Durnan

Durnan is the owner and proprietor of the Yawning Portal. Although he looks like a middle-aged man whose best days are behind him, Durnan has a sharp mind and can still swing a sword when he must. He doesn’t like talking about his past, and he won’t reveal anything about his time as an adventurer.
If Durnan has any living family members, he doesn’t speak of them. He rarely says two words when one will do. He has a dark sense of humor and spares no pity on those who take the risk of entering Undermountain.
He keeps Grimvault, his magic greatsword, within reach under the bar, and can chop tables in half with it if he so desires. He also can pull out a double crossbow (a heavy crossbow with reduced range that fires two bolts at the same target). Still, if he gets involved in a brawl, he prefers fighting with fists or a well-flung tankard.
Durnan doesn’t often venture far from the Yawning Portal, using his employees to run errands for him as needed.

History

Durnan was born in the remote North in 1283 DR. He started adventuring with Mirt when the two were ten. Durnan was known as "The Wanderer" because that was precisely what he spent his youth doing: wandering around seemingly aimlessly, killing monsters. However, he was also very wise and knowledgeable to the point of being considered a "thinking man's barbarian". He knew a lot about various weapons and martial arts, including from Kara-Tur and the Hordelands. While he had no spellcasting abilities of his own, he was knowledgeable enough that he could recognize the properties of a lot of spells.
In 1302 DR, Durnan and Mirt the Merciless went into Undermountain and managed to come back not only alive but also rich. This was one of the first instances of somebody surviving a foray into Halaster's property. He used the looted wealth to tear down the remnants of Halaster's Hold to build the Yawning Portal inn. He spread the information about the size and the wealth that could be found in Undermountain. Combined with the good location, on which he built his inn, it guaranteed him his living by selling equipment to people who wanted to enter the dungeon too. Durnan retired as an adventurer. The reason for this was that he made a promise to his girlfriend at that time to come back to her when he managed to become rich. During his foray into Undermountain, it is said he came out of the dungeon with several doses of potion of longevity. He is currently over 237 years old.
His hatred of injustice and unfairness earned him a place with the Masked Lords of Waterdeep. This position of authority did not prevent him from taking matters of law into his own hand, and he led a group of vigilantes called the Red Sashes.