Breggan Blackcrown is said to be the most dangerous woman on the Western Frontier. Once a Brelish soldier, she is now a bandit commander who launches brutal attacks against Droaamite raiders and civilians. Some see her as a hero of the people defying the laws of nations that are unwilling to protect Brelish settlers, while others condemn her for her cruelty. What cannot be questioned is her skill; she is a charismatic leader, a cunning strategist, and a deadly wandslinger. Breggan and her Black Crown bandits can be a source of random encounters and challenges—the adventurers stumble upon a group of Black Crowns pillaging a kobold wagon; do they interfere? A group of Black Crowns offer assistance when the adventurers are fighting Turakbar’s raiders—the adventurers might be grateful for the help, but do they stop the Black Crowns from taking gruesome trophies? Breggan shows up in Quickstone and the adventurers know she’s got a price on her head; do they try to claim it? Breggan embodies the lawless uncertainty of the frontier: is the enemy of your enemy a friend? Will you have a drink with the bandit queen and let her leave in peace, or will you start a fight even if innocents will surely be harmed in the crossfire?
The Queen of the Lost. During the Last War, Breggan Lanner commanded an elite force of Brelish soldiers stationed at Orcbone. She led guerrilla raids into Droaam, and was often reprimanded for her brutality and for targeting civilian populations; her assertion is that all Droaamites are enemy combatants, something she truly believes. When the war came to an end, Breggan declared that King Boranel had betrayed the Brelish people by failing to destroy Droaam. She claimed to have had a vision from Breggor Firstking, the founder of the ancient nation of Wroat. She said that Breggor hailed her as his descendant and rightful heir, and led her to the location of his black iron crown—and that he charged her to defend the abandoned people of the Western Frontier. Now Breggan calls herself the Queen of the Lost, and many Brelish settlers along the Border Road see her as a hero. Breggan fights Droaamite raiders and other Brelish brigands, and in doing so she does protect the settlers. But she also crosses the road and attacks peaceful Droaamite settlements. Many of the Brelish settlers are happy to give her a hero’s welcome when she rides in, ready to spend plunder from her raids. But others recognize the hypocrisy and shudder at the stories of Breggan’s brutality… although fear of reprisal keeps such people from raising a hand against her.
The Tyrant’s Eye. One tale of Breggan claims that she fought a minotaur with her bare hands, and in the end she tore out her enemy’s eye and pressed it into her own socket, because she wanted to see the world as the monsters did. There is a sliver of truth to this story. Breggan has a bitter feud with the forces of Turakbar’s Fist, and as she clashed with the minotaur raiders she witnessed the power of their Demonglass Warriors. When she defeated a minotaur champion bearing a particularly powerful demonglass shard—the Tyrant’s Eye—she removed the shard and embedded it in her own flesh. At a glance, it looks like Breggan is wearing a crown of black iron bearing a glowing purple stone. But the stone isn’t part of the crown; it’s a demonglass shard embedded in her forehead. The shard allows Breggan to draw on the might of the Horned King, and it gives her considerable power. Tol Kharash is the overlord of tyranny, and when she channels the power of the shard, Breggan can compel obedience or enthrall her enemies. But as she uses the shard, she becomes vulnerable to the influence of the Horned King. This will never cause her to ally with Rhesh Turakbar or the Droaamite followers of Tol Kharash, but the more she uses the Eye, the more Breggan will be drawn to be a ruthless tyrant herself.
Breggan as an Ally. Breggan calls herself the Queen of the Lost, the true defender of the settlers of the frontier. If a DM chooses to embrace this story, Breggan could be defying the laws of Breland but truly doing what she believes to be best for the settlers. Her aggression could be focused on Droaamite raiders and on other bandits and deserters—casting her as a brutal Robin Hood, but playing up the idea that the people she fights truly are worse than she is, and that she does actually share her plunder with people in need. In this case, Breggan could show up as the cavalry when adventurers are in need. Once she knows the adventurers, Breggan could ask them for help—the Company of the Black Crown isn’t well suited to actions deep in Droaam. Should the story follow this path, it would be an opportunity to play up the corrupting influence of the Tyrant’s Eye. Initially, she is truly acting as a defender of the innocent, but over time she becomes increasingly ruthless in her actions against her enemies while also demanding obeisance and tribute from the settlers she’s protected—becoming obsessed with her identity as a queen. Can the adventurers find a way to break the hold of the
Horned King?
Breggan as an Enemy. Breggan may cast herself as the Queen of the Lost, but she is a ruthless soldier who views all Droaamites as enemy combatants. She considers the kobolds and goblins settling along the Border Road to be invaders, and treats them with the same brutality she shows against Turakbar’s raiders. Her actions are intended to terrify her enemy; Breggan herself says you have to be a monster to beat a monster. If the adventurers include any Droaamite characters, they will surely be horrified by her actions; they might even have lost friends or family at Breggan’s hands. Even if the adventurers have no ties to Droaam, they may still feel an obligation to defend the innocent civilians who are being butchered by the Black Crowns. In addition, the DM can play up the influence of the Tyrant’s Eye, with the once heroic Breggan displaying increasing cruelty toward her “subjects.” The question in such a story is whether Breggan is an enemy who must simply be destroyed; whether the adventurers want to bring her to justice, or are in fact charged to do so by Count ir’Blis; or whether the adventurers want to redeem her. They could recognize that her brutality is driven by her twisted perception of the Droaamites as an implacable foe, but believe that she could be a stabilizing force for the region if she could be cured of this delusion—and, perhaps, freed from the Tyrant’s Eye.
The core of the company is composed of former Brelish commandos who served under Breggan during the war. Over the last few years, they’ve picked up some new recruits, mostly settlers who want vengeance on the denizens of Droaam. The Black Crowns are a higher class of brigand than the typical roadside thug; they work together efficiently, and coordinate actions with code words and gestures. In battle, they will identify the greatest threats and weakest links in the enemy force and focus their fire, seeking to eliminate spellcasters quickly. The Black Crowns are bandits, and are used to taking what they want and being treated with respect and fear. They prefer intimidation to violence when dealing with Brelish settlers; Breggan doesn’t like her soldiers hurting her “subjects.” But they make ruthless examples of people who go too far.
While the number varies, there are approximately thirty-five people in the Company of the Black Crown. They have access to military-grade weaponry, including Long Rods and Blast Disks (as described in Exploring Eberron). The Black Crowns have approximately ten Thugs, but most of their members are more capable and can use the Veteran, Bandit Captain, or Black Crown Spellsword stat blocks. The Company also includes a handful of officers with exceptional skills. The Black Crown Officers table provides examples, but the DM can always add new members to the company. When the DM first describes the Company of the Black Crown to their players, they may wish to ask each player to name and describe a new bandit who’s part of the company, and to say how their player character knows or knows of this bandit; this is a way to give the adventurers direct connections or rivalries with the Black Crowns. The Black Crown Missions table provides ideas about what a group of brigands might be up to when they are encountered by the adventurers.
The Black Crowns adore Breggan. They have faced death with her many times and believe in her skills and abilities. Some truly believe that she’s the Queen of the Lost; others respect her as their captain and don’t care about her crown and her dreams. Breggan herself is devoted to her soldiers… but the Tyrant’s Eye is wearing away at that loyalty, making her start to see her troops as tools… something reflected by her Expendable Allies reaction.
| d6 | Officer |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dusker. This gnome is Breggan’s most trusted lieutenant. Supposedly exiled from Zilargo, Dusker is a deadly assassin who often hides any time there’s potential danger, waiting to strike when trouble arises. (Gnome Assassin, she/her) |
| 2 | Blessing. Breggan’s loyal bodyguard, Blessing is a heavily armored warforged soldier. They served with Breggan during the war and truly believe she is the Queen of the Lost. (Warforged Gladiator, they/them) |
| 3 | Sigil. A former Brelish war mage, Sigil maintains the company’s arcane artillery and likes watching things explode. (Human Mage, he/him) |
| 4 | Jeb Quicksilver. A Jorasco excoriate and priest of the Three Faces of War, Jeb serves both as a healer and as a cruel specialist in torture. He believes Breggan is blessed by the Mockery. (Halfling Priest, he/him) |
| 5 | Erina Whitethorn. A Brelish farmer and devoted grandmother, Erina swore herself to the Fury and to vengeance after her family was killed by Droaamite raiders. The others believe the Fury guides her scythe. (Human Berserker, she/her) |
| 6 | Torx. This Brelish changeling serves as a scout, spy, and quartermaster for the Crowns, using their personas and connections to fence plunder. They prefer to avoid violence and will often disappear when trouble starts. (Changeling Spy, they/them) |
| d6 | Mission |
|---|---|
| 1 | Raid. The squad is heading toward battle or is actively raiding the location where they are encountered. |
| 2 | Resupply. The group is looking to purchase supplies to take back to the main camp. |
| 3 | Revenge. The bandits are looking to deliver a message to someone who defied Breggan or harmed a Black Crown. |
| 4 | Recreation. The group is celebrating after a successful raid. |
| 5 | Recon. A few bandits are scouting out a location for a possible raid or recreation. |
| 6 | Rowdy. Something didn’t go their way, and this group is looking to blow off some steam. |
Inspire Loyalty. Allied creatures within 30 feet of Breggan have Advantage on saving throws against the Charmed and Frightened conditions inflicted by any creature other than Breggan.
Horned King’s Curse. Creatures that are cursed by Breggan (see Pact Saber) have Disadvantage on Charisma saving throws, and Breggan deals an extra 7 (2d6) Necrotic damage whenever she hits a cursed target with an attack.
Wandslinger. Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose Disadvantage on Breggan's ranged attack rolls with Force Blast. In addition, Breggan ignores Half Cover and Three-Quarters Cover when making ranged attacks with Force Blast.
Multiattack. Breggan makes one Pact Saber attack and two Force Blast attacks.
Pact Saber. Melee Attack Roll: +7, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) Piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) Necrotic damage, and the target is cursed by Breggan for 10 minutes (see Horned King’s Curse).
Force Blast. Ranged Attack Roll: +7, range 120 ft. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) Force damage.
Tyranny of the First. Charisma Saving Throw: DC 15, up to three creatures of Breggan’s choice that can hear her and that have been cursed by her. Failure: The target has the Charmed condition until the end of Breggan’s next turn. A creature Charmed in this way must immediately use its Reaction (if available) to move up to its Speed toward one creature of Breggan’s choice, then make a melee attack against the target. This movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks. If the attack hits, the Charmed creature is no longer cursed by Breggan.
Spellcasting. Breggan casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save
DC 15):
At Will: Friends, Prestidigitation
2/Day Each: Command (level 3 version), Enthrall, Hellish Rebuke (level 3 version), Hold Person (level 3 version), Suggestion
1/Day Each: Enemies Abound, Hallucinatory Terrain
Expendable Allies. Trigger: A creature Breggan can see targets her with an attack. Response: Breggan swaps places with an ally or a creature she currently has Charmed that she can see within 5 feet of her. The chosen creature becomes the target of the attack instead. This movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks.
