Damien DeMontieaux
A traveling minstrel; a notorious thief; a wandering vigilante; an undefeated duelist. Damien Demontieaux has been all of these things and more, and the tales of his exploits spread far beyond him. The eccentric feline's origins are as much a mystery as the race to which he belongs, but—as is always the case with these things—the less that is known about him, the further the story of the Dancing Gloam spreads.
Appearance
Damien DeMontieaux is a curious figure. While humanoid in form, he has the head of a black cat, and his body is likewise covered in sable fur. He even has a tail: extending out from beneath the rear of his characteristic leather tunic, it is just as long and sinuous as that of any self-respecting feline. His eyes are a piercing golden amber in shade, and there are faint lines of brighter russet fur just beneath them and above along his brows, matching the dark, muted orange and pink of his nose.
The inherent roguish air possessed by any black cat carries over into his choice of garb: a high-collared tunic of black leather and maroon padding with matching leather gloves and a pair of dark leather leggings allow for maximum levels of comfort and mobility while still offering some protection, as well as blending into the dark just as effectively as Damien's own fur. The look is topped off by a buckle-rimmed floppy hat, typically cocked rakishly over one ear and adorned with a single jaunty feather.
Of course, Damien's appearance would be incomplete without the épée ever carried at his side: a fine piece with an ornate basket hilt inlaid with silver filigree. This he often incorporates into his already-flamboyant and flowing movements with clearly practiced ease in the form of various elaborate flourishes and circling salutes; his obvious affinity with the weapon is such that it seems almost like an extension of his very self.
His voice is piercing and clear with a roguish lilt and accentuates his already-jaunty appearance. Every motion he makes is at once calculated and florid; smooth and sharp; elaborate and decisive. He has an odd knack for holding uncannily still; for only moving when people aren't looking (and sometimes moving unseen even when they are); for holding an audience's attention at exactly the point he desires. All the world's a stage, and Damien stands with ease among its most skilled performers.
En Garde!—Damien is an almost unparalleled master of the blade, particularly when his favored épée is in hand. To try to strike him is like trying to hit smoke in the wind; with the scarcest of movements, he dances from one form to the next, parrying, riposting, lunging, dodging, and executing his foes with no more effort than most might put into a light conversation over afternoon tea, yet moving faster than the eye can follow.
Ephemeral Twin—It's hard to notice since he's usually standing in shadow anyway, but Damien's shadow has something of a mind of its own. It's been known to move of its own volition, work small mischiefs with the shadows of other objects, and even leave its owner behind entirely on occasion.
Indeed, even to his foes, the Dancing Gloam is all compliments and flourishes; he's been known to offer grandiose praise and helpful tips on technique to an opponent even while dancing about them and toying with his prey, in a jovially jaunty fashion that is somehow more infuriating than any amount of outright hatred or insult could ever be. Some might consider this means of playing with his food to be somewhat cruel, but there is almost never any true malice behind it. To all appearances, life is but a game to Damien; a stage on which he is constantly performing; a play where he is at once both lead actor and main character.
There are, of course, both darker and lighter sides that lie both within and beneath this roguish attitude. As the seemingly self-proclaimed hero of his own story, Damien is something of a classic wandering rogue hero right out of a storybook: helping travelers in need, robbing the rich blind even as he charms them, hunting down the world's threats, dueling any who dare to challenge his honor, and playing his fiddle to accompany himself as he sings his own praises at every tavern he passes through.
There are myriad stories told about Damien by various folks who've had the dubitable fortune of encountering him, and none of those stories seem to agree: some talk of a silent savior who sprung from the dark to single-handedly defend them from a bandit attack before vanishing into the night; others speak of a cunning and charismatic thief who talked his way into the highest echelons of Allirian society before making off with the most prized heirlooms of several powerful families over the course of a single evening; and many claim to have met the unusual fellow on the road or in a tavern working as a lowly (if talented) traveling minstrel with delusions of grandeur.
Damien himself has never bothered to address the countless rumors surrounding him; if anything, he plays into them, letting his reputation further build into a tangled, discontinuous mess whose component parts are scattered across the world with no semblance of rhyme or reason. One thing, however, is relatively certain: a rogue, a liar, and a thief he might be to some, but he never takes from those who cannot afford it, and indeed is commonly found in places of danger helping those in need.
In more recent times, the feline fellow has been most commonly seen trailing in the wake of devastation and violence left behind by the notorious warlord Markus Glorphain and generally serving as a thorn in the bloated menace's side, whether it be by helping survivors back on their feet, picking off scouting parties from his main force, laying traps and arranging inconveniences, or simply alerting those ahead of the Glorphain's forces that trouble is on its way. Some have observed that there almost seems to be a sort of personal vendetta to the Dancing Gloam's pursuit.
The inherent roguish air possessed by any black cat carries over into his choice of garb: a high-collared tunic of black leather and maroon padding with matching leather gloves and a pair of dark leather leggings allow for maximum levels of comfort and mobility while still offering some protection, as well as blending into the dark just as effectively as Damien's own fur. The look is topped off by a buckle-rimmed floppy hat, typically cocked rakishly over one ear and adorned with a single jaunty feather.
Of course, Damien's appearance would be incomplete without the épée ever carried at his side: a fine piece with an ornate basket hilt inlaid with silver filigree. This he often incorporates into his already-flamboyant and flowing movements with clearly practiced ease in the form of various elaborate flourishes and circling salutes; his obvious affinity with the weapon is such that it seems almost like an extension of his very self.
His voice is piercing and clear with a roguish lilt and accentuates his already-jaunty appearance. Every motion he makes is at once calculated and florid; smooth and sharp; elaborate and decisive. He has an odd knack for holding uncannily still; for only moving when people aren't looking (and sometimes moving unseen even when they are); for holding an audience's attention at exactly the point he desires. All the world's a stage, and Damien stands with ease among its most skilled performers.
Skills and Abilities
Dancing Gloam—Not only is Damien unusually talented in moving unseen and unheard, but he also possesses a certain affinity for shadows and dark places. When in the shade, he can vanish from sight and attention without being noticed, even while eyes are upon him; he can fade until he is almost entirely invisible while standing still; he can even seemingly teleport between patches of shadow in his line of sight. Or maybe he's just moving really fast. No one's ever really seen exactly what he's doing, so who knows?En Garde!—Damien is an almost unparalleled master of the blade, particularly when his favored épée is in hand. To try to strike him is like trying to hit smoke in the wind; with the scarcest of movements, he dances from one form to the next, parrying, riposting, lunging, dodging, and executing his foes with no more effort than most might put into a light conversation over afternoon tea, yet moving faster than the eye can follow.
Ephemeral Twin—It's hard to notice since he's usually standing in shadow anyway, but Damien's shadow has something of a mind of its own. It's been known to move of its own volition, work small mischiefs with the shadows of other objects, and even leave its owner behind entirely on occasion.
Personality
On the surface, Damien's personality is precisely that which his appearance conveys, if not more so. He has an infallibly high opinion of himself and a degree of self-confidence that borders on the absurd. It goes beyond mere arrogance: the feline unironically considers himself wholly capable of single-handedly taking on an army, while at the same time somehow refraining from acting in any means derogatory towards any but his enemies.Indeed, even to his foes, the Dancing Gloam is all compliments and flourishes; he's been known to offer grandiose praise and helpful tips on technique to an opponent even while dancing about them and toying with his prey, in a jovially jaunty fashion that is somehow more infuriating than any amount of outright hatred or insult could ever be. Some might consider this means of playing with his food to be somewhat cruel, but there is almost never any true malice behind it. To all appearances, life is but a game to Damien; a stage on which he is constantly performing; a play where he is at once both lead actor and main character.
There are, of course, both darker and lighter sides that lie both within and beneath this roguish attitude. As the seemingly self-proclaimed hero of his own story, Damien is something of a classic wandering rogue hero right out of a storybook: helping travelers in need, robbing the rich blind even as he charms them, hunting down the world's threats, dueling any who dare to challenge his honor, and playing his fiddle to accompany himself as he sings his own praises at every tavern he passes through.
Biography & Lore
Damien's origins are a mystery known only to him (and perhaps even he isn't entirely sure, although he's never really said one way or the other). At some point in the last several years (in fact, there are notably similar stories of such an individual going back much further), the eccentric fellow simply started appearing in seemingly random places around the Spine and Allirian Reach, coming and going as the whim took him and leaving nary a trace in his wake.There are myriad stories told about Damien by various folks who've had the dubitable fortune of encountering him, and none of those stories seem to agree: some talk of a silent savior who sprung from the dark to single-handedly defend them from a bandit attack before vanishing into the night; others speak of a cunning and charismatic thief who talked his way into the highest echelons of Allirian society before making off with the most prized heirlooms of several powerful families over the course of a single evening; and many claim to have met the unusual fellow on the road or in a tavern working as a lowly (if talented) traveling minstrel with delusions of grandeur.
Damien himself has never bothered to address the countless rumors surrounding him; if anything, he plays into them, letting his reputation further build into a tangled, discontinuous mess whose component parts are scattered across the world with no semblance of rhyme or reason. One thing, however, is relatively certain: a rogue, a liar, and a thief he might be to some, but he never takes from those who cannot afford it, and indeed is commonly found in places of danger helping those in need.
In more recent times, the feline fellow has been most commonly seen trailing in the wake of devastation and violence left behind by the notorious warlord Markus Glorphain and generally serving as a thorn in the bloated menace's side, whether it be by helping survivors back on their feet, picking off scouting parties from his main force, laying traps and arranging inconveniences, or simply alerting those ahead of the Glorphain's forces that trouble is on its way. Some have observed that there almost seems to be a sort of personal vendetta to the Dancing Gloam's pursuit.
References
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