Lares

Lares is the leader of the Rogues in the New Camp — the indispensable fixer whose network of thieves, smugglers and couriers keeps the Water Mages supplied and the New Camp connected to the rest of the colony.

Origins in the Old Camp

Lares was not always a New Camp man. Like Saturas and the other founders of the breakaway settlement, he began inside the Old Camp, enduring Gomez’s rigid hierarchy until the Water Mages’ frustration and the Ore Baron’s growing brutality created the conditions for departure. When Saturas and five Water Mages decided to leave and establish a new community, Lares went with them, bringing along the thieves, smugglers and shady characters who would become the New Camp’s third pillar. His reasons are consistent with his character: the Old Camp’s structure gave him no room to operate independently, while a new settlement built around the principle of freedom offered space to build something entirely his own.

The Rogue’s Trade

In the New Camp, the Rogues occupy a role analogous to the Old Camp’s Shadows — semi-autonomous operators who handle the jobs the leadership prefers not to do officially. Where the Shadows enforce Gomez’s will, the Rogues function primarily as couriers and traders, moving swampweed from the Brotherhood, goods between the settlements and contraband across lines the other camps observe more carefully. Lares runs this operation like a guild boss: his people are expected to turn a profit and share it with him, he decides personally who joins and who does not, and he does not tolerate freelancing that benefits no one but the freelancer. His appearance marks both the practical hazards of the work and the camp’s rougher character — a scar over his right eye, and as a consequence of that injury, an outward-turning right eye (exotropia) that gives him a distinctive, slightly unsettling look.

Joining Requirements

The Rogues’ entry process is deliberately transactional. A player seeking membership must first earn Lares’s attention by bringing him something of concrete value. The most accessible path is presenting Mordrag’s Ring — obtained by letting the opportunistic Mordrag escort the Hero to the camp. From there, Lares typically demands proof of earning power: 400 ore nuggets generated from selling the Sect Camp’s swampweed, or the list of Old Mine goods acquired from Ian, or both. These requirements reflect his philosophy directly: the Rogues have no use for people who cannot generate income or connections for the group.

Survivor and Recurring Figure

Lares is pragmatic enough to outlast the colony and the Barrier that defined it. After the dome falls he transitions smoothly into new roles — eventually joining the mercenaries and the Ring of Water — and reappears as a recurring figure in the Gothic games that follow, his adaptability proving more durable than the factional loyalties that bind less flexible characters to a world that no longer exists.