From Introduction:
The Baron Malmensvird was not born into the noble position he currently inhabits. Indeed, he began his now-illustrious career as a mere alchemist. But in this capacity he excelled, creating for himself many draughts of enhancing serum as well as the feature he is most well-known for: his crystal mask.
Of course, when people speak of his exploits they mean his expeditions. The baron has led parties of men to all corners of the globe — into steaming jungles full of dire beasts, across oceans so far north they are covered over in solid sheets of ice, and even to the peaks of the highest mountains yet known to us. And they speak of the treasures he brings back. Some are worth fortunes, and explain his rapid ascent to the rarefied peaks of the empire’s social circles. Others are wonders of art and magic that now grace the halls of his noble patrons and benefactors. But some are merely strange, the features attributed to them warped and mangled as they make their way through the rumour mills.
But there is a dark side to the baron. Those who have worked for him before would never dare to speak against him in public, and no credible publisher would libel him in print. But the faces of those who have accompanied him on his expeditions often take a turn for the worse when his name is mentioned. They might then speak of his need for control, and his near-uncontrollable desire to obtain anything that is out of reach. Perhaps they might even speak of how they felt morally compromised the entire time they were in his service, and how he seemed to have some kind of dirt on everyone around him. Though they would not call him a blackmailer. No, he is more subtle than that. But he uses people to get what he wants, manipulates them with knowledge he should not have (as if able to read their minds), and coerces them to commit atrocities against the people who would stop him from exploring the darker regions of the world. After all, if these lost cities and dungeons were unprotected, why would he need to bring anyone with him at all?