About Hiram Ahiram⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ Hiram Ahiram
DEFENSE:
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
OFFENSE:
Speed 20 ft.
STATISTICS:
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 8
Current Encumbrance: 144 lbs. Medium Load: up to 153 lbs. ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ DESCRIPTION:
Height: 6′6″ (198 cm), Weight: 198 lb. (90 kg) Hiram is a broad-shouldered, towering man of Garundi descent. There is nothing soft about him, from the harsh angles of his swarthy, weather-beaten face to the corded muscles that make up his lean frame. His eyes are a strikingly bright shade of amber, gleaming feverishly as they catch the light. A thick beard cascades down onto his chest. Under a suit of burnished brass scale mail he wears practical, loose-fitting Garundi clothing in faded shades of orange and yellow. An iron amulet in the form of a stylised bull's head hangs from a chain on his neck, smeared with white ash. The warpriest carries multiple well-used weapons, the most notable of which is the notched falchion strapped to his back. Despite his threatening appearance, Hiram's general demeanor is very calm and composed. He is not easy to provoke, and always does his best to remain polite, even in the face of extremely rude behaviour or outright discrimination. While he is always ready for a fight, he is usually conserving his strength for worthy opponents. The weak are beneath his notice, unless they come in the way of his objective. Indeed, while pragmatic in the extreme, Hiram is not particularly cruel or sadistic. When forced to violence, he focuses his wrath on ending the conflict as quickly as possible. He prides himself on using the least amount effort and resources to achieve his goals. His stature and severe stoicism cause many to think Hiram is merely a simple brute, which is something that he has learned to use to his advantage. In truth, he is a cunning strategist in addition to being formidable warrior on his own right. While he fights for money, he uses most of his funds towards becoming a better fighter, rather than wasting them on creature comforts. This strict regimen of self-improvement includes purchasing better equipment, paying for training, and gaining access to treatises on the art of warfare, and grimoires on Hell and its denizens. Like the Hellknights, he sees discipline of infernal legions as something to be emulated. As a result, he generally gets along with them better than most. He has collaborated numerous times with the Order of the Chain in particular, aiding their operatives in catching slaves that have escaped from Corentyn to the deserts of Kharijite. While he acknowledges his patron's subservience to Asmodeus, Hiram holds himself apart from the official Church hierarchy. He feels like he serves the goals of the Nine best as a free agent, unrestrained by the organised faith's sluggish bureaucracy. That is not to say that he is uncapable of navigating the intricacies of said system, merely that he recognises that his true talents lie elsewhere. He appreciates a proper contract, and knows to read the fine print when dealing with Asmodean barristers. As carefully as he treads with the clergy, he has even more ambivalent feelings towards House Thrune. Despite his best efforts to burn away all traces of his past, some lingering resentment remains over the fate of his family. While he is a free citizen under Chelish law, he has had a hard time dealing with ethnic Chelaxians in general. Even so, Hiram acknowleges Cheliax as a valuable ally, and works to further Thrunish interests in hopes of advancing his station in Chelish society. Still, he prefers to cooperate with others who are outside major clerical and governmental organisations, finding them easier to work with. BACKGROUND:
Hiram was born in Kharijite, the southernmost part of Cheliax wrested from Rahadoum in the Everwar. His family had been nomads since before the religious turmoil that turned Rahadoum to godlessness, and they had survived mostly unscathed through the Chelaxian invasion by moving away from conflict as it arose. As such they continued to worship Sarenrae, whose faith they had assumed from travelling missionaries—along with many other Keleshite customs. The clan clung to its unique traditions all the way until the Chelish Civil War, and the ascendance of Thrice-Damned House of Thrune. Slavery had always been a part of both Garundi and Chelish culture, but opportunistic slavers saw a profit in their new Asmodean mandate. In the tumultuous years during which the Thrunes consolidated power, some sought to benefit from the chaos by taking slaves without the proper authorisation or supervision. Hiram's clan was attacked by such bandits when he was still but a boy. His father Abbar perished in the attack, and his mother Kahina was sold to a Katapeshi slave trader. Rest of his clan was also killed or sold, and he never saw most of them again. The boy himself was purchased as a house servant to a merchant in the city of Khari. His master was not a kind man, and he was often beaten for a multitude of perceived faults. It was during these dark times that Hiram first heard the call of Moloch. The Ashen Bull had been a figure in the tales of his clan, but mostly as a malevolent spirit that whisked away disobedient children to shove down its fiery gullet. Now it talked to him as he tended the flames in his master's hearth, or lit torches to light the night. It spoke from the blaze, a distant wordless roar that filled Hiram with awe. It awoke something in his blood, and filled the emptiness in his soul with a burning desire for power to fight back. The God of Fire required sacrifice. In return, it promised to make him strong enough to break his chains. With nothing to lose by trying, Hiram began by using his meager allowance on chickens and lambs, and other small animals to sacrifice. He bled them and gave them to the fire, as the voice commanded. After a while, he realised that it would never be enough. He wrestled with his conscience for a long time, before steeling himself to the reality of the situation. Only a human sacrifice would do. So Hiram set to planning, choosing another slave at random. He made sure to watch him first, memorising his target's daily schedule. He procured a dagger from his master's collection, which he was sometimes tasked with cleaning. Yet, all did not go as planned. When he sprung his trap, he was taken aback by the ferocity with which his opponent defended his life. The brawl ended up in the courtyard of the manor, with a large audience of other slaves and servants drawn in by the noise. In the end, Hiram was the victor. As he stood over his bloodied victim, he let the dagger fall from his hand and resigned himself to his fate. However, instead of being punished, Hiram found himself moved over to the fighting pits of Khari, in which his master had a large investment. Apparently impressed by his fervor in battle, the merchant had decided he was a perfect fit for a pit fighter. Still numb from his experience, Hiram did as instructed. Only as he was finally being taught to fight properly, Hiram realised that this was what Moloch had intended: power was not given, but taken. So he gave himself over to his destiny, empowered by this revelation. As the years went by, he cut a bloody swath through the local fighting pits. After years of success, he finally earned enough to buy his freedom, emerging from the crucible purged of weakness. A true soldier of Moloch. At first Hiram worked as a mercenary in Kharijite, supporting Chelish interests by escorting slave caravans and helping put down rebellions. He mostly took contracts from the Church of Asmodeus, as keen for lore about his infernal patron as he was for monetary compensation. Only recently he has started expanding to southern Cheliax, looking for new challenges across the Inner Sea... ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ |
