Danbaris Tarndale's page

AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12, (+1 armor, +3 Dex, +1 size)
HP 24 (1d8+3d6+4)
Fort +2; Ref +4; Will +7;
(-2 to saves against fear effects, cannot benefit from morale bonuses on such saves)

Speed 20 ft.
Melee dagger +5 (1d3/19-20)
Ranged sling +5 (1d3/x2)
Adept Spells Prepared (CL 3; concentration +5)
1st (2/day)—cure light wounds, sleep
0 (at will)—create water, light, mending,

Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Alertness (with familiar), Cautious Fighter, Weapon Finesse
Traits Backstabber, Helpful
Racial Traits Craven, Shiftless, Polyglot
Skills Bluff +9 (+12 with familiar), Craft (alchemy) +6, Diplomacy +6, Disable Device +4, Heal +6, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Linguistics +7, Perception +6 (+8 with familiar), Profession (servant) +6, Sense Motive +6 (+8 with familiar), Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +7
Languages Common, Aklo, Goblin, Halfling, Undercommon
SQ summon familiar (viper)
Gear dagger, padded armor, sling, spell component pouch, unholy symbol

Height: 3′11″ (120 cm), Weight: 36 lbs. (16,3 kg)

Tall for a halfling, but otherwise unremarkable. That is the only impression Danbaris wants to leave on most humans, and usually he does. His hair is the colour of dry straw, and his eyes a light shade of bluish gray. His lack of a tan is a clear indication that he works indoors. He dresses plainly, like all the other slaves, but his clothes are tailored well enough to be presentable if his master has guests. It is also rare to see them soiled in any way.

Danbaris is a coward. Most of his life has been spent nursing an obsessive need for vengeance, tempered by an overpowering sense of self-preservation. He is constantly working towards something he is too craven to achieve. This has made him bitter and resentful, but also honed his talents of deception and misdirection to a fine point. As it is, he has little natural compuction about doing whatever it takes to get the job done. However, he worries constantly (and sometimes excessively) about the possible consequences of his actions. Fortunately, this reins in some of his darker impulses.

Danbaris is lazy. He loathes physical labor, and is quick to delegate such tasks to others when able. Tasks that require intellectual or social challenges are more to his liking, even if he only truly works hard when it benefits his own goals. He is very proud of his "education," received by listening to the conversations of the master and his guests and taken from unattended books around the manor, and lords this over the other slaves. As bloated as his sense of self-worth has become over the years, he is undeniably cunning. Yet he is not a genius, by any means. This combined with his prickly nature amounts to him not being a particularly good leader, even though he loves to order others around.

Perhaps his only redeeming characteristic is Danbaris' loyalty to his people. Though it has been twisted by years of hatred, his sense of solidarity with the other slaves still guides his actions to a large degree. While he does his best to appear harsh towards his kin in the eyes of the masters, he is never as cruel as the humans would be. Whenever the risk is suitably low, he uses his position to give his brethren whatever small advantage he can. Partially, this serves to boost his own ego as he outwits his keepers, but a part of him is still genuinely concerned for the well-being of his people.

Danbaris and his twin brother Arvorill were born slaves. They were separated from their parents when they were very young, and never saw them again after they were sold. As a consequence the brothers were very close. They grew up working together on the Puhitcha vineyard, gathering grapes until they were old enough for harder work.

Arvorill was always a problem for his handlers. Unlike the meek and submissive Danbaris, his brother was always getting into trouble. He got beaten regularly, and was often denied food, but nothing could tame him. Danbaris often pleaded with him, asking him to stop provoking the slavers. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and eventually Arvorill went too far.

Danbaris never found out if his brother had been killed by accident, or if the handlers were told to get rid of the rebellious young halfling. Regardless, Danbaris was devastated. First he was overcome by depression, which then turned to hatred. He wanted vengeance on the handlers, and their master, Kentith Putitcha. He wanted all of them dead. He wanted to see the vineyard in flames.

Unfortunately, he was just one halfling. Not an especially strong one at that. But he was cunning. He bided his time, stifling his rage. He did his best to play the faithful servant, and grovelled and wormed his way into the master's manor house. He prayed every night to the Gray Master and His Shadow, names whispered among the halfling slaves only accompanying their darkest oaths. He heard them whisper back, and felt their favor.

Fawning over the humans, showing no pity towards his peers when he was put in charge of them (at least not so that the handlers could see), and even shifting the blame for his own misdeeds on others. Nothing that would get them killed, of course, but he had to make them believe he could be trusted. None of this won him any friends among the other halflings, but it did gain him the position of the master's personal assistant. While he enjoyed his manipulations, and the petty power it brought him, he has ever been held back from his vengeance by his own cowardice. Until now.