, so he cannot pull rank [21].
  • The Inquisitors: his superiors, whose “general attack dogs” binders are [4].
  • His patrol: a mastiff and two archers [1].
  • The Egg’s holder: the DM called that man “an Aurelian binder” in session 23; whether it is this binder is not stated [18]. See Aurelian chain-master.

Disposition towards the party

Hostile and suspicious, but he does not attack: he questions, doubts and, when the sky lights up, leaves with a threat rather than a decision [6][7]. Father Thomas believed he would not dare to assault a cleric unless provoked [22], and judged him far worse than the paladin who beheaded their companion [8].

Notable quotes

“Did you check them for heresy?” — the Aurelian Binder (Nick, DM), [20]

“Are you lying to me, cleric?” — the Aurelian Binder (Nick, DM), [6]

“I’ll deal with you later.” — the Aurelian Binder (Nick, DM), [7]

History in the campaign

Session 20: The Man Who Was Always Here

Main article: Session 20

A patrol was seen walking towards the camp’s fire: a mastiff the size of a horse, two archers and a binder, whom the DM described as an elite fighter and magic detector and “basically a tracker of heretics” [23][24]. Father Thomas said an inquisitor had already given the three their leave and rolled Deception; the binder’s eyes tightened around his mask: “Are you lying to me, cleric?” [25]. Before it was settled something lit the sky in the distance, and the patrol turned to investigate with “I’ll deal with you later” [7]. The DM judged the flash three to four hours away and reminiscent of the dragon over the ocean [26]. The table’s joke names for him (Bob, Jim, Bab) are banter, not canon [9].

Session 21: The Hand That Points North

Main article: Session 21

The binder does not appear. The DM’s opening recap says the party was “interrupted by an Aurelian binder patrol” that Father Thomas bluffed past, “which happened to work because something distracted them” [10]. Thomas, in character, insisted he had not been bluffing: “I was serious” [11]. Asked how far the party now was from the encounter, the DM said “roughly two and a half days away” [12], a travel distance rather than elapsed time.

Session 23: The Changeling in Manacles

Main article: Session 23

No binder appears. Explaining to Kole that Aurelians had taken the Egg, Caelumn said it was held by “a very scary person” whose name the party never learned [27][28]. The DM broke in: “you know that he is an Aurelian binder” [18]. Pressed for a name he gave none, but said binders are “the pinnacle of hunting down rogue arcane users” who “can sense arcane usage even more than the wards in Aurelia” [14]. Whether binders may pursue people beyond Aurelia’s borders drew only a hedged answer [15]. The DM did not say whether the man meant is this binder or the session 15 chain-master.

Status

As of session 23. Alive and at large, unnamed. He was last seen in session 20, breaking off to chase a flash in the sky with a threat to return, and has been recalled but not met since [7][10]. Whether binders may pursue the party beyond Aurelia’s borders is unresolved: Father Thomas’s History check failed [29] and the session 23 answer was hedged [15]. Whether he is the Egg’s holder is a question for the DM.

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 20, line 267: The binder defined as an elite Aurelian fighter and magic detector; arrives with a horse-sized mastiff and two archers.
  2. ^ Session 20, line 277: Not a paladin: he is a binder, a tracker of heretics.
  3. ^ Session 20, line 280: Outranks Father Thomas "by quite a lot".
  4. ^ Session 20, line 285: "So basically, these are the Inquisitors general attack dogs".
  5. ^ Session 20, line 286: Father Thomas rolls Deception, claiming an inquisitor already gave the three their leave.
  6. ^ Session 20, line 291: The binder presses the bluff, eyes tightening around his mask: "Are you lying to me, cleric?".
  7. ^ Session 20, line 295: Breaks off to investigate a flash in the sky, "I'll deal with you later".
  8. ^ Session 20, line 298: Father Thomas frames him as far more formidable than the lone paladin who beheaded the party's companion.
  9. ^ Session 20, line 305-306: Out-of-character joke names (Bob, Jim, Bab), explicitly non-canonical table banter.
  10. ^ Session 21, line 32: The DM's recap of s20 restates the binder patrol and Father Thomas's bluff, which worked because something distracted the patrol (recap mention only).
  11. ^ Session 21, line 64: Father Thomas's own view (PC claim): "I wasn't bluffing. I was serious.".
  12. ^ Session 21, line 66: "You're roughly two and a half days away from that point." (a travel distance, not elapsed time).
  13. ^ Session 23, line 1351-1357: Caelumn: the Egg is "held by a very scary person" whose name the party never learned; the DM: "you know that he is an Aurelian binder" (not said to be this binder).
  14. ^ Session 23, line 1359: The role, by the DM: "binders are the pinnacle of hunting down rogue arcane users. That they can sense arcane usage even more than the wards in Aurelia.".
  15. ^ Session 23, line 1360-1363: Whether binders may pursue beyond Aurelia's borders is asked again; the answer is hedged, its speakers are uncertain, and it is not a ruling.
  16. ^ Session 20, line 218: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 20, line 321: Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 23, line 1357: Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 20, line 294-295: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 20, line 273: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 20, line 280-281: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 20, line 302: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 20, line 218-219: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 20, line 265-277: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 20, line 286-291: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 20, line 327: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 23, line 1339: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 23, line 1351-1355: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 20, line 314-316: Inline citation.