Misfortune has struck the land. Plague, drought, famine and war, all have afflicted this Kingdom. The King is kept busy with these troubles, spending many hours of each day cloistered with his ministers.

This has given Barak a chance to inveigle himself into the confidences of the Queen, and to exert an unhealthy influence on her thoughts and deeds. The Queen knows that Barak is a cleric, but she does not know which God he follows. This secret is only passed on to the true initiates of the faith, who the Queen does yet number among.

Barak has promised the Queen much, the return of prosperity to the kingdom, and the return of her young son, taken from her in the summer's plague.

Barak leads daily rites dedicated to his God at dusk, which are attended by the Queen and her maids. He uses these rights to strengthen his grip on the Queen, and weaken her devotion to the King.

He is a tall thin man, with long black hair and a pointed black beard. He wears flowing red ecclesiastical robes and speaks in soft, earnest tones.

Barak is a cleric of Vecna, the God of Secrets. Vecna has sent the plagues and misfortunes that have assailed the Kingdom, to allow his priests a chance to gain power, a chance which Barak has taken with both hands.

Barak makes a good adversary for a character party. If the PCs have made friends with a ruler of a Kingdom or Principality, then Barak can be used to cause trouble with that friendship, a problem that must be solved, lest the Kingdom be lost.

Alternatively, Barak can hire the PCs to further his evil schemes, either as unwitting pawns, or willing henchmen. It should be possible to hire a good party using Barak’s skills and powers to hide his true alignment. This is a good way to set up a noble character party against a good King.