About Didiana DrostAppearance:
In a different life (perhaps the one her mother wished for her), Didiana Drost could have been described as the quintessential Chelaxian beauty. Truth be told, there was a time when Didiana herself would have played up her fair skin and fine features, but that time is long gone. Today she wards off unwanted attention with an austere demeanor, her grey eyes hard and small mouth drawn together, or, when on the job, a face-concealing helmet provided by her Order. Said helmet also helps hide Didiana's most recognizable feature: her bright red hair. The short cut locks are just one shade too red to be entirely natural; not too abnormal to draw suspicion, but plenty outrageous to draw attention. The hair is a result of Didiana's infernal lineage, and is her great shame. She is never entirely comfortable with it on display. Still, with her noble poise, above average height and body hardened by Order training, Didiana comes off as confident and collected. Backstory:
For as long as she can remember, Didiana has dreamt of fire. It surprised her as a child to learn that not everyone saw a black void occupied only by gently flickering but all-pervasive flames in their sleep. That was alright though. Didiana was happy for anything that made her feel more unique and special; she was a needy child as she grew up in Jarvis End. The only child of a failed actress who paid more attention to her many lovers than to her daughter, Didiana quickly developed a deep need for validation. She found none in the revolving cast of father figures, which, she realizes now, was probably part of her mother's attempt to validate herself. Despite the failed theater career, the two lived comfortably thanks to the monthly royalty payment due to them. Didiana's great-grandfather was a successful playwright, extremely popular in his own day and although his fame had waned considerably since then, stage productions of his works are still put on every so often. It was these royalties from publishers and theaters that kept them afloat.
Didiana looked to her peers for the validation she missed in the home. And she pursued it with aggression and ruthlessness. Driven by the insecurities fostered by a broken home, she could accept no relation that wasn't rooted in admiration, envy or fear. On the playground she bullied any outsider to show her own superiority. In school she spread vile rumours about anyone who could be considered her equal. And on the streets she coerced others to her will. She was a master manipulator or, in the words of TV Tropes, an Alpha B#+@!. Something changed in her early teens, however. Her dreams now featured guests, vague humanoid shapes that walked in the flames. More significantly, Didiana found that, on certain occasions, she could ask the most outrageous things of people and they would comply. Rather than be alarmed at this development, she escalated her social manipulation. Her coercion grew more insistent, her bullying harsher. A breaking point was inevitable and it came in the form of a death: after a particularly horrid prank, one of Didiana’s regular harassment targets committed suicide. This shook the young woman. She was never charged, nor even accused, of anything but Didiana recognized her own guilt. That night she slept poorly. And her dreams evolved further. The blurry figures walking in the fire drew nearer, revealing horned heads, leather wings, red skin and malevolent grins. Didiana woke up screaming but the flames did not leave her. Her bed was on fire. The incident baffled her mother, but for Didiana that night was illuminating in more ways than one. She had time to think as she recovered from her burns and managed to confirm that she did indeed posses magic. Inhuman power flowed in her veins and she suspected, fearfully, that she knew its origin. Gods only knew what sort of bargain her grandfather had agreed to in exchange for his gifts as a writer. Her powers of coercion and manipulative temper were due to infernal influence, and the unnaturally bright red hair that grew out in place of the dark tresses burnt away acted as her proof. Years later, Didiana Drost is unrecognizable to most who knew her. Fearing for her soul, she adopted a philosophy of strict self-discipline in order to control her every selfish urge. She avoids all vices and ignores wants and needs as she believes that succumbing to these can hurt others at best, and damn her eternal soul at worst. It was only natural then that she was drawn to the hell knights, famed as they are for their love of control, both of others and themselves. Within the Order of the Torrent Didiana learned self-restraint and got the opportunity to serve society. Today she is a true believer in the cause and fiercely loyal to her order. The arrival of Barzillai Thrune puts Didiana in a difficult position, however. While not an outspoken critic of the royal family, she finds Barzillai’s actions in Kintargo abhorrent. His ridiculous proclamations are upheaving the city under the guise of rightful laws and the previous lord-mayor’s disappearance is suspect to say the least. The new regime makes a mockery of just rule (and having the Order of the Rack butting in on her territory is not exactly appriciated). Something has to change, but Didiana is reluctant to act without her Order’s blessing. And so it is that she joins in at the latest protest, not as a hell knight armiger but merely as a concerned citizen, looking for some sign to either relieve her fears or push her to action. Vignette - the crime:
“Listen, lady...” the exasperated dottari guard started.
“Drost,” she corrected him. “Listen, Drost…” “Armiger Drost.” “Listen, armiger Drost! Asmodeus take me… You can’t just waltz up and expect me to hand out fines or jailtime to random street brats on your word alone. It takes... Hey, ease up on the kid’s wrist before it snaps, yeah?!” The woman called Didiana Drost slackened her grip on the struggling urchin’s wrist. It was true; she had held onto the child with as much force as she could muster. Pain had been her intent. The kid was only marginally appeased. “Right. As I was saying - even if I took your word for it, I can’t charge the boy. This kid’s what? Thirteen? He’s a juvie. And besides, petty theft? He was just trying to feed himself. He walks with a warning, you hear? You hearing this, boy? Let this be a warning, caught in the act and hauled down the street by a hell knight and all.” Drost’s expression was difficult to read beneath her skull-like helmet, the mark of an armiger; a hell knight in training. The guard couldn’t imagine that she was best pleased with his judgement, however. The hell knight crowd weren’t exactly famed for their mercy. He was then surprised when the woman immediately relented. “As you wish, soldier. The boy walks.” The street urchin was so taken aback at being released that he didn’t even think to run, instead taking to soothing his newly released and aching arm. The guard didn’t quite know how to proceed. “Alright then. Good. And that’ll be the end of that...?” He hadn’t meant for this to be a question, but the inflection had slipped in. It was unusual, to say the least, for hell knights to let their quarry go, however minor their infraction. But the armiger reiterated: “Of course, sir. You are the authority of our fair city. If the dottari does not wish to pursue this case, then I will not force the matter.” “Good. Good. That’s good. Well then. I have somewhere to be... Be good, kid. Stay out of trouble.” And with that the guard walked off, with just a hint of uncertainty in his steps, leaving the armiger and street urchin alone in the alley. The woman Drost was glaring at the boy from beneath her metal helmet, but the boy now felt brave enough to stare back. He had been terrified when he was caught stealing by not just a city guard, but by one of the infamous hell knights, albeit a mere armiger. This impotent display of hers, however, had bolstered his courage. “Heh. Not so tough after all, huh? The stupid dottari let me go. You wanted to hurt me and the guard just totally told you off and you just took it. Like a chump. You can’t touch me,” he taunted her. “Yes. Of course he let you go. Sections 66ZA and 66ZB of the Youth Crime and Order Act state that any juvenile without prior criminal record accused of a minor offence merely be given a reprimand. That’s what he just gave you: your reprimand.” The boy’s face betrayed his confusion. “But... If you knew, then why...” “Because I needed you to see.” “See whu...?” he slurred, newly gained confidence quickly waning. This woman, Drost, did not sound defeated. Her expression, what he could see of it, was calm and measured, and she spoke with authority. “To whom do the hell knights answer? No, don’t bother replying. I know that you’ve skipped school far too often to answer that. Perk up those wax pools you call ears, boy, for I am about to educate you. The hell knights do not answer to the dottari, including that fool guard. They do not answer to the lord-mayor. They don’t answer to the brimstone priests. They don’t even answer to the diabolically won throne in Egorian. The hell knights answer only to the Law. And the hell knights hold all accountable.” A sliver of menace entered Didiana Drost’s voice as the corners of her mouth drew down. Was that... disgust the boy saw? “When the guard errs, when the politician deceives, when the priest exploits and the nobleman strays, the hell knights hold them accountable to the Law. Not the law of mortal man, because it is as fallible as he is but to a higher Law; a better Law. We must. For they are all equal before the Law. Everyone, from lofty Queen to pathetic thieving street urchin, equal. Never is this edict more important than when the government fails the Law. That is when the hell knights must remind them that we all stand equal.
The eponymous brat’s fear was back in full force now. The armiger’s tone was now as portentous and intimidating as any Asmodean preacher he had heard. “We witnessed a criminal, however insignificant, brought before a law enforcement officer, a sworn guardian of the city. And the officer let the lawbreaker go. That was his right, in accordance with this city’s law, but a transgression requires just punishment. That is the hell knights’ Law. Our feeble dottari let you go and he was happier for it. He couldn’t be bothered with you. He called you ‘street brat’. That is all you are in the eyes of the state. You are insignificant and not worth the effort of jailing. That is what we saw. We witnessed complacency. We witnessed the failure of the government. And that, Zeke, is where I step in.” “How do you know my...?” “Your name, Zeke? I know everything there is to know about you, you little piece of filth. I know where your friends roam. I know where your accomplices piss. I know where your family sleeps. Did you think our encounter today was happenstance? No, I walk in providence as an agent of the Law. Just design has brought us here, lawbreaker and lawbringer. Scum such as you must be stamped out, Zeke, so that others may live in peace. For you see, the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. I am my brothers’ keeper and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Law when I lay my vengeance upon thee!” As the armiger reached for her mace, the boy named Zeke ran. His legs scurried him forward with the speed that only panic can provide. He never looked back, of course; he didn’t dare to. If he had, he would have noticed that Didiana Drost never pursued him.
Aw man. I haaate having to do that. Damn kid was terrified. Keep it together, girl. It’s for his own good. You did your duty. At best, you scared him straight. At worst, the dottari take him off the street now that you made sure he got his first warning. You did what you could. The armiger took off her skull-like helmet to reveal a head of unusually bright red hair, cut short. She ruffled the locks. It got stuffy under that helmet. As she turned around and headed back to Citadel Vaull, Didiana thought back to her conversation with the tanner in Old Kintargo. She hoped that he would take Zeke in as an apprentice now. Vignette - the reckoning:
“Breathe deeply before the plunge.”
Didiana was not given the opportunity before the hand at her throat forced her head under the water. The words spoken to her, the maxim of the Torrent, were an admonishment, not an instruction. The many hellknight orders differed in minor and significant ways, but one thing they all had in common were the so called reckonings. These were mortification rites, such as the Order of the Godclaws’s flagellation, used to focus the mind and temper the spirit. The Torrent’s unique reckoning, however, was less personal ritual and more punishment. Simulated drowning was, after all, difficult to achieve on one’s own. The hand at her throat was strong, far stronger than her. Didiana knew this despite not having started to struggle yet. She knew she would eventually. Eventually she would run out of air and her panicking body would overcome her will and fight the hellknight holding her down. It was a fight she would lose. This was good. She knew that she deserved her reckoning. Her arms were still at her back. She was not restrained in any way; she forced herself to hold them there for as long as she could, but, sure enough, it wasn’t long before the flesh won over the mind. The hellknight assisting Didiana in her reckoning now felt the armiger’s flailing fingers on him. She was struggling now, desperately and pitifully. They all did eventually. He kept her submerged for a few more seconds, just long enough for her mouth to force itself open and her lungs to taste water. Only then did he pull her up. “Why did you do it, Drost?” Retching, wet coughs and frenzied breaths were the only answer he got. He plunged her back underwater. Didiana could not regain control of herself and felt her body fight that much harder in blind panic. It was only scant seconds before she was pulled back up, but the drowning sensation extended these into infinity. “Why?” She was given time to answer this time. She was allowed to cough up the accumulated water and find the air to form words. It was both mystifying and frustrating for the hellknight that Didiana chose to remain silent. She merely looked up at him apologetically. He resubmerged the remorseful face with some annoyance. This process repeated itself a few times until Didiana felt the hellknight’s grip disappear without warning. She didn’t know when, but at some point in her reckoning a second hellknight had entered the room. Her superiors were talking amongst themselves, although she could barely follow them over her own coughing and spluttering. “Let her go, sir?” “Yes. The case armiger Drost was assigned to has been closed to satisfaction,” the second hellknight replied. “Closed? Sir, I have reason to believe that armiger Drost hid the identity of the culprit. However minor the crime...” “I followed up on the case myself. The theatre director has nothing to fear. The threatening letters came from a scorned actress. He had apparently promised her a certain role, but dismissed her for someone else. I took the liberty to visit her myself. Just a shrew with delusions of grandeur. Harmless to anyone but herself, most likely assisted by drink in writing those letters. The case is closed.” “I see... But this does not rectify Drost’s behaviour.” “No. It does not. But there are mitigating circumstances.” “Such as?” “Such as the fact that the shrew in question happens to be armiger Drost’s mother.” Armiger Drost stayed put during this exchange, the only movement from her being the water running from her bright red hair. Despite being dismissed by her superior she hoped that she could continue her reckoning. In her own mind, she deserved it. She was still too soft. Character sheet:
Didiana Drost
Female Human Sorcerer 3 23 Years of Age LG Medium Humanoid [human] Init +1; Senses Perception +1 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 Armor, +1 Dex) HP 29 (4d6 + 2 Con mod x 4 +3 FC) Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5 Fire resistance 6, +3 saves against poison -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Weapon: heavy mace, +3 attack, 1d8+1 Damage, 20/x2 crit, bludgeoning Weapon: telekinetic volley (spell imitating halfling sling staff), +8 attack, 1d8+4 damage, 20/x3 crit, bludgeoning -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 12 (+1), Dex 12 (+1), Con 14 (+2), Int 12 (+1), Wis 12(+1), Cha 18 (+4) Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 14 Feats: Arcane Armor Training; Eschew Materials; Light Armor Proficiency; Persuasive; Spell Focus (evocation) Traits: Planar Savant (Cha to Planes); Deft Dodger (+1 to Reflex); Infernal Influence (+1 fire, poison resistance) Skills (4 per lv. x 4; 1 bonus point): Diplomacy +10; Intimidate +13; Sense Motive +5; Knowledge (Planes) +8; Spellcraft +8 Background Skills: Lore (criminal law) +8; Perform (violin) +8 Languages: Common, Infernal -------------------- Wealth -------------------- Adventuring Gear: +1 leather armor (+3, +6, -0) Other Gear: Sorcerer’s Kit, Bloodblock, dagger Coin: 133 GP -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Class: Bloodline (Infernal + Blood Havoc mutation); Infernal Resistance (fire resis 5, +2 vs poison) Racial: Bonus Feat; Skilled (extra skill point) -------------------- Spells -------------------- Spells known: 0th: Detect Magic; Light; Ray of Frost; Read Magic; Scrivener's Chant; Spark 1st (7/day): Charm Person; Magic Missile; Protection from Good; Shield; Shocking Grasp 2nd (4/day): Telekinetic Volley |
