Gonti

Gonti is an aetherborn crime lord, presiding over Ghirapur's Gonti's Night Market, where Renegades flock to obtain illicit goods and siphoned aether. Gonti provided aid to the Renegades in exchange for services rendered later.

"Families" of Aetherborn lay territorial claim to areas where young Aetherborn have manifested and instruct them in the way of their kind. Their bodies are in constant flux as the aether residue they're made of gradually dissolves and is reclaimed by the aethersphere. Thus, their lives are short - they are born fully formed and know their remaining lifespan, which can be between four weeks and four years. But rather than despair, they savor each fleeting moment, squeezing out every last drop of enjoyment. Traditionally, before an Aetherborn dies, they throw a party with mandatory attendance for their friends and associates. Aetherborn that lack such social connections usually hijack the party of another of their kind.

Aetherborn do not sleep or eat. Instead, they focus fully on experiencing existence. All Aetherborn have an innate sixth sense that allows them to accurately sense the emotional state of beings in a nearby perimeter. Aetherborn's skin has the look and feel of smooth chalk.

Aetherborn have no genders and are referred to using they/them pronouns, though there are cases of individual aetherborn that adopted a gender and associated pronouns

Gonti's skin appears like a cracked stone, hard and strong, encasing an aether heart that allows them to live long past an average aetherborn's lifespan. Gonti wears all black, save for a faceplate of finely inlaid gold.

Ghirapur's most infamous night market is named for the equally infamous aetherborn crime lord, known as Lord Gonti. Gonti has amassed a fortune as a smuggler of illicit inventions, and in the process acquired an aether-powered artificial heart apparatus that sustains their existence. Despite a reputation for ruthlessness, the crime lord is constantly surrounded by the most entertaining or interesting people they can find. Members of this entourage get to enjoy a whirlwind life of carefree luxury, until Gonti tires of the relationship and brings it to an abrupt and often deadly end.

Lord Gonti lives in a converted warehouse adjacent to the night market, utterly ordinary from the outside, but full of all the luxuries, comforts, and delights that money can buy: a small menagerie of animal-like constructs, a fully animated kitchen that serves every meal to Gonti and their guests, a theater featuring regular performances of music and drama, a trophy room to display their most prized inventions, and a spacious garage to hold Gonti's collection of airships, walkers, and other vehicles. This vast collection of inventions serves to take the edge off Gonti's boredom when the company of sycophants grows tiresome. As a result, Gonti is constantly on the lookout for the next big thing, something exciting and brilliant that has never been seen before, to add a unique flair to its collection.

Gonti once enlisted the help of Saheeli Rai to fix their aether heart, holding her family hostage to ensure her cooperation. However, after Saheeli finished the operation, the crime lord revealed that the Rais had never been in danger, and they had called off their enforcers before the operation even began.

Kaladesh is a plane where natural mages are rare. Work that would be done with magic on other planes is instead accomplished through devices. The automatons, thopters, and other artifact creatures of the plane are fueled by aether, which is heavily trafficked. Artifacts are built as much for beauty as for function. Fire magic is strictly banned, and pyromancy is punishable with a death sentence.