🧭 NPC Spotlight: Edrin Wayfarer, Cartographer of the Unknown

Behind the Die by Charlie Stayton

“Maps aren’t for where you’ve been. They’re for where you might go.”

Edrin Wayfarer is a half-elf cartographer whose maps are as famous for their mysteries as their accuracy. Some adventurers swear his charts are prophetic, marking places not yet discovered.

Lore & Role in the World

• Thin, wiry, with ink-stained fingertips and a satchel full of rolled parchment.

• Claims he once sailed “beyond the edge of the sea” and returned. Few believe him.

• His maps are often sold with intentional gaps — encouraging explorers to go fill them in.

Rumors & Hooks

1. Edrin offers the PCs a map to an uncharted island, but it’s blank except for the outline.

2. Rivals accuse him of forging maps with phantom lands to trick adventurers.

3. A kingdom wants him captured — his maps reveal their military secrets.

Quick Stat Block (D&D 5E style)

• Edrin Wayfarer – Explorer (Chaotic Neutral)

• AC 12 | HP 38 | Speed 30 ft.

• Skills: Survival +5, Cartography Tools +6, Stealth +4

• Abilities:

  • Explorer’s Insight: Once/day can give PCs advantage on Survival checks for navigation.

  • Mapmaker’s Secret: Edrin’s maps always contain one hidden feature (an undiscovered ruin, secret route, or lost landmark).

How to Use Edrin

Introduce Edrin when you want to push the party toward new horizons. His maps are treasure hooks disguised as parchment.