Ozirex Ashwater PFS's page

About Ozirex Ashwater PFS

Ozirex Ashwater is a Hungerseed (Oni-Spawn) Tiefling fighter with roguish inclinations.

Originally from the Hold of Belkzen, Ozirex was the son of an Ogre Mage and a Half-Orc Priestess. She concealed him from his father and raised him as an Orcish warrior. When he was seven his father found out about his mother's decpetion, returned to his village, and slew her. Ozirex challenged his father, but his father only laughed, telling him to return when he was worthy.

Like most orcs, Ozirex was full-grown by the time he was in his mid-teens. When he was 15 he joined a war party that went on a raid to the south of the Hold into Nirmathas, but the band got trapped in the Bloodsworn vale between a group of Nirmathi scouts and a brigade of Korvosan regulars. His war party was decimated and the survivors scattered.

Ozirex wandered alone, using his disguise abilities to avoid the Korvosan Patrols. He was eventually found by a travelling stage magician named "The Amazing Zarkin." Where other humans reacted to Ozirex with fear, Zarkin instead saw opportunity in Ozirex. Zarkin took Ozirex in, and incorporated Ozirex into his travelling act. Zarkin would wow crowds by appearing to "summon" a demon, which was in fact Ozirex, who would appear in a puff of smoke, and perform feats of strength for the crowd. Sometimes Ozirex would use his Alter Self ability in the act, appearing to be a normal human who was "transformed" into a demon by Zarkin's magic. He learned to be particularly frightening in these performances, using his size, strength, and fearsome appearance to intimidate others.

Zarkin's tour eventually reached Korvosa, and Ozirex marvelled at the size and scope of the city. So far Ozirex had only seen small farming villages and orcish tribal camps, and the city of Korvosa overwhelmed him. He got to see the way the wealthy lived, with their fine clothes and jewels and perfumes. With Zarkin's influence he was able to attend the baths, massage parlours, and brothels of Korvosa's red light district. Basking in the luxury of it, he resolved to live the "good life" for himself from then on.

Unfortunately, Zarkin ran afoul of Urgo Polesto, a loan shark who came to call in some of Zarkin's debts. Zarkin refused to pay, thinking he would be able to escape, but he was killed by Agnar the Black, a local assassin working for Urgo. Urgo and his men siezed Zarkin's belongings, and when Ozirex returned he found Zarkin dead and all his wealth gone, leaving Ozirex with no means of support.

He drifted down to the slums of the seedy docklands area, where he found employment as a legbreaker for the local gangs. His brute strength and fearsome appearance gave him an innate advantage in the Korvosan underworld. To Ozirex this seemed to be easy money, and the notion that a local crime boss was going to send "the demon" to collect protection money made the local merchants pay their dues in a timely fashion.

Sooner or later, though, it became inevitable that Ozirex would run afoul of Urgo Polesto. When Urgo learned that Ozirex had been Zarkin's "pet demon," he had Ozirex declared to be Zarkin's property and therefore an escaped slave who belonged to Urgo as a result of Zarkin's unpaid debts. When Urgo and his men came to collect, Ozirex killed Urgo and two of his men, and fled into the slums.

Urgo was quickly replaced by his nephew, Indaro Polesto. Indaro was secretly delighter that Urgo had died, making way for his own advancement, but to show his suitability for the position and his loyalty to the Polesto crime family, Indaro aggressively pursued Ozirex, setting a price on Ozirex's head and sending his men to search the slums for Ozirex. Knowing his time in Korvosa was at an end, Ozirex dove into the harbour only a few minutes ahead of Indaro's gang. Always a strong swimmer, Ozirex swam out to one of the ships in the harbour and stowed away.

Ozirex was discovered a few days later by the first mate and brought before the captain. Though many of the crew wanted to throw him overboard, the captain decided to let Ozirex "work his passage" aboard the ship. Though the crew of the Swan of Jalmeray never really accepted Ozirex as one of their own, Ozirex did learn his way around the ship and soon was tying knots and trimming sails along with the able seamen.

Though he never made friends with the crew, he did gain their grudging respect in a number of battles defending the Swan of Jalmeray against attacking pirates. After this, captain Pradesh took steps to train Ozirex in the use of the weaponry and equipment of Vudra, including the chakram, which Ozirex took an immediate liking to.

Eventually the Swan of Jalmeray called at the port of Absalom. Korvosa seemed to be a small hamlet compared to the massive city of Absalom, and even included a neighbourhood of Tieflings. Ozirex took his leave of the Swan of Jalmeray and set out to make his fortune in Absalom. At first he assumed that he would take up a life much like the one he led in Korvosa, earning money as a legbreaker or enforcer in a local gang. But he caught the eye of a small-time crook named Skandar Vracik, who ran a fence operation for the local Sczarni.

Skandar encouraged Ozirex to enlist with the Pathfinder society, indicating that once Ozirex was within such a wealthy organization his status could only grow, and he would be valuable not only to the Pathfinders but also to the Sczarni who had an "interest" in it.

Once in the Pathfinder Society, Ozirex began to realize just how big the world was and how little he had actually seen of it. For the first time Ozirex could see a purpose for himself beyond survival and the satisfaction of his cravings. Ozirex enthusiastically took on the mantle of Pathfinder, resolving to see the world and face any challenge that came his way.

The rest... is history.

Description: Ozirex Ashwater's orcish heritage is immediately obvious, betrayed by his prominent tusks, pointed ears, and blocky features. But anyone who spares a moment's glance can tell that Ozirex is no half-orc. His skin is covered in fine scales the colour of pewter and his eyes are featureless orbs the colour of burnished gold. His fingers and toes end in vestigial claws the same colour as his eyes. He has thick coarse wiry black hair which comes down above his eyes in a widows' peak, and it grows not only from his head but also from the back of his neck and shoulders, like a mane. At the base of his spine hangs a snakelike tail, and his limbs and torso (when bare) show a pattern of golden stripes much like that of a tiger. His footprints always appear as that of a clawed demi-human beast, even when he wears boots, and his shadow never seems to quite match the shape of his body. He has a massive frame, standing six foot seven and weighing over 300 pounds, and his fearsome appearance is matched by his fearsome strength.

He normally travels bundled up in a thick cloak that masks his appearance to casual viewers, but even when covered up strangers shy away from him, knowing that something is unnatural about him. When Ozirex really wants to go unnoticed however, he can assume the shape of an ordinary humanoid for a short time, and when doing so he is rarely seen for what he truly is.

Personality: While Ozirex knows the value of appearing as a bestial monster, he understands the merits of civilization and fine living, desiring for himself the best that life has to offer. He is practical about these desires; he does not have a problem with taking what he wants or needs from those who cannot defend it, but he has seen human society in action and has no interest in running afoul of the authorities. On the other hand, glory and fame seem like a good way for Ozirex to get people to give him what he wants in life, and the Pathfinder Society seems to be a good way to get this.

Ozirex can be cheerful and jovial around those he trusts, but around strangers he seems moody and sullen. The fact is that Ozirex automatically assumes those around him will disdain him because of his Oni heritage, and he is rarely wrong. As a rule he simply wants such people to leave him alone, and when he bares his teeth most people do.

Ozirex has little use for gods, as most 'godly' people he has met have very little use for him. He has occasionally been approached by priests of Lamashtu who assume that Ozirex's bestial form will endear him to that faith, but Ozirex's hatred of his Oni father extends to any faith that sees that heritage in a good light. He has been known to swear by some of the orcish gods of battle and plunder, but he does not actually worship them.