Oktavian Valdemar's page

About Oktavian Valdemar

Oktavian Valdemar was once a noble son from a relatively minor but wealthy household favored by the royalty of the land. While out on an archaeological expedition one day however he stumbled across an ancient cursed artifact that drained the sanity from whomsoever touched it, leaving them as a crazed husk whose limited intelligence led them to fiercely defend the tomb until their death. Upon touching the artifact, Oktavian killed the rest of the archaeological crew in a mindless frenzy.

Awakening several days later, Oktavian found he had regained his sanity thanks to the passing of a priest of Desna who attempted to break the magical hold over him. It took many weeks of meditation, divine treatment and solitary confinement to truly break the hold of the curse over Oktavian and he felt comfortable walking the streets again.

Oktavian's noble family however had been informed of the massacre of their archaeological team. Upon his return to their household, he was apprehended by the guardsmen and thrown into the jail beneath their basement to await judgement.

Furious at the injustice yet wracked with guilt, Oktavian was horrified to feel the raging beast within him rise up and fill him with the unnatural strength he had been afflicted with from the curse. This time however, thanks to the mental training of the Priest of Desna, Oktavian was able to maintain a semblance of self-control.

With his newfound strength he easily broke the shackles binding him and fled the manor, disappearing into the wilderness to never be seen in civilization again for some time.

Oktavian despaired at the level of guilt he suffered - though he was not aware at the time, the memories of the murders he committed came back to him in horrific nightmares. Years passed while he lived among the trees with a solitary shack to call home, where he found his inner rage a powerful weapon against any creatures that would dare to cross him.

The Pathfinder society caught wind of the hermit living within the forest and his strange behaviour, eventually dispatching a member to investigate. Upon finding Oktavian, the Pathfinder representative was surprised to find him a cultured and civilized individual, talented with the violin and compassionate towards those whose lives were threatened.

An invitation to potentially join the society was extended, which Oktavian was happy to accept. He reasoned, after some thought, that perhaps this 'curse' that led him to kill those innocents several years ago could finally be used to do some good. In fact, he hoped that perhaps this could redeem him and finally free him from the nightmares that plagued his dreams.

Arriving at the Pathfinder headquarters still wearing the tattered remnants of the nobles outfit he once proudly wore, Oktavian returned to civilization once more to begin his long road to repentance. Though a monster still lived within him - a bloodthirsty and merciless creature - Oktavian had tamed it well enough that he could prevent it from doing evil. He hoped it would prove a powerful weapon for the Pathfinders - he now bore the curse willingly, seeing it as his comeuppance for his previous misdeeds.