Character Background:
Drystan Antor was raised an orphan by a gang of thieves and miscreants who performed “services” for anyone with coin (clients included wealthy eladrin who didn’t want to get their hands dirty, which is were he picked up speaking elven). These tasks often included breaking and entering, stealing and intimidations, as well as making people “disappear” on occasion. His world was a dark and unforgiving world, where survival depended on cunning, agility, and resilience. Drystan gave up on mercy, as none was ever shown to him and no one he encountered deserved it either. He learned that the gods were distant and uncaring; evil fed upon itself and good invited exploitation; he could only trust in himself.
At about age 16, during a thunderstorm Drystan was chased down and beaten by a rival gang. As the blows and rain fell, the storm grew in intensity; thunder clapped and lightning flashed. Hallucinating from a brain concussion, he looked to the heavens and saw the visage of Unyssa. Her body was clothed in a tornado and her hair was that of lightning. She wielded the fury of the storm and unleashed a thunderbolt, striking Drystan and his assailants.
Later, Drystan awoke in a pool of water and blood, surrounded by charred flesh. Although near death, he found the strength to stand and began walking, only to find himself pursued once more. There is no mercy; he turned ready to die with a fight. As he raised his fists, he ached with a pain, like fire. Instinctively, he screamed, releasing his hatred. To everyone’s bewilderment, lightning sparked from his hands, arcing inevitably towards his foes. As the bolts met their targets, their bodies danced about in pain and confusion, until they dropped to the ground, lifeless. Knowing he would be hunted down if he stayed, he fled into the wilderness.
Away from the city and his enemies, he hopes to find a new life and temper his powers. He lives for the moment, without concern for the sins of the past, or the unknown future. Life is harsh and fleeting. What goes around comes around. You get what you deserve.
Description:
Drystan Antor is an average-sized handsome human with long dark brown hair. He has lightning tattoos covering the left side of his body including his face. Though he’s not shy of his looks or tattoos, he prefers to stay cloaked under his robes. He’s unaligned and will not go out of his way to show mercy or cruelty. He views most tasks as a job, regardless of whether he’s paid of it. He’s not a bully or a coward; he knows when to run and when to fight, relying on his experience with thievery and stealth. He views everyone with suspicion, especially his acquaintances. Weakness is his enemy; as such he strives to embolden his powers.
My idea:
I see where we start almost as his baseline. While he’s developed cool powers and kicks ass. He’s basically had little character development. I see this campaign as the beginning of (the good part of) his story. He’s basically a selfish prick who wouldn’t help you even if you were a kid begging for some bread. I thought about what I wanted him to be like a good bit, and finally decided he was like Darth Vader (not in the evil Sith way, but as in a character development way) in the beginning of Episode 6. He’s not a hero yet. He hasn’t yet seen the light, as it were. I see the group he runs with now (you guys) as the catalyst to changing his outlook on people, life, and himself.
Opportunities to meet the group:
Drystan is motivated by survival, money, and power. Early on (level 1 or 2), he could easily have been recruited as a party mage or sorcerer. Indeed, he could have even been caught by the lawful Mord and offered a job if he kept his act together? Or maybe Drystan performed some “services” for Jason’s character’s father?
