B'esctra, The Shadow of Death
Appearance
Most people have a fixed picture in their minds that they associate with the Drow, silver hair and charcoal coloured skin and so, when they encounter B’esctra, they are surprised to say the least. Countless days of experimentation and torture have bleached the assassin’s skin bone-white, and stretched his face into a gruesome portrait of agony; which is only accentuated by the numerous scars he has collected over the years.
The differences do not stop there, however, because the frame of this painting is composed of light blue locks of hair that appear as unnatural sitting there, as the pearl coloured eyes that rove ceaselessly in their sockets. As one’s gaze sweeps downward, guided by the Drow’s shoulder-length hair, a blackened suit of armour comes into view which you discover to be a finely kept assortment of chain and interlocking plates.
The differences do not stop there, however, because the frame of this painting is composed of light blue locks of hair that appear as unnatural sitting there, as the pearl coloured eyes that rove ceaselessly in their sockets. As one’s gaze sweeps downward, guided by the Drow’s shoulder-length hair, a blackened suit of armour comes into view which you discover to be a finely kept assortment of chain and interlocking plates.
Personality
Scheming, manipulative and cruel, the Drow are infamous throughout the realms for their depraved tastes and blasphemous rituals, which are qualities that seem to be amplified, if anything, within the treacherous heart of this assassin. Trust is foolish in the Underrealm and it is no secret that many Drow can be consumed by their pursuit of power, often betraying confidences to further their careers, but B’esctra, on the other hand, is all about business.
Cold and methodical, your coin not only buys this creature's silence, but also an unparalleled level of professionalism that ensures that when you want someone dead, their throats will be slit without question, or constraint. The concepts of mercy and compassion are as foreign to B’esctra, as cannibalism to a cardinal, and so once he has been dispatched upon a mission there is little, save his own demise, that will deter him from his goal.
A clean and efficient kill is always preferable to a bloody massacre, as this assassin chooses to employ stealth and subtlety over brute force. When faced with an enemy, B’esctra regards them with neither malice nor fear, but instead a perspective so detached he could be performing surgery, rather than slicing limbs and severing heads.
Ruthless and impassive, people have often wondered if there was any ‘humanity’ in him to begin with, because the way that he reacts to nothing is truly terrifying to them.
Cold and methodical, your coin not only buys this creature's silence, but also an unparalleled level of professionalism that ensures that when you want someone dead, their throats will be slit without question, or constraint. The concepts of mercy and compassion are as foreign to B’esctra, as cannibalism to a cardinal, and so once he has been dispatched upon a mission there is little, save his own demise, that will deter him from his goal.
A clean and efficient kill is always preferable to a bloody massacre, as this assassin chooses to employ stealth and subtlety over brute force. When faced with an enemy, B’esctra regards them with neither malice nor fear, but instead a perspective so detached he could be performing surgery, rather than slicing limbs and severing heads.
Ruthless and impassive, people have often wondered if there was any ‘humanity’ in him to begin with, because the way that he reacts to nothing is truly terrifying to them.
Possessions
-Alantha Tsoss, or 'Midnight's Kiss' in the common tongue (pictured above), is an imposing suit of armour, etched with numerous Drow symbols and magically silenced to ensure that each delicate link and interlocking plate do not betray the assassin's trespass into another's territory. Hewn from reinforced mithril the colour of deep obsidian, this ancient hauberk provides B'esctra with the ultimate compromise in protection and mobility; allowing him to perform his deadly art comforted by the knowledge he is not as 'dainty' as he might at first appear. In addition to shielding his torso, however, this set of armour also incorporates mithril vambraces and samurai inspired suneate, or shin guards.
-Poison brewing kit: This is a small collection of alchemical devices, such as a paste and mortar, that allow him to grind up venomous insects and toxic plants and then turn them into poisons with which to coat his weapons. When they are not being used, these poisons are stored in a series of durable brass vials slotted into various pouches within his belt.
-Shurikens: B’esctra keeps five or six coal-black shurikens upon his person at all times, which have been perfectly balanced to ensure that they soar through the air and strike their target with maximum velocity and killing force.
-Needle in a Haystack: Within the wiry locks of the assassin's hair, he has cunningly hidden several small blades that are each individually coated with a thin film of venom. These blades are so tiny and expertly disributed throughout the weave of his hair that they are incapable of 'nicking' anyone, without B'esctra performing a certain move that is intended to catch them by surprise. Due to the precision he takes in placing and poisoning these blades, he mentally records where each and every one of them is located to ensure that he, himself, is never injured by one of them.
-Monstrous Talons: Five elongated blades rise smoothly out of a uniquely designed gauntlet, which allows its wielder to not only utilize the slender weapons as one would a normal hand, but also perform devastating slashes and pincer like attacks. In addition to this, these talons have been lightly enchanted so that they are lightweight and easy to run, swim or climb with. Employing an intricate mechanical device inside its interior, these vicious implements can also impose a vice-like grip upon an object, and are quite capable of crushing a man’s skull to dust if necessary.
Ghostling: This black blade is a magnificent example of Drow craftsmanship, which has been folded countless times until its durability and effective cutting power rival that of a katana's. Upon its creation this weapon received the same small enchantment that the assassin’s talons did, making it remarkably swift for something so sharp and earning it the nickname ‘Ghostling’ because it moves quickly and unseen amidst the shadows. Imbuing it with part of his Psionic might, B’esctra has also conferred the following special abilities to his blade:
Dissipater: This Weapon is devastating to creatures and objects temporarily composed of, or originally formed from ectoplasm( such as specters, shades, ghosts and other ethereal entities; severing the strings of sorcery or science which bind their beings together and allow them to elude the pull of the prime material plane.
Suppression: An opponent or object struck by this weapon is subject to a targeted negate psionics power. Essentially, this means that no Psionic/Mental/Astral abilities work on this weapon because it has been created for the express purpose of combating creatures that wield such powers.
Body Feeder: This unique ability allows the sword to drain a portion of a foes' 'life-force' upon wounding them, conferring a curative effect within the sword's wielder, which has been known to allow him to heal small amounts of damage, with each and every bite of the blade.
Gut-ripper: Gut-ripper is a magical chain that emanates forth from B’esctra’s right hand - it possesses three vicious hooks at the end of its twenty foot length that are capable of digging hungrily into things like walls or even enemy flesh; allowing the assassin to perform astounding feats of acrobatic skill or tear the heads off his foes from a distance.
Ghostling Measurements:
Hilt: 4 Inches long
Blade: 22 Inches long
Crossguard: 4 Inches across
Overall length: 26 Inches long
Talons:
Finger Blades: 10 Inches long
Thumb Blade: 5 Inches long
These talons are also fitted with Sword-Breaker 'niches' in-between the blades on each knuckle. (See 'teeth' in the picture below for reference).
Skills and Abilities
Abominable Upbringing:
Due to the harrowing events of his childhood, B’esctra frequently has nightmares of being tortured by the Illithid’s probing fingers and piercing minds. As a result of their persistent psionic assaults, however, he has developed an immunity to mentally intrusive forms of command and psionic suggestion, such as telepathy and mind-blasts.
Enhanced infravision: Whether young or old, all Drow possess the ability to see in complete darkness, utilizing their keen eyes to discern their surroundings in auras of heat. Interestingly enough, however, B'esctra's vision has been altered to not only retain this useful trait, but also perceive things as a normal surface dweller would as well; albeit an eagle-eyed one. Switching from one to the other, as readily as blinking, the assassin's skull-white orbs therefore allow him to discern targets, whatever the circumstances.
Magic Immunity: Built near vast deposits of Faerzress crystals (magical radiation), the cities of the Drow have prospered since their fall from the elven court, and in the years that followed their founding, these strange formations had unexpected side-effects. Due to their proximity to this substance, all Drow children are born with a natural resistance to magic, be it spells or other effects, and are therefore more resilient to damage normally suffered from the brunt of a spell used against them. As a side effect of the countless experiments and magical procedures he has been forced to endure, however, B'esctra's own resistance has been bolstered to full-blown immunity, rendering magic directed at him completely harmless and inert, including healing magic.
Blind Fighting: Within the starless night of the Underrealm, the Drow grow particularly adept at fighting without the use of light and B’esctra has chosen to take this skill to the next level, rigorously training himself to sense movement even while blinded. Utilizing the way that an object or creature displaces the air as they move, he has managed to hone his mind to detect these disruptions and accurately judge the direction that they originated from.
Stomach of Steel: Because B'esctra had his penis removed during the Illithid's experiments, they decided to replace this ability to expel waste by enhancing his natural digestive system, so that it could simply break the waste down instead with its potent stomach acid. A strange side effect of this ability though, is that it has been altered to such a degree that it can dissolve harmful substances (such as poisons) and render them harmless as his system simply absorbs them.
Silent but Deadly: During the rigorous training he endured at the hands of the Mind-Flayers, B’esctra has become a master at exploiting cover and masking the sound of his movements, often allowing him to pass unnoticed by friend and foe alike.
Ambidextrous: B’esctra has spent several years learning to use one hand as easily as the other, and so should one of them become injured in combat, he is perfectly capable of switching to his remaining hand and maintaining his fighting prowess.
Master Swordsman: Normally someone that is developing their ability to wield a weapon sticks to one specific style, using continued practice to eventually perfect the art, but B’esctra on the other hand, has been able to master several different techniques because of his talent at using one hand as readily as the next. What this means is that B’esctra is not only well versed in swordplay commonly associated with humans and the other surface dwelling races, but also a wide array of Drow techniques and strategies as well.
Wordless Woe: A common tactic employed by the Drow of the Underrealm is to lurk quietly in the darkness or behind cover and ambush unwary travelers, and so to negate the need for verbal communication, they have devised a series of intricate hand signals. These hand signals allow B’esctra to communicate with other people that he has either taught, or already know them, without giving away his position to his enemies and can allow him to use the element of surprise against them.
Poison Master: One of the skills that proves extremely useful in B’esctra’s line of work, is the ability to prepare poisons and lace them on the edges of his weapons without accidentally succumbing to their effects himself.
Strength of Will: Born a psionicist, B’esctra’s mental potential was exponentially increased during the experiences of the Illithids and he therefore has access to a wide variety of Psionic abilities. (To be fleshed out for ChroniclesRP)
Scholar’s Tongue: Highly intelligent, B’esctra finds it relatively easy to pick up fragments of different languages and then adapt to them, allowing him to become fluent in them after only brief amounts of exposure to their various inflections.
Due to the harrowing events of his childhood, B’esctra frequently has nightmares of being tortured by the Illithid’s probing fingers and piercing minds. As a result of their persistent psionic assaults, however, he has developed an immunity to mentally intrusive forms of command and psionic suggestion, such as telepathy and mind-blasts.
Enhanced infravision: Whether young or old, all Drow possess the ability to see in complete darkness, utilizing their keen eyes to discern their surroundings in auras of heat. Interestingly enough, however, B'esctra's vision has been altered to not only retain this useful trait, but also perceive things as a normal surface dweller would as well; albeit an eagle-eyed one. Switching from one to the other, as readily as blinking, the assassin's skull-white orbs therefore allow him to discern targets, whatever the circumstances.
Magic Immunity: Built near vast deposits of Faerzress crystals (magical radiation), the cities of the Drow have prospered since their fall from the elven court, and in the years that followed their founding, these strange formations had unexpected side-effects. Due to their proximity to this substance, all Drow children are born with a natural resistance to magic, be it spells or other effects, and are therefore more resilient to damage normally suffered from the brunt of a spell used against them. As a side effect of the countless experiments and magical procedures he has been forced to endure, however, B'esctra's own resistance has been bolstered to full-blown immunity, rendering magic directed at him completely harmless and inert, including healing magic.
Blind Fighting: Within the starless night of the Underrealm, the Drow grow particularly adept at fighting without the use of light and B’esctra has chosen to take this skill to the next level, rigorously training himself to sense movement even while blinded. Utilizing the way that an object or creature displaces the air as they move, he has managed to hone his mind to detect these disruptions and accurately judge the direction that they originated from.
Stomach of Steel: Because B'esctra had his penis removed during the Illithid's experiments, they decided to replace this ability to expel waste by enhancing his natural digestive system, so that it could simply break the waste down instead with its potent stomach acid. A strange side effect of this ability though, is that it has been altered to such a degree that it can dissolve harmful substances (such as poisons) and render them harmless as his system simply absorbs them.
Silent but Deadly: During the rigorous training he endured at the hands of the Mind-Flayers, B’esctra has become a master at exploiting cover and masking the sound of his movements, often allowing him to pass unnoticed by friend and foe alike.
Ambidextrous: B’esctra has spent several years learning to use one hand as easily as the other, and so should one of them become injured in combat, he is perfectly capable of switching to his remaining hand and maintaining his fighting prowess.
Master Swordsman: Normally someone that is developing their ability to wield a weapon sticks to one specific style, using continued practice to eventually perfect the art, but B’esctra on the other hand, has been able to master several different techniques because of his talent at using one hand as readily as the next. What this means is that B’esctra is not only well versed in swordplay commonly associated with humans and the other surface dwelling races, but also a wide array of Drow techniques and strategies as well.
Wordless Woe: A common tactic employed by the Drow of the Underrealm is to lurk quietly in the darkness or behind cover and ambush unwary travelers, and so to negate the need for verbal communication, they have devised a series of intricate hand signals. These hand signals allow B’esctra to communicate with other people that he has either taught, or already know them, without giving away his position to his enemies and can allow him to use the element of surprise against them.
Poison Master: One of the skills that proves extremely useful in B’esctra’s line of work, is the ability to prepare poisons and lace them on the edges of his weapons without accidentally succumbing to their effects himself.
Strength of Will: Born a psionicist, B’esctra’s mental potential was exponentially increased during the experiences of the Illithids and he therefore has access to a wide variety of Psionic abilities. (To be fleshed out for ChroniclesRP)
Scholar’s Tongue: Highly intelligent, B’esctra finds it relatively easy to pick up fragments of different languages and then adapt to them, allowing him to become fluent in them after only brief amounts of exposure to their various inflections.