About Asht'elMale ifrit sorcerer 14
Asht’el’s story:
“I didn’t know it would burn. I knew the workers kept the room dark, even in the daytime, but I didn’t know it was because the worms and their cocoons would burn so fast and so hot.” These were the first words Asht’el spoke to Gilman, when he found Asht’el huddled amidst the cargo in the hold of the Riddler. The cabin boy was so startled by Asht’el’s strange words and unusual appearance that he didn’t think to call out that there was a stowaway on board. “What are you talking about? Did you have something to do with that big fire back in Katapesh?” Asht’el continued on, as if he hadn’t heard the question, “I didn’t know it would burn. I knew the workers kept the room dark, even in the daytime, but I didn’t know it was because the worms and their cocoons would burn so fast and so hot.” “I just wanted a place where I could be alone and play with my fire, and think what to do. I knew my father would hate me and throw me out if he knew about my taint. And the silkworms’ room was dark and quiet all the time, and the workers only went in there in the mornings, to feed the worms and harvest the cocoons. I wasn’t supposed to be in there, but I could usually slip in, and when I learned to shrink myself, it was easy to get in and out.” Gilman replied, “I don’t know if you’re mad or magical, but I haven’t time to dally. Cap’n sent me for a bottle of the Taldan red, and I’m to fetch it quick. You stay here and stay quiet, and I’ll be back, see if I can’t bring you some leavin’s from supper.” True to his word, Gilman returned with a small bundle of food and a jug of water for the ravenous Katapeshi youth. As he ate, Asht’el’s coppery-red hair glinted, almost sparking, even in the dim light of the hold, and his dark, dark eyes somehow seemed to have a faint luminosity to them. Still shakey, but with his hunger slaked somewhat, Asht’el took a deep breath and said, “I must not have been making much sense a bit ago. Let me try again. My name is Asht’el, and my father is - or was, really - a silk merchant. We have – well, had – a large room on the top of our house where the silkworms lived and grew and spun their cocoons. And I destroyed it all last night. But the story starts before that.” “I haven’t told anyone this, I don’t even know why I’m telling you, except that you helped me, and I can’t stop myself. A few years ago, I started noticing changes - changes in me, in who I am. I always thought I was human, like my parents. But I began to be able to do things, mostly things with fire at first. And my hair changed from brown to red, though not so red as you see it now, and my skin began to redden also. My parents only saw the physical changes, and somehow thought it was a part of my growing to be a man. But I knew about all the changes, and feared I was growing away from men.” “When I was young, my father used to say that I must do as I was told, or an efreeti would come from the desert and get me. He told me of the efreet’s fiery ways, and strong sense of what was right and wrong, and I feared them, and tried to obey my father. When my…powers appeared, they all seemed to match with the stories of the efreet – making fire, changing my size, controlling strange magics. I wondered, Is this how the efreet come to get me? Not by hurting or killing me, but by taking me over, making me one of them? “This scared me, as I wanted to be me, and live my life – and I knew my father used the efreet as a threat because he hated and feared them. He was a good man, though a strict and law-abiding one, and I feared how he would react to the changes in his son. But at the same time, I loved the feeling of using my powers. I would sneak away to my secret spots and practice making flame from my fingers, and later, as my powers grew, making myself as big as an ogre or as small as a child. I was almost caught once or twice, but I could usually bluff or bully my way out of things with the servants. And I couldn’t stop. When I made a flame dance in my hands, my blood would sing for the joy of it and I felt I was my true self.” “To make an already long story shorter – last night I crept into the silkworm room, to practice...well, really, to play with fire. I didn’t know it would all catch on fire so easily. I wanted to see how large a stream of fire I could make in my hands. A rack of cocoons caught fire. It spread so fast, to the other cocoons, to the whole room, to the rest of the house. I stood in the fire for a moment, transfixed and unharmed, then ran from the room, down the stairs and through the long halls of my family home as it burned. One of the halls held a long mirror, and as I ran by, I saw I had changed in an instant, that the fire had somehow ignited the efreeti blood in me. I stopped and looked, amazed at what I saw. My hair was already red, but now it was as you see it, this dark coppery red, and it glints like a burning ember and occasionally flickers with licks of flame. My eyes darkened to almost black, and my ears took on these points you see.” “The fire destroyed my family's business, and my mother and several of the servants could not be rescued. When I got outside my father saw me, and knew me for what I was. He cursed me and said I had destroyed everything, ruining the family and killing my own mother. He said I was no son of his, and raised his fists to strike me. As he did so the city watch arrived in a hurry, trying to organize the fire-fighting and asking where and how the fire had started. When I saw my father run towards them to tell them it was all my doing, I fled into the night.” “I knew I had to leave Katapesh. I also knew that the ships that carry my father’s silk leave at first light, to catch the night breezes, before the sands of the desert grow hot with the sun and the wind shifts on-shore. I managed to sneak aboard while the crew all watched the flicker and glow of the fire in the city. So the disaster that killed my mother and ruined my father at least allowed me to stow away on your ship. Where I woke to find myself surrounded by crates of my father’s best silk, bound for who knows where. And speaking of that – where is the ship going?” Asht’el learned that the ship was bound ultimately for Riddleport, its home port, with intermediate stops along the way. And after hearing this improbable, incredible, but clearly true, tale, Gilman was taken by the troubled but charming young man, and invited him to come to Riddleport. He offered to speak to the first mate on Asht’el’s behalf, securing him some sort of menial job on the Riddler in exchange for passage, but warned him not to play with fire on the ship, for sailors fear nothing more. Asht’el had no better plan in mind than to get far from Katapesh, and few places could be farther than Riddleport, so he accepted Gilman’s generosity. Asht’el proved to be no sailor, but he did not burn the ship to the waterline either. When they arrived in Riddleport, Gilman introduced his new friend to his family and some friends before setting sail once again. That was almost a year ago, and Asht’el has found a new life of sorts in the rough-and-tumble world of Riddleport. His exotic air and ability to intimidate others, as well as his fire powers, make him useful to certain people in Riddleport. He has taken to working as a guard for some of the more well-to-do establishments in the city, complementing the sheer muscle of their armed guards with a touch of magical menace. It is not the life he expected for himself, however, and he dreams of doing something more worthwhile, to undo some of the harm he has done in this world. Appearance:
Asht’el’s exotic appearance quickly sets him apart from most citizens of Riddleport. He is only slightly taller than an average man, and very slender of build. But his skin, eyes and hair mark him as only partly human. His skin is a rich, reddish gold, and he looks out on the hard world around him through eyes almost black in color, which reveal little of his emotions. His face is framed by long dark red hair, like sheets of beaten copper, to just below his shoulders. Though it looks normal enough by day, in dim light Asht’el’s hair is shot through with flickers of glowing orange, like a burning ember in shadow, and licks of flame seem to run through it when he is excited. He dresses in what appear to be the loose clothes of a Keleshite desert dweller, though they are a riot of red, orange and yellow colors. On his back he carries a small crossbow, next to a simple steel rod in a leather sheath. From his belt hangs a morningstar, its head shiny from lack of use. Useful pasty bits and info:
[dice=Ranged touch, PBS]1d20+10[/dice]
[dice=SR]1d20+18[/dice]
[dice=Tentacular grapple]1d20+20[/dice]
[dice=Tele-bolt, magicked]1d20+14+3[/dice], [dice=Tele-bolt damage]1d4+3[/dice]
Small size: +2 Dex, -2 Str, +1 AC, +1 attack
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