Dr. Mystiel 'Myst' Sange's page

Had a quick skim of the backgrounds of the existing characters. 2 thoughts:

1. I'd have a direct hook to Jeyne since Myst would be interested in seeking out Khonnir to discuss what he found in the caves and see if he managed to salvage any parts that might aid in the fixing of his arm. If Khonnir has gone missing, Myst would probably end up speaking with Val - whether Zaken misinterprets the nature of Myst's interest in the Baine family is up to him. ;)

2. Even more interesting would be Myst's identification of himself as a doctor, which to Myst means physician, but which to 7 (and maybe Malka) means something else entirely. Probably would not help that Myst sports a (albeit hidden) mechanical arm and an energy weapon, and he would need to work at convincing them that he is not himself a member of the League (the irony being that he too is hiding from the League).

Every tech weapon in Pathfinder has a port that you can place a battery into to recharge the weapon.

The idea for Myst's prototype arm is that it has a cable-linked plug extending from the wrist that can be connected to the battery-port of a technological firearm. At the other end, the arm is wired to Myst's heart and draws cardiac bioelectricity from his heart. The arm funnels and converts the bioelectric charge into the tech firearm, providing it with power, similar to a battery (though putting a strain on Myst's heart). His grit will represent how much Myst can tax his heart in this manner without risking heart failure.

The arm is however a flawed prototype in the following ways:
1. Being timeworn, it does not provide any of the benefits that a normal cybernetic arm would (until you decide he has found enough parts to repair it, at which point I will pay the full cost of the arm).
2. The modifications made by Graeme have made it a little unstable - it has the potential to glitch at any time and draw a fatal amount of cardiac bioelectricity from Myst's heart. Attempting to remove the arm will invariably trigger that glitch, and so it cannot be safely removed either. Myst has been able to jury-rig a temporary fix, but is compelled to seek out components to permanently fix it. This is his reason for adventuring and what drew him to Torch.
3. It only works with pistols. However, after fixing the arm, Myst will continue to tinker with his arm to improve upon it, which will culminate in him making a breakthrough at level 11. He will take the feat Signature Seed: Covetous Charge, simulating him fixing various inefficiencies in the circuitry so that it can be used alot more frequently. He will also install a variable adapter so that the charge is able to power heavy weaponry (this being his Heavy Weaponry Deeds archetype class feature). =)

Mystiel is a youthful-looking male of moderate build and genial features. His straw-coloured hair is tied back carelessly in a thin tail, suggesting that it is a result of convenience rather than fashion. He sports a leather vest over a a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt of white cotton. His thick cloth pants and low-cut boots are clean but well-worn, suggesting that he has seen some travel in recent years. Oddly enough, he wears only a single glove on his right hand, which he never removes. When he travels, a sling hangs beside his belt-pouch and he carries an oddly-shaped club slung on his back, but otherwise appears to be a well-kept and educated but otherwise unremarkable commoner.

Myst's grandfather, Graeme, was a scholar in the Technic League who had been researching a way to improve the usability of technological firearms by solving the problem of their limited ammunition. The solution he came upon was a bioelectric charge generated by the user's body and channeled into the firearm via a port in a cybernetic arm. For years he labored on the concept and after years of tinkering finally completed a working prototype.

But although Graeme had attempted to keep his research a secret, jealous competitors in the League took notice of his research and the materials streaming into his laboratory, and deduced the nature of his research (though not its form). Graeme came under pressure from the upper echelons of the League's hierarchy to reveal the full nature of his research and surrender it to the league for 'safekeeping', for whilst the mages of the League possessed a rare few methods of maintaining the charges in the technological weapons, they jealously resented the prospect of renewable power for those weapons being available through a device that might find its way into non-League hands. His laboratory was placed under surveillance and he knew that it was only a matter of time before they came knocking.

Reluctant to give up his life's work, Graeme sought a solution. In his desperation, he looked to his grandson, Myst, who had served as his apprentice and assistant, and there was no one who knew more about the arm after Graeme himself. The prototype arm had a flaw - the device drew its bioelectric charge directly from the user's heart, but without proper calibration and due to several inefficiencies in the circuitry, it could not be used extensively without endangering the user (grit limits how often it can be used). But reasoning that Myst's young heart would be better-able to cope with the strain, Graeme installed the arm on his grandson and cremated the original. When the league eventually forced their way into the laboratory, they did not think to look under the sleeve and glove of the young lad who looked in fear as his grandfather was interrogated, then brutalised and finally murdered. Myst himself was beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead.

As Myst struggled to pull together what was left of his life after that traumatic experience, he found that the flaw in his grandfather's prototype arm was greater than previously thought, for he learned (rather painfully) that the arm also the potential to glitch and draw a massive charge from his heart, leading to a heart attack. Furthermore, due to the arm's direct link to his heart, there was no way to safely detach the arm without triggering the glitch and risking a fatal heart-attack. Whilst Myst was able to jury-rig a temporary fix for the problem with the materials left behind in Graeme's laboratory, most of the materials that he needs for a more permanent fix were taken by the League.

Thus did Myst find the life of an adventurer thrust upon him. After gathering what provisions he could from his grandfather's laboratory, he set off into the harsh Numerian wastelands, praying to whatever gods of fortune that might be listening that he would find the components needed to fix his arm before the next glitch claims his life. His sojourns have recently brought him to the town of Torch. He suspects that the anomalies of Torch Hill are technological rather than magical in nature, and its relative autonomy from the Technic League makes it an ideal place for him to begin his search for the components he needs to fix his arm before it kills him.

If you permit, Myst will start play with a defective robotic arm that grants no mechanical benefit (it is mainly there to explain his grit mechanic and to be his reason for adventuring). We can work out when he finds the necessary parts to repair the arm, at which point I will pay the cost of a full robot arm to 'repair' it.

I will be simulating the covet charge deed mechanic as Myst channeling a bioelectric charge through his robotic arm. As the charge comes from his heart, he can only do so a limited number of times per day (limited by his grit) without endangering his life. Bursts of adrenaline (when he regains grit) often allow him to stretch that limit, but until he perfects the arm (hitting level 11 and getting the signature deed), he knows he needs to use it sparingly.

Mechanics-wise, Mystiel will be very straight-forward, being a single-classed techslinger.

Myst is courteous, friendly and easy-going, ready to help those in need and with a particular fondness for children and cats. He has some skill in medicine and is sometimes called upon as a doctor, and though the availability of divine magic limits the demand for his skills, he is always happy to offer medical advice when asked. Despite his genial nature, however, he never seems to let anyone get too close and often avoids questions about his past or the reason for his glove. Even those who seem closer to him are only vaguely told (with an evasive smile) that he suffered an injury sometime ago and is looking for a way treat it.

In short: a friendly neighbourhood doctor with a mysterious past.

Mystiel is secretive only because he does not want to advertise the true nature of his arm, but it will inevitably come to light the first time he uses a technological firearm in battle, ideally after he has come to trust the rest of the party. At that time, he will share with them his past with the Technic League and ask that they keep his secret.