Beric Rowan

Artwork by Andrew Leonardo Michael Misisco

—Beric[src]

**Beric Rowan** is a half-drow from Breland. He inherited a pact from his mother, which originlly came from his father's line. When he first received it he didn't know anything about it other than there was a voice in his head and a sword in his hand. After a long time of asking questions and not finding answers, it was left up to Beric to decide if the entity he wielded was a force of good or evil.

## History

Beric is the son of a Brelish general from the Last War, Urik Rowan. She was known as controversial during the war, and while she retired a hero, she was always haunted by the war. After she died Beric inherited her journal, and the more he read from it the more he could tell that something was wrong. It lead him to Mistmarsh, a town in Breland. He was very drawn to the Faded Forest and would often mention checking it out.

Through studying the journal left to him by Urik, he started learning a magic different than he was being taught in seminary. This magic seemed more powerful and more quickly accessed, and he left the church in favor of this new power.

### Discovering his father

Beric grew up not knowing who his father was, only that he was someone Urik had a brief romance with. Over time he learns more about him and even gets close to meeting him, until ultimately Eladrin gives his life to bring Beric back from the dead.

#### Syrania

The angels of Syrania are not at all pleased to find Beric in their home. He's singled out amongst the whole group and brought before the angelic tribunal. Dex argues his case of being not evil, though Beric is more interested in finding out what the angels know of the drow that they speak of who travelled through their plane who had the same darkness in him.

Just as the angels are about to give their verdict, Farlan steps in and demands trial by combat, over the objections of Beric and Dex. He knew the ruling the tribunal would have made and would rather fight his way out. The angel gets beaten down horrendously, and the rest of the angels, Gabriel in particular, are not happy with the way the four adventurers handled the fight.

When the party finally finds their way back to Mistmarsh, Curse-Bringer appears without being summoned. Beric tries dismissing it and the sword falls on the ground. After an awkward pause Dex tries to pick it up, but Curse-Bringer shoots back into Beric's and and informs him that things will be different from now on. Beric starts to demand and explanation, but the sword disappears before he can finish his sentence.

#### *"Underground, look for cave."*

Beric learns from the giant Gaulronak about the types of drow on Xen'drik, and after consulting Curse-Bringer is relieved to hear his father was from the Umbragen drow—underground, look for cave. Gaulronak also shares that long ago, the elves were slaves to the giants.

### Flamekeep

After Paulo dies, Beric and the rest of the party, led by Gram, go to Flamekeep to talk to the Keeper of the Flame, intent on finding out why the resurrection spell failed. There, he tries once again to make contact with the Raven. To his surprise, he feels himself pulled towards the silver column of fire that Jaela uses to speak to the Flame. Instead of hearing Tira Miron's voice, he hears the Raven's. She's much colder than before. Her view of death has changed; while before she believed it should sometimes be stopped or undone, now she wonders why that could ever be. Death is death; it can't be wrong. Melysse even goes as far to imply that many wrongful deaths wouldn't have happened if she hadn't brought *him* back. He's indignant at the suggestion that this is somehow his fault. Melysse tells him it isn't wrong or unjust; it's simply fate, and fate can't be avoided, even by him.

*"I once believed that certain deaths should be undone, as you know firsthand. And I wonder now, had you not been brought back the first time, how different would the world be? How many wrongful deaths would not have occurred?"*
*"You laid that on me. You put that on me, you put that in me."*
*"I know. Though now I know not why."*
—Beric and Melysse
### Belashyrra's Offer

In the depth's of Khyber, Belashyrra appears in the dreams of Beric and his companions. An offer is made: don't speak of him or his deal, and Belashyrra will guide them to one of the Destiny Arms. Beric agrees.

They're guided to some ruins of an ancient elvish city, and in order to open the sarcophagus that holds the artifact, they each step into separate alcoves–and are shut inside, each by themselves. Belashyrra appears to Beric, Booyah, Dex, and gives each of them an offer.

He offers to give Beric the ability to know where the weapons are, if a creature is wielding them, and who that creature is. There's a steep price for that power, though: his eyes. Beric considers carefully, and not knowing another way of finding the weapons, agrees.

Belashyrra swipes his hands across Beric's eyes, and blackness covers his vision.

## The Pact

When Beric first inherited his warlock pact, he didn't know the power he was wielding. He started reading his mother's journal and learning its magic, unaware of what it would turn into. Over time he began to understand it more.

After losing Draconos, Beric retreats to his family's estate in First Tower. He visits his mother's grave to have a talk with Curse-Bringer and manages to drag out small bits of information about the pact.

Though it was passed down to him through his mother, the sword truly belonged to his father. It's through his bloodline that the power has been passed, and Curse-Bringer is dismissive of Urik's possession of it. Beric tries asking him what their purpose is, their mission, and who Curse-Bringer is. The sword answers in vague terms of fighting darkness and serving the light, and that he's part of a greater power.

### Receiving Curse-Bringer

Shortly after Beric, Draconos, and Dex arrive in Sharn in their search for Crast, time is literally stopped and Beric sees a vision of the past. There's a hooded figure walking down the street. He greets a drow in a low voice and talks of a coming battle, and that the drow's people will be needing him. The figure hands him a sword, and the vision fades.

In real time Sharn, time is still frozen, and the figure appears before Beric. He tells Beric that Beric must do what his family could not, and when Beric questions how he knows his family the figure says they are one and the same. With that he's gone, and floating before Beric is the same sword that was passed to the drow. He feels a compulsion to reach out and grab it. He takes it, and time starts again.

A voice in his head asks who he is and introduces itself as Curse-Bringer—it's clear that it's the sword talking to him.

### Revenant

After the Raven brings Beric back to life for the second time, it's under different circumstances. He no longer wields Erebus as a weapon—he *is* the weapon. Instead of drawing the blade forth, when he reaches out the shadows seem to boil out of and envelop him, and solidify into a black suit, hardening into what looks like armour. The guantlets are clawed at the end; the runes that used to be on his sword appear on the mask that covers his face. In this form, Erebus is in control. This continues until Dex uses an efreeti to bring him back to life, fully this time.

### Completion of the Pact

Finally Beric has collected all thirteen parts of the pact. Finally Erebus is whole and able to answer questions. The answers he gives, however, just further shake Beric's world. Once they're on Dal Quor and Beric activates the pact, the anchored points on Eberron will cease to exist—Flamekeep will not hold the Flame any longer. This brings on more questions from Beric, and Erebus tells him the stories he's heard aren't entirely true. There's no demon lord corrupting the hearts of good people. The conflagration is whatever people make of it.

Beric, exhausted both physically and mentally, dismisses the sword, and continues lying on the floor.

## Death

### First Death

The party travels through the jungles of Xen'drik when a cleric of the Silver Flame runs upon their path, begging to be killed. Tusks sprout from his jaw and Dex's lycanthropy responds to the unwilling transformation. Beric swings at the cleric, and Dex manages to keep enough control to not attack his friends while they battle this wereboar. Just when they think the battle is over, two other wereboars emerge on the path.

Beric fights off the infection several times, but it doesn't hold out. The corruption spreads through him. He focuses on finishing off the wereboar, and then when there's a moment of peace, he leaves to find the wolfsbane the cleric says he had.

Beric goes looking for the pack, but instead finds himself with a drow holding a blade to his throat. Drakir offers to bring Beric to his shaman. Beric considers and tells him he needs to inform his companions where he's going.

When he gets back to the clearing with the others, Sam provides another solution: belladonna. A highly poisonous plant, but with the possibility of curing lycanthropy. Beric takes it without thinking. The cure doesn't work, and his strength drains. He starts walking back towards the drow, falls on the path, and dies.

#### Dolurrh

Beric wakes in a landscape of gray and shadow with a figure standing over him that he recognizes as Curse-Bringer. He gets up and sees the scene of his death, frozen in time. Curse-Bringer tells him they don't have much time; they need to find a way back, through some place that coterminous with Eberron. As he talks Beric stands in shock; he died, he's supposed to join with the Flame.

They're attacked by a sorrowsworn, and Beric isn't able to cast spells, so they run. They're saved by someone Beric is shocked to meet—Urik Rowan, his mother. After a heartwarming reunion, Urik tells Beric about the queen she's serving under: the Raven. She helps souls find their way to the afterlife, and rules over the Shadar-kai–those who are stuck in Dolurrh until the pact is complete. Urik takes Beric to meet with her.

They enter the hall of the Raven, and Beric tells her his story. The Raven is very interested, and when he finishes tells him of her own pact. She says they can join their pieces of the pact together and become strong enough to return him to his body in Eberron. Once back, he can continue the quest of completing the pact, which she believes will release the souls trapped there. Alternatively, he can stay with her in Dolurrh, ruling as part of her court. Being the last of his line with no heir, he could potentially become as powerful as her one day. No matter how nice it could be, Beric sees no way he could justify leaving all the souls of his ancestors trapped if there's something he can do about it, and chooses to return to Eberron.

As they walk across the frozen wasteland of Dolurrh, the Raven gives Beric more information about the pact. She tells him of the Qabalrin and how they made a deal with a great entity, and how he can reform the sword into whatever shape he wants after the merging is complete. Beric asks that before he returns, he has a chance to say goodbye to his mother.

The Raven waves her hand and a portal appears. Through it steps Urik, and the Raven gives them a moment to themselves. They're both quiet for a moment, and Beric tells her he's sorry to be going. Urik waves it off and tells him how proud of him she is. A lesser man would have chosen to stay. He's made a name for himself and will carry on the family legacy, and she couldn't ask for more.

The portal reappears and the Raven steps through once again. She leads Beric to the cavern that Eladrin has used as his base of operations, and they see, through a wash a gray, the large crystal shard in the center of the room. Beric's body is strapped to it, and Eladrin on a table nearby. Drakir stands over him looking stern, and Dex and Therudak rush around, helping to prepare the ritual. A rip opens up and chaos breaks out as the lich appears once again.

Hastily, the Raven and Beric merge their pacts. Soul Reaper and Curse-Bringer are thrown to the ground as cloaks, and as Beric summons the sword Soul Reaper wraps around it. Beric feels himself being pulled towards his body in Eberron, and the sword is plunged into his heart.

#### Resurrection

After Beric dies, Dex vehemently protects his body. After a scuffle with Drakir, the drow tells them of his shaman, and that he might be able to bring Beric back. The two of them and Therudak bring him to the shaman, who turns out to be Beric's and Drakir's father, Eladrin. Eladrin is devestated that his son, who he never got to meet, is dead, and sends the party off to retreive the last ingredient he needs for a ritual he's been preparing: a Khyber dragonshard.

When they return, Eladrin has them strap Beric's body to a massive Siberys shard in the middle of his workroom. Eladrin tells them this is the cost of the ancient elven magic: a life for a life. As the light in the shard on Eladrin's necklace starts glowing, so does the Khyber shard they've placed in Beric's holy symbol. Light pulses from Curse-Bringer into the holy symbol, and it becomes enveloped in silvery light at the same time that Curse-Bringer is covered in shadow. The shard in Eladrin's necklace plunges into his chest, and at the same time Curse-Bringer starts floating away from Beric and takes a horizontal position, then plunges into him. Beric's eyes open.

### Second Death

*Borrowed Time* is ambushed on its way across the Thunder Sea by its previous captain, Vennet d'Lyrander. Vennet uses his overpowered dragonmark to wreak havoc on the ship. He goes after Beric, and after a few blasts from his mark, blows him overboard. In his panic, Beric is overtaken by Erebus, who casts Viktor's Dark Transport on them in an attempt to soften the impact, but it's no use. Beric hits the water and wakes up with the Raven approaching him.

From her appearance she's obviously grown more powerful since they last met. She's willing to bring him back a second time, but promises this won't be like before. He needs to remain focused on their goal, and she's ensuring that will happen. Beric sees that he doesn't have many options and agrees to the deal.

### Final Death

Beric, Dex, Booyah, and Bhimanni travel to Dal Quor to make their last stand. They put the Destiny Arms in the eldritch machine, and defend it from the emerging army of quori. They struggle as the creatures come at them from all sides, and just before Booyah falls, he throws Dex an old dragonshard that Gerald had used for his experiments. Dex aims it at the machine and lightning courses through it. Right as it's about to break, Beric grabs Dex and attempts to Banish him back to the material plane—but Dex resists it, and stays in Dal Quor. Meanwhile, an unconscious Booyah, is sent back by himself. Beric makes a plea for Dex to return to his dreamscape. Dex doesn't want to leave, but finally gives in, and turns to go right as the machine blows.

The three are reunited in Dolurrh. They say their goodbyes, and Dex and Booyah fade away, leaving Beric by himself. He wanders for only a minute before Urik finds him. She embraces him and comforts him all that she can. He falls into her, and finds resolve in his new mission: to aid the lost souls of Dolurrh.

"*Good to do here, right?*"
—Beric

## Relationships

### Storm Lord Paulo Omaren

Beric first meets Storm Lord Paulo Omaren at Varen Lassite's estate. While Dex and Therudak skulk around the edges of the gala, Beric makes polite conversation with the other guests, and is approached by a beautiful woman who asks him for a drink. Beric, of course, obliges. They make small talk for a bit, and she saunters off. Later when the White Raven barges in and demands everyone's valuables, Paulo makes eye contact with Beric and grabs her sword. Beric, being weak to painful beauty, takes the opportunity to show off his fighting skills. After the White Raven is easily defeated, Paulo tells him that though she's not impressed with his erratic fighting style, she likes it nonetheless.

They don't see each other again until after Beric's adventure in the jungle. He's looking to sharpen his fighting skills, and Paulo is the one who teaches him. They grow closer after spending so much time with each other, but he's still cautious of her, especially when she's very okay with them assassinating another Storm Lord.

When Stormreach falls, Paulo flees with them on *Borrowed Time*. She and Beric become significantly closer, until they finally share their first awkward kiss, followed by a slap from Paulo. Beric realizes his mistake and makes up with her.

### Oriana

Beric forms a close bond with the fiery fourteen-year-old. They first meet when she's attempting to steal Coming Dusk, and Beric in return gives her and her brothers some gold and advice: be careful, because someday they'll steal from someone less kind. He later saves her from a lich, though he's not in time to save her brothers. She flees Stormreach on *Borrowed Time* with them and starts training under Beric.

## Physical Attributes

At the start of the campaign Beric had ink black hair, palid, dusky skin, and black eyes. He didn't look particularly healthy, and could possibly have been mistake for a vampire. Post-resurrection he became more and more deathly looking, but after Erebus's possession ended thanks to the genie, he's back to looking like his normal vampire self.

Beric makes a deal with Belashyrra that results in the loss of his eyes, and in their place is flesh covering his eye sockets.

### Post-Dolurrh

After Beric comes back from Dolurrh, his skin darkens to a genuine gray, instead of his regular ashen color. Very faint silver lines like the tribal drow crisscross his skin and his hair is streaked with gray and silver.

## Equipment and Gear

The nuances of Beric's style have changed over the course of the campaign. One thing remains true throughout: he's always in black. This isn't a fashion choice; everything he touches turns black, with the exception of Coming Dusk.

### Urik's Helmet

From Boranel, Beric receives the helmet that Urik used to wear into battle. Fully enclosed in the back, with the top a movable face mask that bears the visage of a hawk's face, and slats for the eyes. After losing his eyes, Beric wanted something to cover his face so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He had her helmet reshaped into something he would actually want to wear: a metal face mask embossed with a feathered motif, rather than being shaped like an actual bird, and very narrow eye slits. It's in the style of medieval Japanese ninjas.

## Powers and Abilities

### Class Abilities

#### Eldritch Invocations

All of the invocations Beric has had at some point; they can be swapped every level.

* Curse Bringer
* Devil's Sight
* Eldritch Sight
* Eldritch Smite
* Mask of Many Faces
* Otherworldly Leap

### Feats

* Prodigy
* Sentinel

### Pact Abilities

As Beric collects pacts and makes his own stronger, he unlocks special abilities from them.

* +1 to AC
* Cannot be Charmed or Freightened.
* Similar to his sixth level Hexblade ability, Beric can summon a shadar-kai from Dolurrh as an action. They appear in an unoccupied space within 120 feet of him, using the statistics of a Shadow with a few exceptions: their aligment is neutral, they're immune to effects that turn undead, and they do not create new shadows. They remains until they're dropped to 0 hitpoints or are dismissed and they follow the orders Beric gives them.

### Magical Aura Perception

In exchange for Belashyrra taking his eyes, Beric gains the ability not only to locate the Destiny Arms, but to perceive magical auras. He describes it as looking at a light and closing your eyes; you can still sense the light somewhat, and it's something to that effect.

### Spells

The primary way Beric accesses spells is through his warlock class, but he also uses other methods like Coming Dusk and the Book of Vile Darkness.

## Items

### Previous

 Sending Stone
 Silvered Ashwood Spear

## Quotes

"I'm *not* a vampire."
*—Ep. 1. Dancing With Shadows: Chapter One*

"It's entirely on me, and all you want me to do is continue to fight evil and protect the good? That's…that's not intolerable."
*—Ep. 13 Eberron Double Feature!*

"This is probably not going to help assuage your concerns, but I'm not talking to myself, I'm talking to a voice I hear in my head that comes from my sword."
*—Ep. 16 Darkness Rising Chapter Three*

"What if this power inside me *is* evil? I'm not saying *I'm* evil, but what if this power inside me is?"
*—Ep. 23 The Journey Back Chapter 2*

"I have grown up in the light of the Silver Flame, and the greatest danger we are taught is the temptation to do evil in the name of good."
*—Ep. 23 The Journey Back Chapter 2*

"If you let the world burn down around you while you're trying to save it, then you've saved ashes."
*—Eberron Reduced Episode 2*

"Why do we constantly dance to the tune set for us?"
*—Ep. 84 The Five Runes Chapter Three*

"I'm not interested in being your weapon. You are *not* what I made a deal wtih."
"I never considered you a weapon, Beric. You're a solider. You always have been a soldier. You tried to run from that fate and it pulled you back."
"Well I'm not interested in being in your army. And you're not the one we came to see."
"Very well, Beric. Good. Luck."
*—Beric and the Raven, Ep. 89 The Road Below Chapter Three*

"This has not been romantic, or exciting, or heroic, or any of the things it was supposed to be. It's not been anything I left home for. Maybe that's what I needed. I left home to understand you, and maybe I understand what the war did to you now. I don't…everything is just duty, anymore. An obligation. And a necessity to finish the job. I don't see anything beyond that. But if it works, and I do it, and if you and whoever else is free, and the world is safe and Cassian and Oriana can grow up safe, and as normal as their lives will allow, I guess that's enough. I guess that's why you lived like you lived. Cause that had to be enough."
*—At Urik's grave, Ep. 99 Recovered Kingdom Chapter One*

"It breaks my heart that part of me thinks you're a trap. To convince me to do her bidding. I can't really understand why you weren't there when she spoke to me, moments before you returned. I can't change that. And it is one more thing she has taken from me, and if we all survive this then maybe it will change. I don't know, but before I can be anything else I have to go and do this, and be this person, and I owed you an apology and an explanation before I left."
*—To Paulo, Ep. 100 Recovered Kingdom Chapter Two*

"I've had, in a very, very short amount of time, an immense amount of experience of immortal and near-immortal creatures talking to me like they're the headmaster of a school and I've just been summoned to their office. I hate it more than I thought I could hate anything, and it makes me want to *kill* you."
*—Ep. 106 Recovered Kingdom Chapter Eight*

## ‎Unconscious Count

1. Knocked unconscious during the battle with the warforged on the train to Sharn.
2. While fighting the shadow bears that infected Dex.
3. After being infected with lycanthropy, Beric takes a "cure" of belladonna. His strength is reduced to 0 and he dies.
4. He gets knocked unconscious by Sevalrin, the vampire werebear in Lucan's lair.
5. Beric gets hit with a sneak attack by a House Phiarlan assassin.
6. He's knocked overboard by Vennet d'Lyrander, and is knocked unconscious by the impact of hitting the water from 200 feet up. The Raven brings him back to life once again.
7. When starting their journey into Khyber, the party is attacked by some skittering horrors. Beric recovers with his regeneration ability and gets Dex and Booyah back up with Coming Dusk.
8. Beric is killed in the explosion when the eldritch machine is destroyed.

*List is not complete.*

## Trivia

* Beric started proper weapon training with Urik when he was around twelve.
* Beric was taught to never take the stairs during a fire. Instead, always use your ability to *Misty Step*.
* He was also taught to never eat magical food.
* Beric had a level of Sorcerer and Paladin before settling on Kensai starting on episode 50. While being possessed by Erebus, he took Pact of the Vessel instead of Pact of the Blade, and was the Shinobi subclass instead of Master of the Unseen Hand. *(Episodes 63–83)*
* Beric is immune to optimism.
* Beric's original concept was based loosely on Tai, the main protagonist from Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay.
* A lot of Beric's aspects were influenced by T. E. Lawrence's *Seven Pillars of Wisdom*.

## Gallery

Artwork by Andrew Leonardo Michael Misisco
## References and Footnotes

1. ↑ Kensai is a class from the Dungeon Masters Guild.
2. ↑ In episode 33 of The Knowledge Check, Philip talks about how the alignment of characters doesn't necessarily dictate their actions.
3. ↑ Ep. 128 Thrashing of Eras Chapter Five
4. ↑ Ep. 1 Dancing With Shadows Chapter One
5. ↑ Ep. 8 Eberron Reviewed 2
6. ↑ Ep. 32 Forgotten Legacy Chapter Four
7. ↑ Ep. 24 The Journey Back Chapter 3
8. ↑ Ep. 13 Eberron Double Feature!
9. ↑ Ep. 9 Seeking the Teacher: Chapter 1
10. ↑ Ep. 66 The Raven’s Toll Chapter Six
11. ↑ Ep. 130 Thrashing of Era Chapter Seven
12. ↑ Though Drakir is doing it to get Curse-Bringer and not from the goodness of his heart.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Ep. 62 The Raven’s Toll Chapter Two
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ep. 63 The Raven’s Toll Chapter Three
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ep. 147 The Nightmare’s Dusking Chapter Three
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ep. 56 The Dawn of Mourning Chapter Two
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ep. 59 The Dawn of Mourning Chapter Five
18. ↑ Ep. 106 Recovered Kingdom Chapter Eight
19. ↑ Ep. 36 Ancient Memories Chapter Two
20. ↑ Ep. 112 Rising Tides Chapter Four
21. ↑ An invocation from the Unearthed Arcana version of the Hexblade. Philip replaced it with Devil's Sight after Xanathar's Guide to Everything was released, and with it the official invocations.
22. ↑ Ep. 39 Ancient Memories Chapter Five
23. ↑ Eldritch Sight was replaced with Devil's Sight after he came back from Dolurrh.
24. ↑ Ep. 129 Thrashing of Eras Chapter Six
25. ↑ Ep. 138 The Storm’s Ashes Chapter Six
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Ep. 108 Rising Tides Chapter One
27. ↑ Ep. 146 The Nightmare’s Dusking Chapter Two
28. ↑ Ep. 2 Dancing with Shadows Chapter Two
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Ep. 47 The Power of Words Chapter Two
30. ↑ Ep. 40 Ancient Memories Chapter Six
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Ep. 145 The Nightmare’s Dusking Chapter One
32. ↑ Ep. 42 Ancient Memories Chapter Eight
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Ep. 18 Into the Gloaming Chapter 1
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Ep. 16 Darkness Rising Chapter Three
35. ↑ Ep. 14 Darkness Rising Chapter 1
36. ↑ Ep. 7 Finding the Trail Chapter Three
37. ↑ Ep. 27 Trials and Tribulations Chapter Three
38. ↑ Ep. 44 Ancient Memories Chapter Ten
39. ↑ Ep. 101 Recovered Kingdom Chapter Three
40. ↑ It worked, after all; he got to the second floor faster than Dex and Therudak. Ep. 14
41. ↑ And apparently to never read magical books. Ep. 20
42. ↑ Pact of the Vessel is a homebrewed option created by Philip(and approve by Eric). It's available in the Patron's DM Spellbook.
43. ↑ Ep. 46 The Power of Words Chapter One
44. ↑ Philil mentioned it in the discord.