Zanzer Tem is widely known as a respected wizard of the Evoden, a dedicated researcher whose work has brought tangible benefit to the region. From his base of operations in the Dragonspine Mountains, he oversees a productive salt mine whose refined product is used in the creation of healing potions. These potions, often sold at reduced cost, have earned him a reputation as both a scholar and a benefactor—one who advances magical study while quietly supporting the health and stability of nearby settlements.
The party, however, knows a far darker truth. Zanzer rarely appears in person, instead relying on magically crafted decoys—versions of himself without his signature scar, younger and easier to replace—to act in his stead. Beneath his polished reputation lies a man who sees living beings as collectibles. He kidnaps rare and magical creatures for experimentation, enslaves sentient labor to fuel his operations, and has committed acts of extreme cruelty in pursuit of knowledge. The party has witnessed the aftermath of his work firsthand: a blue dragon dissected while still alive, and a white dragon captured and bound through enchantments, awaiting the same fate.
Now, with his operations shattered—his enslaved workforce freed, his captive dragon released, his guards slain, his decoys destroyed, and his research reduced to ruin—Zanzer Tem has been dealt a devastating blow. The party has not merely disrupted his work; they have humiliated him, undone years of effort, and struck directly at his ambitions. For a man who views the world as something to be controlled, cataloged, and possessed, such losses are not easily tolerated. He has every reason to remember them—and every reason to seek revenge.
He managed to trap the party in his jail cells, for the purpose of watching them escape. Sadly he was not home when they did so, but his decoys that were paid the price.
