SotDL: Forestalling Midnight: Durvan

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DURVAN

Character description and short introduction

Human, Vampire/Warrior/Prince of Darkness L6

Strength 14
Agility 12
Intellect 11
Will 12

Perception: 13 | Defense: 16 (scale)/14 | Health: 47 | Healing Rate: 0 | Blood Pool: 7
Size: 1 | Speed: 12 | Power 0
Insanity: 3 | Corruption: 6
Mark of Darkness: You grow a sixth finger on each hand and a sixth toe on each foot
Madness/Quirks:

Languages: Erenlander. Iron Tongue, Goblin

Professions: Martial | Soldier, Criminal | Beggar, Martial | Executioner

Talents

  • Human
  • Vampire
    • Immune: damage from cold, disease, poison; asleep, diseased, fatigued, immobilized, poisoned, and slowed
    • Darksight: You can see in areas obscured by shadows and darkness within medium range as if those areas were lit. Beyond this distance, you treat darkness as shadows and shadows as lit.
    • Sire-Bound: You are bound to the vampire that created you until it uses an action to free you or it is destroyed. You cannot attack the vampire that made you, and you become compelled by it while it is within short range of you.
    • Dreadful Appearance: When you attack a living creature that can see you, the target must make a Will challenge roll. The target becomes frightened for 1 minute on a failure. On a success, it becomes immune to your Dreadful Appearance until after it completes a rest.
    • Natural Weapons: You have long fangs, which count as swift finesse weapons that deal 1d6 damage.
    • Unnatural Existence: Your healing rate is 0 and cannot be increased above 0.
    • Blood Pool: You need blood to sustain your existence. You measure the blood you have accumulated in a pool of blood points. When you first become a vampire, you gain 1 blood point from the vampire that created you. You add blood points to your pool using the Drink Blood talent (see below) up to a maximum number equal to 1 + your group level. Each time you complete a rest, you must spend 1 point from your blood pool. If you have no blood points to spend, you gain 1 Insanity and take a –1d6 penalty to Health (minimum 0; see Torpor below). The penalty is cumulative, and you are impaired while you have it. You can remove the accumulated penalty to Health by using an action to spend 1 blood point.
    • Blood Healing: You can use an action or a triggered action on your turn to expend 1 blood point and heal damage equal to 1 + your group level.
    • Torpor: When the penalty to your Health from the Blood Pool trait drops your Health to 0, you become unconscious, resembling a corpse. If you take any damage while unconscious, you are instantly destroyed. As an action, another creature can feed you fresh blood from a living creature to remove the accumulated penalty to your Health and end this affliction.
    • Drink Blood: When a living creature you have grabbed takes damage from an attack using your fangs, the creature takes a penalty to its Health equal to its healing rate for 1 hour, and you add 1 point to your blood pool. While the creature has this penalty, it is fatigued.
    • Superstition: While you can see the object of your superstitious fear (see below), you make attack rolls and challenge rolls with 3 banes.
    • Burned by Sunlight: You take 2d6 damage and reduce your blood pool by 1 at the end of each round you are in an area lit by sunlight. As well, you take double damage from Celestial spells and make challenge rolls to resist those spells with 1 bane.
    • Pass for Human: You can use an action to alter your appearance so that you look as you did in the prime of your life. You keep this appearance until you take damage, you attack, or you use an action to resume your normal appearance.
  • Warrior
    • Catch Your Breath: You can use an action or a triggered action on your turn to heal damage equal to your healing rate.
 Once you use this talent, you 
cannot use it again until after you complete a rest.
    • Weapon Training: When attacking with a weapon, you make the attack roll with 1 boon.
    • Combat Prowess: Your attacks with weapons deal 1d6 extra damage.
    • Forceful Strike When the total of your attack roll is 20 
or higher and exceeds the target number by at least 5, the attack deals 1d6 extra damage.
    • Combat Expertise When you use an action to attack with a weapon, you either deal 1d6 extra damage with that attack or make another attack against a different target at any point before the end of your turn.
  • Prince of Darkness
    • Draining Bite: A target fatigued by Drink Blood attack is slowed for as long as it remains fatigued from the attack.
    • Misty Escape: When you become incapacitated, you can use a triggered action to transform into a billowing cloud of mist, fly up to your Speed, and then resume your normal form. While in mist form, you are immune to all damage, can move through spaces occupied by other creatures, and can move through openings wide enough to permit the passage of air. This movement does not trigger free attacks. Once you use this talent, you cannot use it again until after you complete a rest.
    • Charming Bite: A creature already fatigued by your Drink Blood trait that would become fatigued again in this way must get a success on a Will challenge roll or become charmed until it is no longer fatigued.
    • Sunlight Tolerance: You take half damage from exposure to sunlight.

Equipment

Lifestyle: Rich
Worn: cloak, dagger, greatsword, healing potion, scale armor
Pack:

Starting Equipment

  • Professions: uniform, greatsword, begging bowl or cap, lantern, flask of oil, disguise kit
  • Lifestyle: 1 set of noble's clothing, fine cloak, dagger, healing potion, a personal servant (as commoner), a personal guard (as mercenary), three horses with bits, bridles, and saddles, coinpurse with 5 ss
    • Faehult (commoner): an exceptionally competent, though craven, scribe from Erenhead, who impressed Durvan with his accounting ability. He now works as a personal secretary to the vampiric constable.
      • Perception 9 (–1), Defense 10, Health 11, Strength 9 (-1), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 11 (+1), Will 9 (–1) Speed 10, Staff (melee) +1 (1d6+1), Dagger (melee or short range) +1 (1d3)
    • Mirella (mercenary): a Sarcosan mercenary, who was saved from dying at the hands of a Resistance unit and swore loyalty to Durvan.
      • Perception 10 (+0), Defense 17 (mail, large shield); Health 20, Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 11 (+1), Speed 10, Sword (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6+2), Crossbow (long range) +0 with 1 boon (2d6)

Interesting Things

  • Human:
    • Frikas, a tiny venomous snake
  • Warrior: A small compact mirror that, when you look into it, allows you to replace a part of yourself with a newer, younger version, but only a little at a time—a lip here, a cheek there. The mirror was given to Durvan by a wise woman attempting to bribe him for her life. It didn't work, but Durvan kept the mirror. He unconsciously activated it while gazing at its reflective surface and the small changes kindled the embers of the man he was, causing great anxiety as he wrestled with the conflicting emotions. The turmoil was so strong, Durvan couldn't look at any mirror. Recently, he's been thinking about it.
  • Prince of Darkness:
    • beetling brows
    • a magical helmet that, when worn, lets you breathe underwater, but imposes 3 banes on all Perception rolls

Additional wealth: 44 ss in equipment and trade goods.

Background

Generated background:

  • Human
    • Age: 60 (looks 40)
    • Build: 2.15 m, 115 kg/ 7'1", 255 pounds
    • Appearance: Average
    • Ancestors: your ancestors were ordinary and unexceptional people.
    • Family Circumstances: You were born to a poor family. Your father was a confidence artist. You can start with a disguise kit.
    • Parents: Your mother is dead. Natural causes.
    • Siblings: You have six siblings. 2 sisters (both older), 4 brothers (two older, two younger). One sister is alive and well-regarded (Shadow collaborator), another is alive but disgraced (resistance leader). Two brothers are alive and two are dead: an older one in the fire that consumed Durvan's home town and a younger one that was well-regarded (Shadow collaborator).
    • Childhood: You were apprenticed to a carpenter (sometimes, Durvan carves animals out of little pieces of wood)
    • Major Setback: You became possessed by a demon. Gain 1 Corruption.
  • Vampire
    • Superstitious Fear: mirrors
    • Unusual Qualities: you can speak only in whispers
    • Sire's Identity: complete stranger
    • Sire's Motive: to acquire a servant
    • Relationship: Your sire abandoned you, though they still have power over you
    • Rivals:
      • Sharif Dahhak: male Sarcosan; reckless, covetous; motivated by control and impulse; doesn't like Durvan much; made a vampire four years after Durvan
      • Aoife (pronounced EE-fa, means "radiant"): female Norther; helpful, malicious; motivated by hatred, greed; neutral towards Durvan; turned nine years after Sharif
  • Prince of Darkness
    • Story Development: applying your knack for problem-solving to the predicament of your undead self, you have enhanced your innate powers

Generated personality:

    • Personality: You put your interests and those of your friends above all else
    • Obligation: you value law and order and try to live up to your obligations.
    • Morality: You strive to do right in all things, to consider others, to obey the laws, and to leave the world better than how you found it.
    • Piety: Your religious beliefs are neither strong nor weak.
    • Desire: To be that young, good Durvan again
    • Fear: It may be too late for that

Life Events

  • Warrior: The town where you were living burned down. Trying to score the Big One, Durvan's father, Castoran, negotiated with Iron Legion/Order of Shadow scouts to facilitate his town's invasion. By then, Durvan was away in the war. Ectastic with all the gold he made, Castoran got drunk and forgot to warn his family to leave town. The Shadow's forces torched the place, killing Durvan's mother and an older brother.
  • Prince of Darkness: You did something unspeakable, an act that has forever after stained your soul. Gain a Mark of Darkness: you grow a sixth finger on each hand and a sixth toe on each foot. Many years later, after becoming a vampire, Durvan learned from one of the scouts that negotiated with Castoran the truth. Durvan tracked his father down and burned him alive.

The Kicker

A week ago, a member of the cabal killed one of your remaining siblings in retaliation for you not disposing of the town administrator (Brutus), like you were instructed to. You are certain of this, because Cairistìne (who was either there if they were nearby, or heard the cabal member discussing it) told you of it. Cairistìne arrived as a mysterious stranger who suddenly vanished. You have since learned of her alliance with Brutus. You know that the cabal will continue to kill your human family if you do not come into line and do their bidding.

You've very recently acquired a magical helmet that, when worn, lets you breathe underwater, but imposes 3 banes on all Perception rolls. It belonged to beastpeople from Erethor Forest, who were en route to a meeting with Erenlander rebels. Durvan took out the Erenlander cell, then showed up to the rendezvous and dealt with the beastpeople. They had a few other trinkets, all of which Durvan surrendered to his lord, who let teh vampire keep the helmet as both souvenir and reward.

Weapons + Damage

Weapon attacks roll with 1 boon (already factored below)
May spend 1 Blood Point to receive 1 boon on any melee attack.

  • Coldbite, greatsword [+4, 4d6/5d6 or extra attack, +d6 Forceful Strike], Cumbersome (1 bane on attack)
  • Fangs [+4+1b, 2d6/3d6 or extra attack, +d6 Forceful Strike]
  • Dagger [+4+1b, 1d3+1d6/+d6 or extra attack, +d6 Forceful Strike], thrown, range (short)

Notes/Story

He starts as a nice guy and loyal Dornish soldier, possibly hero material. He fights against Izrador at the start of the war (39 years before, when he was 20. Durvan and a fellow soldier fall in love, to the chagrin of an army wizard, who had deep feelings for the woman.

The wizard summons a demon that possesses Durvan, who now has to watch as the creature uses his body to murder his beloved and commit all sorts of atrocities. A few months later, the demons leaves, either for a better host or due to exorcism, leaving Durvan a broken man.

He becomes insane and homeless, spending several years as a beggar, until he’s found by the Order of Shadows. The priests rebuild Durvan’s shattered mind, indoctrinating him into Izrador’s creed. They tell him the good guys are actually evil (corroborated by his experience) and Izrador will fix the world (they rescued him from insanity and homelessness. The Shadow has extreme measures, but desperate etimes require desperate actions.

Durvan becomes an enforcer for the Order, climbing the ranks swiftly. He’s dedicated, efficient and brutal. By the end of the war, he receives the ultimate promotion: vampirism (his age is fixed at 40).

Durvan (now with an appropriate appellation: Black Blade, Dark Sword, etc.) spends most of the past 20 years as a nightmare for those who don’t toe the line.

A year or shortly before the start of the campaign, he’s pursuing a rebel cell. He corners one of its members, a Dornish veteran of the war. Durvan decides it would be “fun” to turn the man into a vampire and sic him on his cell.

He exsanguinates the man and, as Durvan is about to feed him his own blood, something clicks in his mind: he has become the same monster that destroyed his life 39 years before. The veteran might as well be a young Durvan, and him, the jealous wizard.