Loremaster Arachne

## ***BACKSTORY:***

Loremaster Arachne came to the Isle from a far-off land he’d rather not name. It is said that his mother was captured by a giant spider and dragged to its lair, and she gave birth to him just before the fiend devoured her. The spider, for reasons unknown, decided to care for the child, and raised it in the darkness of its lair.

At the age of 13, the lad discovered the bones of his mother, and by some twist of profane magic learned the truth of her fate, and his own origins. Taking up a rusty rapier, he skewered his caretaker on the spot in a blind fury. Lamenting the loss of both of his mothers for a time, he soon climbed to the mouth of the cave and made his way out into the world, blinded by the sun for many days.

He was found stumbling along outside a small village, wrapped about as a blind man. He was taken in and nursed by a young couple newly with child. He was learning the ways of living as a man for little more than a week before his instincts got the better of him, and in the dead of night, he swiped the child from its crib and devoured it. The couple woke to the commotion, and discovered the grisly scene in horror. In a panic, the poor lad slew them both, and fled into the night.

That night, the village was raided by a crew of pirates, and in the kerfuffle, he made his silent way to the ship and stowed aboard, sailing away with the dawn in the hold of the snow. He was discovered by a bilgerat the next morning, and slew the poor man, but the crew heard the cacophony of dueling and surrounded the lad. He killed three more shipmen before the Captain stepped forth and put him down with a disarming slash and a fist to the temple.

Arachne woke two days later, when the ship, by the name of the Gutless Goon, made berth at the Isle. The captain of the ship, who went only by Cappy, offered the boy a choice: join his crew, or be executed. The lad made the easy choice.

## ***APPEARANCE AND GEAR:***

* Arachne, while somewhat adjusted to surface life, is much more suited for the darkness of the underground and the night. He often goes about hooded, cloaked, and gloved, as his skin is deathly pale and his eyes gray. He prefers to wear a mask during the day, one that restricts the amount of sunlight coming into his eyes, and that he has painted with a fearsome visage in order to terrify both enemies and new recruits alike.
* Arachne traded his rusty rapier on an early raid for a fine and shiny saber he has since named Swish, and he is on the lookout for a companion blade, to be named Swash. He also wields a long bullwhip that he keeps rubbed with pine tar, to trap his opponents for easy robbing and/or killing, as well as to aid him in climbing.
* Arachne was elated when he discovered that the Isle was already home to a giant spider trained as a shipman. Naming him Spidey, the two became fast friends, and are nigh inseparable now. They always raid together, whoever the captain and crew may be.

## ***PERSONALITY AND ABILITIES:***

* At times quiet and eerily watchful, Arachne spends a large amount of his time collecting information on the denizens of the Isle for his Library. He does not tend to be shy about asking them about themselves, and this has made him appear invasive and insensitive in the past. Once people learn of his pure intentions, however, they are usually happy to respond.
* Arachne is preternaturally gifted at all manner of climbing, on account of his upbringing (as well as the use of his whip). His favorite targets on raids are the snipers in the crow’s nest of the offending ship. He can run up the side of a mast as if it were laying on the deck, and can throw himself through the air with hands or whip so effortlessly that he sometimes appears to have the ability to fly.
* When raiding, he has a particular predilection for seeking out the silks aboard, as he has a passionate love for the stuff. His quarters are hung about with scarves and blouses of all kinds as decoration, and he even makes his furnishings out of the material.