Blaine Viscardi
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:38 pm
First Name: Blaine
Last Name: Viscardi
Appearance: Blaine is a dignified human male of some twenty or so summers with emerald eyes full of dark ambition. The youthful visage of his face is framed by jet-black hair, abundant in the telltale lineaments of the hardy people of the Moonsea region.
Race: Human, Chondathan
Age: Blaine was born in a cold Alturiak night of 1329 DR.
Height He stands considerably taller than most of his landsmen.
Personality Profile: Blaine is a glutton, a narcissist and a sociopath rolled into one. Exceptionally vain and rapacious owing to the sliver of red dragon blood fueling his sorcerous powers, he tirelessly seeks to increase his station and riches, often at the expense of others. His superficial charm and glibness allow him to easily make new friends and allies, but his appalling true nature ultimately drives most of them away.
That is not to say, however, that he has no redeeming qualities; while Blaine's moral code might be fluid, verging on nonexistent, he will loyally serve whoever earns his respect and will form long lasting relationships with individuals, as long as their goals remain aligned. Although at times blatantly disparaging towards others, he knows when and how to demean himself with the dignity befitting someone of his upbringing.
General Health: Minor injuries sustained during riding and sporting.
Deity: Venerates a number of deities with Bane, Loviatar and Malar preceding over them.
Initial Alignment: Neutral Evil, LE tendencies
Profession: Gentleman of fortune, Spellblade, Black Cloak
Base Class & Proposed Development: Sorcerer/Dragonslayer
Habits/Hobbies:
-Blaine relentlessly works to perfect the blend of swordplay and magic he employs for the purposes of combat.
-He is an expert rider and enjoys hunting game from horseback overmuch.
-Has a habit of shifting from his condescending attitude to a more courteous one at a moment's notice. This tends to confuse people as to his true disposition.
-He gesticulates a lot while talking, especially when he is flustered.
Languages: Common and Tharian, the language of his homeland.
Weapon of Choice: Blaine uses a greatsword commissioned by his father as a gift for his coming of age. Affectionately named the Excruciarch by its wielder, this magnificent blade has drank deep the blood of monsters and innocents that have fallen victim to the young scoundrel's whims alike.
Background: They say that the Viscardi of yore were stonemasons from Chancelgaunt, now Selgaunt of Sembia and amongst the first of many pioneers to hearken Orlephar Flostren's overture for expansion to the east. With blood, sweat and tears they toiled to build the first human settlement in the hostile region of Moonsea, one that has grown to become the richest and most powerful habitation in the area, rivaling even its metropolis, Sembia. That city was no other than the vaunted Zhentil Keep.
As Thargate flourished and prospered, so did the Viscardi line; at an exponential rate. Hearsay accounting for this phenomenal growth still surrounds the old line, famous amongst them being that the masons used to keep dragons as consorts. With Moonsea's early namesake being Sea of Dragons and the line's penchant for producing a sorcerer every two generations, the fable doesn't seem at all improbable. Although, as any entrepreneur worth their salt would do, the Viscardi never made any effort to dispel the rumours but instead went as far as to adopt a red, wingless wyrm as their family crest.
The Viscardi's enduring success, often through unscrupulous means, ensured their survival throughout the keep's tumultuous history and prompted their branching out into politics. Fighting tooth and nail through the merciless political arena of Zhentil Keep, Lord Varos is now widely recognised as the first Viscardi to be elevated into the position of minor nobleman through the unanimous accord of the council of Lords circa 1000 DR. This marked the onset of a long tradition that survives to this day, where the individual head of the family would become part of the loose parliament of minor lords charged with maintaning the public streets and structures.
Unlike most individuals comprising the upper echelons of Zhentil Keep's society, the Viscardi had managed to keep their dealings with the Zhentarim to a minimum, ever wary of the risk to their autonomy that cavorting with that lot bore. That would change however, when Maximilian's youngest son, Blaine would make the questionable decision to join the ranks of the brotherhood as a fledgling Black Cloak. The reasons for his choice are knotty and can largely be traced back to his upbringing.
As with all of Maximilian's sons, Blaine was educated by private tutors in a range of subjects covering The Art, for which the child had displayed an aptitude at a young age, swordplay, equestrian skills and various others. His father, chose to dissociate himself from Blaine's training, spending all of his waking hours monitoring the family enterprises and grooming his eldest son, Stefan, to take over as head of the family when he passed away. The chasm that formed between them might have been one of the contributing factors of Blaine's aforementioned decision and his aberrant behaviour throughout his teen life.
Following his late mother's death by her own hand during his fifteenth birthday, the young sorcerer started to develop a mean streak and a tendency towards violence. Late at night, he would join up with the Press Gangs in the Foreign Quarter and beat helpless vagrants to an inch of their lives, forcefully drafting them into Zhentilar service for no recompense other than the sheer enjoyment of dominating another human being. Taking note of Blaine's emotional vulnerability and penchant for cruelty, his ringleader, an ambitious Banite cleric by the name of Kalen began talking the former into leaving his brother's shadow and claiming his destiny under the guidance of Bane and the Zhentarim.
Years passed and the cleric left for Darkhold, while Blaine's condition progressively worsened. His efforts to win his father's favour increased in both savagery and frequency but always came up against a brick wall. Tired of terrorizing the local beggar population, he took to harrying the goblinkin of the Ride and tracked wanted criminals deemed fugitives by the lord magistrate alongside the Cult of the Beastlord. He enjoyed their company and reveled in their wanton brutality and straightforward deportment which, to him, was a welcome change from the conniving ways of the Zhents. To this day, he still pays minor homage to Malar and is a keen hunter.
But as Blaine matured, so did the idea that Kalen planted in his head that night. Deeming his quest to achieve his father's recognition an exercise in futility he decided to carve his own path and finally mustered the courage to announce his intent to join the cleric at Darkhold. His declaration was met with an ultimatum; excel in his chosen field or forever renounce his right to call himself a Viscardi. Making a tacit oath to not give his old man this satisfaction, he quickly gathered the bare necessities required for the travel. He rode off in a hustle, towards the Western Heartlands; reins bound in his hands in anger, knuckles white.
Goals: Super sekkrit
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:
-An avid reader in his teens, Blaine stumbled upon a book labelled '1018, The Year of the Dracorage'. The book recounts a time when a great flight of dragons assaulted Zhentil Keep and how the latter was saved by the intervention of its wizards and priests of Bane. Fascinated by their prowess, Blaine has since been looking into Dragonslayer lore, emulating the style of these daredevils with notable success.
-Stefan, unbeknownst to most outside the family, is an Ilmatari Painbearer in training. Blaine looks down on his older brother's vocation as meek and contemptuous, choosing instead to take up Loviatar's faith out of pure spite towards him. He would eagerly expend every resource available to see him fall from their father's good graces, but is still ambivalent towards murdering him.
-Erdrick, Blaine's step-brother whom he snidely addresses as half-ogre, begrudgingly followed him to Baldur's Gate at their father's behest. He has lately mysteriously vanished, however. What ever became of him is anyone's guess.
Last Name: Viscardi
Appearance: Blaine is a dignified human male of some twenty or so summers with emerald eyes full of dark ambition. The youthful visage of his face is framed by jet-black hair, abundant in the telltale lineaments of the hardy people of the Moonsea region.
Race: Human, Chondathan
Age: Blaine was born in a cold Alturiak night of 1329 DR.
Height He stands considerably taller than most of his landsmen.
Personality Profile: Blaine is a glutton, a narcissist and a sociopath rolled into one. Exceptionally vain and rapacious owing to the sliver of red dragon blood fueling his sorcerous powers, he tirelessly seeks to increase his station and riches, often at the expense of others. His superficial charm and glibness allow him to easily make new friends and allies, but his appalling true nature ultimately drives most of them away.
That is not to say, however, that he has no redeeming qualities; while Blaine's moral code might be fluid, verging on nonexistent, he will loyally serve whoever earns his respect and will form long lasting relationships with individuals, as long as their goals remain aligned. Although at times blatantly disparaging towards others, he knows when and how to demean himself with the dignity befitting someone of his upbringing.
General Health: Minor injuries sustained during riding and sporting.
Deity: Venerates a number of deities with Bane, Loviatar and Malar preceding over them.
Initial Alignment: Neutral Evil, LE tendencies
Profession: Gentleman of fortune, Spellblade, Black Cloak
Base Class & Proposed Development: Sorcerer/Dragonslayer
Habits/Hobbies:
-Blaine relentlessly works to perfect the blend of swordplay and magic he employs for the purposes of combat.
-He is an expert rider and enjoys hunting game from horseback overmuch.
-Has a habit of shifting from his condescending attitude to a more courteous one at a moment's notice. This tends to confuse people as to his true disposition.
-He gesticulates a lot while talking, especially when he is flustered.
Languages: Common and Tharian, the language of his homeland.
Weapon of Choice: Blaine uses a greatsword commissioned by his father as a gift for his coming of age. Affectionately named the Excruciarch by its wielder, this magnificent blade has drank deep the blood of monsters and innocents that have fallen victim to the young scoundrel's whims alike.
Background: They say that the Viscardi of yore were stonemasons from Chancelgaunt, now Selgaunt of Sembia and amongst the first of many pioneers to hearken Orlephar Flostren's overture for expansion to the east. With blood, sweat and tears they toiled to build the first human settlement in the hostile region of Moonsea, one that has grown to become the richest and most powerful habitation in the area, rivaling even its metropolis, Sembia. That city was no other than the vaunted Zhentil Keep.
As Thargate flourished and prospered, so did the Viscardi line; at an exponential rate. Hearsay accounting for this phenomenal growth still surrounds the old line, famous amongst them being that the masons used to keep dragons as consorts. With Moonsea's early namesake being Sea of Dragons and the line's penchant for producing a sorcerer every two generations, the fable doesn't seem at all improbable. Although, as any entrepreneur worth their salt would do, the Viscardi never made any effort to dispel the rumours but instead went as far as to adopt a red, wingless wyrm as their family crest.
The Viscardi's enduring success, often through unscrupulous means, ensured their survival throughout the keep's tumultuous history and prompted their branching out into politics. Fighting tooth and nail through the merciless political arena of Zhentil Keep, Lord Varos is now widely recognised as the first Viscardi to be elevated into the position of minor nobleman through the unanimous accord of the council of Lords circa 1000 DR. This marked the onset of a long tradition that survives to this day, where the individual head of the family would become part of the loose parliament of minor lords charged with maintaning the public streets and structures.
Unlike most individuals comprising the upper echelons of Zhentil Keep's society, the Viscardi had managed to keep their dealings with the Zhentarim to a minimum, ever wary of the risk to their autonomy that cavorting with that lot bore. That would change however, when Maximilian's youngest son, Blaine would make the questionable decision to join the ranks of the brotherhood as a fledgling Black Cloak. The reasons for his choice are knotty and can largely be traced back to his upbringing.
As with all of Maximilian's sons, Blaine was educated by private tutors in a range of subjects covering The Art, for which the child had displayed an aptitude at a young age, swordplay, equestrian skills and various others. His father, chose to dissociate himself from Blaine's training, spending all of his waking hours monitoring the family enterprises and grooming his eldest son, Stefan, to take over as head of the family when he passed away. The chasm that formed between them might have been one of the contributing factors of Blaine's aforementioned decision and his aberrant behaviour throughout his teen life.
Following his late mother's death by her own hand during his fifteenth birthday, the young sorcerer started to develop a mean streak and a tendency towards violence. Late at night, he would join up with the Press Gangs in the Foreign Quarter and beat helpless vagrants to an inch of their lives, forcefully drafting them into Zhentilar service for no recompense other than the sheer enjoyment of dominating another human being. Taking note of Blaine's emotional vulnerability and penchant for cruelty, his ringleader, an ambitious Banite cleric by the name of Kalen began talking the former into leaving his brother's shadow and claiming his destiny under the guidance of Bane and the Zhentarim.
Years passed and the cleric left for Darkhold, while Blaine's condition progressively worsened. His efforts to win his father's favour increased in both savagery and frequency but always came up against a brick wall. Tired of terrorizing the local beggar population, he took to harrying the goblinkin of the Ride and tracked wanted criminals deemed fugitives by the lord magistrate alongside the Cult of the Beastlord. He enjoyed their company and reveled in their wanton brutality and straightforward deportment which, to him, was a welcome change from the conniving ways of the Zhents. To this day, he still pays minor homage to Malar and is a keen hunter.
But as Blaine matured, so did the idea that Kalen planted in his head that night. Deeming his quest to achieve his father's recognition an exercise in futility he decided to carve his own path and finally mustered the courage to announce his intent to join the cleric at Darkhold. His declaration was met with an ultimatum; excel in his chosen field or forever renounce his right to call himself a Viscardi. Making a tacit oath to not give his old man this satisfaction, he quickly gathered the bare necessities required for the travel. He rode off in a hustle, towards the Western Heartlands; reins bound in his hands in anger, knuckles white.
Goals: Super sekkrit
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts:
-An avid reader in his teens, Blaine stumbled upon a book labelled '1018, The Year of the Dracorage'. The book recounts a time when a great flight of dragons assaulted Zhentil Keep and how the latter was saved by the intervention of its wizards and priests of Bane. Fascinated by their prowess, Blaine has since been looking into Dragonslayer lore, emulating the style of these daredevils with notable success.
-Stefan, unbeknownst to most outside the family, is an Ilmatari Painbearer in training. Blaine looks down on his older brother's vocation as meek and contemptuous, choosing instead to take up Loviatar's faith out of pure spite towards him. He would eagerly expend every resource available to see him fall from their father's good graces, but is still ambivalent towards murdering him.
-Erdrick, Blaine's step-brother whom he snidely addresses as half-ogre, begrudgingly followed him to Baldur's Gate at their father's behest. He has lately mysteriously vanished, however. What ever became of him is anyone's guess.