Orick the Tomebound

Orick Tomebound Sorcerer
Combat stats
Strength: 0 Dext.: 4	Contn.: -1(-2) Intel.: 7 (6)
Hybrid pseudostats
Might: 7(6) Prws.: 4	Power: 11(10) Cun.: 11(10)
Noncombat skills
Interpers.: 4 Trickery: 0	Survival: 0 Education: 8
Other stats
HP: 12	Speed: 6
Size: 1	Race: Magical construct
Armor (e/m): 7/0 Reflex (e/m): 1/-1	Fort. (e/m): -1/-1 Will. (e/m): 2/-1

Orick the Tomebound is an enchanted tome to which the soul of Orick Cresgin is bound. At present, he is a traveling companion of the occultist Abhorash.

Human life

Orick Cresgin was born in 523 BP to a powerful and well-respected family in the Kingdom of Sorrow. He excelled in his schooling as a child, and was sent to study at the Polis Academia where he chose to study occult magic. While there, he met and fell in love with a woman named Talera. He later specialized in vivimancy. Orick and Talera were banished from the academia after they were caught performing a vivisection on a Human and only narrowly escaped being put to death. His family's reputation was forever ruined by his actions.

One magician from the academia took it upon himself to see that Orick's punishment was made more severe and took to tracking him. The magician surprised Orick and Talera as they slept, forcing each to drink a paralysis potion before vivisecting both. Just before Orick expired, the magician bound his soul to a tome in order to indefinitely prolong his emotional suffering. The magician made certain to leave behind the reagents for a second soulbinding ritual that Orick might use to save Talera, but made sure not to allow Orick enough time to successfully complete the ritual. Orick managed to bind only a small fragment of Talera's soul to an amulet, rendering her unable to sense or communicate.

Service to Jikran

Orick, with the amulet containing the remains of Talera's soul, wandered Panoulis desperately searching for a way to regain their Human forms for two years before meeting a powerful occultist who called himself Jikran. Jikran formed a pact with Orick, demanding two decades of unquestioning service in exchange for the restoration of the couple's Human forms, to be provided at the end of the service.

One of the early tasks demanded by Jikran or Orick was assistance in gathering the materials and performing the phylactery ritual, rendering Jikran a Lich. Following his obtaining Lichdom, Jikran demanded a number of unspeakable acts of Orick, each of which he carried out without hesitation.

After two decades of service, the time came for Jikran to produce his side of the pact. Jikran attempted but failed to perform a variation of the resurrection ritual, and the backfire of the ritual eradicted the Lich so entirely that he was unable even to use a phylactery to resurrect. The ritual did produce a body for Talera to which the remainder of her soul was bound, but she remained unable to sense or communicate. Orick at last accepted Talera's fate and destroyed her new body.

The plague

Overcome by grief, Orick ceased use of his body and became dormant for nearly five centuries. He awoke in 3 BP to find himself in a library in the Polis Academia where he promptly hatched a plan to exact revenge against the academia, in effigy of the magician who took his Human form and Talera's life. Orick made his way into the hands of the Cult of Rauym, where he assisted in the creation and spread of the plague.

Recent events

Orick successfully evaded authorities seeking to learn about the plague and apprehend its architects, but was unable to escape the clutches of the minions of another Lich, Abaxoth. He was sealed with suppressing chains and used as a magical implement for nearly fifty years before he was recovered by Lord Abhorash, then called Todd Bookman. Orick began traveling alongside the occultist as a companion.

Personality

Orick has accepted his status as a Soulbound and no longer seeks to regain his Human form. Thanks in part to his extremely long lifespan, Orick tends to be extremely prideful and arrogant, and often will not bother to engage in conversations with his companions, let alone strangers. He is prone to fly into an angry tirade whenever anyone suggests that he is worse off for his Soulbound form.

Recovered pages

Lost Page: Eldritch Lightning Level 1 item

One of Orick's lost pages.

Enhancement: +1 Constitution

Lost Page: Essence Drain Level 2 item

One of Orick's lost pages.

Enhancement: +1 Intelligence

Abilities

Combat

Bash Improvised attack

You fling yourself at a foe with all the force you can muster.

At-will ✦ Martial, Charge Standard action      Unarmed Target: One foe Attack: Power vs. Armor

Hit: 1d4+Power damage.

Miss: You take 1d4-1 damage.

Multifarious Teachings Passive

Over the centuries, your pages have filled with innumerable arcane secrets, sorceries, and techniques - far too many for any one sorcerer to employ all at once.

Passive ✦ Magic Passive ability

Effect: At the start of an encounter, choose either the Necrosis, Vivification, or Oblivion specialization. Until the end of the encounter, all of your abilities gain the bonuses associated with the chosen specialization. You may only choose one specialization, and the specialization remains in effect until the start of the next encounter.

Merge Utility

After a great deal of time and experimentation, you've discovered that your curse has allowed you and your allies some unique abilities in exchange for your corporeal body and mortality.

Recharge ✦ Magic Move action      Ranged 4 Target: One ally in range

Effect: Your book form shifts out of existence and you begin to share the body of the target. This effect ends if the target is knocked unconscious or killed. You may end this effect as a minor action. The target can also end this effect by succeeding an Intelligence vs Willpower attack roll. When this effect ends, your book form returns to existence in an unoccupied tile of your choice within radius 2 of the target.

Necrosis: Whenever your target deals damage to a foe, the foe takes an additional 1d4 true Death damage.

Vivification: Your target gains 1 speed and regains 2 HP at the start of this effect and at the start of each turn.

Oblivion: Deal 2 true Æther damage to all foes within radius 2 of the target at the start of this effect and at the start of each turn.

Shadow Barrier Utility

You erect a shadowy barrier around your target, granting them minor protection from harm.

Recharge ✦ Magic, Recharge 6+ Special: Requires Merge Minor action Target: Merged ally

Effect: The target gains 5 temporary HP until the end of your next turn.

Necrosis: If the target has any remaining temporary HP when this effect expires, they gain a standard action.

Vivification: All allies within radius 2 of the target gain 4 HP.

Oblivion: If the target has any remaining temporary HP when this effect expires, the barrier will explode, dealing 2d6 true Æther damage to all foes within radius 3.

Bone Lance Attack

You conjure a large spear of bone, and send it hurtling into a nearby foe.

At-will ✦ Magic Standard action      Ranged 8 Target: One foe in range Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d6+Intelligence Shadow damage.

Necrosis: This ability gains the Critical Pairs keyword.

Vivification: An ally of your choice within radius 2 of the target gains half of the damage dealt by this ability as HP.

Oblivion: The spear explodes on impact, dealing 1d6 additional true Æther damage to all foes in radius 2 about the target. This damage does not apply to the target.

Umbral Burst Attack

A wave of shadow emanates from your position, and quickly washes over nearby foes.

At-will ✦ Magic Standard action      Radius 2 Target: All foes in radius

Effect: 1d6+2 true Shadow damage.

Necrosis: Target(s) are slowed.

Vivification: You or your merge target gain 1 HP per foe damaged by this ability.

Oblivion: If a foe damaged by this ability is killed before the end of your next turn, it will explode, dealing 1d6 true Æther damage per its size to all foes within radius 1 per its size.

Eldritch Lightning Attack

Bright purple electricity arcs from foe to foe, becoming more powerful as it feeds upon each successive foe's life force.

Encounter ✦ Magic, Lightning Standard action      Ranged 4 Target: One foe in range

Effect: 1d6 true Lightning damage, and the spell arcs to a another foe within radius 2. A foe can only be damaged by this spell once per cast. The spell deals 2 additional damage per target it has arced to.

Drain Essence Attack

You absorb the life force of a foe, sapping their combat abilities.

At-will ✦ Magic, Death Standard action      Ranged 6 Target: One foe in range Attack: Intelligence vs. Endurance

Effect: 1d4+Intelligence Death damage. Sustain standard.

Necrosis: The target loses 1 mitigation per turn that you have channeled this ability.

Vivimancy: All direct damage dealt by the target is reduced by 2.

Oblivion: Store one fourth of the damage dealt by this ability. When you finish channeling the ability, all foes in radius ⌈stored damage / 5⌉ take the amount of stored damage as true Death damage.

Locked abilities

Diffusion Utility

You expand your essence to include all nearby foes, at the cost of your concentration.

Encounter ✦ Magic Special: Requires Merge Full action      Radius 4 Target: All allies in radius

Effect: All targets gain the benefit of your Merge effect while they remain in radius 4 of your original merge target until the end of your turn. At the end of this effect, you may transfer the merge effect to any affected target as a free action.

Dopplegänger Utility

You create a shadowy dopplegänger of a nearby combatant and control it for as long as you are able.

Daily ✦ Magic Special: Requires not Merged Move action      Radius 8 Target: One combatant in radius

Effect: Create a replica of the target with full HP at your current location and immediately merge with the replica. The replica benefits from the standard effects of Merge, and you may use any non-daily abilities known to the target of this ability in addition to your own abilities. This effect lasts for 2 turns or until the replica is rendered unconscious. You may also end this effect with a minor action. When this effect ends, your book form shifts back into existence in the tile occupied by the replica.