Mask

Benny Rice's page

3 posts. Alias of overlord_laharl.


Full Name

Benjamin Aloysius Rice

Race

Human

Classes/Levels

Wizard//Rogue (1)

Gender

Male

Size

Medium

Age

24

Special Abilities

Illusionist

Alignment

Chaotic Good

Deity

Olidammara

Location

Cauldron

Languages

Common, Draconic, Abyssal, Infernal, Celestial

Occupation

Unemployed; previously student

Homepage URL

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=782493

Strength 10
Dexterity 16
Constitution 14
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 12
Charisma 13

About Benny Rice

Benjamin "Benny" Rice was born to a poor family, and his mother died bringing him into the world. As the youngest child, and a runt to boot, Benny grew up feeling like a burden on his family, just another mouth to feed and one that couldn't pull his weight.

By the time he was ten, Benny had taught himself to read (a good way to not be underfoot all the time) and was allowed to spend his days in the village square, where neighbors could look after him while his father and siblings worked, and where he might pick up the odd copper or two doing odd jobs. His father thought he might help feed chickens or fill horse troughs. What he actually did was a bit less honest.

Teaching himself the principles of sleight of hand from a book, Benny ran games of Three Card Monte and Liar's Dice. He cheated enough to ensure he won, but not too much.

A gang of older boys soon found out he was making decent money, beat him up and robbed him. To prevent further beatings, Benny was forced to pay them protection money, and his games grew ever more crooked to keep up with their demands. Benny soon bitterly regretted his dishonest ways, and wished fervently for a way out. He dare not explain his predicament to the town guard, as that would be tantamount to confessing having scammed half the town.

When he was twelve, Benny found salvation from his situation in a book of adventure stories. There was an illustration of a mighty wizard in a flowing cape, reading from a book of eldritch power while calling down thunder and lightning upon his foes. Benny scraped together enough coin to buy some purple dye and wool cloth, and a blank book of appropriate thickness. He filled the book with meaningless symbols, fashioned himself a cape, and let himself be seen around town poring over the book in furious concentration, while sleight of hand tricks made it look like he could make frogs appear and turn coins into butterflies. Soon the rumors started: Benny is studying wizardry! Best not mess with him.

The bullies scoffed at these stories, but kept their distance more and more. When their weekly demand for money was lower than usual, Benny knew he had them. He waited for a rainy and overcast day, and made his preparations. Inspired by a stage trick he'd read about, he found a tin sheet and suspended it from a rope hanging over a gutter. The other end of the rope he stood on around the corner, blocking it from view with his cape. When the gang appeared to collect from him, Benny informed them that he was no longer paying, and that he had become a wizard. Mess with him and lightning would strike them down where they stood.

The bullies laughed, but nervously. They couldn't let such a challenge go unmet. As they closed in on him, Benny raised his hands, shouted a nonsense phrase, and lifted his foot off the ground. Around the corner, the tin sheet clattered down onto some rain barrels, and "thunder" rolled. The entire gang ran screaming.

Benny's mirth was short-lived, as he felt an adult hand close on his shoulder. His trick had not gone unnoticed; Rufus Vittorio, a traveling showman had witnessed it from the tavern across the street, and was impressed with Benny's skill at deception. Not wanting to see such talent go to waste, he recommended him to a friend of his, an illusionist who occasionally helped Rufus provide effects for his shows. Benny received a sponsorship to attend an academy of magic, and was soon on his way to becoming a wizard for real.

Now 24, Benny has at last completed his tutelage and is ready to make his way in the world. On the surface he may come of as aloof and arrogant; Benny is still a firm believer in the power of trickery, and consciously adopts an air of egotism to mask his insecurities. Although he possesses true magic, he likes to supplement actual spells with mere parlor tricks, hoping that regular rubes won't know the difference and he will seem more powerful than he actually is.

Despite this overstuffed demeanor, Benny Rice has a strong sense of justice and hates to see the weak taken advantage of. He still mistrusts authority figures however, feeling that he is better off relying on his wits than society.