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Character Descriptions
AilHazred Derleth
Name: AilHazred Derleth, "Ali"
Class: Hermit
Band: A dull, almost gray, Green hangs from his belt.
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 123 lbs
Eyes: Brown, with a faint gleam of contempt.
Hair: Back half of head is closely cropped, almost fur like; the front is a dark dingy brown that hangs across his face, obscuring any features that are visible beneath the hood of his cloak.
Residence: Small, discretely located, one roomed hovel somewhere in the swamps a few days walk from the city.
Distinguishable Marks: There are multiple rumors of marks that AilHazred carries upon his body. The most common of them, concerns the fact that the once proud and vain Ali, is covered in a thick coarse brown fur. This is hard to confirm, as he takes great pains to ensure that none of his flesh is visible when he does make a rare appearance. His left hand, once witnessed to be that of a Polar Bear, has since seemed to be mysteriously missing or hidden behind the multiple heavy robes draped over his gaunt frame. Persistent talk suggests that a sphere is encased in that hand now, its shimmering glass surface melded perfectly with his fingers in some arcane form of repentance possibly, and that he seems to take immense care to be near heavily emotional moments. Finally, those few who have seen the man's face, speak of horrid scars that stretch around his neck, and about his face ... suggesting he was either tortured and unsuccessfully hanged, or something was ripped off that had bonded itself there. Witnesses from his younger and more active days suggest that his right ear is pointed, suggesting Elven ancestry of some sort, although the fact that his eyes show the toil of the years suggest otherwise.
Occupation: Bitter Recluse
Background:
The story goes that AilHazred was born of a maid to a Priest of some forgotten deity, a bastard of both blood and heart, and was not what could be described a pleasant child. Devious, and golden-tongued, the unkempt child quickly found himself abandoned by his mother, and placed in the care of a couple of gentle farmers far from the city of his birth. Although simple folk, they had within the stone and earth walls of their home a treasure of immense value to the young child: a book.
It was a simple book of stories that took from many religions of the area, history, fables, and dreams. Nothing more than a book of children's stories to the gentle farmers, and nothing that could harm the mind of a young child to most. Reading both day and night of the struggles of evil against good, and the avarice that held man's heart, AilHazred dreamed of one day experiencing such adventures. The morals of the tales were lost upon the adolescent within his desire to understand the conflict, the structure, and a growing desire for power to replicate the stories in real life. When a plague took the life of his 'adopted' parents, AilHazred was full of remorse. He was eventually forced from the small hovel by tax collectors, and his travels throughout the world started, as did his distaste for authority.
Arguments can be made regarding why the child turned out as he did; however, over the next several years all of those that came into contact with the pale skinned young man grew to distrust his sly ways, leading him to continue his travels. Referring to these as his wandering years, the selfish young man seemed to venture everywhere his small odd jobs offered him passage as he grew closer to the Couer.
It was the famine of the Eastern portion of the Twelve Kingdoms, and the resulting persecution of those who would not kneel and beg the gods for help, that brought AilHazred first to the walls of the City. Poverty, desire for an opportunity to expand his knowledge, and hunger for power brought him to the walls of the Parthenon. Relatively open about his desires at first, the sly young fool learned quickly the games of the city. Cheated of his small amount of wealth he walked in with, AilHazred quickly adopted the Inn as his home.
His first adventures brought him into the attention of several of the more notable figures within the Inn at that time during a small scouting trip. His reputation grew with the years, and the list of those who distrusted him grew with it. He was considered an unpleasant fellow in conversation, and an even worse traveling companion by most. It was the minority, though, that AilHazred especially took interest with. A growing cadre of those who seemed to be just on the outside of pleasantness started to band together, and always the impatient, AilHazred did not wait to watch the events unfold.
An organization was formed, the Nightmare Mists, led by one of the most feared 'assassins' of the Parthenon, and AilHazred was quick to try and track that path to the power he had begun to lust after. Power in any manner is fickle, and The Mists were not meant to be. Soon the organization was left fragmented as its ruling elite faded into obscurity, leaving AilHazred with fewer trusting companions, even fewer opportunities for advancement, recognition from the City Guard for some underhanded dealings, and a few underworld contacts.
The threats of a Tartessian invasion, and the upswing in piracy from the small island, brought forth an opportunity that AilHazred took advantage of. In order to regain his reputation with the City, which had begun to frown upon his 'studies' as investigations grew closer to his dealings with the Mists, AilHazred volunteered for a rescue mission of several kidnapped rich family members of the City, and Ralos, a respected member of the Inn itself. Completing the mission with the Druas (who few now even accept existed) Zaknaefein, they returned the captured souls to richly deserved rewards and praise.
The success did not guarantee all crimes of his past had been wiped clean though, and AilHazred paid a heavy fine in exchange for his past transgressions to be forgotten. To his credit, or perhaps just luck, AilHazred never again found himself in disagreement with the Guard, or the ruling elite of the City.
Drawing close to several others within the Inn at this time, AilHazred became a fixture looking for avenues to power and learning. Standing in the place of the respected Cryptonia and SirHuntr, AilHazred assisted in the fight against those trying to open the Nexus taps in the Irontooth Mountains. Although some say that he has not been the same since, any color drained from his already pale face, it was obvious to all that he had gained something from it ... the least of which was more credibility within the Inn itself.
In the years that followed, AilHazred's behavior became more erratic. Only certain 'missions' seemed to peak his interest. Those involving the darker aspects, and the Guilds that ran the city's ghettos under the watchful eye of the Guards. It was during this time that he was known to have consorted with WhipLashe, evening learning some of that wily figures knowledge, at the price of silver and gold of course. A new companion joined Ali around this time, as "Al-Azif" made his first appearance upon Ali's shoulder. Not long after, the gaunt figure began to always appear with a shimmering smooth obsidian mask where his face once belonged. Towards the end of this high point for AilHazred joined a small group that ventured into the realms of the abyss to rescue an item of some unknown importance, resulting in multiple conflicts with fiends and creatures from beyond.
Such success had never highlighted the man's path for long, and it was in due time that he was brought up on charges within the Inn itself for murder. Claiming self defense, and the judge giving deference, he was penalized only with the removal of all of his possessions: including his treasured mask that had replaced his face. During the process of removing of the mask, it was publicly discovered cost he had paid for it. The Mask's bonds to Ali's physical body were broken via force, ripped from his face in a horrible display of what can only be described as macabre torture.
Months past after this incident, with only a few close companions bearing witness to his recovery in seclusion. It is known, at some point, Morghana and Byrn assisted in his healing with their respective magics. It is also known, that AilHazred's voice never returned to the richly accented tone it once bore, retreating instead to a gasping whisper of harsh consonants. His adventuring slowed, and he began to slowly drift away from the fore-front of the Inn's ranks. The advance for AilHazred in power had halted.
Disappearing for long periods of time, he soon became involved, much to the shock of many, with several of the more prominent druids of the circles within the Inn. Claimed by some this was an attempt to protect himself against the growing threats against his life, what is known and spoken of to this day is the growing involvement he had with a particular Druidess who bore the name Amyril.
It can be said that AilHazred never confirmed directly a relationship with the Druidess, although on more than one occasion displayed public fondness for her. Upon her death, it was indeed the frail and rasping AilHazred himself who carried her body to be resurrected, and who disappeared into the woods to her home while she recovered. Whispers of a relationship outside the bounds of what was considered proper for the Druidess began, as did talk of a child from the coupling. Their separation, going unconfirmed for several years until Amyril's return and elevation to Guardian of a shrine, was never officially referenced by AilHazred to anyone's knowledge.
Somewhere in the swamps well away from the town, it is said by those who remember him, that AilHazred sits in a small one roomed hovel. Spartan in design and decoration, only the faint scratching can guide you there, if you listen to the wind the right way. The scratching of Al-Azif's dark hellish claws against the chair that AilHazred sits in. The Devil and his Master, the Voice and it's Essence ... The Necromancer and His Familiar, their search over, they now wait for the knowledge of the ever lasting flesh to come to the door.
Effects: AilHazred is often seen wearing thick, strangely heavy, dark gray robes of multiple layers, with a threadbare and frayed light gray cloak about his shoulders. Dark leather armor, with a strange design upon its front in multiple hues of red, can be seen occasionally through the robes and about his arms, as well has heavy Tartessian-styled square toed boots. Occasionally witnessed to be cleaning his nails with a dark and ominous looking scythe that radiates a faint evil aura, the only other redeeming feature about the figure that is an out of place is a simple necklace, which carries a small locket about his neck.
Weapons: A wickedly curved dagger, of gleaming white, hangs upon one hip, while a straight dagger (...like a stiletto...) hangs upon the other. A walking staff usually carries the frail figures weight upon long travels, always dropped in favor of a blade when combat is required, and only ever held with his right hand. All of these seem out of place with the many shurikins displayed in twos and threes about a variety of locations about the leather armor that covers his chest. A faint glimmer of gold, from an odd hand-sized crossbow has also been witnessed to have been used by the figure, with notoriously ill effect.
Companion: There are stories that AilHazred was once known to rove the streets at night ages ago with a minion of hell upon his shoulder. On many occasions, his traveling companions have heard him speaking to someone, or something, that goes by the name "Al-Azif," and some even remember the impish creature itself. Whether these are the ravings of a madman, or something much worse, is uncertain. It was known, that at one time, AilHazred referred to Al-Azif as nothing more than his "Voice, and Mortality" ... although any meaning to that might have died with the passage of time.
Skills & Services:
Appraisal - Always having an eye for items of value, AilHazred is available for establishing the estimated value of an item, for a small fee.
Knowledge - Stories persist that AilHazred has some form of knowledge concerning the Abyssal and Nether planes, the symbols of such, a talent for the Necromantic arts, and casting spells quickly. Given the Cities stance on such matters, and the recluses lack of public appearances, are usually coughed up to nothing more than rumors about the strange hermit who used to walk the Inn floors.
i.e.:
Necromancy Lessons
Symbol Interpretation
Fast Cast Lessons
Affiliations
Affiliation: None, other than Himself
Affiliation Status: N/A
Friendly: --
Neutral: --
Disliked: All Good temples (-7), City Government (-6)
Hated: --
Mortal Enemy: --
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