Richard Butte

Dr Richard "Dark Eyes" Butte is an Earth Genasi Dark Weapon from the FTG Squad campaign. He was played by Jeb. Dark Eyes also goes by the name of "Oathkeeper" as he has a sword transformation that goes by the same name. At level 3, Dark Eyes took a level in rogue.

## Backstory

Dr Richard ‘Oathkeeper’ Butte was an academic in a previous life. Born amongst the Genasi, he was left in the icy North: Sossal. Growing up there, an anomaly to be sure, the academics of the time were more than eager to let him join their ranks despite his limited mental skills. Initially, he was invited more as an object of research, but his calm logic and stoic demeanour coupled with his passion for learning led him to become an academic himself. Ridiculed by the other researchers, Butte sought to prove himself. His experiments were failure after failure, leading to him being discredited as both a mage and a researcher. His determination was unwavering, and he laboured day and night on every project. Eventually, his fervour calmed as he resigned himself to failure. He took on an aide, Razog Orchalka, toiling on his largest project yet. His anger at the other sages simmered, hidden behind his stone demeanour, as his research culminated with a delve into dark magic. He read on the hag covens, and his research turned from benevolence towards the town to a desire for personal revenge. His goal was to bind his soul to a demon’s, fusing them and becoming powerful enough to destroy the entire college.

To say his experiment was a success would be an understatement. He released the demon’s power, binding the demon’s strength to his soul whilst the demon’s mind to Razog body. Their connection to one another grew strong, as their souls were bonded and they became the pair of swords known as “Dwane and Oathkeeper.” Butte, satisfied for the time being, was content with destroying the college and releasing the monsters held there and destroying the college building. Driven to near madness by containing the demon’s soul with his own, Butte was overcome by wanderlust and began delving into the deepest of dungeons. He found himself avoiding people, hiding in dark caverns or in the boughs of trees, usually in his sword form.

The legend of a magic sword grew as Butte’s wanderings brought him nearer to Valencia, until eventually he was found by a lone monk, who promptly sold him to a warrior. His first bond was made, as the warrior signed a dark contract. The name of “Oathkeeper” spread as this adventurer and his party grew in fame. But it was not to last, as the hubris of possessing a magic sword drove the party to their deaths. And Oathkeeper was lost once more, ever elusive to the thieves, historians, and adventurers who sought to obtain the dark power for themselves. It was at this time that the spawn of the beasts released many years ago began making their way into Valencia, giant monstrosities destroying villages in their wake. Adventurers were dispatched to the North but it was too late for many. During this time, another sword, much like Oathkeeper was found as adventurers congregated farther North. But the inscription on its blade read “Dawne.” For many years, it was thought that “Oathkeeper” and “Dawne” were one and the same, as Butte evaded discovery, secluding himself to the woods South of HUMAN CITY.

He became known to local adventurers an herbalist in the forest, and they let him be in exchange for the occasional tidbit or piece of wisdom. By this time, Butte had all but stamped out the demon’s influence on his body, and thus was able to live a quiet, peaceful life for many years. But the day came when the peace was broken: a group of adventurers from out of town heard of this hermit. Getting drunk in the tavern, the formed a party and staggered into the woods, seeking to gain the mysterious “ecks pee” by killing the hermit. He drew his sword, slaying the three who assailed him, but the ranger who had been attacking from range fled; Butte did not give pursuit. Drunk as he was, the ranger recalled little, save that the blade the hermit drew had a black onyx set into its guard and the inscription on the blade: Oathkeeper. Legend spread of the hermit who possessed “Oathkeeper,” and the hermit’s peace was broken. Many came to see him, begging for his story; how he found the lost sword, but Butte simply faded away, leaving his sword behind. There was a bloody battle, until one victor remained: a barbaric brute by the name of Bread.

Bread’s time with Oathkeeper lasted a long time, but the sword’s mystery lived on as rarely did Bread carry it with him. Many questions arose, but Bread’s dark aide — called Dark Eyes from the way he peered from under his cloak — dispelled them with a cold glance. That aide was Richard Butte. After a time, Bread gathered a party of equally silent individuals, but it was not meant to last. The people who surrounded Bread were only there for Oathkeeper; eventually they faded away, not having learned the secret of the sword.

Bread’s name was raised, but it paled in comparison to the infamy of Dwane. Both swords were steeped in legend, famously known as the disappearing swords, and the names “Dawne” and “Oathkeeper” became closely associated. From the markings on their pommel to the shape of their blade, the swords could have been twins safe for the inscriptions on their blades, the gems set into their guards, and the tassels that hung from their grips. But Dwane’s rumours came from further North, while Bread was content to take requests from the villages in the South. It was inevitable for the legends to cross, however; as word of Oathkeeper spread North and word of Dawne South, the legends converged and passed each other, reaching the owners of the swords and the swords themselves. It came as a surprise to Bread when a request came from Dark Eyes to venture into Valencia, but Bread obliged, and the pair ventured North.

## Campaign

### FTG Squad

#### **Session 1**

Having reached Valencia, Butte and Bread parted ways; they had been assigned to separate squads. Butte sat at a dark table in the least populated corner, pulling his cloak down low over his face. Other adventurers trickled in, and began populating the tables surrounding him until a motley crew joined the table he sat at. These were, of course, Serith Denn, Razog "Dwane" Orchalka, and Moraltaim. Like the other parties, quiet conversation sprung up amongst them. Having known Razog in a past life, and privately considering him a brother, he began speaking there; introducing himself as "Dark Eyes." After a minor reunion, the herald came in and posted the quest; at that point many adventurers began their respective tasks. Butte suggested they leave anon, as their final member, Luke Goodlastname, was assigned to their party. On the road, Butte continued his conversation with Razog, though Butte referred to him by title rather than name. Among the topics they covered, the massacre in Serindel and the murder of a foreign prince came up as Butte inquired into the things Razog had been up to during their separation. After Razog addressed Luke, Butte inquired as to what inspired Razog to travel South. "So, what brought you to Valencia?" "Actually, I was looking for you." "What a coincidence." "Quite." As the conversation continued, the matter of being Dark Swords came up. Luke said to Butte "You have a magic sword too?" Butte responded by saying he travelled with Bread, the wielder of a legendary sword. Upon reaching the castle, after Luke asked to be let fight and was reprimanded by Razog, Butte suggested to the goliath "He is young. Let him have his fill of death." Upon approaching the castle, and its many signs, Butte had a few words to Razog about his suggestion to Luke. "Dawne, can you read?" he asked. "Yeah," replied Razog. Butte sighed and said "Read the sign." They entered the castle without issue, and Butte continued ahead with Serith, agreeing with the reason he gave the goblin. After Luke addressed the goblin, Butte grabbed a torch from a sconce. When the goblin returned with reinforcements, Butte's first attack was with the torch, barely singing the leftmost goblin. After Razog slice the middle goblin in half, Butte used his power to transform his arm quickly into a sword and stab the goblin, hiding the transformation with his cloak. As the rest of the party finished off the goblins, the bomb vests began to blow. Not reacting fast enough to the bombs, Butte was tackled by Razog who still felt bound by their old contract. Following the explosions, Butte thanked Razog "Thank you Dawne. I thought we broke the contract when the... incident happened." After Razog's modest reply, Butte continued speaking. "You're a better man than I." "You would think that." The party took a short break, then Butte used his ability to hide their tracks. After deflecting wall spikes twice by transforming his arm, he let Luke take the lead. Once the party reached the guardroom, he helped Moraltaim and Sarith by smashing the lock on the chest with his hammer. He declined to carry any bombs himself. Opting to move downwards, he and Razog identified the skeleton goblins, realising that their current weaponry would be fairly ineffective against such undead. Seeing as explosives and bludgeoning damage would be the most effective way to kill skeletons, they surmised that by placing one of the explosives they had received earlier into one of Butte's many bags of ball bearings would form an effective device to kill their current foe. Butte himself stood a ways back, letting Razog be the one to throw the improvised explosive. Luke, seeing how effective their plan was and not being harmed by the explosion, asked if he could carry a bag of ball bearings to which Butte complied. After filling his waterskin and bottles with wine, Butte joined the rest of the party for a short rest. Peering through the keyhole into the next room, Butte spotted a hulking goblin reading a biology textbook. He suggested to Luke to throw another of their improvised explosives into the room, to which Luke agreed.

#### **Session 2**

Following throwing the explosives into the room, the very large goblin came out of the room, and good naturedly asked the party a few questions. Butte ignored them, for the most part, but couldn't resist a jibe at the goblin. He successfully bluffed the goblin into believing he was from another scientology sect, and had a lengthy conversation on the state of the sect they were currently in. After nearly succeeding the transfer of the intern, Luke, to the other sect, Serith claimed the transfer had been authorised by Tom Cruise. Butte, maintaining his bluff, commented on how Tom Cruise was a blasphemer, then set Serith on fire. Attempting to protect Luke from the scientologist goblin's wrath, Butte accidentally exposed a christian flag on the end of his 10-foot long pole that he carried his ball bearings with. He was quick to throw it onto Serith, burning the flag. After Serith attacked the goblin, Butte also engaged, but failed to injure the goblin with his surprise attack. He called out for Dawne to return. After Luke stabbed the goblin, and the large goblin fell to his knees, Butte finished him off with a stab through the skull. As more goblins approached from the hall, Butte turned to Dawne, saying "Throw me." Dawne, already slightly mad, failed to catch Oathkeeper, instead commenting on how he felt unwell. Dawne apologised to Oathkeeper, and Oathkeeper transformed back into Butte, agreeing to weild Dawne instead. Eventually concluding the door was locked, Butte stabbed both Dawne and his sword arm through the door. The door opening with neither push nor pull, Butte kicked the door to no avail. After Dawne's destruction, Butte was left distraught. "It seems," he said aloud to Luke. "The infamy of Dawne had finally come to an end." Telepathically to Dawne, Butte gave his last regards. "Goodby, Dawne." He picked up the stone Dawne had left behind, the last reminder of the demon weapon Orchalka had become. In answer to Luke's question, Butte gave the answer of "He was finally consumed by the madness of power." Cleaving through the hinges of the door, Butte turned and left the room, leaving Luke alone. Entering the wine cellar, Moraltaim inquired about the whereabouts of Dawne, to which Butte replied "There is a great cost to becoming a demon weapon. He was not ready to pay it." As an afterthought, to hide the fact that he himself was a demon weapon, Butte added "Bread has told me about it." Later, when Moraltaim suggested using one of the larger wine barrels as cover against the skeletons, Butte agreed. Returning to the previous room, Butte kicked the door down the hall, killing the first goblin. Moraltaim and Serith then rolled the barrel down the hall. Deftly stepping out of the way of the crossbow bolt, Butte lobbed a bag of ball bearings at the skeletons, sending them rolling down the hall. One of the skeletons slipped, falling over and smashing its skull on the ground. "That was easy," commented Butte. "That," countered Moraltaim, "was planning." When they approached the skeleton boss's room, Luke opened the door. Seeing the skeleton behind with a bomb, Butte quickly slammed the door shut. "You shouldn't just close the door, it's a waste of a good bomb," came the skeleton's outraged cry. "You're a waste of a good boss" came Butte's rebuttal. He and Moraltaim then retreated down the hall. After they left the dungeon, Butte and Serith discussed their plan of action. Seeing as none of them had any real affiliation with the church, and that the crusade was bound to not provide profit, the group decided upon visiting an adventurer's guild outlet at a tavern Serith knew. The next day, when filling out his application for an adventurers' card, Butte stated that he was a practising Human Rogue, that went by the name "Dark Eyes."

### Session 3

Following that, the party moved down the road to accept a quest to fight a group of Troglodytes. In answer to Serith's question as to why they had to move such a distance, Butte stated "I believe that it is difficult to find weak monsters near hubs of adventurers." Upon reaching the quest NPC's house, Butte picked the lock and Serith knocked on the door. After Butte inquired about their payment -- a few other members had wanted an advance payment -- they began planning their advance on the troglodytes. Butte suggested burning the forest down, but that plan was rejected and the party entered the forest. After they neared where the troglodytes were, Butte snuck ahead to scout. Hearing a rustling, he drew his sword, preparing for a fight. Realising the rusting was his cloak brushing against a bush, he thought quickly to avoid embarrassment. "The area ahead is clear," he stated. "You didn't have to sneak up on us to tell us that," came Serith's reply, to which Butte countered "I didn't sneak up on *you,* I was sneaking up on the area ahead." As the rest of the party approached the clearing, they all noticed the rock in the middle of it. He handed a bag of ball bearings to Serith, who proceeded to fumble around with it and a bomb. Butte criticized Serith's bomb deployment skills. When the troglodyte ambush was sprung, Butte reacted quickly with his rapier, engaging one of the troglodytes; a second attacked him from behind. Moraltaim quickly cast a spell on Butte. As the troglodyte ran, Butte stabbed at him, missing. The rear enemy stabbed Butte, bloodying him. Butte spun around, stabbing the troglodyte through the throat, killing it as the bear-creature rose out of the cave. Catching a crossbow tossed at him by John Churchill, he began firing bolts at the snake. After two shots, and a few of the other members engaging the snake in melee, Butte charged forwards, stabbing the snake twice. On the second stab, a spray of blood came out. Then, the snake's tail spun and the head slammed Butte into the ground. After being revived by Moraltaim and Serith, the exact same thing happened again. At this point, Butte succumbed to pain, losing his human for for his sword form. Much like Orchalka's death only one day earlier, the blade cracked then shattered, leaving behind only the gemstone. As Butte was carrying Orchalka's genstone that contained half the power of the demon's soul, and all his possessions were fused into his gemstone, the fragments of Agathys, the Demon Weapon were made whole, allowing Agatys to reform on the mortal world.

## OOC

The 'Dark Weapon' class is a homebrew class that can be found here.

At level 3 (session 2) Jeb multiclassed into rogue, and ArchGM rebalanced the Dark Weapon class.

Jeb rolled extremely well, thus Butte's base stats are 18STR 12DEX 17CON 12INT 10WIS 18CHA

Butte's background is Sage, with a speciality of discredited academic.

Butte's theme song is "Black Blade" by Two Steps From Hell.

Character sheet.

The statement in session 3 of "After being revived by Moraltaim and Serith, the exact same thing happened again." is literal, not figurative.