Basic Information Name: Azrael Aliases: None at the moment. Gender: Male Race: Human... ish. Age: Looks about in his mid-twenties. Profession: If asked, he would answer 'performer'. More recently, Harmonium. Accent: None.
Physical Information Height: 5'8" Weight: Around 150 lbs. Body build: Muscular, in good shape. Skin type: Scarred and rough, often cold to the touch. Hair style: Short, a little shaggy. Scars: Absolutely covered in 'em, mostly along his torso and arms/hands. Due to his knack for wearing concealing clothing/armor, usually only the roadmap of marks on his hands are visible. Tattoos: None Colouring:
Mental Information Alignment: ...Neutral Good! >.> Philosophy: He would tell you... but then he'd have to kill you. Deity/Beliefs: None. Personality:
[u]Gentle[/u] [i]It seems impossible to rile the man, or even get him to raise his voice.[/i] [u]Sympathetic[/u] [i]He does his best to try and relate to people and understand what they're thinking and feeling. Because he's such a good guy. Honest.[/i] [u]Charismatic[/u] [i]He's very well-spoken and seems to enjoy being around people all the time.[/i] [/li]
Additional Information Gear: Nothing in particular. For claiming to be a performer, he has a peculiar lack of instruments. Jewelry: None in particular. Habits/hobbies: Has a habit of scratching at his scarred hands when nervous or thinking. Hobbies include meeting new people, mingling, and things you're not supposed to know about. General Health: He's plagued with reoccurring, unbearable headaches. Weaknesses: Incredibly claustrophobic, and has random bouts of varying degrees of amnesia.
The first thing I was aware of was how much my head hurt. It felt like someone had stabbed an icepick through my right eye socket and thought it would be a fun idea to twist it continually. I disagreed with that being a fun idea, just so you know. It was dark, but not the sort of darkness I was accustom to. The ground was damp, I was damp. And so damn cold, although the temperature was a far second to the pain. Someone asked something, but I had no idea what they were saying. They asked again, and I decided the only way to make them go away was to figure out what they wanted. So I got up. Well, partially. Sitting up with a hand pressed to the side of my head, I regarded the bothersome people inspecting me. I wondered why they looked alike. Twins? No, I was seeing double. A little squinting and head-tilting cleared that up, and I finally made her out. An elderly looking woman. I think she realized that I still hadn't caught what she said, because she repeated herself. "Are you alright?" Did I look alright? What a stupid question. I didn't say so. "I'm not sure..." She asked a few more questions, and I stumbled through them as best I could. Eventually she was helping me to my feet, and leading me... somewhere. I know she told me where, but I couldn't remember. My vision clouded and darkened as we staggered through the streets (they sounded eerily empty to me), and suddenly we were inside. It stank like mildew and rotten wood. At least it was dark... until the bitch lit a candle, that was. Still it was dimmer than it had been outside. This helped. She was blathering on about something, but I paid no attention. I focused on the darkness of the room, slowly allowing my eyes to open further and adjust to the lack of light. Something cut my hand and I hissed through my teeth, snapping my attention downward. Without realizing it, I'd slid a hand into the satchel at my side (I had a satchel?) and cut it on... something. The irritating old lady made an 'Oh my!' comment at the blood on my hand, and flitted off to find something for it. Graced with her lack-of presence for now, I flipped open the flap of the bag and pawed through the contents cautiously, finally finding the culprit. It looked like a skinning knife. An old one... but it was still sharp. I took it out by the hilt, and was examining it in the candlelight when the woman returned. And that was when I killed her. She was weak and frail, but surprisingly difficult to pin down. I had overestimated my strength, and her screams sent that icepick deeper inside my head. Still, it was only a matter of moments before she was choking on the blood filling her throat. Even sooner she wasn't choking on anything at all, just lying there on her ugly rug, staring up at the water-stained ceiling. Finally, no distractions. I retrieved the bandages she had been bringing in to give me, and carefully wrapped my hand. I didn't think about the woman I killed, or about retrieving my knife from her chest. I was only mildly concerned with the fact that I had no idea where I was, or even who I was. I knew I had a name, could almost remember it... on the tip of my tongue. Shrugging it off, I finished mending my hand and went about exploring the house. I found a change of clothes, although they were a little big. I wasn't concerned that the owner of those clothes would come home and interrupt me. Whoever had worn them before was dead, I was sure of it. Not sure how I was, but I was. Just as I was sure that she lived alone. I would have free roam of the shack for as long as I pleased. Coming to these conclusions felt so natural. Like instinct. I was comfortable. After drying my hair with a towel I found (it must have been raining outside when she found me) and rummaging up something to eat, I enjoyed a nap that I had been in desperate need of. Upon awaking, my headache was gone, the bothersome woman was still dead... and I felt fantastic. My knife was rescued from her chest and I was off to explore my new setting. I don't think you'd be able to understand my surprise upon realizing I was in Sigil. Immediately after discovering my new place of residence, it occurred to me that of course this was Sigil, how had I not known sooner? I must have been the most knowledgeable Clueless (did that mean I wasn't Clueless?), and found myself settling in quite well. I was going to like it here.
((...Now I just need to figure out a build and actually make him to play!))
I have this condition. Sometimes, I forget things. More often that not it's a random (or so I think it's random) incident. Sometimes, however, it's a person. Or even a place. And, apparently, sometimes it's... everything. Well, I suppose that isn't entirely true. Some things I do still remember, and others I can recall with a bit of help. For instance, I had no idea I had a lovely assistant until I encountered her today, and after meeting her, I knew who she was and what she was for. Selan. I feel compelled to call her Sel, or Selly. Maybe because I know it annoys her, and she can't do anything about it. She's less an assistant than a servant, but assistant sounds more professional. I don't want to kill her, and I guess that's a good thing. Without an assistant, things would certainly be more... complicated. I'm sure she's very useful, and will hopefully prove to live up to my expectations of such.
I encountered others today as well, all of them I'm almost positive I'd not ever met before. Mostly because they likely would have mentioned it. A kobold, a tax collector, and a drow, to name a few. Surprisingly I found the little lizard the better company, and his (or her -- I'm respecting "Its" privacy on the matter) name is S'tha. Her common is pretty fluent, and he is amusing to be with. I think perhaps she didn't mind me much either, because he gave me a gift. A shield. Certainly not high-end equipment, but thoughtful nonetheless. I found such sudden benevolence to a stranger peculiar. Perhaps he is as false as I am?
The drow woman was alright for a while. She gave me an interesting blade to use during our travels, but I often found myself wondering how far I could ram the tip of it into one of her eyes. I wondered what she would sound like when she screamed. I bet I would enjoy it.
My thoughts on the tax collector weren't much different, although I did more envision skinning her alive as opposed to impaling her skull. Something about her just rubbed me the wrong way, and I think I may corner her at some point in the future, if the opportunity presents itself.
Overall, it was a decent first day out on the town. I believe I'm fitting in well.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I were human. Such a common, nondescript race of creatures. A race of varying personalities and outlooks. Evil, good... both, neither. Emotions, aspirations. I wonder if I were one of them, would I have an easier time pretending to be normal? If I were one of them, would I even have to act, would I even be like this? Don't get me wrong, I'm content with what I am... on all levels. I'm not human, and I kill people. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Realistically, I'm sure I'd be exactly the same. The differences between me and them aren't vast. Sometimes, it's just fun to imagine.
The talk of the town seems to be about this Ashen creature. I remember her -- it? -- from that incident with the Harmonium, and Indeps. A violent, cruel crime. Rounding people up to butcher them. I wanted to kill those guards for what they did. You might wonder why I care, and the truth is that I don't. I'm not sure I can. I kill without discrimination (with some standards, of course), I can't look down on them without being the pot who calls the kettle black. It's just... there's something about killing a fellow killer that makes it more thrilling. Besting them at their own game, our own game. Exciting. Gets the blood pumping. It might be the only thing I do that you could consider relatively competitive.
We tracked them down without much effort. We being a rag-tag group recruited by one of the victim's sister, or something. There were a couple elves: Amir -- an amusing, strange, bleak fellow -- and some huntress. I don't think I caught her name, or perhaps I don't remember. She was a skilled tracker, something to admire. Such well-honed stalking capabilities... We were later joined by a drow, and a tiefling woman who stuck close to the tracker. There may have been others, but my memory has selective-recollection. Of course, there was also the dark figure who I heard referred to as 'The Ashen', who decided to tag along. Although it was made clear she wasn't welcome, she stuck around anyway. Most of the evening I spent wondering if I could kill her as I did to my usual victims. Could she be stabbed, killed, with a normal knife? Did she have a heart to pierce, blood to drain through her throat? I was, admittedly, fascinated... A pipe dream, I know. She's likely impossible to get to. A Doomguard. Eyes always on her -- friendly or not. And I just can't risk being caught. Maybe if she escapes her trial unscathed, but no reason to try now. The reward doesn't outweigh the risk. Yet.
Where was I? Ah. We eventually came upon the carnage that had occurred from the roundup. Some snuck to the back room, the less... fleet-footed of us were ambushed at the door of the building we entered. Painful, annoying... but those guards who hadn't fled were eventually subdued. What happened after I didn't get to see much of. So much blood, so much killing, I had to leave before the desire to lash out and make a kill for myself was overwhelming. I think I remember setting a fire to the building, but it must not have gone anywhere... because it was still standing when I passed it later. Not a particularly productive time, but it was thrilling nonetheless. I'll have to keep an ear out on this creature. Maybe an opportunity will present itself.
I don't understand people. I'm very good at pretending to be just like them, blending in. Acting 'normal'. But sometimes, things happen that just leave me bewildered, and wondering what exactly I'm missing.
I made a few people very angry today, and it took all my willpower to not... laugh at them. It was a simple debate, about whether or not we could have, or should have, tried to kill the massive shadow dragon we had all encountered a few days previous, in some far away plane that was being sucked into the abyss. S'tha, argued that we let the dragon 'win' by paying it off to let the people go. I think this is what got Chari and Mael, two who had been involved, on edge to begin with. To be fair to them. S'tha hadn't been there, and (s)he was being awful pushy and demanding about his/her point of view. That the dragon won, that we should have killed it. I suppose I can't blame them for getting defensive about that, although I didn't feel that way. Should I have? I was there, it was just as much my call as anyone elses'. We were in it together. And yet... I didn't really care.
I guess it was my mistake in saying it probably would have been best to dispose of the dragon. From there, I found myself arguing with the blue tiefling and my fellow Harmonium officer (oh, yes, I did join them; but we'll get to that) for quite a while. They got incredibly hostile despite my best efforts to disarm the situation, and eventually Chari told me I was under arrest. Claimed she didn't need a reason, and would happily falsify the warrant. I wonder what part of the Paladin Code that is...? She eventually backed down upon discovering I was Harmonium as well, and later claimed she wouldn't have really arrested me. I doubt it. Regardless, the entire thing was... amusing. Still, it's a shame I couldn't figure out how to calm them. I really don't need to make enemies, hiding bodies is enough of a chore without the worry of someone stalking me down a dark alley.
And on the topic of being a Harmonium, I finally enlisted! I had to wait as long as I did to be sure my memory would clear up enough not to get in the way of my duties (or rather,the exam to get in). The Harmonium certainly isn't in favorable light with most of the people I've seen and talked to, especially not after that incident in the Hive ward, that mass murdering (which, ironically, Chari got angry at me for speaking out against too! Some paladin...). Still, the pros far outweigh the cons. Knowing the patrol routes so I'm aware of where to go -- or not go -- and when to do something -- or not do something -- is a huge benefit. It'll be easier to pick locations to make my kills, and I'll have all the time in the world to cut them up and bag them. If any evidence does happen to crop up on me in the future, being on the inside to tamper with it will be priceless. Having good connections to fellow officers (not off to a good start on this one, apparently) will also come in handy. I'm convinced it stopped me from being arrested as well, which was a lifesaver. I had my instruments of unlawful execution in my satchel at the time. Although the tools of my murderous trade aren't automatically condemning, they might have raised a few brows. I'll have to be careful not to keep them on me, in case Chari ends up in one of her 'moods' again...
Keeping trophies is a foolish thing, but I can't help myself. I have to slice up the bodies anyway to fit them into a bag of holding, so... why not take a little something in the process? To remember and relish the excitement... the hunt, the kill. My inevitable downfall -- that is, the trophies I take -- are bones: always a fragment of the right index finger. I have yet to kill something which counts (that I can recall, anyway) that didn't have this appropriate bone, or at least a similar substitute. Sure, I've killed plenty of things without hands or fingers. Animals, elementals... undead missing their hands or arms. But they don't count. Self defense doesn't count. I also don't collect trophies from spontaneous kills. Often I regret having done them afterward because of how easy it would be to get caught during them, and I certainly don't want a reminder about a lapse in judgment. I try not to kill at the spur of the moment, but sometimes... things happen. Like the old woman who found me. Or the mugger.
I'd been passing through the hive ward when he jumped me at the mouth of a poorly-lit alleyway. I pressed towards him instead of recoiling, drawing us both further into the darkness between the two buildings. He must have been human, or some other human-like thing with poor sight in the dark, because once I had him cornered it didn't last long. It took more time to take a falchion to his limbs and cut him up into manageable pieces. I'd had him with me, stowed away in a body-bag-of-holding (I'd trademark that if I could) when I had encountered one of my new persons of interest. A fellow officer, Casandra Soran. For understandable reasons, carrying a dead man around in my satchel, I was a little... nervous in her presence. I don't keep my trophies on me, much less make a habit of lugging around the corpse of someone I've murdered. Not only is it bad taste (and unsanitary in the case of bodies), but pretty damning evidence. We spoke at a table at Khazeet's, discussing how I would like to get into the more investigative side of the Harmonium. I don't remember much else about what we spoke of, my mind was elsewhere. I wanted to be at the river, disposing of my passenger. She left her notebook on the table and eventually departed. Being in the paranoid state I was, I stole the book and went to toss the severed pieces of flesh that had once tried to rob me. I was later disappointed to learn that the only thing written in the journal was a note to return it to her.
I did just that when I encountered her again, but she was already suspicious. Accusing me of hiding things, of stealing the book. She was right on both accounts, but that didn't mean she had to accuse me. I think I managed to smooth it out though. Hopefully I won't have to be too concerned about her trying to pry further. The last thing I need is a shadow when I go out to hunt. Even if she really isn't as suspicious as she might have been at first, I'll have to be nice to her. Flatter her. Get her to realize there really is nothing to worry about, that Azrael is just another good-hearted man who joined the Harmonium to help clean up Sigil. Buy her a few drinks, a meal or two. Compliment her, feign care, suffer through inane small talk and personal conversations... ... I hate my life.
I had honestly started to give up on my desires to make The Ashen a victim. Then things all sort of... fell into place. I don't really believe in fate or destiny, but it's times like these that almost convince me that I'm doing exactly what I was meant to do, what I was made for. A string of unforseeable circumstances coming together to propel me to the end result.
Chari asked me to come with her to interrogate Ashen, and it was all I could do to contain my excitement. I didn't think I'd ever get to see her again, get a chance to study her. The chiding remarks towards Chari began almost immediately upon reaching the holding cells, and with the help of such comments from the Ashen, I managed to convince my fellow officer to leave me with the prisoner. Even the guard manning the gate stepped outside, leaving me alone with my... prey. That's what she was. Prey. She may have been in a cage, practically gift-wrapped, but I'd still spent many'a lazy hours on patrol fantasizing how I'd get in to kill her.
First I wanted to know how much she was like me. I questioned her on her motives, and found myself... sorely disappointed. She seemed like a typical 'death and destruction to all!' fanatic, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I was still alone. She than began to argue legal jabber with me, which was irritating. I didn't care about any legal loopholes she was going to try and jump through during court, I didn't care that she claimed to have 'done nothing wrong'. I certainly didn't join the Harmonium for the law.
We moved on to a discussion of her physical being, which I was far more curious about, in comparison to her rambling of logistics. I asked if she bled, and she told me to see for myself. So I offered her a kukri, the one I often use to sever and strip the fingers I obtain my trophies from. With no reluctance she split her own flesh open -- well, what passed for flesh -- and she bled! But it wasn't blood. Some sort of... vacant smog. Like shadow itself. I was hooked! When I tried to take my weapon back, she put it up to her own throat, and made listless off-handed 'threats' of suicide. She rattled off more pointless platitudes that did nothing but bore me. I think she thought she knew my motives, my train of thought. What I was. Instead of repeating the insipid drawl, I'll just put it simple: She was way, way off.
When she finally offered the weapon back, she kept the blade to her chest. Tempting me to try and end her. The look on her face when I wretched the curved blade and dug it upward into her sternum suggested she didn't think I would do it. Maybe now she was realizing how incorrect her assumptions were.
And that was when Chari returned. Worse timing if there ever was any! I'll admit I was shocked out of action, scrambling back and releasing the blade so that it might protrude from the prisoner's chest. The pain-in-my-ass-adin proceeded to try and heal the damage I'd done. To my masked glee, it actually made her condition worse. Still, this was an interruption, and one I couldn't allow to continue. I wouldn't get another chance like this. So I drew my longsword and beat in the back of Chari's head, felling her unconscious. Ashen was easy enough to package. All it took was a simple spell to reduce her so that she'd fit into one of my body bags of holding. Then began the performance as I ran out into the hall, shouting that the prisoner had escape -- vanished into thin air, even! -- and that Chari needed medical attention. In the subsequent chaos, it was incredibly easily to slip out...
It wasn't a long walk to the hive ward, and it took even less time to find an abandoned building to work in. I cleared off an old table with a swoop of one arm before depositing my latest victim onto it. A length of rope secured her to the furniture. Wounded, trapped, she still felt like talking, apparently. "...Do you delight in this? Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?" She had no idea. "It's nothing personal," I assured her, checking the ropes. "...Personal? Your actions have humored me. ...You've a talent for guile... ...and.... making someone suffer, brutally. Thats what makes this city run... properly." At least I was amusing her in her final moments. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that isn't why I'm doing this." The blade I chose to use on her was one of holy light. She'd already shown an unfavorable response to such divine things, it would be perfect. "You're going to kill me then?" "...Was that a rhetorical question?" Sometimes I have trouble telling. "I do have one reason to live ... but that reason is thinning. Amusing.... you are quite capable of being what I am... doing, what I do ... you are capable of teaching this city, that thinking about doing something, doesn't achieve. But you will silence me soon.... I suspect." She suspected right. There was a little more discussion before I placed the tip of the blade at her chest, near where the kukri had gone in. "...Before you kill me... ...answer me one thing." Her form shuddered, probably already feeling the divine energy rolling off the sword. "Uh. Alright." "Why did you join the Harmonium... if you wanted to achieve things... with actions... not petty words?" I hesitated. But she would be dead soon, so I could indulge. After all, I never got to be this honest. It was refreshing... liberating. "It's a good cover." "For what?" Less hesitation this time. I couldn't stop myself. "Well. I'm a murderer." That one sentence, those three little words, had a greater effect on me than I could have possibly imagined. I'd never spoken them aloud to anyone, and Selan is the only person who even knows what I do. To divulge this damning secret like this... it made me light-headed. Giddy. "...Beautiful..." And it was.
Her body wasn't much different than the sacks of meat I usually take apart, although I worked much faster than I was accustom to. I was even given the pleasure of finding she did indeed have bones... kind of... and I was able to take my usual trophy. About the time I was packaging the severed limbs, the door to the building opened, and that damn elf entered. Lalette. She makes me uneasy. Knowing I'm not human, and now... knowing this. I guess she can't be certain I do this on a regular basis, but it's still unsettling to have this private time interrupted. To have an audience, even of one, observe while I finish gift-wrapping severed limbs and stowing them away. We talked as I worked, and eventually came to an agreement. She would dispose of the body for me, and tear me apart with a blade of negative, shadowy energy, to make it seem like I was attacked.
And that's about what happened. I staggered back to the Lady's Ward, taking backalleys and side streets to stay out of sight. After finding an appropriate place to collapse, all it took was a little waiting before help arrived. I'm an entertainer, a performer, and this was a masterpiece.
Maybe I should have been a Mercykiller. They slaughter people left and right and no on ever hassles them about it...
According to plan and as expected, my fellow officers were unable to prove I did anything (willingly) illegal, regarding the incident with Ashen. The list of charges was longer than my arm, but each returned as 'not guilty'. I'd like to think my impressive charm and rapier wit had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure I got off because there was no proof. Works for me. My word against Chari's, and it was easy enough to discredit her. I didn't even have to slander, simply gather a few statements from witnesses who have seen her abuse her power and try to arrest for no cause. Regardless, it's all behind me. I made it out unscathed. Well, for the most part. Amaku and Chari will certainly be suspicious of me from here on out, at least for a while. Playing nice with Soran is bad enough, I think I'll opt for avoiding these two instead of making friends. Shouldn't be too hard, as I hardly think either one of them want to exactly spend any time with me. They should be willing enough to leave me alone, act less hateful and paranoid, now that I helped the half-drow regain her memories. Sure, I had to give them a glimpse of the monster, sacrifice a mortal to open one of the portals we needed to get through... but it was necessary. I highly doubt Amaku would have halted her journey if I hadn't done it. Someone had to. Surely it won't be held against me in the future. After all, I nearly died on that adventure. I don't fare well in the cold.
Besides trying to remain low-key for those two, I have another... slight issue. That elven woman, Lalette... smarter than I gave her credit for. I'm pretty sure she knows what I do, that Ashen wasn't the first one on my chopping block. Fortunately she doesn't seem keen on trying to turn me in, perhaps because I carved up someone she considered an enemy. She's warned me off killing elves, and considering her attitude, I don't think she would ever try and turn me in, should I slay someone she wanted alive. I think she'd just try and kill me herself.
All of these things -- paranoid Harmonium, my charges (cleared or not), Lalette -- they make things difficult. I think I'll take a break from hunting, work on coming up with... requirements, restrictions, for those I murder. If I'm careful, if I come up with a near-perfect formula... maybe no one will even miss my victims. Sigil's a big place, people come and go... disappear, every day.
((Holy hell it's like a whole year exactly. Am I good or am I good?!))
A break from hunting was just what I needed. That, and an extended trip to Arcadia for further training as a Harmonium. It wasn't really my idea, but it turned out alright. I got out of Sigil for a while, the heat of those (albeit, true) accusations and assaults on my character have faded. I was greeted warmly by an officer I had never met. Seems he'd heard of me. Kind enough fellow, and it was nice to be eased back into things. Zephyr, I think he said his name was? Something like that. Funny, because he's an air genasi. His parents must have had a sense of humor. Offered to buy me a drink when he finished with his patrols.
I spent most of my time reacquainting myself with the city. Ran into Lalette. Observed a confusing discussion between her and some... pale fey thing? She reminded me of a swan. Tall, lanky. Even a big nose. Lacked any real interest in their discussion and didn't pay much attention. I wonder if Sunny is still around. She was a nice girl.
Not much else to note. I don't recall most of my time spent away. It must have been monotonous. Boring. Obviously I didn't do anything... heinous during those blackouts, else I likely wouldn't be here back in Sigil with no issues.
My head is killing me. Should be time to hunt soon. Can't wait.
