By attaching an Intelligence (History) check to his manner of appearance (red wizard robes and shaved, tattooed head), Lost Mine of Phandelver makes a point of identifying Hamun Kost as a Red Wizard of Thay. The adventure makes no provision for what characters might actually do with this knowledge other than recalling that, far to the east of Faerûn is Thay, a Magocracy notorious for its use of necromancy.

If you want more, you need to look outside the box set. For instance, Tyranny of Dragons offers insights that might be fun to work into an encounter with Hamun Kost at your table.

From Tyranny of Dragons:

“Because of their evil reputation, Red Wizards are arrested or killed on the spot in many lands. For that reason, they often travel in disguise, invisibly, or by magical means.”

This is a good opportunity to put some weight behind the use of factions, if characters are interested in joining one. In this instance, how would a character associated with the Order of the Gauntlet feel about coming face-to-face with a Red Wizard? You don’t see those every day.

The faction’s description states in the very first sentence that the Order is “dedicated to smiting evil wherever it lurks and without hesitation.” A character aligned with the Order of the Gauntlet who attacks Hamun Kost on sight could literally cloak themselves in “it’s what my character would do” – and it would be hard to argue with that.

If there are no characters associated with the Order of the Gauntlet, how would Daran Edermath take the news of the party’s encounter with a Red Wizard of Thay on their side quest to Old Owl Well? Sure, he’s retired. A former member of the Order. But I don’t think he’d take that news well.

Also from Tyranny of Dragons:

“In a public area where their appearance could put them at risk, Red Wizards favor deep hoods and scarves to hide their faces. Their undead wight bodyguards are usually nearby—and often invisible.”

Now, consider how Hamun Kost presents himself to the party.

As stated above, Red Wizards tend to travel in secrecy and hide their faces around others, in order to avoid complications that arise from their evil reputations. Yet, here’s Hamun Kost, with his red wizard robes and arcane tattoos in full view without a concern in the world.

Perhaps a character proficient in History and Arcana understands that Kost’s lack of caution when greeting the party is strangely out of character for a Red Wizard of Thay; that his lack of caution hints at power or dangers unseen by the party, such as a wight body guard lurking nearby; especially if the characters arrive at Old Owl Well as the sun is set to disappear behind the Sword Mountains.

I’ve actually touched on this in the past when I once wondered aloud how an evil mage, who doesn’t even have access to third level spells yet, is somehow able to animate and control twelve zombies (spoilers: my money says the wight controls the zombies, not Hamun Kost).

And why is Hamun Kost at Old Owl Well to begin with? Perhaps that’s a topic for another day.

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