Morvan was born in the capital of Cheliax, Egorian. His father, a devout worshipper of Asmodeus, was known as a skilled and able barrister and contract negotiator in the Triumph district of the capital. He had managed to make several connections with prominent merchants and nobles, including a faction of the Jeggare family, as well as less savory clientele, and it was through these connections that he arranged for his son to attend a private school run by the Church of Asmodeus. Many of the school’s graduates went on to become priests of Asmodeus or barristers themselves in service to House Thrune.
Morvan’s father’s hope was that his son would eventually become a priest of Asmodeus or, failing that, follow in his footsteps as a barrister, negotiating contracts. Neither was to be the case, however. Morvan was skilled at interpreting others’ intents and hard to deceive. He was not, however, either patient enough nor possessed of the temperament needed for the complex plots and trickery students typically engaged in, and he found himself struggling with contracts.
One day, Morvan overhead a couple of teachers discussing failing him from the school. Desperate, Morvan decided to get help from another student, Colby Fillard. Colby was a loner who was frequently the victim of other students’ tricks, but he was quite smart and, Morvan thought, might help in exchange for a friend. Morvan approached Colby and asked for help. Colby, suspecting a trick, refused, so Morvan, a foot taller and more heavily muscled, lifted the other boy up and pinned him against the wall. Colby, terrified, began crying and further refused to help. Frustrated and angry, Morvan dropped him and let him run off while he stormed away to think of another plan. His actions did not go unwitnessed, however. Vendrin Delgar, the son of a minor noble whose family was always involved in some shady business, saw the exchange. He approached Morvan with an offer: he would assist Morvan with his classes, enough that he wouldn’t be kicked out. In exchange, Morvan would act as Vendrin’s bodyguard when he had to go to less savory areas of town on family business. Morvan agreed, and thus began a mutually beneficial partnership.
Morvan never knew precisely what Vendrin’s business was on these trips, and he took care not to know. Plausible deniability, after all, was its own form of protection. He certainly knew he’d benefitted - his teachers no longer discussed failing him from the school, although none of them thought he’d make it to being ordained as a priest of Asmodeus. Even being a barrister he wouldn’t amount to much, although perhaps his father’s connections could make sure he was at least employed. With graduation approaching, Morvan desperately needed to figure out what his future held. Fortunately, his partnership with Vendrin once again provided him the options he needed.
During a trip to the Whipcrack district one night, Morvan and Vendrin were set upon by seven somewhat drunken ruffians, looking for easy marks. Armed with only their daggers, Vendrin was barely able to protect himself, while Morvan quickly put two on the ground but was in danger of being overwhelmed. Suddenly, an armored figure in the dark cracked a flaming whip forward, striking down two more of the ruffians in a blink of an eye. The remaining three, seeing their fortunes turning, ran away. Stepping from the shadows was an armored warrior, wielding a whip. Around his neck was an iron pendant in the shape of a bull’s head and flame. The figure introduced himself as Arkas Pyre, and escorted them back to the academy.
Morvan thought no more of the event, apart from thanking Asmodeus for watching over them, but on the night before graduation, he was summoned to the headmaster’s office. There, once again, was Arkas Pyre, who had asked to speak with him. He told Morvan he was a priest of the archdevil Moloch, General of Hell. He had been impressed by Morvan’s skill that night in Whipcrack, and had come with an offer. After graduation, instead of attempting to become a priest of Asmodeus, he should seek to serve Moloch. Pyre said he would sponsor Morvan for the training, and he could do well serving Moloch. The headmaster encouraged him to take the offer, and Morvan did so. Morvan’s father was not so supportive of the decision, as serving Moloch did not carry the same status as serving Asmodeus, but he considered it nothing more than to be expected of a son who had been a disappointment in so many ways.
Once in training to serve Moloch, Morvan thrived. He was already big and strong, with the natural instincts of a warrior that were honed through harsh training. Only the mightiest of warriors could serve Moloch, after all, and he was determined to prove himself worthy. For 10 years he trained under the eye of Arkas Pyre, learning the art of weapons and war. In that time, he broke three ribs and his left arm, and he managed to dislocate his right kneecap. Despite the pain and injuries, he recovered and continued to train, until one day he was finally ordained as warpriest of Moloch.
And what of his partnership with Vendrin? It continued off and on throughout their training. Vendrin was studying to be a priest of Asmodeus, but he still occasionally carried out family business, with Morvan there as a bodyguard. Morvan’s increasing skill at arms and imposing presence were sufficient not only to protect Vendrin, but also served as a deterrent to all but the most desperate or most hardened of criminals.
Once both had been ordained, it became harder for Vendrin to travel from his post. Shortly after, however, the Glorious Reclamation struck at the Hellknight Order of the Godclaw’s Citadel Dinyar, and declared their intention to overthrow the lawful Thrune government of Cheliax. War had come to Cheliax, and the servants of Moloch were only too eager to battle the Iomedaeans. As a newly ordained warpriest of Moloch, Arkas Pyre sent Morvan to the village of Longacre to search for any signs of their encroachment. Disappointed at being sent to a backwater instead of the front line, Morvan nevertheless obeyed his orders, and prepared to depart for Longacre.
When he told Vendrin where he was headed, Vendrin said that he’d been contacted by one of the family’s contacts, a woman named Cimri Staelish, about helping her with a task. He couldn’t leave his post, and had been intending on declining, but asked Morvan to instead go in his place. Morvan, not seeing any issue agreed to do so. Vendrin gave him a letter of introduction, and Morvan left.
So now he finds himself in Longacre, engaging in a questionably legal enterprise that he isn’t sure his superiors would be pleased he was involved in. He has noticed that many in Longacre don’t seem to appreciate his presence, and he has openly heard some of them disparaging both himself and his religion. Though he longs to teach them a lesson, he is far too disciplined to do so without permission. If he does get permission, however...one of Moloch’s titles is the God of Fire, and fire can be used as a means of purification.
