Smozhstalker
| Smozhstalker Dipsh | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Race | S'Kra Mur |
| Gender | Male |
| Guild | Paladin |
| Instance | Platinum |
Description
Citizenship: Therengia
Deity worshipped: Rutilor
You were born on the 1st day of the 4th month of Shorka the Cobra in the year of the Crystal Snow Hare, 300 years after the victory of Lanival the Redeemer.
You are Defender of the Faith Smozhstalker Dipsh, Adherent of Therengia, a S'Kra Mur.
You have a flexible ridged crest which follows the shape of your skull with elegant arched eyebrows and slitted eyes, one grey and the other milky blue, mottled scales with a pale silver underbelly and a stubby tail.
You are mature.
You are wearing a visored helm, a jadeite gwethdesuan, a pair of tarnished spectacles, a serpentine cambrinth earcuff carved in the shape of an adder, a scale aventail, a stiff burnt-sienna cassock clasped at the shoulder with a Holy Inquisition pin, a heretic's cloak lined with stormy grey velvet, a clockwork spider, a pilgrim's badge, an anloral mongoose pin, a rusty steel pin stamped with "Forsaken Savior", a wiirwood brooch inlaid with tsavorites in the pattern of the outline of Therengia, a lumpy bundle, a canvas sack, a sturdy black backpack, a black tabard embroidered with an Inquisitorial emblem, some field plate armor, a cambrinth armband curled into the shape of a sleek mongoose, a kite shield engraved with an undead horde, some mail gloves, a cambrinth ring, an albredine crystal ring, a heretic's sword belt sporting heavy puncture holes, a red velvet soulstone case fringed with silver roping, a walnut herbal case elegantly branded with a single silver rose, a simple belt knife, a thigh quiver dyed in a brown and green camouflage pattern, some bleached bone footwraps, a pair of heretic's boots with blackened steel-capped toes, and an etched steel parry stick with black leather straps.
Backstory
Not even a moonmage would have predicted that Smozhstalker would become a paladin. A native of Ratha, he was considered a heretic and a drunkard by his family and his neighbors. He had indulged in petty crime, slept through services in Hav'roth's temple, and lived the life of a wastral, and had been favorless. He survived by doing odd jobs and begging at the local temples.
One day he passed the local temple of Chadatru while trying to earn a few coppers. He wasn't particularly a devout man. So he was surprised when a priest called him by name.
"You there. yes, you. Smozhstalker. Our temple has need of someone to journey to the crossing for us. We would like this envelope delivered to Esuin in the guild of Clerics there. If you do so, there's a few silver in it for you. Besides, the guards grow weary of you.."
He decided to take them up on the offer, although not waiting for the next ship to sail,when a moongate happened to open to Crossing, threw him through it.
Without resources in this new environment, Smozhstalker sobered up enough to look for coins to buy his drinks, after spending the money he received from Esuin, and woke up on numerous occasions outside of the Vipers Nest Inn, hardly paying much attention to other events occuring in the world. Not even noticing that Lyras's hordes were closing in.
Meanwhile, the Philosphers of the Knife were taking in new initiates, and were resorting to unscrupulous means to attract the attention of commoners.
Somehow, Smozhstalker found himself one day in front of Zamidren Book, being offered the choice to join... or die. Having not had a drink that day, he was sober enough to realize just what a mess he had made of his life. And he knew that he was Not going to give his soul to the Necromancers.
So he said "No".
He has no memory of what occured next. But he was taken to the Dungeon within the hidden guild of the Necromancers, and there had terrible experiments performed upon him. As he called out in his native tongue, few there understood, or cared, about his cries. One however heard him. A female S'Kra, she heard his screams and determined to get him out of there, and managed to convince Book to release the old S'kra into her "care". Book told her in no uncertain terms to make sure he had no memory of where he had been. She managed to drag his unconscious form to one of her sisters home, where Shoshannah another sister - an empath, was staying, to care for his broken body. She told her sister that the old S'Kra had been ambushed by the Necromancers of Lyras's army. Not where she had really found him. He remained unconscious for days. Finally, he regained consciousness one day and limped away while Shoshannah had been out purchasing food for her patient.
The next thing he remembered, he was laying on the ground in a local alley. All he remembered, is that something terrible had happened to him. something... unholy. Corrupting. Horrible. Writhing streams of ... something? Something no s'kra should ever see. Torture. He had a brief glimpsing memory of himself screaming, and saying "no" .... and his tail becoming only a stub...
He broke out in a sweat. He rose to his knees, and called out to the gods as he had never done before... first to the gods of his people, then to others of the pantheon ..."Hav'roth? " he heard no answer.... "Damaris?" still no answer.... "Rutilor! save me!" He heard something in the distance. Hounds.... baying...
He rose to his feet." Guide me! please! I have lost my way." He walked as if in a daze, not knowing where his steps were leading him.
He found himself in the office of Verika, the local paladin guildleader. She looked sternly at him for a moment, then saw the pain in his eyes. Unspeakable pain.
"Yes, Smozhstalker. I have heard of you. Your name...is one that shall seek out those who have corrupted the world, and your people. You must join us in fighting this scourge. And you must obtain the favor of the gods. You must fight the unholy filth that endangers us all. Only then will the agony you feel be quieted."
"And perhaps, if you dedicate yourself fully, Rutilor will let you become one of his Hounds. But first you must train yourself in our guild. It will be some time before you are ready to be one of Rutilors Knights."
Smozhstalker continues his training as a Paladin, and is learning the arts of an armor-crafter as well. He still has nights when he wakes up screaming.