City of Towers

(portrayed by Michael Jai White)

Name: Baratus Profession: Warrior/Sorceror/Thief Adjectives: Cynical, Quick, Witty, Sarcastic, Wiry Drives: Always Finish the Job, Trust Noone, Sentiment has No Place Allegiances: Commoners: +1, Thieves' Guild and Smugglers: +1, Ancient Nobility: +1, City Watch: -1

Health: 11/Threshold 4, Morale: 7/Threshold 3 Armor: 1, Grit: 1

Investigative Abilities

Shared Abilities: Intimidation: 1, Liar's Tell: 1, Servility: 1 Sorceror Abilities: Corruption: 3 Thief Abilities: City's Secrets: 1, Ridiculous Luck: 1, Skullduggery: 2 Warrior Abilities: Tactics of Death: 2

General Abilities

Athletics (Dodge): 8, Burglary: 1, Preparedness: 1, Sorcery: 5, Stealth (Where'd He Go?): 8, Sway: 1, Warfare: 6

Minor/Iconic Items

Short inwardly curved chopping sword with nasty teeth on the end. (Damage Modifier +1) Brace of throwing knives (Damage Modifier +0) Pouch with various metal bits to discourage pursuit Brass knuckles (Damage Modifier +0) Lockpicks Squat in Sharn's Welcome. Battered, blackened leather armor with sweat stains in the arm pits (Armor 1)

Sorcery Details & Background

Baratus was born in the shantytown in the Mud Caves district of the Cliffside ward. His mother was of a former merchant class family that fell on bad times- she was the third generation since their fall. Her mother had regaled her with tales of better days, and the woman had been intent on making her way into a better strata. That consisted, in the end, of being taken into a brothel in Sharn's Welcome. After returning home to have her child, she returned to work in the Brothel, and he found himself spending much time between the two districts.

The particular skillset that he groomed was one of running for bigger players, moving up into more substantial skullduggery as he grew older. It turns out that he had a skill for it. His move to the larger leagues was precipitated by a deal that his mother made with one of her clients to sell the boy. He wasn't sure what she thought she was selling him for, but he prefers to think that she didn't know that it was because of a sorcerous deal with higher powers. The god of murder it seems procured disciples in such a way, and Baratus it turned out was an excellent pupil. Eventually, he was able to worm his way out of the cult when he enlisted, leaving them to think that he was murdered. The god, for some unknown reason, plays along.

The sorcery that he learned in the death cult revolves around blood, decay, and shadows, and though he tries not to bring attention to himself by invoking corruption, it does sing in his spirit as the little god calls to him every time he takes a life.

Notes

Talking to the player, their favorite characters were Quick Ben and Kalam in the Mazalan Saga and wanted to merge the two together into a background. Talking through it, we arrived at Baratus; someone that formerly worshipped a death god, and used that power to augment their assassin's skills.