Abel

Abel is an NPC-turned-party member from Harkoth's Legacy. He is a human sorcerer from Imitra, known for his curse afflicted on him by the Great Thinkers. He is the father of Netilla.
== Personality ==
Despite Abel's curse, Abel remains a very sweet, optimistic older fellow with a bit more of a reserved demeanor. He deeply cares for his friends and family, especially the ones that helped free him from the Great Thinkers, and would die to defend them. He shares his mental space with the Beast, but provided he can sate its hunger, he can remain in control.
== History ==
=== Before the Great Thinkers ===
Abel has not divulged much about his history before his capture, but he has said he lived happily with Netilla and his wife, staying strong for his daughter when her mother passed on. Abel seemed to know Sylas, but their relationship is currently a mystery.
=== Capture and Experimentation ===
At an unknown point in the past, around 15 years before the events of the campaign, Abel was captured by the Great Thinkers and experimented on, being injected with a curse that required him to feed on other curses, otherwise he would lose control and go on a ravenous hunger-fueled killing spree in search of more, in a terrifying, goopy, monstrous form that Abel only refers to as "the Beast". To test how much control Abel had over his primal instincts, they placed him in front of Netilla while the Beast was in control, and although Abel could see through his eyes, he could not control his body, and he watched as the body that was once his tried to violently murder his scared little girl. She ran from the scene after this, leaving for the Grim Thicket, unknown to Abel at the time, and left Abel permanently scarred, thinking he may never see his daughter again. Reinvigorated with a new resolve to suppress the Beast and never let him free, Abel used any time he could while sane to start building a collection of cursed items to stave off his other side, hoping that he can remain sane long enough to find his daughter one day.
=== Harkoth's Legacy ===
The Harkoth Hunters first encountered Abel as he snuck out of the Spire of the Great Thinkers, after which he sniffed the fresh town air and noticed the party. As he approached with open arms, thanking the party for bringing his daughter home, the party noticed how uncomfortable Netilla was, and started pressing him for information. Xotal asked who Abel was, and he affirmed that he was Netilla's father, and that he was sorry for everything. Netilla doesn't believe him, and believes that the Beast may have grown smarter, trying to trick her with the visage of her father. Abel, trying to win his daughter back to his side, tells her that she doesn't understand, and that he finally has control. Netilla scoffs at him, breaking Abel's heart. Despite this, he still holds his arms open for his daughter, prompting Kohtalo to ask Netilla why she hates Abel, citing that he likely gives good hugs. Netilla hesitates to explain, but Abel interrupts her, telling her that he'd rather tell the story himself.
After explaining his and Netilla's history, Xotal puts two and two together that the Great Thinkers aren't exactly the most upstanding folk, and aren't what they claim to be. Abel confirmed this suspicion, specifically citing Cedric as the worst among them. Abel reached out to Netilla with his voice, stating that he understands if she does not want to talk to or associate with him, but that he wants her to know that no matter what, she is always welcome back at home, and he will always be there when she needs it. When Kohtalo and Xotal rally the party to kill the Great Thinkers, Abel was perhaps the most eager of any of them to join in.
Before entering the Spire, Kohtalo probes Abel with more questions about his curse, asking if cursed items were like a drug, particularly of the illicit and highly addictive variety, to which Abel shuts this down, clarifying that he needs them to prevent him from going batty, and he will not harm the party as long as he's in control. He tells them that he is willing cleanse the curses off of any of the cursed items they may have to stave off his addiction, but wishes to pace himself to stretch out the curses as long as he can. Regardless of this, he cleanses the Berserker's Brooch and Sanguine Slinger for the party before they decided to enter the Spire.
On the ground floor of the Spire, Abel showed his control of the Beast, using its power to liquefy himself to dodge an attack from a Guardsman, and later weaponizing it to support the party during the battle. When the party happens upon the basement trapdoor, Abel is unable to remove the magic from the trapdoor allowing it to regenerate, due to it not being a curse. Abel took a back-seat supportive role for the remainder of the events that transpired within the Spire, giving the party a hint as to how to solve the puzzle on the fourth floor, but not actively working to solve it in order to test the party's knowledge.
As the party returned to see Sylas, he was happy to see that Abel was alive and well, and finally out of the Great Thinkers' custody. Shortly after, Abel went on the offensive, fighting against Von Arthach after the latter took over Kohtalo's body, fighting until what could've been his final breath, losing his composure and using a plentiful amount of the Beast's power, wanting to protect his daughter and his new friends, not wanting them to die because they supported Kohtalo. He refuses to let Von kill his friends, knowing their good hearts, before being incapacitated by a stray Fuga from Von. Netilla rushes to his aid, realizing that it really is her father, trying to protect him from further harm. After Von was sealed back into Kohtalo's head, Sylas rushed to Abel and the party's aid, getting them back to their feet.
After Kohtalo's first batch of cursed items pulled from his Cursed Storage, Abel cleansed each of the items, adding to his buffer. Later on, in Death Grove, Abel assisted the party in fighting off a giant Corrupted Fistwalker, and witnessed the arrival of Jacqueline. Abel assisted in aiding the Stonefall Royal Guard in fighting off the Corrupted later on, witnessing the first of many Cult of Cleansing cultists and his cryptic warning.
After returning from Weaver's Call, Abel and Faust had a private conversation after Faust asked him to cleanse the Six Bullets, and had a heart-to-heart. Faust asked him about his wife, learning her fate, and asked her how she would think of Abel now. He told Faust that he does not know for sure, and that on one hand, she might love him still, but on the other, she might think of him as a monster, and that he can only be optimistic. Faust and Abel affirmed to each other that they are, in fact, not monsters, and Faust divulged his worries to Abel. He feared what Miriam would think of him if she found out what he had to go through to save her from the clutches of the Ferryman. Abel tells him that it's a gamble that he needs to take, as on one hand, she might commend him for his efforts to save her, but on the other, she might fear what he had to do and what he had become. When Faust asked what to do, Abel told Faust to follow his heart, and that if he really wanted Miriam back, he needed to finish the Ferryman's request, claiming that if someone manages to beat the Ferryman's rigged games, that the Ferryman is a man of his word. He promised that the Ferryman would be busy soon enough, as the eclipse would be coming in three days, rousing Kohtalo's attention after he had been eavesdropping.
Abel notices Kohtalo's state of panic, and soon connects the dots, figuring out that Kohtalo is in the sights of the Ferryman, with Kohtalo likely having cheated the Ferryman in the past, and the Ferryman hot on his tail, seeking penance. Abel reassures Kohtalo, saying that no matter who the Ferryman sends to knock on their door, that the party will be ready to fight them off. Kohtalo explained to Abel the use of his own sister to try and get him back, and Abel reassured him, telling him that they still had plenty of time to prepare.
After this, Abel cleansed the Gauntlets of a Frozen Soul and the Jackal Mask.
== Relationships ==
=== Netilla ===
Abel loves Netilla dearly, and compares her to her mother. The only thing on his mind while he was incarcerated was to get back to his daughter and see her again, as he loves her more than anything, and wants the best for her. He does whatever he can, including brushing with death, to protect her at any cost.
=== Cedric ===
Abel despises Cedric for what him and the Great Thinkers did to him and his daughter, and just wants Cedric out of his life, dead or not. Unfortunately, he feels Cedric's influence everywhere.
=== Faust ===
Abel deeply empathizes with Faust, believing him to be a kindred spirit in a tough situation like him, and knows full-well the pain that the dilemma Faust has puts him through. He understands what it feels like to be viewed as a monster and frightening despite not being that on the inside, and doesn't want that to persist for Faust. He wants only the best for Faust and wants to help him achieve his victory over the Ferryman's games.
== Notable Moments ==
* Being cursed with a powerful monster sharing headspace with him
* Nearly killing his daughter while not in control of his body
* Gaining control over the Beast
* Escaping from the Great Thinkers
* Fighting valiantly against Von Arthach
* Being the sole reason the party uses cursed items at all
* Having a heart-to-heart with Faust
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Passive: Suppression ===
As with all NPC party members in Harkoth's Legacy (the exception being Toshiro), Abel has a unique passive. His passive, Suppression, grants any and all allies within 10 feet of him +2 to any saves against the effects of spells, status effects and cursed techniques.
=== Magic ===
Abel, being a sorcerer, has access to a large library of magic, but little of it has been shown. So far, he has been seen to be able to cast Witch Bolt, Magic Missile and Fire Bolt.
=== Powers of the Beast ===
Abel, being able to control the Beast as well as he can, has access to a portion of his power. He can form his body into a black ooze, allowing him to stretch and manipulate his body, using this to dodge attacks, move into tight spaces, and form hardened, sharp ooze constructs that can be used as weapons. The Beast also grants him enhanced physical strength and speed.
== Trivia ==
* Abel was the first NPC in Harkoth's Legacy to have a side-quest dedicated to him planned before the beginning of the campaign.
* It is unknown as to why Abel was kidnapped by the Great Thinkers.
* Abel is loosely inspired by Venom from Marvel Comics, Emperor Belos from The Owl House, Alex Mercer from Prototype and Gale of Waterdeep from Baldur's Gate 3. The Beast is visually inspired by Pinwheel from Dark Souls and the Curses from JuJutsu Kaisen.
* Abel is likely responsible for the influx of JuJutsu Kaisen-inspired content within Harkoth's Legacy's player characters, as he was the first NPC party member teased, before the concept of cursed items was formally established to the party.
** FennekinGalaxy, at the point Abel was teased and even now, has little to no experience with JJK or any media attached to it, unlike several of the other Flafa D&D members, and as such Abel and all other curses in Harkoth's Legacy made by him play off of either standard gameplay archetype rules (namely trade-offs for strong buffs) or D&D rules.
Category:Characters
Category:NPCs
Category:Humans
Category:Sorcerers
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Category:Harkoth Hunters
Category:Harkoth's Legacy
Category:Realm of Ikarion