Obasi the Hex-Tongue's page

Obasi’s mother was descended from a long line of witches commonly known as the hex-tongues, who at one time (several centuries ago) were sought as oracles by the ruling dynasties of the Osirion throne. These hex-tongues eventually fell out of favor and were hunted as heretics to the point of extinction. Quietly, a few survived the ages to pass their secrets on to future generations. Obasi never knew his father.

Obasi’s mother was forced to prostitute herself to make ends meet and feed Obasi and his younger sister, and sold minor charms and enchantments on the side. The magistrate of their district, Khelden, took a shine to Obasi’s mother, who politely rebuffed his offers of marriage, fearing his black temper. Enraged by her audacity, the magistrate accused Obasi’s mother of bewitching him, and ordered her death. Obasi’s 9 year old sister was gutted in front of him, and his mother was burned at the stake.

Obasi fought back, and for his impudence he was to be tortured to death. A rope was hung about his neck and Obasi was dragged for over 5 miles by a braying donkey into the desert outside of Sothis. There, in the sand, a 13 year old Obasi was crucified and nailed to a withered olive tree, left to die. For three days, Obasi roasted under the sun - but he did not die.

A voice called out to Obasi - slowly, over three tortuous days, Obasi ripped his hands through the spikes that were driven through his palms and freed himself. Crawling across the sand, Obasi made his way towards the voice. Night became day and Obasi lost all sense of time - he only recalls finding water in a dark underground warren at the base of a stone door. Behind the door, a voice rumbled low and cruel, demanding that Obasi free him. The voice had directed Obasi, had “saved” him from death and had kept him alive for three days in the sun. The voice was that of a powerful devil, and it demanded to be released from its prison. Not powerful enough to do so yet, Obasi was chosen to be a vessel for this devil, and was tasked with freeing the beast. In return for saving Obasi, the devil stole a piece of his soul. (Thus giving him the Infernal bloodline. Obasi’s hands still bleed to this day from his crucifixion, and if he wipes his devil-tainted blood on someone they are affected by his corrupting touch special ability. Obasi keeps his hands heavily wrapped at all times because he has no control over this ability, his mere touch affects people. His neck still bears the scar of the noose as well. Obasi never speaks of this encounter with the Devil in Stone.)

Obasi crawled from the tomb with naught but a name for the devil who now owned him - Karnekh - who claimed to have always watched over Obasi his entire life. Obasi was in the desert for days before he was found. Fortunately he was found by people who recognized him, and they forbade him from returning to Sothis because he would surely die. Obasi was sent overland, then by ship, to far off Absalom, seen to and protected by Pathfinders who had heard of his ordeal at the hands of the magistrate and were amazed he was still alive.

Obasi has become a collector of rare Osirian materials and artifacts, versed in the history of his people and the ancient languages of the realm. Poor and friendless in a new city, the Pathfinders were a means to an end and provided Obasi with gainful employment and a way of studying Osirian’s past. Obasi has attempted for years to find out about his mysterious devilish master and a means by which he may destroy the fiend that so often visits his dreams, rather than free him. Obasi also longs to return to Sothis.

Obasi uses many fetishes - his amulet is a cat’s skull attached to a boa constrictor’s spine, wrapped around his neck several times, with beads about it. When casting, Obasi often grasps the amulet and chants his incantations, giving off an eerie rattling sound. Obasi is fond of using summon monster as well - and he has sculpted several effigies of the beasts he summons (such as three dogs made of black obsidian and covered in sparse dog hair for the fiendish dogs he summons).