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Description

(Avatar done by Kitsune Notunai of DeviantArt.)

Darien stands about 5 foot 8 and is unusually light on his feet, even for his compact frame. He prefers a "dressed to kill" approach to his wardrobe, the better to solve potentially sticky problems with his words alone before having to resort to violence.

Personality

Darien is the sort of guy that one would love to have a drink with, but would rather not piss off. On a job, however, he is sullen, speaks only when necessary, and otherwise does what he has to the get the job done so he can go back to being himself. He takes care to choose his words for the maximum effect on his audience, and to accomplish this he prefers to let the other person make their introductions first.

In the company of those that have already made his acquaintance, he seems to pick up right where the two of them left off every time. Some find it creepy, while others find him useful for reminders of previous conversations. He seems particularly taken with a certain red-haired woman, though he is loath to turn over any further details other than "when you see her, you'll know it's her."

Equipment

A dizzying array of spy tools come packaged in what appears to be a dildo when stored (an invention of his own design, and with the gear removed, it still is able to perform its "primary" function). More visible is his "locksmith's kit" around his waist for getting into and out of all manner of trouble. A rapier hangs at his waist for when he needs to fight, and a boot dagger of an unusually dark-colored alloy is for those times when he needs a close-range weapon, not to mention that it fits well with his given name. He now makes a point of only carrying poisons when he knows what he's going to use them for after a rather unfortunate accident involving a landslide.

For silent kills from a distance, Darien packs a hand crossbow and typically between 5-10 bolts. Sure, it's got less of a "punch" than the sort one needs to hold in two hands and it's got a shorter effective distance, but it's easier to conceal. His assassin training has taught him not only how to apply poisons without risk of self-exposure, but also to become more resistant to toxins of all sorts should someone try the same trick on him through the old-fashioned but effective method of inoculation. For more straight-up encounters, Darien hides an elven-crafted mithral shirt under his normal clothing. Both harder and lighter than steel, it lets him move just as nimbly as if he was unarmored, but anyone that goes for an unarmed punch to his torso is in for a nasty surprise.

Currently, Darien is interested in the science behind crafting poisons, and can frequently be seen with his nose in a book about herbology, chemistry, or some other related field. Aside from giving him new insights into being able to make toxic substances when the situation calls for it, he's picking up a lot of secondary knowledge that could prove useful should he ever give up the life of a professional killer for some other field of work. This is quickly becoming a more attractive option than he'd care to admit, and has even led to the occasional mishap, but he knows all too well the consequences if the right people learn of his decision.

The rapier, which Darien affectionately refers to as the "Point of No Return", is a rather specialized weapon in that it does considerable damage against creatures from the lower worlds (demons, devils, and their ilk), but slightly less than normal against everything else. Still, his practice in delivering precise strikes to vital areas tends to mitigate this shortcoming.

Darien has had his infernal blood awakened, and as such has the following abilities:

-Doublespeak: Darien is very good at getting most people to believe in the veracity of his words and actions, partly because his kind is itself bound by laws and partly because he holds himself to his own promises when it's convenient for him. He uses this to his advantage to deceive targets and get them to lower their guard so he has a better chance of hitting home with the one attack he needs. While blatantly self-destructive instructions will break the spell, grossly stupid courses of action have been known to get through. Usable at will.

-Sphere of Shadow: A personal-range spell that extends out to 20 feet from himself covers the area in supernatural shadow that Darien can see through perfectly, but which is likely to confuse and disorient foes that get in close because mundane lights quickly die out in this range when the ability is active. Should he ever leave the ground, this spell will live up to its name, but since one usually fights on the ground, all most people see is the hemisphere above the surface. Usable once per day.

-Smite: The inherent calculating nature of his ancestors (which he most highly resents) leads him to be able to gain temporary insight into the foe's movements and actions, which manifests itself in increased power and accuracy on the next attack used during the round he activates this ability.

-Blood Freezer: If Darien can survive 3 turns without taking damage and keeping his foe in sight the entire time, he can make a special melee attack once during the next 3 rounds that can hamper the foe's ability to move and react for the rest of the encounter on a hit, whether he's armed or not. If the attack fails, or if he waits more than 3 rounds after the study is complete, the opportunity is wasted and he must begin the process again.

-Dark Bargain: Not practical for a combat scenario, Darien often tries to this ability when he is between jobs. By making effective use of his Doublespeak ability, he can sometimes coax a target into making a deal with his fully devilish matron. A portion of each soul traded away in this manner is earmarked to go to him as his take for actually brokering the deal once it is free from the body along with a modest sum of worldly money as his commission, as his supporters are more content to deal with each other in liquid pain. Darien can call upon these imprints to gain a measure of the skill and expertise a soul possessed in life before they entered into the agreement.

History

The star-crossed coupling of a female devil and a foolish assassin who summoned her led to Darien's birth, leading to an early induction into the way of shadow. He had an uncanny knack for hiding the outward signs of his diabolical heritage with all sorts of disguises, combined with a quick blade and a quicker wit. All these gifts led to him being one of the chief advisors of the clan he was born into despite his young age, and he is constantly on the lookout for threats to his superiority.

Also owing to the unusual nature of his genesis, Darien has started attempting to cultivate a reputation as a ladies' man, and while he knows he has all the necessary tools to become quite the gigolo, he had the misfortune of running across a rather insatiable redhead when starting his collection, and their relationship has grown rather complex.

Darien Blackdagger's Story