Hugo von Silverton

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# General Info
Hugo von Silverton is a middle-aged male human commoner (NG) with thin, black hair combed over his balding patch. He is rather chubby and wears golden rings on all of his fingers. Hugo is dressed in a fine velvet coat jacket and a silk scarf, which are in radical conflict with his sturdy boots, simple black linen shirt, and ill-fitting trousers. He speaks in a nasal voice with an exaggerated upper-class accent.
 
Hugo is a travelling merchant and has years of experience with tough hHaggling and one-sided agreements. While talkative, Hugo is fidgety and jumps at both shadows and sudden noises. 
 
 **Armour and weapon:**  Hugo von Silverton carries an unused short sword. He wears no armour, but one of his golden rings is a Ring of Protection +1. 
 
 **Trait:**  I am a drama queen who always exaggerates the hardships of life and how my customers have treated me poorly.
 
 **Ideal:**  Miserliness. I loathe parting with money and will grumble forever about a bad deal. 
 
 **Bond:**  I look up in awe to the rich leader of the Merchants' Guild in Winterhold.
 
 **Flaw:**  I am shrewd in business affairs, but I have a weak spot for flattery. 
 
## information  
Hugo von Silverton is extremely nervous about what has happened at the inn and worries about how it might affect him – and his precious business! He will do his best to divert the characters' attention to the other guests. 
 
Hugo will point out that Artemis probably was strangled by someone strong – maybe the guards, who appear to dislike each other, or the travelling nomad [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/vittra-northdaughter|Vittra Northdaughter]].
 
He will also highlight that Artemis looked pale when he left the common room, so perhaps there was something wrong with the food. Hugo says that he has heard [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/inga-broadhammer|Inga Broadhammer]] and [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/enoch-the-birdwhisperer|Enoch the Birdwhisperer]] talking about herbs and mushrooms, so maybe they were involved in the lieutenant's unfortunate death. Enoch looks like a beggar, so maybe he needed the coins? His speculations never end. 
 
Hugo is a light sleeper and woke up several times during the night. He heard a door open and close, some sort of animal outside, and what sounded like someone chanting or casting a spell around midnight. 
 
In addition, when Hugo was about to go to bed after visiting the outhouse, he also saw Inga deliver a mug of steaming tea to Artemis. 
 
## what he hides  
Hugo knows that local smugglers help merchants avoid the “terribly unfair” toll at Oxgate. Although Hugo wouldn't mind saving a few gold pieces himself, he is far too anxious to deal with smugglers. However, his fellow business partners have mentioned that they use a local inn near Oxgate for storing contraband, but Hugo doesn't know that they are referring to the Old Wolf Inn. 
 
If the characters show Hugo the empty vial that can be found in [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/artemis-nahanna|Artemis Nahanna's]] room, and asks if he recognises it, Hugo will honestly say that he doesn't. Although the label is similar to the potions he has in his room, the bottle looks different. 
 
## what he lies about  
Hugo von Silverton isn't a nobleman, but he likes to present himself as one. On the contrary, his real name is Hugo Bäckman, and he makes his coin through endless dubious affairs. For this reason, he is constantly worried that his old enemies or unhappy customers might find him. 
 
Hugo sold a  *Potion of Healing*  to [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/jon-callion|Jon Callion]] the same evening that [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/npcs/artemis-nahanna|Artemis Nahanna]] died. Although he doesn't know if there is a connection between these two events, it is making Hugo anxious, and he doesn't want anyone to know about the trade.
 
Hugo is afraid that it might make him look guilty or – even worse! – cause him to end up in the bad books of a callous murderer! 
 
To make things worse, although Hugo doesn't sell poisons, since the customers are highly unpleasant to bargain with and he is too nervous to get involved in illegal affairs, he has a vial of poison in his room that is used for setting a trap on his travelling trunk. Hugo realises that this most likely would make him a suspect, although he had nothing to do with the murder. 
 
All Hugo wants is for the storm to pass so that he can put as many miles between himself and the inn as quickly as possible.
 
 
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