Thaxen

Appearance

Thaxen is not an attractive fellow. Most of his flesh is charcoal-colored, but red scales cover his head where hair should be, cascading down his back and over his arms to the elbows. An aquiline nose sits between two reddish reptilian eyes. Pointed ears protrude from the sides of his head, with the left ear apparently missing a centimeter from its tip. The only visible hair on him are a pair of thin white eyebrows and a hint of pale stubble. He smiles with a lopsided grin, showing glinting off-white teeth. He is short, about 5'3', and fairly lean, though sinewy muscle belies some strength.

He wears a thick, padded jacket made from unbleached cotton over a simple maroon tunic. A small leather pauldron covers his left shoulder and a leather gauntlet is worn over his left hand. He wears worn leather boots over loose-fitting slacks. A wide leather belt is worn across the waist, holding a dagger at his back and an epee at his side.

History/Background

The result of strange union between a drow and a red dragon, Thaxen was orphaned after birth. Abandoned in the slums of Kharath, Thaxen was taken in by a group known as Madame Jowd's Children, a gang of street urchins controlled by the infamous Fairuza Jowd. Jowd used the orphans as pickpockets to line her own purse, providing them only meager food and physical abuse as incentives. Thaxen was the runt of the gang, but he quickly learned to fend for himself in the harsh streets of Kharath.

By age 15, he freed himself of Madame Jowd's servitude and escaped Kharath. He fled to the neighboring village of Malthson, where he eked out a living through pickpocketing and scavenging. When he had the slightest bit of spare change, he bought enterance into the Malthson Arena, a crude stadium where village men fought in strongman competitions. Thaxen was fascinated with the competition: the strength, the speed, the skill, the thrill of two men competing in such a primordial yet complex method. Thaxen trained himself late at night in the back alleys of Malthson, dreaming of victory in the ring.

At 17, he was finally eligible to fight in the Arena. He was soundly thrashed in his early career, but he learned quickly and eventually won a number of small tournaments. Other fighters grew wary of his skill, some also scared away by his strange appearance, and the manager of the Arena eventually banned him from entering tournaments because everyone refused to fight him. It was just the same to Thaxen: he had earned plenty of money from the tournaments' purse prizes, and there was another fighting arena in nearby Bandur Town. He roamed from town to town, winning tournaments until they wouldn't let him fight anymore. Thaxen also began to observe fencing tournaments, and was instantly enamoured with the epee. He paid for lessons from a local expert for several years until he considered himself adept. He entered a fencing tournament and surprised even himself when he finished second despite no previous professional experience. Now with an extra skill set to supplement his income, Thaxen began seeking larger and higher-paying tournaments.

After winning a particularly professional fencing tournament, Thaxen was approached by an adventurer named Rals Jorman. Jorman offered a 40% profit for joining him on a tomb raid. Intruiged, Thaxen accepted and joined the raid. The tomb proved fruitful, but when it came time to distribute the wealth, Thaxen was disappointed with his cut. His skill far exceeded Jorman's; surely, he deserved more than 40%. Indeed, Thaxen reasoned, offering him such a meager portion was an insult that should be punished. And so, while they encamped and Jorman slept, Thaxen snuck off with the most valuable treasures, leaving the adventurer only 10% of the total value.

Thaxen continues to fight in tournaments, also occasionally spending time in seedy gambling halls. He uses a variety of aliases, such as Jame Gharson, Thrask, and Torge the Torch. On occasion, he'll hire himself out as a treasure-hunting mercenary; if the cut isn't to his liking, he may try to covertly expand it.

Special Equipment

Dragontongue - Thaxen's weapon, a masterwork epee. The guard is dyed green and fashioned in the likeness of a dragon's head, with the red-colored blade coming from its mouth as a tongue. Thaxen won the blade in a card game in which he cheated.

Role-play Hooks

In this corner... - A particular item of some importance is offered as first prize in a pugilist (or fencing) tournament. One or all of the players enter the tournament to win the prize, and their opponent in the final bout is Thaxen.

Double-crossing, no-good swindler - Thaxen offers his services as a fencer in raiding a dungeon. He helps the players and fights impressively, but after encamping post-dungeon, the players awake to find Thaxen and an important item missing. They'll have to hunt him down to get it back.

First come, first serve - Similar to above. The players plan their dungeon raid in a tavern where Thaxen is enjoying a drink. Overhearing them, Thaxen makes a strange comment and leaves. They raid the dungeon later, but find the key treasure of the dungeon is missing. If they figure out it was Thaxen, they'll have to find him to get the item.

Cornered - Follows the above two scenarios. The party eventually manages to corner Thaxen in an alley. Thaxen may resist and fight back, but not to the death (if Thaxen is *really* out-gunned, he may give up the item without a fight). The party decides whether to let him go or punish him.