Avryll Callen

Author: Voshkod

Name: Avryll Callen, a.k.a. Avy, a.k.a. The Obsidian Mask Age: Unknown to himself, but in his mid-20s Affiliations: The Society of Gentlemen Adventurers

Physical Description: A handsome young man, with dark hair and eyes, of medium height and slight build. A thin and well-groomed mustache. Quick with a smile for his friends or the ladies, well-dressed in fashions just a bit ahead of the crowd. Never seen without his gloves.

Personality: When he's not on the job, Avy's a friendly guy, quick with a quip and a grin. Always ready to lend a hand to a fellow Adventurer in need. Can hold his booze with the best of them (particularly if he's only drinking one to your two). Enjoys a good game of cards. When he puts on the Obsidian Mask and goes out to work, though, he's all business. And if he's carrying Salvation, just stay out of his way.

History: A scion of Saint Illias' Home for Orphans and the Destitute, Avryll grew up on a diet of gruel and abuse. He quickly figured out that survival required stealth. A second bowl of gruel could be the difference between life and death for a sick friend. The beatings when he got caught were educational, to say the least. When he was old enough to hit the streets, he sallied forth with a dagger and smile, cutting purses, mugging the well-off, and generally raising hell. He caught the eye of the Society when he was quick-witted enough to use a clothesline to stop five mounted guards chasing a member in good standing. He passed his initiation test by stealing a book of no great worth from a high lord. He was considered an Adventurer of promise, until he stole the mask.

Avy found the Obsidian Mask on a ship of no flag that had docked one dark night. As the sailors tried to hunt him down, he realized he needed both hands free, so he put the mask on. And the darkness embraced him. The only one on the ship that saw him was an old woman, dressed in black. She saw him clear as day, and she winked, and laughed, and went her way. With the mask Avy was something special. As long as it was night, he was almost invisible. Almost, but not quite, and he still gets careless in his arrogance when he wears the mask.

One day he went to the Artifactors to buy a line-thrower. They asked for a memory, and he told them about the ship, and the woman, and the mask. The Artifactors solemnly adjusted their goggles, and built him Salvation, his steam-pressurized crossbow. So now, sometimes, he takes on deadly jobs. Not that the Mask tells him to do it. He does it willingly, he's sure.

Advantages:

A Gentleman Adventurer [Rank 2] (Uncommon-Followers): As a member in good standing in the Society of Gentlemen Adventurers, Avy can expect assistance and support from any other member. A quick flash of a hand sign (pinkie and index finger extended, like "throwing the horns") or the common shout of "Make Way for a Gentleman" will invoke the request for aid. Other members might provide a place to hide, or may attempt to confound pursuit by, for example, shifting a cart in front of the guard. A Gentleman is not expected to risk life, limb, or property at the request of aid, but must make some attempt to assist.

The Bag of Tricks [Rank 2] (Uncommon-Personal): Some might call it a 'utility belt,' but Avy calls it his bag of tricks. All the things an adventurer might need in a hurry - smoke bombs, silk lines, caltrops, spurs for climbing walls, a bit of slippery oil, meat infused with sleeping drugs.

The Obsidian Mask [Rank 2] (Rare-Item): Did Avy find the Obsidian Mask, or did it find him? It doesn't really matter. He doesn't talk to it, and he's sure it doesn't talk to him (although what does whisper in the night when he wears it?). A mask made of jet black obsidian, when Avy slips it on his face he becomes a near a shadow as a mortal man can. Lights will not find him, and even the slightest darkness seems to grow to conceal him. Those rare few who have spotted him when he was wearing the mask report that all they saw were their own faces, reflected back at them in the polished stone, but aged and terrified.

Charming [Rank 1] (Common-Personal): He's a hard guy not to like. Handsome to the ladies, a good chap to the lads, Avy can go far with a wink and a smile.

Thievery [Rank 2] (Uncommon-Personal): One does not become a Gentleman Adventurer without certain skills, skills Avy honed through a life on the streets. How to blend in with a crowd, to cut a purse, to pick a lock.

Salvation [Rank 1] (Unique-Item): Sometimes one must steal a life, not a gem. Salvation is a steam-pressurized crossbow that can fire a single devastating bolt at a target. When it fires, the steam escapes with a horrible howl, and it cannot be fired again until a source of high-pressure steam is found, and several minutes are used to recharge it. The bolts are made of a soft and fragile metal, scored in many places, the better to shatter into a hundred razor-sharp fragments when it hits skin. Useless against armored opponents, loud at the moment of firing, and for all intents and purpose single-shot, Avy uses it when assassination is the only option.