Sinon Maxwell

Sinon Maxwell
Basic information
Birth name	Sinon Maxwell
Birthplace	Quelag Village, Northwestern Avylon
Birth date	16 Winter 63
Disappeared date	10 Fall 82
Disappeared place	Einzwald
Personal and Family Information
Religion	Mix of old gods and Demiurgism
Relatives	Nadia Maxwell (sister)
Characteristics
Race	Human
Age	19
Height	5'11"
Eyes	Grey
Hair	Grey
Other features	Thin, Signs of heavy sleep deprivation
Education and Occupation
Education	Basic
Occupation	Vagrant
Notoriety
Known for	Violence throughout Avylon
Affiliations	Nadia Maxwell
Criminal charge	Murder, Occultism, Defiling holy artifact
Criminal status	Wanted by the Black Temple

Sinon Maxwell is a young man who has wandered Panoulis for most of his life. He is the wielder of the Fell Sword Arondight, a living weapon which manipulates Sinon's mind. While cowardly and lacking in self-confidence, he has committed many acts of violence and is actively hunted by the Temple of Pentarion's Witch Hunters.

Biography

Sinon was born in a small village in northern Avylon, somewhere along the slopes of the Sorrowspine Mountains South of Torslowe. While too young to remember himself, his father was actually a member of the Society of Astora and a practitioner of necromancy. Sinon's older sister, Nadia Maxwell, had their father's knowledge passed down to her before his activities were discovered by the Black Temple. While both of their parents parished in the ensuing witch hunt, Sinon's sister was able to take him and escape from the angry mob of villagers and witch hunters.

For several years they traveled, Nadia protecting her brother whilst also harboring a deep grudge against the groups that had hunted her parents. She became obsessed with the same magics her father had studied, though rather than pursuing it with a scholarly mindset she sought power in order to gain revenge and protect her younger sibling, whom she truly did care for. However, deals with old gods and involvement in secretive cults inevitably corrupted her intentions and turned Nadia into a cruel individual. Eventually, she even convinced herself to attempt a ritual which would grant her the immortality of Lichdom, through the sacrifice of her only remaining family. Sinon did not understand the madness that had driven his sister to turn against him, and was a helpless victim in the ritual. However, the specific spell she employed was far beyond her power and experience and backfired quite horribly, fusing her soul and flesh with a holy artifact she had stolen to be used as her own Phylactery; the holy sword Arondight, which was corrupted by the ritual and imbued with Nadia's warped mind, giving it sentience and otherworldly abilities.

Sinon took the sword, still a child and unable to cope with what had happened rationally. For many more years he traveled throughout Avylon, his mind influenced by whatever remained of his elder sister's consciousness inhabiting the object he carried. He also found himself able to see and interact with the various ghosts inhabiting the world, a side-effect of being part of a powerful necromantic ritual. This curse and the influence of the sword had a profound effect on his mental state.

While his sister had been mad, she had likely done what she had with some intent of immortalizing both herself and her brother in a warped manner. These feelings had all but disappeared from the evil sword, which now only cared for the consumption of flesh and magic. It drove Sinon to violence against his will, placing him in a rather unstable frame of mind.

When he was 19, Sinon was finally tracked down by a witch hunter of the Black Temple in Einzwald. He managed to escape after a brief duel, and smuggled himself aboard a ship headed far from familiar lands.

Personality

Sinon is rather cowardly and lacks self-confidence or even much ability to think for himself. He is somewhat mentally instable, and while he has some strength to resist Arondight's influence he is generally subservient to the sentient object's whims. He has trouble dealing with unfamiliar situations, and is almost completely lacking in social skills. Sinon becomes afraid very easily, and it generally only with the sword's direct intervention that he is able to overcome his inhabitions. He lacks strong opinions, and it is extremely rare for him to take the lead in any situation. Since he can percieve entities that others cannot, Sinon often has trouble focusing on the "physical" world and can thus be percieved as acting rather odd to those around him. He also has a habit of talking aloud to his sword when communicating with it, seeming to others to be speaking to himself.

When Arondight employs stronger degrees of control over his mind, Sinon can completely lose his fears and inhibitions. In these situations he loses hold of his sanity, the shaky nervousness generally associated with him being replaced by a maniacal blood-lust.

Appearance

Sinon is rather tall, but has youthful features and a weak frame which gives him a very non-threatening appearance. He posseses a sickly countenance, with pale skin, grey eyes, and hair that has prematurely lost its color. He tends to wear dark clothing, particularly robes, which add to his somewhat gothic features. His limbs are long and bony, and he tends to move in rather awkward and jerky motions which seem to display a constant state of unease.

Sinon Level 1 Occultist
Combat stats
Strength: 0 Dext.: 1	Contn.: 4 Intel.: 6
Hybrid pseudostats
Might: 6 Prws.: 1	Power: 7 Cun.: 7
Noncombat skills
Interpers.: 1 Trickery: 4	Survival: 3 Education: 5
Profession: Vagrant
Other stats
HP: 27	Speed: 6
Size: 1	Race: Human
Armor (e/m): 7/4 Reflex (e/m): 4/4	Fort. (e/m): 4/4 Will. (e/m): 7/4

Equipment

Fell Sword Arondight Heirloom Weapon

Once a holy instrument of quiet beauty and explicit craftsmanship, a sinister presence has now taken residence within the blade of Saint Trebain, protected for decades by the Monastery at Asters. The weapon writhes with a malevolent hatred, the metal hungry for flesh and blood as though it were a living beast...

Weapon ✦ Cunning, Main-Handed, Arsenic, Umbrite Hit die: 1d10 Accuracy mod.: -1 Enhancement: +2 damage with Shadow or Death abilities. +2 Death-shadow resistance Critical: Arondight grows in size, and the next attack hits with +2 accuracy. Properties: Solid hits cause Arondight to grow in size as it devours the enemies flesh and blood, increasing accuracy by 1 each time up to a total of three. This does not stack with critical hit bonus.

Power (At-Will ✦ Shadow, Death): Arondight swells in size and reveals its hideous true form, becoming a huge implement of writhing flesh fused with steel and teeth. Further attacks will stun enemies without a physical resistance check, and kills made will increase further damage dealt by d4 true physical damage. This effect can only be activated after at least 10 kills have been made using Arondight.

This weapon can affect the mind of its wielder, and move on its own to a limited degree.

Sea Witch's Shroud Level 1 armor

A dingy, dull blue-green robe that smells of the sea. No matter how long you leave it to dry, it stays soaking wet.

Armor ✦ Robes, Aquanine Armor: +7 evasion, +1 mitigation, +1 magical mitigation Enhancement: +1 Intelligence Properties: Resist 2 Water

These robes can serve as a source of saltwater or spellwater.

Non-combat abilities

Walk Among the Dead Passive

You are able to see and hear the spirits that linger in the world. However, they can also see you...

Passive Passive

You can communicate with the dead. However, spirits are also drawn to you and their actions cannot be controlled.

Feast of Souls Daily

"I only wanted all of the noise to stop..."

Daily At-Will

Arondight devours all spirits/ghosts in the immediate vicinity, gaining their knowledge as well as temporarily allaying the effects of Walk Among the Dead. The knowledge gained is then passed to Sinon through their telepathic link.

Pact Price: Independent Will Passive

In a pact, the weaker party must sacrifice something of great value in exchange for the services rendered by the stronger party.

Passive Passive

When given a command, you must obey, and may not resist. You may choose how to obey but must do so immediately.

Combat abilities

Blade that Hungers Passive

She's always hungry, ya' know?"

Passive Passive action

Every time Sinon deals damage directly with Arondight, he gains 1 Hunger charge. Hunger charges will change the weapon's physical appearance as they accumulate and affect certain abilities. Hunger charges cannot exceed 10. Once Hunger charges have stacked to 6, there is a random chance that Sinon will attack a random enemy. At 10 charges, he may attack allies.

Nadia's Spite Passive

Nothing human remains, not even compassion for family. Why then does it choose to remain with its feeble wielder?

At-will ✦ Magic Standard

Arondight drains life from Sinon, dealing 1d4 self damage and granting an automatic critical hit with the next basic attack. Creates 1 Hunger charge.

Hungering Bolt at-will

Arondight releases a projectile of shadow, which takes the form of a ghastly set of gnashing teeth.

At-will, Range ✦ Magic, range Standard

Deals shadow damage to targeted enemy, afflicting an additional 1d6 true shadow damage with each stacked hunger charge. This attack can also break through weaker bits of environment, including wooden walls and doors. If an enemy is slain by this attack, retain 1 hunger charge.

Ghastly Scream At-Will

"Please, don't wake her up. She's always angry when you wake her up..."

At-Will, Encounter ✦ Magic, Blast, Fear Full

Arondight lets loose an ear-splitting screech, panicking and confusing nearby enemies. This ability can only be used by expending Hunger charges, with each stacked charge dealing an additional 1d8 damage to affected enemies. This ability also has a chance of Dazing (rolling a 2 on a d3) or Fearing (rolling a 3 on a d3) enemies. Sinon always recieves 1d4 damage when using this ability and is Dazed.