Markus

Markus Varro is a former assassin of the Black Talon from the Minthras Protectorate in the Dwarven Dominion. In 488, he was cursed by a cleric of Olidammara, which forced him to abandon his former life and flee.

## Early Life

Markus was born in the year 461 in the outskirts of Autumnbrook. His father was a lumberjack while his mother was a basket-weaver. He had a fairly ordinary childhood until the age of 5 when the Arpenian Plague struck the city. His family (like most of the lower classes) could not afford treatment. In the end he was the sole survivor.

The plague left hundreds of children as orphans, something that the city could not or would not deal with. Unscrupulous men prowled the streets, luring kids away with promises and then selling them to gangs or to be servants. Markus got relatively lucky that he was not sold to a gang or sent abroad to be a slave, instead he was sold to be the ward (servant) of the gnome alchemist **Bilkam Tobbentropp**.

## Servant of Master Tobentropp

Bilkam Tobbentropp was a modestly successful alchemist in Autumnbrook. From the moment he took Markus in he made one thing very clear: it was not charity, Markus would have to earn his keep. Master Tobentropp suffered from gout that for some reason no ointment or potion could get rid of, making ingredient gathering hard and painful for the gnome.

Markus spent the rest of his childhood working for Master Tobentropp, doing chores and going on trips to the Forest of Autumn to gather ingredients. Markus learned very soon that the forest is full of dangers and that gathering herbs is tiresome and hard. But during his time in the forest he met many forest creatures, including the local fey, who took a liking to him. By the age of 9 he had managed to set up simple deals with the fey, allowing him to easily finish his ingredient gathering trips. Of course the fey wanted things in exchange. Often something simple or meaningless (e.g. locks of hair), sometimes more sinister items (e.g., a bit of blood). Markus always found a way to provide.

A few months after Markus turned 16 a strange man came to Tobentropp's shop in the middle of the night. At first the gnome wanted Markus to shoo him away, but when the stranger said he represented the Black Talon, Master Tobentropp ordered Markus back to his place in the basement so that he could conduct business in private. Markus knew that his master dabbled in illegal alchemy and had already found a good way to eavesdrop on his dealings. But this was the first time the gnome refused a commission. The stranger wanted something called "*The Breath of the Pale*" and offered the gnome over a thousand gold pieces, a fortune, yet Tobentropp refused. The stranger left without a word.

Soon a plan formed in Markus's mind: a thousand gold would allow him to be free of the gnome and live like a king. He knew where Tobentropp kept his books and Markus had some experience with making simpler potions, he could just make what the stranger wanted. That night he stole Tobentropp's books and some alchemical equipment and headed to the forest. There he found the recipe he needed and soon realized why the gnome did not want to make it. The Breath of the Pale is an extremely potent and undetectable poison with no antidote that evaporates almost instantly and its fumes are just as deadly. Many experienced alchemists died making it. Still, there was no turning back, so Markus spent the night preparing the poison. When morning came he was still breathing and he also managed to make a vial of the poison. He often thought back of that night years later and how incredible lucky he got. He never attempted to make The Breath of the Pale ever again.

After some search Markus managed to track down the strange man, who became immediately suspicious of him, as Tobentropp was not known to change his mind. In the end he had no choice but to confess. To his surprise his tale seemed to have impressed the stranger who not only gave him the promised gold but also offered him a chance to join his organization, the **Black Talon**. He kept Tobentropp's books and equipment as payment for ten years of thankless service.

## One of the Black Talon

Markus was welcomed among the Black Talon, a secretive organization that he later learned to be involved in all levels of crime throughout the Minthras Protectorate, from the running of pickpocket gangs to the murder of troublesome nobles and watch captains. They soon discovered that Markus's years with Master Tobentropp makes him an ideal poison maker. Also, the years of sneaking around to procure items for the fey have taught him skills that the Talon would immediately find use for.

After a few years of working his way up, Markus established himself as one of the most reliable and deadly agents of the Black Talon, a man who could talk his way into any castle, someone who could sneak past guards unnoticed, a silent assassin whose poisoned bolts would never fail to bring down their target.

To be truthful, Markus enjoyed the dirty work he did for the Talon. He cared little for his targets (victims?), enjoyed conning his way into places and the comfortable life the Talon provided him for his services.

## Cursed and on the run

Everything changed on that fateful night in 488. Markus was tasked with "taking care of" a pesky priestess that was making business difficult for the Talon in Autumnbrook. It looked like a simple job, the priestess had no bodyguards and had a tendency of hanging out at taverns. Still, Markus was told to watch out as the woman was a powerful cleric of Olidammara, God of Revelry and Mischief.

Markus left nothing to chance, he put a sleeping tincture into the priestess's wine and when she was lying unconscious and alone in a dark corner he drew his dagger and thrust it into her back. But at that moment something extraordinary happened. He heard a voice, one that filled him with unspeakable dread. The voice said: "*May the pain you caused come back, whenever you stray from the right path*.". Then he experienced a sharp pain in his back, and found that a bleeding wound had opened on his back, at the exact same place where he stabbed the priestess. It was only because of his healing potions that he could make it back to the Black Talon hideout.

In the following days Markus experienced the strangest symptoms: he felt queasy when he listened to his comrades telling him about their criminal exploits, his hands were shaking as he was giving out poison flasks to his fellow assassins, and he felt intense pain, whenever he was beating a man who owed the Talon money. It did not take long for him to realize that he had been cursed. He went to alchemists, druids and wizards, but none could help him as the curse was laid upon him not by a mortal, but by Olidammara himself.

The curse made working for the Black Talon impossible, and soon his superiors realized that the formerly dependable Markus had not done anything for the organization for months. In the end they gave him an ultimatum: do the next job or he will no longer be welcome. The target was a watch captain who refused to be bribed. Markus attempted the deed at least three times, but the curse prevented him from ever finishing him off. Finally the Talon had enough and sent another assassin to do the deed. When Markus learned of it, he rushed to finish the job himself to keep his place, but in the end the curse forced him to not only spare the watch captain but also to kill the other assassin. Killing another member of the Black Talon is an unforgivable offense. At that point he realized that there was nothing else he could do but run.

Markus gathered everything he could, and fled Autumnbrook. He spent most of his gold on bribes, trying to be one step ahead of the Black Talon assassins pursuing him. He crossed the Great Lake and headed through Londar to the Golden League, where he hoped to lose his pursuers and disappear.

## Joining the Outsiders

On the road through the Forest of Londar Markus encountered a merchant whose cart was stuck in the muddy road. He had no natural inclination to help him, in fact he was having a bit of fun at the poor merchant's expense when he was once again overcome by pain. He knew that it will only go away if he helped the foolish trader, so he tried, but after half an hour of hard work the cart was still stuck. Fortunately a group of adventurers showed up and lent a hand. They continued the journey together to a nearby elven village where they learned of the disappearance of two little girls. Although he tried to stay out of it, but when he learned that the girls might be trapped underground he was compelled to volunteer to help. To his surprise the adventurers, who did not appear to be cursed, did the same.

This led them to a harrowing journey to the Underdark, where Markus was once again greatly hampered by the curse, as it forced him to delay their escape and risk his and his companions lives to save the girls and another elven slave. In the end his companions had enough this and deceived him so that they may leave. That is why the party only ended up saving the girls, but Markus did not hold a grudge, because he did not want to save anyone to begin with, it was only the curse forcing him. He also found out that the curse still allows him to make use of his skills, as long as he chooses his targets appropriately. His first one was the duergar slave trader who supplied the drows by kidnapping surfacers.