Mako
Mako was born in the deep reaches of the Bayou Garramarisma, in a village so small that no one has ever heard of its name much less cared about it.
Mako was born as a mute. Due to this he was seen as a freak, lesser, his parents were most often neglectful, if not outright abusive. Because of this Mako spent little to no time within his actual home. Most of his days were spent running around the village or the outlying swamps.
This was only exacerbated as throughout the year trouble seemed to spring up all around the young boy. Stilts would fail, men would injure themselves, other kids would break bones. Misfortune followed the lad, a fact which haunted him for years.
The only one who offered him any sympathy was his sister Sabine. Who cared for him in her own little ways, and was the one who taught him the signs. A thing that the two of them invented together.
As he grew older Mako began to explore further and further, eventually stumbling upon a large cove.
It was within this cove that he found the Red Crow Pirates.
Utterly fascinated by their ship and the men scarred with two Red Talon marks, Mako swam into the cove and crawled his way aboard their ship. He stowed away within the hold, and was only discovered two days later when the ship had already sailed from the Bayou.
The men aboard the The Red Crow almost immediately moved to throw the boy overboard, not caring to play nanny and not wanting to share any of their rations. The men were only barely stopped by their Captain, a man named Radic.
Amused by the boys antics, and seeing a small amount of potential within him Radic took Mako under his wing. Though the Captain's methods were hardly kind, the small positive reinforcement and attention Radic gave him was more than enough to bind the two together. Over time he helped Mako teach sign language to the crew, allowing him to communicate and for the first time form friendships.
Through the years Mako grew, and became accustomed to The Red Crow's nature. Radic gave him the job of scout, sending him out ahead of the ship and finding targets, people, and anything else that might be of value.
Over the years he returned to the Bayou once or twice, visiting his elder sister until his final journey when he found her gone.
Though never cruel himself, the young boy grew up besides pirates, smugglers, slavers, and murderers. He has an incredibly callous attitude towards the world, and takes his role within the crew very seriously. This is only made more so due to the fact that Mako is the only other crew member of The Red Crow who has been inducted into the Reckoners.
An honor that Radic bestowed upon him on his twentieth nameday.
Skills and Abilities
Though Mako is entirely unaware of it he holds a small amount of magical ability.
Not a conscious, nor truly willful act, Mako seems capable of 'jinxing' those around him. Though he cannot yet control this, and is in fact not truly even aware of it, this ability has aided him throughout his life.
Those around him whom he focuses on are simply hit with spells of 'bad luck'. It is never a direct effect, but simply something that happens. A man swinging his sword could slip and lose his footing, a wizard casting his spell could fidget a bit too much and lose his focus, an archer might find that the string of his bow snaps.
These effects are entirely random, but almost always benefit Mako in some way. The misfortune is also almost entirely localized, focused on the people and things around him.
Mako does not consciously utilize this ability, but rather taps into it innately. The magic generally only takes effect in either moments of great panic or focus, an almost unconscious wish that something would occur.
Not a conscious, nor truly willful act, Mako seems capable of 'jinxing' those around him. Though he cannot yet control this, and is in fact not truly even aware of it, this ability has aided him throughout his life.
Those around him whom he focuses on are simply hit with spells of 'bad luck'. It is never a direct effect, but simply something that happens. A man swinging his sword could slip and lose his footing, a wizard casting his spell could fidget a bit too much and lose his focus, an archer might find that the string of his bow snaps.
These effects are entirely random, but almost always benefit Mako in some way. The misfortune is also almost entirely localized, focused on the people and things around him.
Mako does not consciously utilize this ability, but rather taps into it innately. The magic generally only takes effect in either moments of great panic or focus, an almost unconscious wish that something would occur.
The Reckoners
The Reesh Reckoners, mostly called the Reckoners by anyone in the Underworld are a loosely affiliated gang of criminals.
Made up of every kind of scum that the world of Arethil could come up with, the Reckoners are about as disorganized as could possibly be. There is no leader, there are no lieutenants, there isn't even a central structure. Some members of the Reckoners are friends while others absolutely despise one another.
The only thing that binds the Reckoners is an incredibly powerful Rune carved into their very flesh, and sometimes bone.
These Runes are not protective in anyway, but rather reactive. When a Reckoner is killed by unnatural means the Rune upon their flesh is activated, and every other Reckoner within the world immediately feels a compulsion to avenge their death.
This compulsion takes many forms almost always depending on the individual Reckoner. Sometimes it is a constant pain, other times it is a lust, and still others it is a simple pull that renders the Reckoner simply unable to complete any other task until vengeance is taken. This compulsion is so strong that the vengeance is usually swiftly carried out.
Due to this, killing a Reckoner in the Underworld is considered extremely foolish. The Reckoners tend to be extremely skilled and powerful criminals. Sometimes even controlling their own gangs or crews. Despite this, the number of Reckoners is extremely few. Many in the Underworld do not want to risk such deep bonds and the Reckoners themselves are never keen to add to the list of people they might have to potentially avenge one day.
No one is entirely sure who the first Reckoners were, or why the Runes were originally created. It is presumed that it was a fail safe of sorts, a way to allow criminals to work together without fear of betrayal. In truth however over the years such knowledge has simply been lost, the minds of criminals and murderers tending to stick to the here and now rather than the Past.
Induction into the Reckoners is simple enough, needing only a vote of three to induct a new member. Once the vote is passed, all three must aid in the carving of the Rune into the flesh. This is the only way for the Reckoners Rune to truly work.
Made up of every kind of scum that the world of Arethil could come up with, the Reckoners are about as disorganized as could possibly be. There is no leader, there are no lieutenants, there isn't even a central structure. Some members of the Reckoners are friends while others absolutely despise one another.
The only thing that binds the Reckoners is an incredibly powerful Rune carved into their very flesh, and sometimes bone.
These Runes are not protective in anyway, but rather reactive. When a Reckoner is killed by unnatural means the Rune upon their flesh is activated, and every other Reckoner within the world immediately feels a compulsion to avenge their death.
This compulsion takes many forms almost always depending on the individual Reckoner. Sometimes it is a constant pain, other times it is a lust, and still others it is a simple pull that renders the Reckoner simply unable to complete any other task until vengeance is taken. This compulsion is so strong that the vengeance is usually swiftly carried out.
Due to this, killing a Reckoner in the Underworld is considered extremely foolish. The Reckoners tend to be extremely skilled and powerful criminals. Sometimes even controlling their own gangs or crews. Despite this, the number of Reckoners is extremely few. Many in the Underworld do not want to risk such deep bonds and the Reckoners themselves are never keen to add to the list of people they might have to potentially avenge one day.
No one is entirely sure who the first Reckoners were, or why the Runes were originally created. It is presumed that it was a fail safe of sorts, a way to allow criminals to work together without fear of betrayal. In truth however over the years such knowledge has simply been lost, the minds of criminals and murderers tending to stick to the here and now rather than the Past.
Induction into the Reckoners is simple enough, needing only a vote of three to induct a new member. Once the vote is passed, all three must aid in the carving of the Rune into the flesh. This is the only way for the Reckoners Rune to truly work.