 About Handsome SullyHandsome Sully
Appearance:
Though short and scrawny, the half-orc named Sully earns his nickname: he is stunningly good-looking (many might say "preposterously", given his partial orcish parentage). While physically unimposing, he is reasonably in shape and possesses fairly deft reflexes. Sully is given to wearing stylish, loose-fitting clothing and is fond of accouterments like cloaks and scarves. His relatively well-dressed nature is someone at odds with his career path of petty criminal and ne'er-do-well. Personality:
"Sully's not a bad lad, but ye'd be best to keep three eyes on your coin purse when 'e comes around." Sully is a generally well-meaning young man, but has had trouble shaking the habits that kept him alive while growing up in the gutters of Riddleport. He possesses a natural charm and, while lacking any formal education or wide vocabulary, is very well spoken. He is kind to his friends and tries very hard to maintain loyalty to those who treat him well, however it is not uncommon for those who show him hospitality to find a family heirloom or two missing: Sully feels bad about his compulsive larceny, but in the moment can often think of little else beyond ensuring himself against a night spent sleeping in alleys and dining on rats. His deft hands have proven quite proficient at tipping the "odds" in his favor with all sorts of gambling games, and for the last year or so he's preferred that to making coin doing favors for the Sczarni or mages researching the Cyphergate. Sully doesn't really know what to think about his emerging magical abilities. They are often quite advantageous, but the lack of rhyme or reason to their development unnerves him somewhat. He loves his raccoon familiar, Bandit, dearly however. Background:
Sully has lived his entire tumultuous life in Riddleport. A foundling, all he knows of his early life is information taken on trust from orphanage staff. He was apparently discovered the Wharf District, barely two months old, wrapped in a bundle of dirty rags tucked into the center of a large coil of shipyard rope. In one of the more significant kindnesses done to him in his short life, a longshoreman brought him to an orphanage in the brutally impoverished Rotgut District. This is where Sully would spend the first few years of his life. While the orphanage was by no means a cruel place, it was hard. Grimy, run down, and staffed by a handful of men and women living nearly as desperately as the orphans themselves; it was run on a pauper's budget. The destiny of the overwhelming majority of the children there was to be purchased by a pirate captain for a life of toil on the high seas. But fate had other plans for Sully. The half-orc lad was named by one of the orphanage staff, an ancient halfling man named Byrgan who earned meal and board at the orphanage as it's cook. In one of the last conversations they ever had Byrgan would mention that "Sully" was a family name, though he never explained beyond that. While their time together was short, Byrgan was the closest thing to a friend Sully would have until he reached adulthood. When Sully was three years old, strange phenomena began occurring in his wake. "Th' boy's bad luck!", the night all three mirrors in the building shattered when Sully tripped and a nail from a loose floorboard drove itself drove itself into his palm. "A blight from Gozreh herself!", when the sack of fish he carried back from the marked was opened to reveal only sand. "Bet tha mongrel's got a bit a' the Abyss in'm as well!", when odd insects not native to the region would appear in every nook and cranny. Only Byrgan's friendship and sympathy protected Sully from the growing animosity of the other orphan's and the rest of the staff. But Byrgan was old -nearly two-hundred!- and he passed away quietly in the night when Sully was five. Within days, Sully was out on the streets, a child fending for himself in one of the most dangerous cities in Avistan. ********** The necessity of survival brought Sully's natural talents to the fore quite quickly. He discovered that he was rather deft of hand (useful for obtaining food when one has no access to money) and also possessed quite the silver tongue (useful for when one is caught while obtaining the aforementioned food). The chaotic, inexplicable phenomena that began in the orphanage still followed him wherever he went, but the immediate nature of his reality left him little time to dwell on or worry about it. As Sully grew up and his skill at larceny and fast-talk became noteworthy on the streets, a new issue presented itself: various criminal interests became interested in recruiting him. "Split Face" Knocmar, Riddleport's "Master of Beggars", and prominent gang leader Ziphras both wanted Sully for his pickpocketing talents. Sully was profoundly uninterested in owing allegiance to anyone, but as the years passed it became more and more dangerous to safely rebuff these overtures and Sully started to feel a bit desperate. To Sully's relief, fate saw fit to offer him an (at least temporary) reprieve from this situation. At the age of 15, he was approached by a strange human man, covered head to toe in elaborate tattoos with a large lizard perched astride his shoulder. The man introduced himself only as "Hix". He explained that he represented the interests of the Sczarni. Sully moved to leave almost immediately. "Wait a moment, lad. I represent my own interests as well. Come with me to a tavern, I'll by you a drink. I have the answer to more of your problems than you realize.", and with that he conjured a ball of flame in his hand, slowly rotating in mid-air. Reluctant but fascinated, Sully agreed. The man explained many things to Sully: the most important of which being that Sully, like the tattooed man, had magic burning in his veins. "My great-great-great grandmother was a dragon, that's how I carry the gift. I've been watching you for some months now, and while I can't be sure where you got it from, I know the gift when I see it. Do you know anything of your parents? Any little detail could be a clue to where your blood claims it's power from." Sully fidgeted, "Not a damn thing. I was found as a baby, at the docks." Shrugging, Hix moved the conversation along: "Ah, no matter. The important thing is that you've got the power. You just need to learn to focus it, command it. I could show you, if you're interested." Hix's offer was such: He would take Sully on as his apprentice, teaching him an ancient Varisian form of mystical tattooing that would help him control and focus his magical abilities. Sully would also have access to basic Sczarni facilities and lodging as well as opportunities for low-level Sczarni work, but would not be beholden to the organization. Once his training with Hix was concluded, he would have a choice: pay for the training and instruction by becoming a fully pledged agent of the Sczarni, or reimburse Hix and the Sczarni for their services to the tune of one thousand gold pieces. The arrangement still rankled Sully somewhat, but he was smart enough to know that he'd get nowhere near as generous an offer from anyone else. Sully and Hix shook hands, and Sully's training began two days later. ********** The next four years training under Hix and associating with the Sczarni were the most stable Sully had seen since the orphanage, and he was considerably better cared for. Hix first taught him the meaning of the many Varisian tattoos and their role in focusing and controlling one's magical talents. The first tattoos Sully received were very basic protective magics -useful when you're still learning to control your abilities- and were followed by Hix teaching him the basics of spellcasting. Sully's magic was chaotic and unpredictable. When Hix attempted to teach him how to project bolts of magical force, Sully instead conjured a bone chilling ball of snow that hurtled through the air. This was particularly impressive considering Sully had never even seen snow in his life. As near as Hix could tell Sully had a knack for magical conjuration, and Sully's second tatto was a Varisian rune to enhance those talents further. During his training, Sully also availed himself of the various Sczarni social spaces in Riddleport. Through socialization, he picked up a bit of a gambling habit. Fortunately he proved quite apt at many different games of chance, and even better at cheating his way to victory. His quickly maturing good looks netted him a wide range of men and women paramours during this time and he can no longer remember who first anointed him with the nickname "Handsome", but it stuck. Two years into Sully's training with Hix, they tackled the complex process of calling and binding a familiar. Hix had demonstrated that his tattoo magic enhanced his familiar as well: the lizard could shift back and forth at will between it's natural state and as a stylized tattoo on Hix's left arm. When Sully finally succeeded at the summoning ritual, a wily raccoon he dubbed "Bandit" came into his life. For the first time since Byrgan passed away Sully had a true friend. Despite this happy development, the last year of his training and "trial period" with the Sczarni has not been pleasant: he has become increasingly uncomfortable with more extreme Sczarni methods. The final straw occurred five months ago when he was signed on with a handful of other low-ranking Sczarni as protection for a wizard researching the Cyphergate. A fight broke out in the streets with a rival wizard's hired thugs over some petty artifact or another. Sully managed to survive the fight unscathed, but he witnessed a family of three caught in the blast of an errant spell. The child survived, but the parents died shielding the young girl: another orphan in the world. Some time after, Sully approached Hix to inform him he wanted out, that he'd find the gold some way or another. He'd pay Hix the thousand gold and that would be it: Sully would be his own man to figure out his own place in the world. Hix was unenthusiastic and cold to this. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed with this decision. You'd seemed to be fitting in, and you possess a great deal of potential value to the cartel. But a deal is a deal. Sully, you have three months to put one thousand gold coins in the Sczarni's coffers and then you'll be a free man." Hix grinned menacingly. "Failure to get the money to me in time and the Sczarni owns you. Lock, stock, and barrel." That was two weeks ago. Since then Sully's mostly been trying gambling tables around Riddleport to gather up the coin he needs. Despite his prodigious talents with cards and dice, he hasn't been having much luck. He's hoping the upcoming "Cheat The Devil And Take His Gold" tournament at The Golden Goblin will see his luck turn... Stats:
Str. 8 (-1)
Offense:
BAB: +0
Dagger -1, 1d4-1, crit 19-20(x2), 10' thrown, piercing Jolt +2, 1d3, crit 20(x2), 30'(maximum), electricity, ranged touch Defense:
HP: 8
Armor/Shield: None Feats:
Varisian Tattoo (Conjuration)
Spell Focus: Conjuration
Skills:
(1)Bluff +8
Background Skills: (1)Profession: Gambling +7
Traits & Drawbacks:
Traits: Child of The Streets:
Lost Origins:
Fixer of The Odds:
Vain:
Class Abilities:
Favored Class Bonus: +1 Hit Point/Level Varisian Tattoo:
Familiar Tattoo:
Protean Bloodline: Bloodline Arcana:
Racial Abilities:
Scavenger:
Sacred Tattoo:
City-Raised:
Orc Blood: Counts as both an orc an a human for any effect regarding race. Darkvision: 60' Spells:
Spells Known/Spells per Day: 0-Level(At will, DC 14) Jolt
1st Level(2/4 per day, DC 15) Grease (DC 16)
Languages:
Common, Orc, Varisian, Draconic, Goblin Gear:
On Person: Dagger
Kept Wherever He's Hanging His Hat: Backpack
PP:
Weight Carried: 9lbs (Light Load) Light Load: Up to 26lbs
Character Development Map:
1: Spell Focus: Conjuration, Varisian Tattoo(b)
Bandit:
Raccoon Familiar(Pilferer) Str. 8 (-1)
Initiative: +2 Defense: HP: 3
CMD: 9 (13 vs. Trip) Offense: Bite +4, 1d3-1, crit 20 (x2), Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing CMB: +0 Feats: Weapon Finesse
Skills: (1)Bluff -2
Special Abilities: Low-Light Vision:
Scent:
Nondetection:
Share Spells:
Empathic Link:
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