Damien King's page

Age : 32
Size : Medium, 5‘10", 280 lbs.
Type : Humanoid (Human)
Jolly and almost eternally grinning, Damien often tends to look just a little too enthusiastic about things. His blonde hair is overly slicked; he eyeglasses and their golden chain almost polished almost to a fault. His clothing of choice is elaborate and elegant, well tailored and fitted. It is obvious that Damien is no stranger to luxury. Rotund and bedazzled with a brooch and a handful of rings. (At least, before he was sentenced,) he makes no attempt to appear humble.

Few would know that his long sleeves and exuberant shirts hide scars the average man would be hard pressed to recognize. Razor blades, puncture wounds, animal bites, perhaps a few stabs and slashes as well. Burns from fire and lightning; otherworldly scars from a strange curse long past. Just how a man would acquire such scars remain a well-kept secret amongst only a select few: The former members of his depraved gambling ring, and the law officials who handled that case.

Some people like to gamble. They like the thrill of putting some gold on the line, the idea that this little game of chance is actually worth something. Some people like to gamble big. Putting entire houses on the line, or entire years’ worth of savings. The idea that it could all be gone on the flip of a card is a rush like none else. Then, there are some people who take it further. Who willingly bet their lives on twisted games.

He was one of them.

Damien King was born to a destitute family. Though the generosity of Talingarde kept them fed, their belts were tight, and they could afford very little in the way of luxury. Damien’s father toiled from dawn to dusk to keep his family fed, and his mother spent most of the day doing what she could to reduce their expenses. When Damien reached a certain age, he too began to labor arduously.

He hated it. It was a boring life.

One night, however, some of his fellow laborers invited him to play cards with them. He knew he couldn’t afford any loss, but he chose to try it anyway. He won. He won a lot. He didn’t dare admit to his parents how he’d gotten so much money that day, but they were happy enough that he didn’t need to.

He did it again for a while. Luck was on his side. Or, rather, it wasn’t on the side of his opponents. Even when the other laborers stopped playing with him, and he turned to the local gambling dens to sate his desire for thrills, he found that others around him were prone to fits of inexplicable misfortune. He liked it.

He sought to hone this gift, asking around with local mages and, one day, he found his answer, when a chance encounter confirmed his suspicions : As he walked home in the middle of the night, returning with another pouch full of gold, a weasel skittered its way onto his shoulder, much to his surprise. He was about to shoo the animal off when he noticed what the animal was holding within its hands : The king of spades. A sign.

Not long after, with the help of his little companion, Damien became an almost unstoppable gambler. Though his own luck was normal, all who sat at the table with him found themselves getting junk hand after junk hand. This attracted much attention, players curious as to how he was pulling off such a feat. Yet, he shrugged off all accusations of cheating. After all, he wasn’t the one dealing the cards.

Soon, however, he grew bored of mere gold wagering. He ventured for higher and higher stakes, but still, his need for bigger thrills grew.

The answer would come to him in the form of an invitation most unusual. An underground ring of players like him; players who played for the ultimate stakes : Two men stepped into the arena, where they played twisted, unimaginable games; poisons, knives, chains, and wild beasts were only the most basic pieces. The winner, when he left the arena alone, claimed every last one of the loser’s possessions. The loser, after all, had no longer any mortal need of them.

Over the course of a month, Damien would play and win in a dozen of these twisted games. As his thirteenth was coming to an end and, once more, he was about to claim victory over some bright-eyed newcomer in over his head, a squadron of guards broke into their hideout.

Each member of the ring was captured, and their sentencing was a clean cut affair : Several counts of dueling unto death for each surviving member of the ring, some of which had over a dozen games to their history.

Each of these men, for their callous disregard for human life, for leading impressionable young people into games of abhorrent violence and death, were sent to Branderscar. Damien was no exception.

Str 13; Dex 16; Con 13; Int 20; Wis 8; Cha 12
Feats

• Improved Initiative
  
• Extra Hex
  
• Accursed Hex

Traits

• Dueling Unto Death
  
• Convincing Liar
  
• "He Who laughs first, laughs best."
  Cardinal Thorn has taught you to be crafty and underhanded in combat, undermining the enemy before they can react. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.

Hexes:

• Evil Eye (Su): The witch can cause doubt to creep into the mind of a foe within 30 feet that she can see. The target takes a –2 penalty on one of the following (witch’s choice): AC, ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, or skill checks. This hex lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the witch’s Intelligence modifier. A Will save reduces this to just 1 round. This is a mind-affecting effect.
  
• Misfortune (Su): The witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to suffer grave misfortune for 1 round. Anytime the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result. A Will save negates this hex. At 8th level and 16th level, the duration of this hex is extended by 1 round. This hex affects all rolls the target must make while it lasts. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
  
• Cackle(Su): A witch can cackle madly as a move action. Any creature that is within 30 feet that is under the effects of an agony hex, charm hex, evil eye hex, fortune hex, or misfortune hex caused by the witch has the duration of that hex extended by 1 round.

Trained Skills: (2 + 5 int + 1 human +2 houserule = 10)

• Appraise: +8
  
• Bluff: +8
  
• Craft(Alchemy) : +11
  
• Knowledge(Arcana) : +11
  
• Knowledge(Nature) : +11
  
• Knowledge(Planes) : +10
  
• Profession (Gambler) +5
  
• Sleight of Hand: +6
  
• Spellcraft : +11
  
• Use Magic Device : +8
  

Spoken Languages: Common, Dwarven, Draconic, Abyssal, Aklo, Goblin