the Groom's page

Thadeus was a poor fisherman about to be married in two days. Him and his buddies set out fishing as they normally do, but came across a damaged freight hauler. They decided on a little bit of profit before the wedding would be good luck. They remained close through the day, and at night rowed in quietly, helped by a fog bank that unknowingly hid an approaching storm.

Him and his friends took the ship in surprise fashion, but as they made an accounting of the cargo bound for Sargava, the storm came upon them. Their fishing boat was pulled away as they were pushed further out to sea.

It took two weeks to rig the ship and bale enough to get it back to port. Once there he found out his fishing boat had shown up dashed on the rocks after the storm. He had been declared dead. His fiance, in despair, jumped into the sea.

Knowing his greed had cost him his chance at happiness with his wife-to-be, he set out in a small boat to 'remember' his fiance. Wearing his nicest closes, he rowed out below the bluff where she had jumped. Wearing his ring, he took her gold ring and prepared to drop it into the sea...but he froze..he just couldn't do it..he worked so hard for the money and it cost so much...As his hand dangled over the edge of the boat, the gold catching the sun, a tentacle rose up and gripped his arm.

He fought and tried to brace himself, but the appendage seemed to seek out his hand, and the tip slid the ring out of his grip, the ring now upon the beast! He lunged for it, and ended up in the sea himself.

He was pulled in close and saw the eye and beak of the sea monster. He pushed away with his hands trying to keep away from its craw, when then he felt the beak close on his hand. He pulled away, but his ring caught. He pulled again, gold and beak in a locked battle. He felt a crack...there was blood and ink everywhere and he no longer knew which way was up. As he was losing consciousness, he felt himself being lifted upward.

He was found as his small boat drifted back into the harbor. He was unconscious and had been missing for days...again thought dead, this time of grief over his fiance. Those that found him were amazed as they tried to revive him. Thinking he suffered from exposure, he came to and proceeded to expel water from his lungs. His only injuries were sunburn and missing the ring finger on his left hand. But in his left hand he held a jagged piece of black-n-white chitin, that bore an uncanny likeness of a skull and crossbones, a death's head.

Thadeus was never quite the same. He suddenly had powers that those who watched him grow up never knew he had. Thinking him twice-cursed, they took to calling him "the Haunted Groom", and the town shunned him.

He now wanders the docks throughout the Shackles, still in his long black wedding jacket, his moniker shortened to "the Groom". Gloomy and sullen, he does not speak often, but when he does, his voice seems to carry the weight of the sea behind it. Those that plan nefarious deeds often find he has a word of advice or planning for them. In exchange, after successful endeavors, he is often tipped a bit of the spoils, 'the Bride Tax", some have taken to calling it. So now, some seek out his advice or blessing....But he does not put out to sea...some are too scared to take him on board, and he has turned down others. Many think "the Groom" is waiting for the right opportunity.

His skin is pale and clammy. His eyes dark brown to almost black. Side burns give his face a thinner appearance in the dim light under his hat. The combined effect is a pale skull-like apparition.

At his neck is piece of chitin marked with a crude skull and crossbones and tied with a string of leather. The rapier at is side and buckler strapped on his back mark these same symbols.

His long black coat, was once a nice formal jacket with tails. It is now weathered, crusted with salts, and chitin plates have been sewn in.
His boots look damp, and leave wet footprints that dry quickly leaving just a normal boot impression.

His left hand is missing the ring finger, leaving a ragged stump.

He does not speak much, but when he does his voice has a rattle to it of a man just recovered from drowning, whose lungs just expelled the sea.