Baron Elias Thorne

Ruler of Orvain. Hasn’t been seen in a year. Orders arrive via pneumatic tube — signed in his hand, sealed with his ring, but witnessed by no one.

The prevailing rumor, quietly circulating in the Dregs and loudly denied in the Glass District, is that Thorne has gone Hollow and the Board is covering it up. A Rail Baron whose body has been emptied by the Veil but whose authority continues by bureaucratic inertia. The pneumatic tubes still work. The seal is real. Whether the hand that signed it is still warm is another question.

Notes for the GM

Thorne has no published stat block because, mechanically, he may not exist anymore. Any encounter with him is either:

1. A Hollow Man wearing his face (use Hollow Man creature stats with distinguishing details: his ring, his coat, his terrible smile).
2. A body double propped up by the Board for public appearances.
3. The Baron himself, alive but transformed in ways no living witness has reported.

The Glass Tower he inhabits is rumored to contain a stabilized Breach that powers the Orvain city grid. The connection between the Breach and Thorne’s condition is left to the GM.

Plot Hook Anchor

The “Defector” plot hook (engineer fleeing with Ghost-Engine blueprints) is the canonical way into the Tower. Whoever — or whatever — Thorne is now waits at the top of the stairs.