Name: Rykmar
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Bio: Rykmar was an experienced right hand man. It was a convenient position- not directly responsible for anything that goes wrong with his superiors, but still powerful and influential. It was also a job with a lot of creative freedom and opportunity to hone his craft, since the boss usually cared more about things getting done than how they got done. Finally, it was a job that everyone wanted done- a capable, independent minion who wasn't currently interested in taking your place was about as valuable a commodity as you could come by, after all, and Rykmar had no trouble finding work, or the advantages that go with it.
Unfortunately, simply being second in command is not a guarantee of never having to worry about anything. His latest master's guilded palace, built in the mortal world, was assaulted and overrun by a coordinated group of do-gooders, and Rykmar was forced to flee, abandoning most of his possessions in the process. It didn't help that those same do-gooders were now more or less in control of the entire area, and it was a long, hard journey to someplace where he could count on not being ridden down on sight.
Destitute, cut off from any contacts he knew of, and more than a little infuriated, Rykmar considered his options. Subsequent investigations revealed them to not be good- most people wouldn't trust an obvious demon, meaning his normal line of work was extremely limited, and his efforts to contact somewhere closer to home met with failure or outrageous offers by creatures he couldn't stand. As an added bonus, he was occasionally assaulted by weak-minded fools for having horns and red skin, all of which added to his growing anger and frustration.
With his options seeming less and less abundant, and his desire to see this world burn growing stronger, Rykmar stumbled across mention of... something. Something important, at least as this pathetic world went- something that could change or destroy or save it, perhaps. Something he needed.
Rykmar had his goal. He would attain whatever power was lurking within the mad archmage's dungeon, and then, no matter what it was, find a way to harness it for the domination of the entire world.
His allies are somewhat few in this endeavor, or at least those who are aware that they're such. There's no shortage of devils who would like to see him succeed, if they knew of his efforts. Similarly, many wicked things might be pleased to see what he could do with anything that powerful, especially things that oppose the forces that put him into this mess in the first place. Finally, some might prefer the world of order and slavery that he'd likely create, or simply approve of the destruction of those they see as enemies at any cost.
His enemies are more varied, if only because they're more likely to accidentally assume the right answer. Most of his potential allies have representation among his foes- some devils don't want him to succeed, for reasons simple or complex, many wicked creatures would prefer he fail, either so they can ruin the world personally or because they have a different nightmarish vision in mind, and some people simply wouldn't want to live in what he has planned, on their own merits or because of the vengeance parts.
Obviously, the coalition that foiled his old master is a particularly noteworthy threat- their victory has increased their clout, and they're likely to be very interested in any related threats. They're a mixture of just about everything, from noble paladins and compassionate healers to mercenary warriors and even assassins or volunteered criminals. The nobler members tend to be at the top, but the group is much more rabble and scum by volume.
Their leader is a noble paladin whom Rykmar genuinely fears- he has that virtuous, pure, hateless determination about him that makes him an implacable foe of harming others, without being vulnerable to the excesses or distractions of hatred and corruption. Rykmar knows there's no way to avoid him other than not harming others more than anything else that requires his attention at the moment, and fears and respects him for both his impressive combat prowess and unwavering commitment to principles, ridiculous ones or no.
Rykmar has nothing but contempt for their second in command, however- a light-wielding priestess of impressive power and no tolerance for wickedness, but who's motivated by hatred and disgust for "evil." He fears her overt strength, especially as it's explicitly geared towards searing beings like him into ash, but views her as nothing more than a weak-willed, emotional cripple whose fury can be trained off onto just about anything else, and who lacks the vision to do or counter anything long-term or subtle.
Their last, unofficial leader is an assassin and spymaster. Rykmar considers him a laughable threat physically- his abilities lie in killing things that aren't expecting him and can't fight back- and a literal joke morally- he intends to achieve good through any means necessary, which as far as Rykmar's concerned just makes him a ruthless, arbitrary, self-deluded warlord- but a serious danger tactically. In addition to assassination, he realizes the power of information and has some concept of strategy, making him a potential threat to any large-scale actions or strategies.
Fairly tall, lean, handsome humanoid. Red skin, black hooves, long, swishing tail, small black horns and claws. Black hair, in a somewhat shaggy but still nice-looking shoulder-length mane. Eyes are dark grey streaked with thick gold cracks radiating from the center, with a pupil and slightly denser pattern on the iris. Possesses visible muscles, but isn't very bulky, as might be expected from a part-time athlete, or perhaps just someone who exercises purely to look good.
Race: Devil. Ruthless but well-ordered, devils combine heartless villainy with faithful adherence to rules, resulting in a race of honorable slavers and law-abiding tyrants. Most are resistant or outright immune to poison and fire, and many can teleport short distances, handy for disengaging from battle or catching their enemies off-guard. They can also develop the ability to send and receive simple telepathic commands from nearby minions or leaders, making them frightfully coordinated in battle.
Most try to keep themselves a bit versatile, even if only by dabbling elsewhere, in order to avoid being relegated to the status of an effective but limited tool, and so they can have some inkling of what's going on and what should be done about it no matter what. This philosophy often extends to their physical and mental attributes as well, and most devils are somewhat well-rounded considering their profession. Most display an impressive degree of toughness and stamina besides, however, and being at least somewhat charismatic is also a common trait.
Class: Combat Vizier. Battle sorcerer expected to solve anything his superiors feel need solving (or at least direct minions to that effect), regardless of whether that's a merchant negotiation, lack of required materials for the war, or warrior that's way too close and pointy for the boss to handle right now. In battle, usually an opportunistic/debuffing caster mixed with an adequate but less than ideal warrior. Out of combat, jack-of-all-trades caster (and ideally at least dabbling/not terrible craftsman/negotiator/etc, though I doubt that'd come up) with a demonic bent and focus on things a high-ranking devil might need done (like torturing/healing captives and crafting things).
StatsMobility: 1
Reflexes: 1
Power: 1
Intelligence: 2
Well. Not entirely pleased with this, but it should at least be in the running.
Author
Topic: Fortress of Blood-Dungeon Crawl RTD/Turn 6 Dragons Challenge, The Demons Howl (Read 36683 times)