Rhesh Turakbar is the infamous warlord of Turakbar’s Fist, feared and despised by Brelish settlers throughout the Western Frontier. He is a powerful minotaur warrior, and his physical might is enhanced by his devotion to the Horned King. Guided by the overlord, Rhesh Turakbar is a brutal tyrant and a deadly foe.

Warlord of Droaam. During the Last War, Rhesh Turakbar personally led countless raids against Orcbone and Brelish settlements along the Border Road. Any adventurer with roots in the frontier may have lost friends or family to Turakbar’s reavers—or narrowly escaped death at his hands. With the end of open hostilities, Turakbar has pulled his forces back to the Fist and plays the role of warlord rather than reaver. As warlord, Turakbar is responsible for maintaining order in the region around Turakbar’s Fist. His reavers patrol the land, but Turakbar wishes to be feared even by his subjects. He maintains order, indeed—by making a brutal example of anyone who challenges the Daughters or Turakbar himself. Some of the villages under his watch are minotaur communities; others are primarily goblins or kobolds with a few minotaur overseers. Either way, each village has a chib that answers to Turakbar—and he will often challenge chibs to test their might, killing and replacing any who prove to be too weak by his standards. There is no question that Rhesh Turakbar is maintaining order, as is the duty of a warlord. But where elsewhere in Droaam the Daughters are working to unite the different species and cultures of the region and to give their people hope, Rhesh Turakbar still rules through fear.

Fist of the Horned King. Turakbar’s Fist is an artifact of the Horned King, charged with the power of Tol Kharash. The Daughters of Sora Kell gave Turakbar the title of warlord, but he earned Rhesh on his own by slaying the previous ruler of the Fist and claiming its power. Turakbar’s horns are engraved with sigils that bind him to the Horned King, so that the power of the Fist flows through his blood. Turakbar can sense the fears of creatures around him, a gift he uses to intimidate his enemies and undermine his rivals. Adventurers facing Rhesh Turakbar can feel the fiendish power flowing through him—feel that he is a vessel for something ancient and terrifying. Because of his size and physical might, it is easy for people to underestimate Turakbar’s intelligence. But the warlord is no fool. He may choose to be reckless in battle, but he is a cunning strategist with keen instincts. However, as a vessel for the Horned King there are limits on his behavior, much as a paladin follows an oath. Turakbar cannot willingly show fear or weakness, and he must always look for weakness in others and spread fear where he can.

Rhesh Turakbar is not immortal. He’s not one of the Lords of Dust; he’s a minotaur champion who’s laid claim to a terrifying power, and who now has to be a brutal tyrant to hold onto that power. A DM could choose to play up Turakbar’s role as a willing vessel of the overlord’s spirit. In this case, his power could grow even as his personality melts away, leaving a sliver of Tol Kharash cloaked in what’s left of Turakbar’s flesh. On the other hand, a DM who wants more complexity could say that Rhesh Turakbar knows this is happening and is afraid of it—he doesn’t want to be a puppet of Tol Kharash, but he is in too deep and sees no way to escape that fate.

Turakbar’s Reavers

Bands of reavers roam the lands around Turakbar’s Fist. Those to the west of the Border Road are technically servants of the appointed warlord, maintaining order as instructed by the Daughters of Sora Kell. If they encounter easterners in the region, they will typically challenge them, questioning the business of the adventurers and possibly demanding a “toll for safe passage”—a tax for Turakbar’s diligent work maintaining the peace. What such reavers want most of all is to generate fear and to assert authority; both of these things are like strong drink for a demonglass warrior of Tol Kharash. Challenging the reavers can result in violence. On the other hand, travelers who truly feel no fear and who demonstrate strength—typically, by making strong Intimidation checks—will be left in peace.

Reavers to the west of the road maintain order; as soon as they are on the road, they disrupt it. Reavers may attack caravans, or cross the road and raid Brelish villages. These attacks are swift and brutal, but usually not as deadly as they could be. The primary objective is to sow fear and to make the settlers feel weak and helpless; this is what delights the Horned King. They would rather leave wounded survivors to carry the scars and haunting memories of the attack than to actually drive settlers from the border. They are ruthless and will kill if they are posed with a serious threat, but Turakbar’s reavers prefer to inflict trauma rather than just kill their foes.

Turakbar’s reavers are a blend of minotaurs, ogres, Gaa’aram orcs, shifters, and gnolls who embrace their fiendish spirits. Almost all of them are embedded with small shards of demonglass, making them Demonglass Warriors; the leader of a squad will have one or more of the Demonglass Champion traits. They typically travel in small, swift groups that can quickly disappear into the Barrens. They can’t carry much plunder, but they are more interested in sowing fear than gathering gold.

The Turakbar’s Reavers table provides a few examples of champions who might lead a band of reavers, while the Reavers Missions table gives ideas for what a squad of reavers might be up to when adventurers encounter them.

Turakbar's Reavers

Reaver Missions

Traits

Horned King’s Curse. Creatures that are cursed by Turakbar (see Pact Gauntlet) have Disadvantage on Constitution saving throws, and Turakbar deals an extra 7 (2d6) Necrotic damage whenever he hits a cursed target with a melee attack.

Labyrinthine Recall. Turakbar can perfectly recall any path he has traveled.

Reckless. At the start of his turn, Turakbar can gain Advantage on all melee attack rolls he makes during that turn, but attack rolls against him have Advantage until the start of his next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. Turakbar makes one Greataxe attack or one Gore attack, and one Pact Gauntlet attack.

Greataxe. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) Slashing damage.

Gore. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) Piercing damage, and the target has the Prone condition.

Pact Gauntlet. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) Piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) Necrotic damage, and the target is cursed by Turakbar for 1 minute (see Horned King’s Curse).

Blood for the Overlord. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 16, creatures within 40 feet of Turakbar. Failure: 22 (4d10) Necrotic damage for each creature currently affected by Turakbar’s curse and the target has the Frightened condition until the end of their next turn. Success: Half damage and the target does not have the Frightened condition. Creatures that are cursed by Turakbar’s Pact Gauntlet are no longer cursed.

Know Fear. Turakbar casts Detect Thoughts, requiring no components, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16. He can only detect the thoughts of creatures that can be Frightened. If he probes deeper into a creature’s mind, he can only learn the target’s fears.

Bonus Actions

Ferocious Charge. Trigger: Turakbar moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a Gore attack on the same turn. Response: Turakbar can make a Pact Gauntlet attack.

Reactions

Bloodlust. Trigger: A creature is reduced to 0 Hit Points while within 15 feet of Turakbar. Response: Turakbar gains 20 Temporary Hit Points.