Emerald Shines is a short, round man in his later years. He has dark, short, curly hair and a thick, dark curly beard that is treated with scented oils. He is meticulously clean and his clothes are always nicely laundered. He doesn’t wear gaudy clothes, rather clothes that are meant to be functional, high-quality, and long-lasting. There is definitely a green motive worked into the natural browns of the linens and wool. He seems to prefer naturally-colored clothes rather than the bleached linens of other local high-society. He has recently created a banner of vivid green silk with a golden fringe and he’s made sashes for him and his employees to wear with this same design.
Emerald is typically nervous, anxious and hassled under a mask of smiles, jovial laughter, and friendly handshakes. He constantly worries about his businesses. It seems that he has too many irons in the fire, but since they all seem to be paying off for the most part, he is generating a lot of capital for both himself and for the adventurous enterprise he has going with Switches. He’s not necessarily cheap, he’s quick to spend money when he sees a chance to profit on its return. He is usually found in the company of an intimidating body guard named Brand.
Currently, Emerald is part owner of the Faraway Treasures, a sea-going boat for a hush-hush deal with Switches. He’s hired able, independent fighting men to be his hands in this enterprise. Mainly, because the leader of the expedition will be Switches himself, the brains of the plan, who is no warrior and certainly doesn’t know how to deal with the dangers which Emerald has assured exist on the mission. Because of these particulars, the fighting men he’s hired get shares, rather than wages.
The deal turns out to be a trip to the fabled Isle of Fire, a cursed, haunted, and evil-filled island which legend says was the original seat of power of the Demon Queen Burning Night, who chased away the gods in the earliest era of man. A powerful empire of conquerors who terrorized the seas are the most recent inhabitants of the island some three centuries ago when history says that they all just vanished. Emerald and Switches are betting that they left plenty behind there to find, gold or knowledge as each man hopes and Switches has a secret clue which he thinks will get him on an island that no man has been able to approach for centuries.
Emerald has built a new three-story tavern and inn in Tail. It’s been recently named “The Green Gem”. It has eight single-room apartments, an attic, kitchen, the master’s suite, stable, and servant quarters, as well as a common room which serves food and drinks. All of the players live here and Switches has a room in the attic. Brand’s room is between the master’s suite and the servant’s quarters where he can still perform his duties. The tavern is not really visited too much by the locals, but sea traders have started to come here for higher-quality fare. This is exactly as Emerald intended.
Since the partners have traveled to the Cauldron, Emerald has hired seven toughs from among the many bounty hunters and soldiers who came to make money off fighting bandits and now find the fight over. Two of them stay with him all the time as bodyguards to replace Brand, who guards Switches now. The other fives run shipments of food from Red Fern to Tail and then to Howling.
