 About Professor DakaalPicture: Professor Dakaal Professor Dakaal
Background:
Professor Dakaal is a Golin'dar (goblin), though oddly blue in color. He's a junior professor of Mathematics at Morgrave, though you'll find his name on papers in most of the fields that Morgrave covers. While he has some amazing insights, he also usually manages to connect everything back to his pet mathematical theory. He asserts that the universe we see is merely an overlay on top of a mathematical construct. People who know his past know that he's much less obnoxious about this recently. He got a circlet to enhance his mind, and it did wonders for his social skills. As unbelievable as his claims about mathematics are, they aren't just crackpot claims. He applies mathematics practically as a weapon, a defense, and can even do a little healing with it. By calculating the flaws in a person's pattern, he can apply a negligible amount of psychic energy to harm them. By using more of his power, he can do a handful of other effects. He never eats, claiming that "the math sustains him." Those who have gone on previous expeditions with him will know he's quite skilled at dealing with the traps and hazards of relic hunting. He aptly shows his kind's skills at sneaking around, especially when he puts his mind to it. His ability to maim people through calculation is quite effective, though short ranged. If he gets cornered, he'll use his electric gloves as the calculation requires some concentration. He's also known as an artist, producing illustrations for his papers, books, and newspapers. Many of his works show constructions impossible to build. When praised about this, he shrugs it off as "just an unimportant hobby." Kozzemo and Dakaal were born during one of the storms where the rain falls down and up, left and right, in and out. The water was driven every which way by the mad winds. They were in the family's main home in the back of Ja'Kor Hawkery in the Tradefair district. Kozzemo was born first, and Dakaal was mistaken for the afterbirth. But Kozzemo kept pointing and reaching for something, screeching louder than the hawks. Only when they found Dakaal and put the two together did he quiet down. Dakaal hadn't made a fuss, but seemed happier with his brother. Dakaal's blue skin was obvious, and everybody was talking about the old stories. Blue children usually ended up either wonderful or a disaster. As the twins grew up they had an obvious connection, though the two had little in common. Kozzemo was always out with the hawks and had a way with them from even a young age. The hawkery had both common sized hawks and much larger ones. While not as big as Aundairian Dragon Hawks, they were large enough for the goblins to ride and quite strong for their size. All had distinctive red plumage that made for a glorious sight flying among the canyons of Sharn. Many of their family had a talent for nature and a bond with the birds, and it was obvious that Kozzemo had a strong gift. Dakaal seemed comfortable around the birds, but neither side felt anything more. The Hawkery had booths in the Marketplace and Tavick's Market, and some customers had special perches that they put out when they needed to send something. The smarter birds (i.e. familiars) would circle the city every couple of hours and stop at these perches to pick up small messages and parcels, or send word that they needed one of the larger birds. Kozzemo was soon riding along with his father and cousins. Which ended up annoying people when the birds listened more to little Kozzy than the riders. It wasn't surprising that he soon showed other magic, including healing magic. Pretty soon, they figured out that one of the growing birds was his. He named the hawk Golin'Kurar. Dakaal was a prodigy in another way. He taught himself how to read and absorbed books as fast as they could bring them home. Taking him to school didn't go well as he didn't like having to wait for the children. The soon found that simply buying him a membership in a library was the best way to satisfy his need. When the twins came back together at the end of their day, they would talk over each other describing what they had done and learned. Despite this, they understood perfectly. One day, when their mother came in while Dakaal was changing, she found a couple of odd tattoos on his body. She was several swats in when Kozzemo ran in to tell her that they weren't tattoos. That was just Dakaal's form of magic. As they grew older, Kozzemo joined the Hawkery formally. It was more than obvious that that was the only possible path. Dakaal was sent off to Morgrave university. He began submitting papers and commentaries on existing papers in his first year. They normally wouldn't publish them, but the ideas were unquestionably novel. It was more than obvious that he would end up as a professor. Though he moved over to Menthis Plateau, he chose a place with a nearby balcony because Kozzemo would usually arrive and they'd talk daily. Despite his academics, Dakaal joined in on several expeditions. He got positions for his brother on a couple of them. Ones where having a healer and a big bird would be helpful. If asked about his color, he will get into the refraction and reflection of light and how the spectrum of light is similar to the scale of music and continue on this vein as long as the listener is willing to talk. Eventually he'll show how much he understands the nature of color and light by using his abilities to allow him to change how he reflects light in order to conceal himself. Independent studies will reveal that occasionally blue goblins show up with unusual powers. Sometimes they formed powerful groups, but often they were eliminated for their strange powers.
Game note:
The professor can be a bit prickly as a character. Charisma 8 in action. But as a player I want to keep things fun. If it gets too much, please let me know and I'll tone it down. |
