Julius Aristes is, by any definition of the word, a notorious necromancer. But at the same time, he is also a very famous explorer, adventurer, and scholar. He has greatly improved understanding of many aspects of history and helped excavate numerous sites of historical interest - it's just that most people think he shouldn't interrogate ghosts to gain their knowledge, or raise the bones of the dead to dig out their old homes.
However, he has been very careful about not getting caught at anything actually illegal while he stays within the Flannish Cities (though it is telling that he lives in Nimdenthal, easily the most morally flexible city-state within the region), and the talks he gives about his exploits elsewhere are well attended, though this may be as much for the gruesome tactics he has employed to get what he wants and which he recounts matter-of-factly as for their equally genuine scholarly value. His admittance to using the "Dark Arts of Necromancy" has gained him many enemies, and quite a few other explorers and adventurers hold grudges against him for beating them to a particular artifact. He, in turn, considers grudges to be unprofessional and is willing to deal fairly with anyone who has something he has a use for.
Adventure Ideas
Designer's Notes & Resources
Julius Aristes is intended as either a recurring rival or an expert resource for the player characters - either someone who beats them at their own game and gets away with it, or someone who has some information they might need, if they can stomach his methods. Or, of course, he could be both in different parts of the campaign…