I have just recently realized that a fighter/binder is already in the making. As such (in an intrest to not impose upon others teritory) I offer a teritary option!
A githzerai wizard/warlock. No prestige class, just lots of explosive power and many options for utility spells. This one will be going for a cipher.
I got carried away with the history on this one but here it is:
[sblock]He was born in the town of Quidithloc on Limbo. Almost at birth he showed an exceptionally skilled ability to control the chaos of limbo. By the age of 4 he underwent special training to teach him how to harness this skill well enough to avoid hurting others, and was kept isolated during this process. By the time he turned 10 he was released from training and allowed to live back in the community. His potential at the extent he could control the whirling soup that is the plane that his race lives on was just astounding. Dakon enjoyed using his talents to shape towering sculptures of such detail that it was truly an amazing sight to behold. Any color, shape and size he envisioned would come forth. The elders of the town wanted to approached him then and seek his permission to begin tutoring him on the ways to control his mind so that one day he could take the place as Rekal Kuhan, in the common tongue this translates as Shaper of chaos. It is a position offered as an honor to use ones talents and stabilize a home for all the gith who live here. However, their protocols and laws forbade them to even hint it until he reached the age of 20.
Many of the other kids of the town teased him for being trained in solitude for so long. A few times they even went so far as to throw stones shaped from the land itself. A few hit Dakon, but any he was aware of usually evaporated or became harmless water before hitting him. His talents did little to help against the few bullies who would physically beat him up. When he turned 11, he found that no one wanted to play with him, or even know him. He was detached and drawn away from people. There was only one exception to this, and that was a girl by the name of Trylexis Xenos. She was 2 years older than him. Coupling that with his advanced training, and they were both in the same class together. The more she hung out with him, the more that people would shun her as well. He should have pushed her away, but he was so lonely, and she seemed so willing that he just couldn’t bear the thought of doing it. Selfish yes, but he needed her friendship more than she could ever know.
Over the next few years they were nearly inseparable, and they faced many of the bullies together. On more than one occasion he stayed behind to take the beatings of the others as he shaped an escape tunnel for her to flee. These encounters forced him to learn a few things about fighting, and soon he could hold his own in battle. It was never enough to beat the groups but against one and sometimes two he could come out ahead. By 15 the two began dating. His gift to her was a statue he hand carved from a stable mass of the world they live in. To use his mind would not have been a challenge worthy enough to prove the feelings he held for her. Her gift to him was a silver necklace in the shape of a 7 pointed star with “Trylexis Xenos” engraved in platinum githzerian writing, and a gem tip on each point and in the middle. Each gem a different type. He never took the necklace off except when he wanted to look at it more closely and watch as the light reflected off it and danced a pattern across whatever surface was there.
Around this time the townsfolk had begun to accept them more. Their studies in school had shown them the honor that Dakon carried, and how wrong they were to treat both Dakon and his friend the way they had. Over the next year most had apologized to them both, and many new friendships had begun. This was also when they began to learn about the dark forces and ancient powers that resided around them. Next year the children would be allowed to leave the city unsupervised and they had to be taught about what to avoid. At the age of 18, Dakon and Trylexis shared their first kiss on a hill that overlooked their homeland, and he asked her to marry him. As one tear of joy left her eye, she said “Yes. I will be your bride on the day of your 20th year. That is my vow to you.” With her in his life he had no doubts, and continuously followed the path of righteousness.
Then on the most eventful and horrendous day of his life, his future would be forever changed. On his 20th year, the day he became an adult in the eyes of the community, he was met at dawn break by the council who asked their request for him to attain the position of Rekal Kuhan. He knew the privilege this meant, but he would not make a decision without his love there beside him. So it was he sought her out and after many joyous greetings he led her to the council. There they both learned that she would be able to stay with him, but he would never be able to leave the village again until someone else came along to take his place. After much debate they agreed to take the spot after their wedding. The council was overjoyed to hear of this and agreed fully with that plan.
It was late afternoon by the time the wedding went underway, and seemed to be doing just fine. When it came time for the vows the city alarm blared out warning of an attack. A Githyanki war band was attacking the village. The wedding was put on hold as the defense of the town was considered more important. After all, what good is being married if your dead? Dakon went out to help in the towns defense, and more importantly Trylexis’s, as well. By the time the war band was turned back, a wearly and injured Dakon made his way back to the wedding. When he got there all was destroyed. The pastor in his final breath said that all the women and children present were kidnapped, and Trylexis was among them. Closing the eyes of the priest Dakon went to the council to ask to join the rescue attempt. With a saddened face they said there was no rescue. Too many had died or been injured in the defense that there wasn’t enough to go on one.
Knowing he could do nothing on his own, he was willing to pay any price to have his love back. So he went to the forbidden temple that was dedicated to a long forgotten god. A temple that the village warned was forbidden, and any who entered would risk being banished from the town. Once inside he kneeled down in front of the dark shrine that held such a dark aura, and called out:
“I call to the nameless god of this shrine. Hear my cry and grant me my wish. Give unto me the power to rescue my lost love from the invaders. Give me the power to exact revenge upon those who would harm her. Give me the power of revenge and salvation. In return I offer my services in your name. I will pledge my loyalty to whatever cause you serve, and I will be your willing pawn in your schemes.”
After that a dark beam shot from the altar and channeled the divine essence of a long forgotten deity into him. The power tried to posses him, and he did not resist. It fueled a rage in him that he never knew he possessed. The dark energy of his pact enveloped and radiated around him. Willingly he gave up his freedom just to save his bride to be. While possessed he had no control over his body. He walked and even though he couldn’t se behind him, he could hear the land protesting under the dark power he carried with him. He was a helpless puppet, and he did not care right now. Finally he caught up to the raiding party, and without warning a dark energy poured from his hands and bore into the githyanki. Within the first 20 seconds just over half of the war band was incinerated. Some of the ones who he sought to save were slain by the githyanki as they mistook the source of death. This fueled his rage even more and the dark power drew on that tearing into the flesh of more. Many arrows and bolts were shot at him only to be incinerated by the power flowing off of him. Soon that rage turned to anguish as he saw his own channeled power lunge through some of the ones he sought to save.
In less then a minute, all that remained were three githyanki, two warriors and a mage, as well as two githzerai, one of them his love, who were bound in a spell. The mage spoke saying “These two shall live only so long as you submit to me, and go in there place.” Every part of me wanted to say yes. O be done with this and have them free. However, the dark soul within me would not have it. Raising a hand I was forced to channel more devastation, but this time directly at the ones I sought to save. My soul cried out as I saw the energy tear into them, their flesh burst with fire, and there clothes incinerate. Then as the energy of death channeled into the other warriors to grant them the same fate, my voice spoke. Not my voice, but the voice of mine that was possessed by this demonic energy. “You are in no position to make demands. You shall bow before me or you will die as well”
As the mage hurled a fireball at me, the dark power flared up and shot the ball, completely obliterating it. The shocked mage tried again. This time with an ice storm. Again the energy ripped through the magic and rendered it useless. Finally the mage seeing his end sought to cast the mightiest spell he had. One that always left him drained, and as such was meant as a last resort. He channeled death back in the form of a ray of disintegration. As the dark energy from the dark god bore into that ray, the ray was rebounded and turned back upon the caster who was then destroyed by his own spell. After that the dark power flooded out of his to scorch and burn the very ground he was on. Finally able to move again, he ran over to the body of his slain love and cradled her close to him hoping that the energies would burn them both and that he could be with her again. It never did.
He sat there cradling her for the next three days without moving, and never once did his tears let up. So profound was his sadness that he hadn’t even slept in that time. Finally on the afternoon of the fourth day the man who was to be the best man at the wedding crested over the hill with two other friends behind him. As they laid eyes upon the carnage they were struck with a sense of horror. Charred bodies lie everywhere, nothing remaining but a blackened skeleton. The land around was equally devastated. Blackened rock lied strewn about and in many places the land was so utterly destroyed that it reverted back to the chaotic soup native of the land. Timidly they approached, and began to gather the bodies. When they got to Dakon and the one he was holding a look that promised death was enough to make them all decide to take Dakon back while still holding the corpse.
Once back, there was a proper funeral laid out for all the corpses save one, the one that Dakon still held onto. Finally nearly a week after returning Dakon passed out from the exhaustion and lack of sleep. His dreams were troubled ones where he saw himself laying waste to the entire town. The dark energy burning all he ever cared for. Two days later when he awoke, he found that he still held her body and set about giving her a funeral. He used his ability to shape the chaos so that the hill where they proposed was twisted and bent into a monument dedicated to her. A towering three story building of marble where her body was lain to rest inside.
He now carries many memories of her within him, and the necklace was the one memento he had that was spared from the dark ravages of that night. Going back to the council he told them of all that has transpired, and bid farewell to his life. There was no longer a place for him to fit into around here, and being around others would only endanger them needlessly.
He carries a dark power with him, one that seeks to twist his soul to evil and destruction. The necklace serves as a reminder of his former life, and why he must resist the calls of darkness. He tries to use the power he carries to further the cause of good, but he does not always succeed. He fights an inner battle over just how to act over any situation. Always is that evil voice encouraging him to slay and use others to his benefit. Time has taught him how to quell most of them urges, but the particularly strong ones still give way and require him to fight again. This power, and the memories of his lost love that lead him down the path he is on, unable to follow only one side of the scale anymore.
For the next 20 years he traveled the expanse of the planes at large, never staying one place for long. By way of portals and color pools he traveled to each of the 16 outer planes around the great wheel. From the Heroic Domains of Ysgard where champions eternally fought to better themselves to the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron where endless wars eternally raged on sweeping up all who would dare be foolish enough to persist for long. The Nine hells of Baator where fiends rules supreme and the evil energies within him began to sure out of control, drawing on the power of the plane to the Seven Mounting Heaven of Celestia. Here he truly felt at peace.
The seven layers of Celestia were truly a unique thing and called to him for a reason. Tales told of their purifying nature and that any who could climb all seven layers would be purged of all evil, and transcend to divinity. So it was that he sought this challenge. He desired so much to be free of this curse upon him, that he went to the gates and beseeched the Archon guardians there to allow him to climb. Hearing his pleas, they did their job and let him pass to test himself. As he rose higher and higher, he felt the evil inside him fading away, and truly felt he could do this. The first layer done, then the second, and a third. In but a matter of a couple days he had made it to the 5th layer. No longer feeling the pull of evil he thought he was free. As he neared the 6th layer his skin began to burn. He was not yet pure enough to continue yet he tried anyway. When he was merely 100 feet from the 6th layer, a lantern archon, a good spirit that goes about in a ball of light, came to him and warned “There is still evil within you. The power of this land has subdued it, but you must purge the evil yourself before you can continue. Any further will kill you otherwise”
With this in mind Dakon continued on. He had to purge himself or die trying. Finally he crossed the layer onto the 6th mountain. Steam poured off him as his skin bubbled and boiled. It was truly, aside from losing his love, the most painful thing he ever felt. Another step. Then another. By the third step the mountain had enough of his stubborn streak, and sent out a wave to repel the good soul that climbed to death. Soon then Dakon was flying through the air falling down the long way he came up. In but a matter of a minute he crashed into the lake around its base. Back down on the first layer he could feel the evil again. Weak but there. His skin cooled as the healing energies of the blessed water healed him. Two days later he bid farewell to that land and continued traveling again.
He made a brief trip through each of the elemental planes. Brief for they all were dangerous to live in. One a perpetually burning sea of fire with only an occasional path to travel. Flying was the best way to go, but even that was dangerous. Another that was merely a giant sea, where air pockets were few and far between. Much too far to swim from pocket to pocket. The plain of air was probably the most hospitable. It was an endless expanse of sky, but there were the occasional land mass where a town of city would be built upon.
All through this he kept switching the side of deeds he would do. Good then bad, bad then good. It was an endless war within him, and the power constantly desired his to wreak havoc on some poor soul wherever he went. At some time in his journeys he met an elven lady in the city of Amreltyia on the plane of earth. Both were passing through and he had gotten into a bit of trouble from one of the moments he lost his ability to resist the evil in him. The previous day he had done good and this lady was puzzled by him. After a daring rescue done out by convincing the guards that she just saw a well known thief running by, they took off, and she pulled him the other way. After a bit of talking she managed to get Dakon to tell his tale of woe. From that day she planned to travel with him and help to try and cure him of his trouble.
Their journey in time led back to Toril. The land she was from and a place of many mysteries. Powerful clerics and wizards ruled supreme, and with the proper persuasion one may be able to cure or tell of a cure. A few years of travel covering half of Faerun and soon they were in Shadowdale, home of the illustrious Elminster. After gaining an audience with him he listened with intrest to the tale. A tale not unlike one that the ancient mage had heard before oh so many years ago. That was when that Dakon learned that the only way to be free of the curse that haunts him is to forgive the ancient power for all the evil it had done. Not an easy task by far, but it would be the only way.
The elven lady, who he had learned went by the name of Coretta lyntestile, wanted to stop by her sister’s house in the next town over. Once there she found that her sister had just recently passed away leaving her three children being tended by a friend of the family who was getting far too old to keep up with the little ones. Dakon spent the next four years helping out as best he could, and as thanks Coretta taught him what she knew of the arcane arts. Sadly this could not last for he again heard the voices telling him to kill the children. The thought was too much to bear, and so that night he bid Coretta farewell. She urged him to stay till morn at least, but doubting his ability to resist much longer he departed that night. So it was that once again his journey led him to wander alone into new worlds.
This time in his travels he met a monk who went by ‘The Master’. There was something odd about him, something that put Dakon at ease…. Dakon began training with The Master and found that with his teachings it was much easier to ignore the internal voice. The problem wasn’t that the voice was too powerful or that Dakon didn’t want to be rid of it, it was that Dakon himself was too weak. He began training day in and day out always being tested by The Master, always being pushed to the physical and mental limits of his body. Just when he thought he couldn’t do anymore The Master would give another challenge. Dakon failed many of these, but every time he met the new one with just as mush passion as the first. Every time he got that much closer to succeeding.
During the last few years learning with the master another student came by as well. A man by the name of Halidon. As The Master worked to get the new student used to the training regiment Dakon spent time honing the magical art that was taught to him by Coretta. In no time The Master even had Dakon and Halidon fighting each other to test their abilities and learn while he was away gathering food. The only time for rest was during eating and sleeping. In time this too had to end. True Dakon had not heard the demonic voices for awhile now but he also knew it was the place he was in. He had to leave to test his new strength and see if he could control them or not.
Bidding farewell to The Master and Halidon, Dakon headed back to the prime material plane. It was said that the demons pull was greatest there and so that was the best place to test his training at. Almost immediately upon setting foot on Toril he heard the familiar voices and found, to his great pleasure, that they were easy to ignore. That is where he then met a peculiar lady by the name of Saelya. It was a chance meeting that came about over negotiations for a room. Dakon tried to outdo her, but found that he was just not as skilled with words as she was. In an effort to learn more about her he waited at the inn for her to come down the next day. That is where the real story begins…..[/sblock]
Personality:
[sblock]Dakon still struggles with the voices, just not as bad as he used to. In moments of weakness he will have to fight them off. He has a kind soul and regrets every evil act he was forced to commit. Dakon tries to do good whenever possible yet he also knows that good isn’t the only answer. His driving goal is to one day be in complete control of his demonic powers. He realizes how much they can help, yet he also knows how much harm they can do.[/sblock]