09 April 2017

Way of the Wicked Character Spotlight: Brand Pylgrim

Infernal monk Brand Pylgrim (made with heromaker.com)

Twenty years ago during the Asmodean Purges, Morganian the Younger a 10 year old squire of King Markadian IV the Zealot’s Knights of Alerion was caught up in a fierce battle with Asmodean priests and anti-paladins in the sewers beneath the ruins of House of Barca. One of the anti-paladins bore a Blade of Asmodeus, a powerful, intelligent, magical sword of Infernal make. As the tide turned against the Asmodeans, the bearer of the Blade lost faith in his dark overlord and with the next blow it shattered, the fragments piercing the boy, Morganian, who fell into waters of the sewer and was washed away. The squire and the accursed blade were thought lost.

But this is only the beginning of the tale of Brand Pylgrim. The boy was injured but did not die and the powerful blade was broken but not destroyed, the boy’s mind proved to be no contest to the ancient power of the Blade of Asmodeus in whole or in parts. The Blade of Asmodeus was no longer a weapon, so it created one in the man who would grow to hold it’s shards, building a weapon to appease it’s devilish creator. The blade called this creation Brand Pygrim and forged Brand’s body with Infernal arts of unarmed combat. And now this weapon is ready to take back what the House Darius and the line of Markadian has taken in the name of Mitra.

Would the Blade of Asmodeus wish to be free of it’s new existence?

Does Morganian’s psyche still exist?

Does the family of Morganian still seek their lost child?

Ill Met in Brandenscar

Brandenscar Prison, Talingarde: Three vile villains, the blasphemous rogue Lars von Woodsoul (called the Woodstick), the murdererous inquisitor Iltimacron the Dickish, and the heretical scarred monk Brand Pylgrim all faced death for their crimes. They were branded with a “F” glyph for felon and cast into the horrorific halls of Brandenscar Prison to await execution. They were aided by an ethereal, cold, beauty, the platinum haired Theodora who befuddled the guards and provided Lars with a veil of many things. While Iltimacron kept watch, the Woodstick and Brand used their superior agility, pleasure palace contortionist training, and epic level infernal mastication arts, to free the lock pick from the the veil secreted within the Woodstick's loin cloth. They made their escape from their cell and recruited the fiend blood ogre Grumblejack. While Lars clamored for the guards, Grumblejack and Brand lay in ambush, quickly slaying their tormenters with their bare hands as Iltimacron secured the alarm horn. Using a potion of cure moderate wounds they swore the gravely wounded Grumblejack to their service for one month.

Using the disposed of guards kit, Lars and Iltimacron pretended to escort Grumblejack to the lower levels of the prison (the famous Star Wars maneuver), surprising and slaying the guards at the exit. The dark quartet rapidly explored the prison, dispatching guards asleep in the barracks and gathering the necessary supplies need to escape, lantern oil to create a distraction and enough rope to safely make it to the sea. They also found intelligence that indicated the pass phrase for the guard tower as well as an illicit gambling session that most of the guards would be attending that evening. With this information Bran, Iltimacron, and Lars gained access to the guard tower and with the help of Grumblejack charging across the courtyard, were able to dispatch the guards. Spreading a large store of lamp oil in the tower, the frightful four set the tower ablaze and made their escape. Brand was able to deflect one arrow sent his way but was grievously injured by the second. At the bridge to the mainland, the evil doers were able to use the rope they had secured earlier to safely make it to the ocean below. From here they escaped to the moors, finding the house with the single lantern on the second floor on Old Moor Road as described by Theodora.