Prop Owner: DoctorComics
The insidious Yue-Laou is a black magician, sorcerer, and astrologer operating a small school of magic in the city of Xian. His occult goals are centered on the horrifying denizens of the Far Realm, and he is almost certainly insane, but his outer demeanor is calm and reasonable enough - and his activities subtle enough - that he is able to carry on a seemingly-ordinary existence without attracting the attention of the city's authorities. He is also known by his sobriquet, "the Maker of Moons."
An accomplished astrologer, Yue-Laou has been observing the Far Realm through magnificent telescopes for many years. It was no doubt through this observation that he slowly but inexorably lost his mind. In his effort to establish contact with the mind-blowing denizens of the Far Realm, he turned to alchemy, sorcery, and other occult arts, and his talents slowly grew until he was one of the most dangerous black magicians in the city.
However, Yue-Laou's arcane experiments require substantial outlays of cash, and his pathological desire for information has also prompted him to create a modest spy network of agents and assassins through the city. These expenses are met through his magical college, which though small charges extremely high fees to guarantee a top-flight occult instruction. Lately, Yue-Laou has branched out into counterfeiting. This may be his first great mistake, since if his activities should be detected by city officials they would quickly move to arrest him and he would be forced to flee the city, his reputation all but destroyed. The risk of the counterfeiting ring suggests that Yue-Laou has some particular scheme of importance which is coming to fruition, and which demands especially large funds.
Aside from his agents and spies, Yue-Laou can call upon some of his more fanatically loyal students, who might use their (albeit incomplete) arcane skills on his behalf. He also has the command of a race of small and repulsive aberrations called "Xin." The Xin, it is said, were once denizens of the Far Realm which Yue-Laou managed to bring to our world. They are about the size of a large rat and are yellow, soft, crab-like creatures known for their oily stink. It is possible Yue-Laou can somehow use them as spies, and they may be able to act in concert in large numbers, forming dangerous swarms.
The "Maker of Moons" is lifted from the short story of the same name by Robert Chambers, who wrote in the late Victorian era and was a pre-Lovcraftian horror author. Chambers is best known for his influential story "The King in Yellow," and Yue-Laou is, in his story, a precursor to Fu Manchu, the archetypal Yellow Peril criminal mastermind and magician.
Yue-Laou's game mechanics are kept intentionally vague so that he can act as an off-camera villain and instigator of plots. However, for DMs and players curious as to his abilities, he would be best constructed as a Star Pact warlock who was multiclassed Wizard. He is likely to use alchemical creations which allow him to vanish from sight or walk through solid walls. Players are welcome to use him in their stories, provided they do not kill him. Questions or comments regarding Yue-Laou can be directed to Kemala's player, DoctorComics.