Altharid, during his pirate days
Character Sheet Link
Backup Character Sheet Link
Player: Duralan
Race: Arctic Human
Class: Psychic Warrior 2/Ardent 2/Erudite 1/Ghostbreaker 5/Phrenic Slayer 3 (3 DM-coins used to lvl-up Alth once)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Appearance:
Altharid's appears to be a 6ft tall, well-built man. Little more can actually be said as the mysterious figure always seems to be covered from head to toe by a large cloak, bandages and gloves, leaving no actual body to be seen.
Update: After capturing Belle Venture Altharid got himself a fancy new outfit.
Personality:
The psionicist seems to be constantly projecting an eerie, unsettling aura around himself. Opportunism and egoism are his two most prominent character traits. It does not really matter what hideous or vile deeds he would need to commit in order to attain a higher level of psionic mastery… in fact the very concepts of good and evil seem to be completely alien and strange to him as is the idea of worshiping any of those so-called 'higher powers'. Anything is acceptable as long as that certain course of actions would benefit him… and the voice he sometimes hears which identifies himself as 'The Whisperer' (there's also an another voice called 'the Hungerer'… but Altharid tends to ignore him). Thus, even though he does not recognize himself as such, depending on the observer, he might appear cruel, merciless and cold at worst or methodical, disciplined and extremely pragmatical at best.
Background:
… is the one and the only taboo topic (besides of his appearance) of Altharid. In the first 18 years of his life he was just a yet another test subject (number 22 was his 'name' at that time) of his aberrant masters. During this period of time he was constantly subject to both mental conditioning and exposure to highly active psychometabolic reagents. As the experiments progressed the few other fellow testees, which were placed in nearby stasis cells, would disappear one by one, leaving Altharid alone with the aberrations when he was around 13. However after the next 5 years of the research he could be hardly considered human-like by the general standards.
In the end, however, he was still deemed a failure as his body started to reject psychometabolic augmentations past a certain point, yet as the longest-living subject he was not be disposed of immediately. Instead the aberrations placed him in a quintessence-induced stasis, so that his implants could be transplanted later to a more suitable vessel. Fortunately for the number 22 there would be no such event. In the meantime a rival power group attacked the the complex. Determined to not let the whole project go to waste the last remaining researcher, knowing that he would not live to see another day as he was mortally wounded, used mind-seed power on the stasis-bound subject. However because of the scientist's fading consciousness the manifestation ended up being faulty, thus creating the mind of a being now known as Altharid.
After almost a year worth of aimless traveling (mostly through the Serpent Mire he finally reached the city of Dragonport where he worked for some time as a bouncer in a shady tavern called 'Garrote' and later as an enforcer for its mysterious owner who happened to be involved in not quite legal activities in general, however after a half-year-long gang war Altharid ended up being unemployed once again as his former employer perished in quite gruesome manner (ironically garroted to death), the same being true for almost every member of the syndicate (the few survivors left the city shortly afterwards).
Because of a bizarre twist of fate after few weeks of seeking employment in more respectable Dragonport districts our (anti)hero found himself in an unusual position… to be precise that of a part-time cook in a tavern called 'Water Dragon Inn'. His unusual ability to memorize things with exceptional ease (autohypnosis) turned him into a competent apprentice in his 'craft' after a very short period of time.
Character's Development (work in progress)
At the beginning of his 'adventuring' carrier Altharid was just tagging along The Silver Cranes and their associates mainly to get some loot… as he wanted to live the life to its fullest after his escape from years-long captivity.
This is when he met Mali Ohba for the first time… the first female whose appearance … was alluring for him.
The character found Baltasar Malich's presence and manner of speech to be… amusing… shortly thereafter he allied himself with the artificer (after signing a protection contract with the crafter in order to lessen the price of the item commissioned by the psionicist).
Soon after that he met… one of the many beings who… experimented on him in the past… the druid's corpse still awaits questioning (via speak with dead).
However after a month or two… The Whisperer (one of his mind seeds) started to re-emerge.
For few moments the entity gained dominance over his body but fortunately for the psionicist the being was so overconfident that before it knew it….Altharid sealed the arrogant one in the form of a psicrystal. During that moment the existence of the other mind-seed was hinted by the one being sealed.
Some time later the psion discovered what he initially thought to be his 'newfound' talents, however he was not aware of the fact that he began merging with the Hungerer (as the Whisperer - the only obstacle - was sealed by him). Mali Ohba found that 'savage' form strangely attractive… and this fact was not unnoticed by the bloodlust-incarnate. In order to get closer to the girl… the character started developing a shapechanging power which would make him much more reminiscent of his murderous side. Somehow the Whisperer found about it and tried to get some help from Sidhe Spellweaver in trying to somehow distract No22 from merging with the entity. Her efforts were partially successful… due to her actions the Bloodhaired One was forced to resurface which in turn made him inactive for a long period of time.
Even though Altharid did not distinguish between good and evil acts (to describe actions he used the following binary classification: "profitable/not profitable")… due to Mali's influence he acted 'good' on more than one occasion but such acts were not committed out of good will… he just sought to 'acquire' Mali.
At the same time no22 developed another power reflecting his aberrant heritage. So far he used it on few sentient beings however after discovering that such minions lost great deal of their former potential… he changed his targets. As for now an average dire shark (Minion no1) remains to be his greatest 'find'.
The fate decided that some time later… Altharid would come back to the very same place in which he was experimented on. Thankfully for the manifester… due to some sort of mental conditioning (perhaps self-imposed) he does not appear to have more than few recollections from that dark past of his.
However nothing compares to the twist the fate itself perhaps has pulled on Altharid recently. During an expedition to the Lost City the man learned that he was related to Bor Heavychain… (he was his brother) and that their father was the first victim of his aberrant tormentors… but there was more… the being which has granted him that vision of the past suggested that the psionicist was his scion… whose sole purpose was to release it. The manifester could not stand it… and snapped… merging with The Bloodhaired One almost completely. With a mighty effort of his and his companions… the elder evil was slain… the infested asherati which were held in a next-to timeless trance by the monster finally awoken and offered Altharid to become their ruler.
Family:
Krag Heavychain - Father
Bor Heavychain - Brother
Membership:
Former 'Garrotes' member (the organization no longer exists),
Former Water Dragon Inn part-time employee (cook),
Former Belle Venture First Mate,
The Lost City - Pharaoh
Notable Allies
PCs: Mali Ohba, Roc, Sirion, Baltasar Malich,
NPCs: Soleit (cohort), Khrall, 'The Businessman'
Organizations: The Lost Asherati, The Silver Cranes,
Psicrystal:
Quotes:
"Sometimes fate… forces the unspeakable onto you" - to Rydia
** Altharid continues his unholy quest for… frogs **
"I seek to destroy it… he stole something DEAR to me !" - About the Corruptor
"Champion you say ?… I am just a …..corrupted… pathetic being… trying to get rid of his inner nightmares" - Altharid's reply after being offered the crown by the infested asherati released from their years-long trance due to Zargon's demise
Altharid's coronation speech
„This….. is a new chance for all of us… for the darkness which even cast shadow on the corrupted mind an heart of mine… was vanquished… indeed terrible things the being did to all of us… even to me… „
„I accepted your kind offer… not in order to sate the hunger… derived from my mental conditioning… nor to bask in the glory…for no glory can fill the void in my heart….or just to be remembered by future generations…. for the future cannot annihilate the past… the former always leaves the scars….I seek the truth … about myself… and the inhabitants of this city…. truth that can restore our warped minds and bodies… to their former state…“
“Even… if that quest is doomed to fail… I SHALL TRY !”
“Zargon – says the word with disgust - said that doom is the only possible outcome….should I challenge him…. and where is HE ? Indeed …it is entirely possible that we have slain only a sort of materialization of his terrible will… however if he even dares to return… I WILL DEFEAT HIM AGAIN… AND AGAIN !”
*longer pause in here*
“The new era has come ! I shall forsake the 'old' name of mine… for it was not the true one !
No22 is no more…Altharid is no more….The Bloodhaired one is no more !
I, Ivar Heavychain, shall restore this domain to its former prosperity ! Woe to those who would like to disturb this momentary tranquility !”
