About Cassius ThwaiteBackstory:
The Thwaite family name is one of moderate renown in modern-day Cheliax, although prior to the rise of House Thrune they were barely a blip on the radar of minor, minor, minor nobility. However, when devil-worship became all the rage, the Thwaites were some of the first to jump on board, plunging whole-heartedly into trafficking with infernal servants. Unsavory deals were made; contracts entered into with some recklessness as the Thwaites promised a good deal of servitude in exchange for the chance to raise themselves from being barely the gentry to being People Who Mattered.
One such deal was their promise to sacrifice the first-born child of each generation to the servitors of Asmodeus... in exchange, devils promised the family prosperity and a rising in social circles, all of which happened according to agreement. For three generations things have gone according to plan. The Thwaites are respected, rich, and known by all the right people. They have a home in Egorian, and a manor house in the country. All it costs is one innocent child per generation, the family's dark little secret. Cassius Thwaite is not the oldest child of his generation; that honor would go to his brother Callan, the older by... three minutes. The two were twins, and grew up indulged, given the best that wealth and rank could grant. And if the family seemed to invest a bit more heavily into Cassius than they did Callan, well.... what of it? The brothers were close regardless, even if Callan sought martial pursuits and Cassius the more intellectual side of things. A friendly competitive streak did nothing to change their genuine bond with each other-- the two expected they would always be there for each other. Callan dreamed of becoming a Hellknight, little knowing that his life already had a claim upon it, and Cassius assumed he might manage the running of the manor instead, as he had quite a head for figures and facts. The devils had never specified a particular time they would claim their tribute-- in the previous two generations, it had been just after birth, presumably to evoke the most suffering from the new mothers-- but in the case of Cassius and Callan, they waited. They waited until the brothers were celebrating their fifteenth birthday.... and then they struck, coming smiling into the home, bodily dragging Callan with them while family members looked on helplessly. Cassius was devastated. Not merely because his brother, his other half, was dead... but because his family had simply stood and looked on, resigned, despairing. When he confronted them, he was told the family's horrible secret, which only sent him into a greater rage. He swore then and there to destroy the bargain-- which earned him nothing more than a backhanded slap from his father, and cold statements about how he benefited from the pact as much as any, and that it was easy for him to judge from such a position. From that point on, Cassius nursed his plan for revenge in silence. Outwardly, he played the role of dutiful son, but inwardly, he made it his dream to become powerful enough to alter the contract, renege it entirely perhaps... and he swore he would father no children until the deal was broken. He threw himself into the arcane arts. The family fortune that came at such a dear price would be his tool: it bought him tutors in magic, and then admission into the prestigious Egorian Academy, where he was praised as a sharp student with a good deal of determination. Today, he stands as a man in his mid-twenties, superficially a typical Chelaxian-- haughty, confident, convinced of his own talents-- but beneath the suave exterior burns unabated dedication. He has taken on the mantle that Callan would have: to become a Hellknight-- but his reasons are his own. It would be inaccurate to say that Cassius hates devils, exactly, although he bears them no love. He regards them with contempt, but he doesn't blame them for his brother's death-- devils do as devils do, after all. The villains, as far as he is concerned, are his family. Still, he's learned many sundry ways to deal with devils in his time at the Academy, and has no compunctions about using them. But the parrot!:
...oh, and then there's the matter of the parrot.
So, at the Academy, every student is urged to find the item or creature that resonates with them. Naturally, students desire some sort of intimidating or majestic creature, or one renowned for its mystic abilities... Cassius attempted to form a connection with black cats, sinister bats, fierce hawks, wise owls, scorpions... all to no avail. Irritated, he went to the marketplace intending to purchase a ring of fine make to be his token. When passing the animal pens, a raucous voice cried out-- in Infernal no less-- "I know what you want to do! Awwwk! Cracker!" To his great bemusement, there was a parrot-- a vibrant, green-red-and-yellow parrot-- talking... to him. Cassius talked in bewilderment to the parrot, who didn't seem that bright but did genuinely speak Infernal, and seemed to know about his mission. The parrot agreed to serve as his familiar if he bought it. Cassius has no idea why a pet parrot speaks Infernal. Neither does the parrot. It's a point of some irritation to Cassius, that he has a familiar that is so decidedly... garish. He caught a lot of shit for that at school, because what self-respecting Chelish devil-binder walks around with a loud parrot on his shoulder? Cassius Thwaite
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Spells in spellbook:
Spells in spellbook:
All 0-level cantrips
Stats for Decibel:
Decibel
Female parrot (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide) N Tiny magical beast (animal) Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +3 natural) hp 32 (1d8-1) Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +7 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average) Melee bite +7 (1d3-4) Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 2, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 7 Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 9 Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +6, Appraise +0, Bluff -1, Climb +6, Diplomacy +0, Disable Device +2, Disguise -1, Escape Artist +3, Fly +6, Heal +3, Intimidate +0, Linguistics +2, Perception +9, Ride +3, Sense Motive +4, Spellcraft +6, Stealth +14, Survival +3, Swim +6, Use Magic Device -1 Languages Infernal SQ improved evasion -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Flight (40 feet, Average) You can fly! Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail. |
