Full name: Bendan Zau'afin
Age: His exact age is forgotten to himself.
Race: Drow
Sex: Male
Date of birth: old as can be for someone who cannot die from normal means.
Place of birth: Shamath
Alignment: LN
Patron deity: Shar
Profession: Conjurer
Classes: Pale master, Thaumaturge, Shadowcaster
Primary language: Common, undercommon, drow, drowsign
Secondary languages:
elven, draconic, abyssal, dwarven, orcish, infernal, gnomish, celestial, Netherese, Cormanthan, Shou
Physical description:
Apears to be a middle-aged male drow, not unattractive, with the typical red eyes that are intelligent and penetrating, with long white hair neatly braided in the back.
Psychological Description/Religious Views:
This male drow mage was born during the time when Sshamathian matriarchs were bearing an unusual number of males and was just completing his studies as a wizard when the Faern uprising resulted in the conquest of Sshamath by what is now the ruling conclave of mages of Sshamath. As a result of this experience, he beheld his house fall and in order to survive he joined the mage school as an assistant professor. Eventually he studied conjuration and learned the power of summoning powerful entities. The truth is it pained him to watch his mother and sisters perish and it left a psychological mark on his being and a desire to never be in a position where his house would fall so easily. However, he did grow to adjust and enjoy the special prominence of being a powerful Fearn in Sshamath brought him. However, the prominence felt empty as he had no family. As a result he took as slaves several female drow of ability who refused the rule of the Fearns of Sshamath. With them he began a new family and took the name of Zau'afin to honor the memory of his former family. Gaining in knowledge and power he eventually joined the school of necromancy where he began the path of the Pale Master, a path he perfected thus making him an immortal undead creature of sorts, allowing him to live in perpetuity. He spent the centuries watching and guiding worthy and key members of his progeny. He guided and protected them, sometimes pruning them from members who were too ambitious and selfish, or too destructive. Yet he started to become bitter about his past. He decided to delve into forbidden magics and embrace the bitterness of his past. He studied the shadow weave and attempted to embody Shar herself to make himself impervious to the pain of the loss of his prior family. Over time and isolation, he subsumed different personalities to cope with the loneliness and pain. However, with recent events in Sshamath, the twisted pain and bitterness of his past relented, and a new personality is slowly emerging from the parts of several personalities he has emulated from several Zau'afins descendants he has known over the centuries. Could it be he has embraced his past and bitterness and loss?
It remains to be seen. However, his persaonality has stabilized into one of an honorable patron, keeping the web of Zau'afin strong from the shadows. He has not revealed himself to any Zau'afin in centuries, until most recently. Beldarn has worn a mask for over a thousand years, hiding his true identity, to prevent himself from forming strong ties with others, less he suffers the pain of loss again. While wearing the mask he is able to assume the personalities of several different people who actually existed. However taking off the mask would unleash all his pain and bitterness, leading him to become unctonrolled in his hatred towards those who caused the loss of distant Zau'afin, or those who cause pain, suffering, or loss to current Zau'afin. Even so, the honorable core of his being, is unbreakable, but he cannot sustain himself long without his mask, otherwise the bitterness takes over and he seeks unproductive ways to unleash his pain, anger, and seething rage. He will playfully pretend at times that his face was burned with acid, becoming a faceless one, while at other times say that he forgets the real reason to why he wears his mask, while if pressed, acknowledging that his face is intact, or even making jokes about it. What he is jesting about is the pain he suffers. He uses humor and pretends to be weak at times, to prevent others from understanding the depth, width, and density of his patience, ability to suffer, and power. It is worthy to note that he understands the nature of all forms of pain and how to sustain them. He is learning to embrace it. As a result of living thousands of years and watching in great detail, thousands of beings, has an in-depth knowledge of motivations, psychology, and the essence of the will of many types of creatures. He is closely aligned to what classically would be referred to as a Baelnorn. While evil can enjoy power, prestige, and wealth for a few hundred years, the only thing that maintains a sound psychological state and heart, is love. Thus, Bardan has lost all remnant of evil over the centuries peice by peice. This was the only true way to slowly bear with his bitterness and pain. He is the great great great grandfather of all Zau'afin.
Ancestry:
Born from noble heritage of a new house ascending called Zau'afin, this house sided with the Matriarchs and fell in the battle against the Fearn revolt. It was thought that this house had been completely destroyed and the new house Zau'afin is not considered to have any relation to this ancient low born house, even though it has direct lineage to it.
Family:
Bardan, after fathering children from three female Yathrin, allowed them to raise the children in the way's of Lolth. Of these children only one line survived, the strongest line, and he watched and helped them for centuries from the shadows, until they landed near the city of Portals, reforming the ancient house Bardan had come from, under the influence of his whispers. Although the mad Yath'tallar Eclav is thought lost, Bardan secretly keeps her safe as she has provided the line of Yathrin powerful and competent enough to bring back his former house. Even so, he also maintains her so that in case this generation of Zau'fin falls, another will rise again. Currently Bardan is interested in a new Zau'fin member named Talasprina, and has revealed himself to her. Something he has not done for any Zau'afin in centuries.
History and Ambitions:
As Bardan, now the Faceless one, has lived for thousands of years his priorities have shifted. Originally he sought only arcane knowledge, then items of power, then the secrets of the dark weaves. However over time the fire or his bitterness, anger, pain, and loneliness died out, and he discovered that helping his descendants was what gave him purpose and fulfillment, even if they could never ascend the heights of power that he has, or become powerful members of a city, he enjoys watching them like babies discover who they are and what they can do for their family.
Potential Heirloom Item:
A necklace of Shar's pure power: Something that improves hiding, listening, moving silently, bluffing, and arcane lore. Something that makes one immune to blindness, silence, and gives damage reduction to magic damage both in amount and percent. It offers meta magic feat that allows for a cone of cold or another damage dealing once per round meta magic feat.
The mask of Bardan: It provides bonuses to hide, move silently, bluff, and spotting. It adds intelligence to the user and DC to Necromantic spells.
Potential Plot Hooks:
1. He is currently working to find a way to help Zau'afin more directly, taking the lead to even controlling the house or representing it in the Conclave somehow. But he knows that the shadoweave is not an accepted school of magic, lucky for him he is a skilled conjurer.
2. Those who would harm Talasprina or catpure her would acquire his special attentions.
3. He wishes to develop a portalling system from the Zau'afin stronghold to other locations within the realms and place the portals in a special room off of the Faern laboratory in the Zau'afin compound.
4. He is working to discover any hidden backdoor control points of the Zau'afin golems so that they follow his commands an none other. Failing that he will make new golems that look just like the previous ones, but that are under his control and the Faern Nefera.
5. He seeks to steer Zau'afin away from attempting a coup of Sshamath, both to prevent Zau'afin's destruction, but also to prevent the loss of life to his great great grandchildren.
6. He seeks to make powerful shadowweave weapons to arm the best nobles of Zau'afin. Weapons that disrupt magics upon those they hit disabling and rendering inert 1 enchantment every time they hit.
