There is an ancient miser beneath the Graywall Mountains. Who he is, well, that depends on who’s telling the story. The people of Copper River say King Grayfinger is a dwarf who founded a forgotten kingdom beneath the Graywall Mountains. Morgrave sages will tell you the myths of King Grayfinger were surely inspired by a hobgoblin marhu, perhaps one of the Six Kings of old. The kobolds in their red tents, they say the Miser is a kobold who was determined to amass a hoard greater than any dragon. But while these stories may clash over what kind of creature the King might be, they all agree on his vast wealth and his all-consuming greed. Whether you’re a miner or an adventurer, a fortune awaits you in the mountains. But if you anger the King, his hungry hands drag you down.

The Graywall Mountains are a potential source of gold and iron… not to mention byeshk, khyber shards, and gems. King Grayfinger embodies the mountains in tales told along the western frontier. When miners find a vein of gold, it’s Grayfinger showing his largesse; when the shaft collapses, it’s Grayfinger’s wrath. Thus, superstitious miners in the range are careful to show gratitude to Grayfinger—to marvel at the wonders of his hoard when a new vein is found, and to show proper humility and gratitude when extracting this wealth. It’s typical for a foreman to sacrifice a gift to Grayfinger when opening a new shaft. This doesn’t have to have monetary value, but it is something that is a treasure to the foreman; it’s tossed into a chasm, given to Grayfinger’s hoard.

King Grayfinger embodies the idea of the mountain itself, holding treasures but capable of dealing death. However, there is a second thread woven into his story: the tale of a King who possesses wealth beyond imagining, but whose greed is such that he is never satisfied. It’s a tale reinforced and played out by various mortals over time. There was indeed a great marhu beneath the mountains in the Age of Dhakaan, and there are mortal treasures waiting to be found… along with Thelanian manifest zones with fey wonders. People have good reason to believe that the Graywalls hold hidden treasure, and the stories of King Grayfinger build on that while also emphasizing how reluctant he is to part with his wealth. There are dozens of small tales referencing Grayfinger’s avarice and greed, and the people who live around the Graywalls may say “Jolan came into a payday, I swear he had more gold than Grayfinger” or “Leave some for the rest of us, Donal! You’re as greedy as Grayfinger”.

King Grayfinger as an Ally or Patron. In the tale “Dela’s Fortune,” an orphan girl helps a sprite find a lost statue; the sprite leads her down a mountain tunnel into Grayfinger’s Hall. As thanks for her service, King Grayfinger allows her to take one coin each day from his hoard. When Dela’s foster parents learn of this, they force Dela to show them the way and steal from the hoard; the angry king turns them into golden statues and gives them to the girl to ensure her future fortune. This is a good model for Grayfinger’s aid. Grayfinger hates thieves, and he despises the daelkyr Orlassk; as the Still Lord’s influence spreads across the Graywall Mountains, it diminishes Grayfinger’s significance. The King could call upon adventurers to find and punish a thief; ask them to recover a relic stolen from his hoard; or charge them to destroy a cult of Orlassk. Grayfinger hates leaving his hoard; if adventurers earn the king’s trust, he might ask them to represent him at a gala in the Moonlit Vale of Thelanis. Adventurers could potentially do any of these things without even meaning to; they might defeat a cult cell on their own, only to be hailed by one of Grayfinger’s servants and summoned to his hall. Grayfinger typically rewards those who earn his favor with treasure. His first gift is usually a magical ring, but ongoing service can earn other rewards. As a Warlock’s patron, Grayfinger will charge his servant to seek out thieves and to recover stolen relics; to spread word of Grayfinger’s wealth; and to always seek to acquire ever-greater treasures for his hoard. Should a Warlock give a great treasure to their patron, the King will give them something in return; this is a possible way for adventurers to acquire specific magic items they’ve always wanted but can’t acquire commercially.

King Grayfinger as an Enemy. The Miser Beneath The Mountain despises thieves, and the easiest way to earn his enmity is to steal from him—even unknowingly. Adventurers exploring the Graywall Mountains could find a lone treasure—a jeweled dagger in a cave—or they could find a chamber filled with copper and silver coins. These may seem to be abandoned, but adventurers who take these treasures could be attacked by Gantii’kaas, other fey, or Galeb Duhr; or they could be cursed upon leaving the mountains. Grayfinger’s favorite curse is a curse of poverty; any coins or jewels handled by the victim disappear, as they are teleported to Grayfinger’s hoard. His other common curse simply imposes Disadvantage on all saving throws made by the victim. Spells that remove curses can negate this effect for an hour, but only a Wish can remove it permanently; otherwise, the curse can only be lifted by Grayfinger or another archfey. If the adventurers don’t steal from the King, they could be targeted by one of his warlocks when they acquire a treasure he covets for his hoard. Another option is that an enemy of the adventurers suddenly acquires remarkable wealth or a powerful artifact; investigation shows that the foe has earned Grayfinger’s favor. Can the adventurers disrupt the alliance?

King Grayfinger’s Lair

King Grayfinger lives in the Underhall, a subterranean castle filled with treasures. There are a number of Thelanian manifest zones in the Graywall Mountains that can serve as gateways to the Underhall, and the influence of his realm leaks out even when the gateways are closed. Explorers might find loose treasures in these regions—the jeweled knife lying on the floor of a cave—or miners may find an area with improbably rich deposits of byeshk or an impossible blend of gemstones. These regions slowly shift around the Graywall Mountains; thus, a rich vein can run dry, while a previously weak claim suddenly holds new riches. The influence of Orlaask and its stone cultists smothers Grayfinger’s connection to a region, spreading quickstone in place of byeshk. If adventurers defeat a stone cult, Grayfinger’s influence may slowly manifest in the region.

The Underhall is grand, but the style of its architecture is impossible to place; it’s not quite Dhakaani or dwarven. The halls are filled with tempting wonders, but taking any of these will trigger curses or guardians. Grayfinger himself sits in his throne room, surrounded by his hoard. When adventurers first see the hoard, the DM may wish to ask each player to describe something wondrous that catches their character’s eye; almost any treasure might be found in this place.

Lair Actions. While in his Underhall, Grayfinger can take Lair Actions. On Initiative count 20 (losing Initiative ties), Grayfinger can take a Lair Action to cause one of the following effects; he can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• An ancient weapon of Grayfinger’s choice (see the “Treasure from the Vault” trait) appears in an unoccupied space that Grayfinger can see within 120 feet. The weapon can immediately Fly up to 30 feet and make an attack against a creature within range. The weapon returns to Grayfinger’s vault after making the attack.
• Grayfinger casts Wall of Stone at a point he can see within 120 feet, requiring no spell components. He does not need to concentrate to maintain the effect. The wall disappears after 10 minutes, or when Grayfinger is reduced to 0 Hit Points.
• Quaking earth triggers a rockslide. Creatures in the lair other than Greyfinger must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or be pushed 30 feet in a direction of Grayfinger’s choice and have the Prone condition.

Traits

Cave Stride. Once on each of his turns, Grayfinger can expend 10 feet of his movement to magically step into one stalagmite within his reach and emerge from a second stalagmite within 60 feet of the first, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second stalagmite. Both stalagmites must be Large or bigger. This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks.

Magic Resistance. Grayfinger has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Thelanian Protagonist. Grayfinger cannot be permanently killed. If reduced to 0 Hit Points, his physical form dissipates, leaving behind one of his summoned ancient treasures in place of his body. Grayfinger reforms in his lair 1d4 days later and starts plotting how to retrieve what he lost from his collection.

This Power Belongs to Me (3/Day). If Grayfinger fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. If the saving throw was caused by a magical effect, Grayfinger can choose to store that power inside one of his magical rings until the following dawn.

Actions

Multiattack. Grayfinger makes two Claw attacks and one attack with each ancient weapon he has summoned (see Treasure from the Vault).

Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +13, reach 10 ft. Hit: 19 (2d12 + 6) Slashing damage.

Daashor’s Perfect Edge (If Summoned). Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 10 ft. Hit: 20 (2d12 + 7) Slashing damage, and the target takes 6 (1d12) damage at the start of each of its turns until a creature uses an Action to stop the bleeding with a DC 21 Wisdom (Medicine) check.

Vvaraak’s Dragonscale Spear (If Summoned). Melee Attack Roll: +14, reach 15 ft. Hit: 12 (1d10 + 7) Piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) Acid damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 22 Intelligence saving throw or be unable to expend a spell slot of level 7 or higher until the end of its next turn.

Culsir’s Mighty Wand (If Summoned). Ranged Attack Roll: +14, range 120 ft. Hit: 28 (6d6 + 7) Force damage, and the target is pushed 20 feet and has the Prone condition.

Vault of Stone (Recharge 6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC22, each creature in a 30-foot Emanation originating from Grayfinger. Failure: 28 (8d6) Bludgeoning damage and the target has the Restrained condition. A Restrained creature can end the effect by using an Action and succeeding on a DC 21 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.

Innate Spellcasting. Grayfinger casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 22):

At Will: Earthbind, Meld into Stone, Mold Earth, Sanctuary
3/Day Each: Glyph of Warding, Flesh to Gold (as Flesh to Stone)
1/Day Each: Earthquake, Sequester

Bonus Actions

Treasure from the Vault. Grayfinger expends the magical power stored in one of his rings (see This Power Belongs to Me) to summon from his vault one ancient weapon of his choice: Daashor’s Perfect Edge, Vvaraak’s Dragonscale Spear, or Culsir’s Mighty Wand. The summoned weapon floats within Grayfingers reach; he can wield all summoned weapons simultaneously and keep his hands free to make Claw attacks. Summoned weapons disappear after 1 minute, or when Grayfinger is reduced to 0 Hit Points.

Reactions

Hungry Hands. Trigger: Grayfinger takes damage from a melee attack with a weapon that isn’t natural or attached. Greyfinger must have a hand free. Response: Grayfinger makes a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against the attacker’s Passive Perception. Success: Grayfinger steals the weapon he was attacked with.

Legendary Actions

Grayfinger can take 3 Legendary Actions, choosing from the options below. Only one Legendary Action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Grayfinger regains spent Legendary Actions at the start of his turn.

Rapid Attacks. Grayfinger makes an attack with a summoned weapon.

Raise Stalagmite. Grayfinger creates a 10-foot-tall, 5-foot-diameter stalagmite in a space he can see within 60 feet. Creatures within 10 feet of the stalagmite when it is created must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw or take 22 (4d10) Bludgeoning damage.

Moving Mountains (2 Legendary Actions). Grayfinger recharges and immediately uses his Vault of Stone ability.