Carden Malcruz

Walking sprite by KueiVolonte

> "*This would honestly be a better joke if I wasn't gonna hold it to my temple instead of my mouth*"
> ― Carden, responding to a joke about Roulette
>
>

Brother to Tarolina and the de-facto leader of The Tarot Deck of Peregrine in his absence, **Carden Malcruz** works to atone for the sins he's committed ever since the death of his parents. He believes that he deserves more than what life has stuck him with, but he's since gotten over this feeling and approaches his obstacles more logically and tries not to let emotions cloud his judgement so much.

## Appearance

Carden is, in all aspects but facial, kind of a normal dude when it comes to appearance. His build lends itself to no particular descriptors besides being a rather nice balance of toned and slender, and his height is rather average to match. Clothing aside, he carries himself rather seriously, taking on the stance of a stone-faced leader even when he doesn't feel like he's worthy of the title.

Sharing his sister's hazel eye color and almost-orange hair, he styles his a bit shorter than his better half. His hair splits down the middle, sweeping itself off to the sides and converging at around eye-level, long on top but shorter on the sides to pull such a thing off. While he doesn't take as much pride in his style as Tara, he takes good care of his hair and ensures that it keeps the same general shape no matter what. The most you'll ever see is little more than a bit of frizz after he takes off a hat or, more commonly, his hood. His face is the type that isn't distinctive enough to describe meaningfully, but one would likely recognize it easily if seen again. He's also capable of making a rather wide range of expressions if he cared enough to put in the effort, but he generally doesn't.

### Attire

His clothes are similarly unremarkable, meant to make him look rather forgettable when he's not wearing his *Phantom Thief Costume*. It generally consists of either a generic-looking tuxedo when he's in formal situations or a green zip-up hoodie with a blue undershirt (whether it's a long- or short-sleeved shirt is yet to be seen). He usually wears nothing on his face, not even glasses, and he only carries accessories that serve a utility. Jeans are his go-to casual wear for leggings, though he always has a pair of *Stealth Boots* on, which simply appear to be brown boots that fit most occasions. *Roulette* is often carried inside whatever top he's wearing.

When wearing his *Phantom Thief's Costume*, Carden's look doesn't change all that much. The blue undershirt remains, but worn over it is now a green, hooded overcoat with shortened, golden yellow sleeves that don't get in the way of dexterous work. He also wears a pair of leggings that are far more form-fitting than his other attire, meant to provide maximum flexibility without sacrificing (much) comfort. Deceivingly, their brown color almost matches his fair skin, but is quite obviously darker than it if one were to compare them side-by-side in clear light. When wearing this costume, *Roulette* is stored in a holster on Carden's belt (which he does in fact have), concealed by the overcoat.

### Details

When using *Roulette* for its intended purpose, Carden's eyes flash yellow, like a Shadow's, and his resolve ripples through reality, which can be sensed by anyone close to him at that moment. Moreover, the translucent form of his Persona surrounds him for a brief moment during this time.

## Personality

The best way to describe Carden's personality is to call him "dismissive, but intelligent". While he is not nearly as quirky as some of the other people he's associated himself with, he's quick to dismiss small matters and chip away at the crux of whatever catches his fancy.

Ever since Tara's departure he's developed some rather nasty obsessive tendencies, getting hung up on whatever problems he sets his mind to without taking a rest, and forgetting about the possibility of rushing, but if you can get him to relax and open up, you'll find that he does care for the people that he considers as friends. He used to mask his dissatisfaction with greed, but he's since sworn off that, even if he does sometimes eye a piece of treasure like it were candy.

### Traits

 **Vices:** | Obsessive tendencies, over-reliance on others

### Drives and Obstacles

**Goal(s):** To atone for the mistakes he committed when Tara was away from the Tarot Deck

**Motivations:** Becoming a reliable and respectable leader, to make his parents proud

**Obstacles:** Lack of a steady moral compass outside of his family and friends

## Connections

### Affiliations

* **The Tarot Deck of Peregrine** (Fool Arcana): The de-facto leader when Tara is not present. Pretty much deals with every little thing that isn't delegated to the other Major Arcana, and also is in charge of delegating these tasks.

### Family

* **Parents:** Ryder and Whyte Malcruz (deceased)
* Brother**:** Tarolina Malcruz (Magician)
* **Note:** Carden is really protective of his biological family. His fellow Arcana have become a second family to him, but there is a level of resolve he exhibits when Tara is on the line and his parents' deaths are what lead him down the path of greed.

### Friends and Foes

**Friends:**

* **Nigel "Lyken" Lykenthro (Hermit):** Though their relationship was hampered slightly by Carden driving Tara away, the two still share a teacher-student relationship, and Carden is attempting to get to know him a little better regardless...though this is mostly because he doesn't approve of how focused he is on his brother.
* **Sonielle "Sonny" Davilla (Star):** Carden's original tutor before Tara left. Sonny has a motherlike concern for him, though she has such concerns for a lot of people. Regardless, the two share a special kind of rapport, and Carden isn't above teasing her however he sees fit. What else are leaders for, if not that?
* **Anoresha "Anore" Emisrit (Sun):** A general aide when it comes to mechanical stuff, and in general just as chill as he is when he opens up, with the added benefit of being a memelord. Generally seeks to impress her when the two are together, if only with social stunts. She does force him to pay for anything he borrows off of her, though.
* **Kim Nakasone (Chariot):** Routinely prods Carden to be more decisive and independent, stop moping around, grow a spine, and other abrasive "coaching". It's harsh but justified, and he's better off for it.
* **Lamisle Vincons (Non-Deck):** Like Kim, she prods Carden, but she does so to make him be himself. Her words are pretty harsh sometimes but they're often just what he needs to hear.
* **Note:** Though he's rather distant as a leader, he's made sure to be friends with people he can relax around or have a nice chat with if he needs to pass the time, outside of Deck stuff.

**Allies:**

* **Kelmer and Xavier:** Honorary Deck Members in light of the Rift situation and also the possibility of other Kishins appearing in the area. He should probably try making friends with them.

**Frenemies:**

* **High Priestess:** What does she even do? Honestly.
* **Crimson:** He's okay? He guesses? He's way too full of himself and he'd rather not be around him, but at least his heart's usually in the right place and all he really needs is one of the vacant Deck member residencies. Maybe if he'd stop being such a cocky bastard he'd be higher up.

**Enemies:**

* **~~Himself:~~** Maybe this guy's not so bad.
* **Lulu:** Not technically *enemies,* but he has one kindness and it shows.

**Knows:**

* **Sister Zwei:** An ally during the snowstorm. Didn't really save him or anything, she was just kinda there in his opinion.

**Others:**

* **Kel and Xav (Saved by):** Saved Carden from his Shadow on the Other Side. Aside from that, he has a legitimate respect for them for their combat prowess and partnership—something he can relate to, to an extent.
* **Lumi Satomi (Also saved by?):** Saved Carden from being swiss cheese in the Dessicate Kingdom. He is rather curious to know what Lumi is doing in Peregrine and while Kim and Tara's suspicions have him worried, he really doesn't care as much as he should.
* **Jimmy (Other Side Contact):** Will likely get in contact with him to keep him up to date on the Other Side. He doesn't particularly have a rapport for the guy, but he was a former Minor Arcana, so he still commands some respect.

### Favors Owed

* **Lifesavers:** Carden doesn't particularly enjoy having debts to anyone, but he recognizes all too well that he might not be here today without the efforts made to save him by Xelmer and Lumi, on each of their separate occasions. He'd be willing to stick his neck out for them both until he believes he's done enough to repay such a debt.

## Skills and Abilities

### Acquired/Learned Abilities

* **Flash:** Cantrip-like. Creates a magical flash of light, blinding targets.
	+ Choose a point within 30ft. All enemies that are within 5ft of that point must roll a CON save (DC 13). On failure, they are Blind until their next turn.
* **Thieves' Cant:** a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code unique to thieves and criminals.
	+ Allows messages to be hidden in seemingly normal conversation.

### Thieving Arts

Abilities learned through continued work in the field of thievery. While many of these can be learned by normal thieves, Steal Breath/Mind/Mana are usually Malcruz-exclusive.

* **Steal:** Grabs something off of the enemy and steals it.
	+ Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be in stealth to pull this off.
		- Contest Sleight of Hand. Steals the item on success.
* **Steal Breath:** Pulls a non-lethal portion of the target's life energy from them.
	+ Carden must land an Unarmed Strike or hit with the *Longsword of the Shadow*.
	+ Leaves the target breathless for a moment (makes them temporarily Exhausted)
	+ Restores the user's HP by the amount that was stolen, up to Carden's max HP.
		- Carden can't use Steal Breath if his HP is full.
	+ D20 mechanics:
		- Roll to hit and deal damage as you would normally, using CHA instead of STR / DEX for damage rolls and replace the damage type with Necrotic
		- If used during a Grapple, double damage dealt by an Unarmed Strike
		- On success, a target is also Exhausted (up to 3) until their next turn.
	+ Other "systems":
		- The idea is straightforward: damage dealt is restored to Carden. An unarmed attack is generally meant to grab and hold, which replaces Carden's weak-ass hitting strength with magic for damage purposes.
	+ Won't incapacitate a target right away, but depending on how much focus is put in and how long contact is maintained, it's possible to drain their HP to zero.
* **Steal Mana (Psychic):** Pulls a non-lethal portion of a target's magical energy from them.
	+ Carden must land an Unarmed Strike or hit with the *Longsword of the Shadow*.
	+ Scrambles the target's spellcasting for a moment on a hit (breaks Concentration).
	+ Carden picks the level. Only works if the target has magical energy to steal.
	+ Shots that go over Carden's capacity are wasted. Full Shots prevents Stealing.
	+ D20 mechanics:
		- Restores N shots when a level N "slot" is successfully stolen.
		- Target makes a [casting stat] save to not have their slot stolen
			* DC = (9 - targeted slot level) + Carden's CHA + Proficiency
			* If the target has no unused level N slots, the next highest is stolen
		- If successful, Carden must wait N rounds before using Steal Mana again.
		- If used during a Grapple, target has Disadvantage.
	+ Other "systems":
		- The "level" targeted is the same concept as MP (or other metric)
		- Shots recovered can be eyeballed based on the spell table in Notes
		- Resistance is based on magical prowess. Stealing larger amounts makes it more difficult, and prolonged contact during the attempt makes it easier.
	+ Much like Steal Breath, this won't exhaust on its own without time or focus
		- If there are no slots or MP left, cantrips or zero-cost spells are disabled
* **Quickfoot (passive):** Allows the bearer to perform two consecutive attacks.
	+ Attacks, not actions—replaces normal rogues' Cunning Action and Sneak Attack
* **Third Eye (passive):** Helps the bearer identify traps and triggers for mechanisms
	+ ...as well as opportunities for sick freerunning/parkour tricks. Dawg.
* **Escape Artist (passive):** Allows the bearer to easily escape grapples, binds, and traps.
	+ Grants advantage on grapple and restrain escapes.
* **Thieves' Tools (expertise):** Double proficiency bonus when picking locks.

### Spirit Arts

Abilities technically exclusive to Carden, but only because Roulette is probably cursed to never unattune from someone. I'd believe it. Allows the user to place themselves in a Limit-like state, causing them to unlock latent powers that might otherwise never be drawn out—Carden's just so happens to draw upon abilities he would otherwise only have access to in Rifts. Stems from Unmasked class ability.

* **Call Spirit:** Activates *Roulette* for its intended purpose, allowing Carden to channel an ability at random from his current Spirit. Passive skills, if selected, take effect for 3 rounds after activation.
	+ His Signature Spirit, Pazuzu, has a special table to determine which skill is used.
	+ With the advent of Carden's newfound resolve, this ability no longer consumes Shots based on the spell used. Instead, whenever he uses it, his Maximum HP is cut in half, and he takes Almighty Psychic damage equal to the amount he had in excess of his new maximum. This reduction lasts until he takes a long rest. Can be used multiple times, but it will continue to reduce his maximum HP by ½ every time it is used. An amount of reductions recovered per long rest is equal to his Charisma modifier.
* **Switch Spirit:** Requires use of Roulette. Spends 1 Shot to switch Carden's Spirit to that of anyone he shares a "close connection" with. The target must have some sort of Spirit ability to be selected with this skill. Carden can switch back to Pazuzu free of charge at any time.
* **Graze Recharge:** Thanks to a bit of expressiveness learned through his encounters with Lamisle, Carden can get in touch with himself for a brief moment by flourishing after a particularly narrow dodge, giving him a burst of concentration and stamina. This extends to powering through an attack that might otherwise overwhelm lesser men.
	+ Whenever Carden is grazed by an attack or innately resists an attack's damage, he can flourish to regain 1 Shot. This may lead to him intentionally putting himself in tight dodging circumstances in order to use this ability as much as possible.
		- D20 Mechanics:
			* When the opponent gets an attack roll one or two points below Carden's AC, or Carden matches or gets exactly 1 above the DC for a Dexterity Save, he can use his reaction to immediately regain 1 Shot.
			* When Carden resists the damage dealt by any attack that hits him through elemental resistances, he automatically regains 1 Shot.
* **Persona Summoning, V5:** Carden does a quick flourish or does a bold action, allowing him to summon his Persona/Spirit at will. He can only summon his Persona once per turn, so he cannot cast two spells in one turn, even if his Attack action would allow for it.
	+ Attacking spells such as Zio, Mudo, and Fatal End take an action to perform, and do not allow him to make attack rolls after the spell is cast. Healing spells such as Dia also have this limitation.
	+ Status spells such as Sukukaja, Dormina, and Wind Break take a bonus action to perform.
	+ Adding the Ma- modifier to a spell costs +1 Shot and afflicts all targets in a radius equal to ½ of the spell's original range. (75ft range rounds to 45ft radius.)

 Zionga
 Garu
 Fatal End

**Persona spell mechanics (D20 systems):**

* First-Level Damage Skills (weak, small): 1d6
* Second-Level Damage Skills (decent, medium): 2d8
* Third-Level Damage Skills (heavy, great): 3d10
* Final-Stage Damage Skills: 4d12
* Megido- special rules:
	+ Megido: Reduce the AC of all enemies on the field by 1/4, then roll 1d20 with no modifiers (and advanatage/disadvantage if necessary). Hits like a 2nd-level skill.
	+ Megidola: Reduce the AC of all enemies on the field by 1/2, then roll 1d20 with half of the user's proficiency (and advanatage/disadvantage if necessary). Hits like a 3rd-level skill.
	+ Megidolaon: Reduce the AC of all enemies on the field by 3/4, then roll 1d20 with full proficiency (and advanatage/disadvantage if necessary). Hits like a Final-stage skill.
* Instakill spell special rules:
	+ Only works on enemies weak to the spell's element, prone, or who don't know where the user is.
	+ Doesn't work on Boss-like enemies.
	+ If none of the conditions are fulfilled, an instant kill can be proceed with a 30% chance (half that if resisted).
	+ If an enemy absorbs the spell's element, then this attack will increase their attack by one stage (+1d4 to damage rolls).
	+ For the more powerful variants, the base chance is raised to 60%, and absorption no longer increases the target's attack.
* Element Conversions:
	+ Physical: Slashing, Bludgeoning
	+ Gun: Piercing
	+ Fire, Electricity, Ice, and Psychic are unchanged (Fire, Lightning, Cold, Psychic, respectively).
	+ Wind: Thunder
	+ Nuclear: Poison
	+ Bless: Radiant
	+ Curse: Necrotic

### Skills

* **Expertise:** Persuasion, Stealth
* **Proficiency:** Acrobatics, Deception, Perception, Sleight of Hand
* **Mental Acclimation:** Due to extensive training with psychics, Carden can sense any attempts to look into his mind and send clear, complete sentences to whoever is doing so. Resisting it is another matter entirely, but it's not exactly hard for him to do so.
* **Weapons Training:** He's learned a variety of weapon styles from Sonny, most of which are melee-oriented. He specializes in one-handed finesse weapons (with the sole exception of whips), though he's been taking up a finesse-styled approach to longswords as well. More often than not, though, you can give him a weapon and he'll use it well enough to convince an untrained eye.

### Weaknesses

* **Over-reliant:** In a one-on-one battle, Carden will be liable to run away rather than fight if he's unable to use *Roulette*, and if his allies leave in a team fight, the same is applicable. It's also a bad time for him if he can't get any sort of juice for Grazing Recharge or Steal Mana.
* **Fragile Speedster:** While his stats are decent, Carden has a better time dodging than blocking. Force him to take the brunt of an attack and he'll suffer for it.
* **Low Strength:** His build is deceptive. While he's certainly healthy in body, he has no idea how to make use of his natural, raw strength, and will often lose in contests of brute force.
* **Low Resources:** Carden only has six Shots to cast his spells with. If he runs out, he needs to use something to restore them. Items that normally recover spells slots or MP will work fine, but more often than not he'll need to hope for Grazing Recharge or Steal Mana, both of which require him to get into the line of fire and deal some damage.
* **Spirit Attributes:** Having the ability to draw your Spirit's influence into the real world is a double-edged sword. When Carden invokes a Spirit Art, he will temporarily take on the attributes of his current Persona/Spirit, including innate elemental weaknesses (and resistances) until he hasn't used a Spirit Art for 1 minute.
	+ **00/15 Pazuzu (Carden):** Fire Weak, Dark Resist
	+ **01 Tengu-Kori (Tarolina):** Wind Weak, Dark+Ice Resist

## Equipment

### Key Items

* **Fool Card:** Drawn upon initiation in the Deck; works as an access key for the Hideout.
* **Roulette:** The key to Carden's awakened Shadow abilities and spells.

### Weapons

* **Roulette:** A magic revolver that casts a random ability when "fired" at Carden point-blank
	+ Acquired from Carden's Shadow along with the Longsword below.
	+ Has 6 Shots that are used by Spirit Art spells (number of Shots varies by spell).
	+ Carden regains one Shot for every level of "spell slot" gained with Steal Mana
		- He also regains them all if he takes a Short Rest.
	+ Can also be used to Switch Carden's Persona by summoning a ring of Tarot Cards around him and shooting the one he wants. The Arcana of the card he hits is the Arcana of the Persona he switches to.
		- Since switching back to Pazuzu is free, the motion for that is instead Carden grabbing his Fool card and throwing it in front of him.
	+ Only makes a loud bang when fired (no cartridges used) if not aimed at Carden's head.
* **Longsword of the Shadow:** A longsword dropped from Carden's Shadow.
	+ In D&D systems, it is a +1 Longsword
	+ +3 Atk
	+ Steal Breath/Mind/Mana Compatible

### Other Equipment

* **Phantom Thief's Costume:**
	+ 11 + Dex AC under D&D rules
	+ +1 Def
* **Stealth Boots:**
	+ Boots made by the High Priestess. Has surprisingly quiet footfalls.
	+ Grants Advantage on audible Stealth checks
* **Thieves' Tools:** Used to pick locks. Double proficiency bonus due to expertise.
* **Smoke Bombs:** Can you really call yourself a thief without these?

### Inventory

* **Dessicate Coins:** Coins picked up in the Dessicate Kingdom. Do they have a use?

## Biography

### Carden Malcruz, the Fool Thief of Cards

The story of Carden Malcruz begins intertwined with that of his sister, Tarolina.

Born three years apart, the two grew up well together, and developed a particularly close bond. Always together no matter what, they shared dreams, aspirations, and feelings. As the more calm and mature one, Carden took to the role of a big brother well. He was not a lead-by-example kind of person, but instead developed Tara's lessons as he did his own, and in doing so learned many valuable things alongside her. However, Tara often took to things better than he did—where she was a prodigy, he was forced to season himself with experience. And while he did not share her dream to become a hero, he would be lying if he said he did not hold some admiration for that sort of determination and power.

Their parents were involved in one of the gangs in Peregrine City: the Tarot Deck, a syndicate group working in the shadows to ensure the safety and order of the masses within the city. Assigned titles named after the various Arcana, each member had a specific place in the hierarchy according to the tarot cards they drew upon initiation, both Major and Minor. Tara and Carden's parents, Whyte and Ryder Malcruz, were the leaders of this group, alongside a mysterious enchantress known as the High Priestess. Whyte, the Empress, was a natural leader and a great magician, seasoned by three years on the battlefield as an arcane spy and assassin and even more experienced with subterfuge behind enemy lines. Ryder, the Emperor, was similarly gifted, but focused more on the ways of trailblazing and skilled fighting without relying on magical tricks. They left the siblings to fend for themselves when they were out on operations, but still managed to juggle the household responsibilities that the two weren't old enough to handle yet. One parent generally watched over them when absolutely necessary while the other did their business. Seeing the entire family in the same room together was rare, but Tara and Carden got used to it with time, and eventually learned to be independent when both parents had to be away.

And so, when the day came where Tara asked their parents if they could begin training to join the Tarot Deck of Peregrine, Carden readily agreed to join her. Having grown quite accustomed to the company of his sister and often left alone with her when the two Major Arcana went out on business, he developed a distaste for being alone. Attributing such feelings to worry over his sister and inadequacy, he came to rely on her as much as she relied on him to ground her. The two made a perfect duo—it was just as well that Carden was only considered good enough to officially join the Deck when Tara came of age, similarly ready, the two being 18 and 21 respectively. However, neither could have been prepared for the responsibilities that came with their Arcana: Carden had drawn The Fool, and was therefore destined to carry the torch as the figurehead leader of the Deck.

Upon joining the Deck, Carden's personalized training was taken to the next level under the guidance of the Star Arcana, Sonielle DaVilla. His mother and father continued to take up most of the slack of leading the deck, allowing the two siblings to live in relative ease while their parents developed a way to induct their children as equals. The two quickly found their niche in the gang as vigilante rogues or, as Tara called them, Phantom Thieves, thanks to the release of Persona 5. Carden had no reason to choose another path—stealing from those who had the audacity to make the poor suffer was just like Robin Hood, and made him feel as if he was making a difference. On several occasions, Carden would pull off the heist from the shadows as Tara distracted the masses with her excellent showmanship. Using her androgynous build and anonymity to stoke rumors bordering on legend in the public imagination, the two gave hope to Peregrine's suffering—one of the few moments of spotlight the Tarot Deck had ever experienced. For a time, the two found great enjoyment and contentment in their lives.

However, one day, their parents vanished while on an operation. It was said the Empress and Emperor were going to investigate a mysterious rumor about a cult brewing underneath the city. They departed in the dead of night one day, without saying proper goodbyes—a few days later, their dead bodies were found by the police, and the two siblings were stricken with grief.

Carden didn't take very well to this. As The Fool, total leadership of the Tarot Deck was passed almost entirely to him. He and Tara ended up splitting their responsibilities rather quickly—however, it was clear before long that The Magician was also unfit for duty after such a tragedy, and so the only man who was keeping up some semblance of effort took the full burden of the gang upon himself. Drunk with power and unable to keep his feelings in check, Carden stewed a silent rage. He had been robbed of his parents, two of the people he held the most dearly, and all he got in return were condolences and a deck of cards. It felt unfair—and to his credit, it was rather unfair. The High Priestess merely sat and watched as she always did, doing nothing to ease the burden of the siblings. As one of the Top Five Major Arcana, she was also in a position of leadership and authority. But no matter what, she would insist that he and Tara deal with it themselves. He hated the Priestess for this—for the way she would merely stand by and watch when he was clearly unable to handle things on his own.

Rather than leaving the Deck in the hands of his sister or the apathetic High Priestess, the distraught Phantom Thief turned to greed to sate his hatred and grief. He began carrying out operations purely for profit—not caring who he stole from, or when, or how. Tara participated at first, but she quickly saw the turn that her brother was taking for the worse, and withdrew her efforts before long. This was not enough to grant him a change of heart—and, no matter how much he got, no matter what he stole, no matter who he stepped on, he still felt empty. His twisted desires led only to suffering, suffering he would live to regret.

One fateful night, Tara confronted him in secret during an operation. Pleading with him to see the error of his ways, tears rolling down her face, she desperately tried to convince him to turn back to the side of good, to no avail. Blinded by his greed, her brother could only deny her truths, insisting that this was the only way to make things "fair" for them. Holding back tears in his heart, he turned his back on his sister, who fell to her knees and cried. He continued that operation as planned, albeit with a minor delay—but when he returned to the hideout that night, he found his sister gone and her quarters empty. The bond between them had been broken in the span of one night, and with it, Carden's spirit.

He fell into a state of depression, finally realizing just how much he had done to hurt both his remaining family and the Deck at large. Tara had left the Deck in order to gather evidence and confront her brother again, but she would find none. And in the two years she was gone, the reason became quite obvious: Carden had lost not only the will to lead, but also the will to live. His bonds with the friends he made within the Deck had not yet been severed, but he effectively cut himself off, choosing to spend his days alone more and more frequently. Hopeless and broken, he would often wander the hideout with a newfound poker face, evading the gazes of his peers. He continued both his training with Sonny and Lyken and field operations, but his heart wasn't in either. After an intervention held by his tutors and the Sun, Anoresha Emisrit, he began to heal, albeit very slowly. It took a whole year for him to defeat the suicidal thoughts that had been plaguing him and begin to focus on running the gang again. He hoped the other Major Arcana would pick up the slack, but it was clear that the group had sunk to a new low.

Aged 26 by the events of PlayDis, Carden has begun to heal properly. Since the return of Tara over the course of PlayDis's story, the burden of leadership has been divided between the two siblings. Having been taken to the "Other Side" in a fluke, he has gained the power of Spirit, which he naturally dubbed "Persona". With it, he has the ability to alter reality by invoking his Persona's influence on the world, triggered by shooting himself in the head with the aptly-named *Roulette*, a six-shot revolver that only serves this function. Using these newfound powers in conjunction with his own growing strength, he now strives to atone for the sins he had committed over the span of those two years.

That's the cross he has to bear. And he's not going to allow himself to give up until he's accomplished that goal.

### Pazuzu, the Fool's Mask

#00/15 (Fool/Devil): Pazuzu, the Babylonian lord of wind and scorching sands. Has a lion's head and arms, eagle-clawed feet, bird wings and deadly poison. They say the diseases he spreads can only be cured by magical means, but anyone who knows the symbolism they have to Carden knows that isn't the case.

The combination of trauma from the loss of his sister and role model Tara, the sudden death of his parents, and the sudden responsibility of leading the Tarot Deck has caused Carden's Arcana to go into flux. The shift to the Devil symbolizes his twisted desires, taken to their symbolic extremes—however, the fact that his Persona is Pazuzu, an evil spirit who protects humanity from the plagues and misfortunes from other evil spirits, signifies the potential to grow past this.

Pazuzu is Weak to Fire, and Resists Darkness. The next skill it learns is Sukukaja.

### Points of Interest

**Former Homes:** None. Born, raised, lives and works in Peregrine.

**Former Jobs:** A good leader™

## Gallery

Still from walking spritePazuzu, Carden's initial Persona, as he appears in *Shin Megami Tensei II*New Carden walking sprite by KueiVolunteOld Carden sprite by KueiVolonteCarden with his mask on, as of the Candlenights Banquet.
## Notes

* TODO: Give Carden some reason to have any kind of flower motif.

### Roulette Table (Other)

Note: This is reference for when these skills come up, not what Carden can use at all times.

### Footnotes

1. ↑ I needed a name that referenced cards in some manner. Turns out Carden, meaning "Garden", is a legitimate name.
2. ↑ Carden's Persona lunges out from his person in order to perform this attack. If Carden charges in a straight line at least 10ft before performing the move, its range increases to 20ft.
3. ↑ HP Drain due to physical skill usage is suppressed when calling this Spirit.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Multitarget skills do not add to the amount of shots consumed.
5. ↑ HP Drain as a result of using physical skills still takes effect.