Jeric Arcastrian

Exitus' assassination of King Cyrus Dragoncrest. Art by relatively\_sane

### Relatives

Idris Arcastrian (Father), Illiana Arcastrian (Mother), Kyras Arcastrian (Brother)

## Physical Description

### Notable Features

Bionic left eye

Jeric Arcastrian is a player character in The Escapists campaign. He is an assassin and a mage who uses arcane magic. Under the alias "Exitus", he is a renowned assassin in Erradan.

Jeric often worked alongside his criminal companions, Catalyst and Evelyn Munroe. His current whereabouts and affiliation are unknown.

## Physical Description

Jeric is pale skinned, tall and slender with bright blue hair, brushed into a quiff. His eyes match his hair, though his left eye is artificial and housed in a bronze casing that takes up the area around his eye. His features are otherwise angular, with a thin, pointed nose and sharp jawline.

His outfit when working as Exitus is a tailored swallowtail coat, waistcoat, shirt, trousers and boots, as well as his signature mask. His clothes are woven with a strong, flexible material which disperses the force of impacts across the whole garment, with more reinforced areas covering his vitals. The jacket is dark grey, with silver patterns lining the edges of the jacket at the front, across the lapels and around the collar with two 'tails' at the bottom. Additionally, beneath the collar is a small hood which he can unfold to cover the remainder of his head to preserve his anonymity. The waistcoat is similarly embroidered and the outfit maintains the same dark grey colouration.

The mask is the most distinctive element of his equipment. Two hooded visors over his eyes allow him to see, emitting a soft green glow due to the vision-enhancing magic used in its creation. There is a protruding grilled section in the middle over his nose and mouth, allowing him to breathe and subtly distorts his voice when he speaks.

When not in his Exitus gear, Jeric favours slim-fitted formal clothes, often jackets both long and short, though in warmer weather he may elect to wear a waistcoat and shirt without the accompanying jacket. He favours blues, purples, greys and white, typically with golden trim or embroidery.

## Personality

Jeric is a solitary man, preferring his own company and usually works alone. Unless it is expedient for him to do so, he will not work with others. He developed a belief that he is the only person he can rely on, and does not easily trust others to complete a task that he could perform himself. This attitude distances himself from would-be friends. Allies of convenience are acceptable to him, but he leaves little room for friendship or sentiment, as it is likely that they will only let him down. His scope for interest in others is limiting as well. Jeric only respects people who have a similar drive to himself when it comes to providing for themselves. He only has time for the capable and strong-willed.

Jeric has complete faith in himself and his abilities. He recognises that he is not the greatest at anything - Yet, but he believes that he will receive recognition for his skills when the time comes. He is singularly dedicated to improving himself in all regards, because only through self-improvement can he obtain the fame that he desires. If he is not actively working towards something, then he becomes irritable. Downtime serves no purpose except to allow him to prepare for his next battle.

Jeric's view to life is that all strive towards their own ends, and any regard towards others is simply self-serving. He has determined that altruism does not truly exist, and that there are always ulterior motives even in the most seemingly pure of individuals. He does however, believe that there is a purpose to concepts such as loyalty and fraternity - A form of enlightened self-interest. It is beneficial to make agreements to work in harmony as it can further your own goals. By adhering to a set of conditions set about by a group, one can better ensure one's safety and potentially expect the group's protection and aid in times of need. This belief is balanced by the contrasting belief that strength must come from one's own self, and that over-reliance on the strength of the group to protect you will inevitably lead to death or failure.

With regard to his assassinations, Jeric views them as necessary for his own advancement. Given that to his mind, all are selfish, there is nothing philosophically wrong with him murdering others in order to further himself. Even if not all have the strength of mind, body or will to kill, they would find other ways to push him aside to pursue their own causes. The only main exception to this is children, as to his view they have not had sufficient time to understand the essential nature of the world, and in the majority of cases lack the capability to significantly affect individuals. So long as he can maintain the appearance of being a conforming part of the wider group known as society in order to avoid their collective wrath being brought down upon him, then he will continue to advance himself in whatever manner is the most effective in the moment.

That is not to say, that he takes no pride or satisfaction from his work. Despite their grim nature, Jeric is the most alive when he pushes the boundaries of the law and gets away with it. An efficient job is a testament to his ruthless efficiency, an imperfect success demonstrates his skill and quick thinking. Failure is unacceptable. This attitude has resulted in inextricably tying his life and purpose to his work. He enjoys finery and comfort, but his life currently has no final objective. He does not consider a future where he is no longer an assassin, partly due to his quiet admittance that he may die in the course of one of his jobs. The other reason is a sense of self-importance. Jeric currently lives an extraordinary life which not many can follow, and fewer can reach the levels of proficiency he aims for. He does not care for an ordinary life. In his mind, simply getting a job and settling down would only make him as dull and purposeless as the average man or woman of Coryphiel. A line of work where he wagers his life against those of his targets for the fate of an organisation, a company or even a country is the only life suited for him.

Despite seemingly attempting to reject his own humanity for the sake of possessing a singular focus, Jeric does feel the call of emotion and sentiment, and he retains some interests from before he became the man he is today deep down. In particular, he has always loved the sky and the stars. He has never forgotten seeing the world from the heights of the Grand Academy, with an infinite horizon spread out around him as the sun rose and fell, with the moon and stars to take its place. Even now on a clear night he will take a moment to look. Jeric also considers himself an amateur wine connoisseur after enjoying the bottles available at home. Finally, he possesses a curious mind, and enjoys learning small bits of magical knowledge especially.

All of this is hidden behind a dry and sarcastic sense of humour and a veneer of coldness and detachment. Quietly, Jeric respects loyalty to a cause and loyalty to others, despite his profession often leading to temporary arrangements which may conflict with jobs past and future. Though he is loathe to admit it and tries to ignore it, Jeric would like to belong somewhere after living in a family that had precious little to do with him as he got older and leaving the city he came from with the few friends he had. However, with his prevailing attitude towards other people he is incapable of truly forming the necessary bonds to do so.

## Background

Jeric was born to Irdris Arcastrian and his wife, Illiana. Two years later, his brother Kyras was born. Jeric’s fondest memories of his
father were early ones, the evenings where he would run eagerly to his father’s
office and show off the small bits of magic he had practiced. Idris would help his oldest son with learning magic even before he went to school, giving them a much needed ground for bonding, but he struggled to find time for his youngest. The family as a whole struggled, with the adults trying to balance the needs of
their children with their hectic outside lives. Jeric often looked after Kyras in his parents’ absence when he was older.

Idris was at first overjoyed with
his second son, but reality began to sink in only a few months later as the
money began to run low. The Arcastrians still had artefacts from old Haven and
some good furniture, which he and Iliana quietly sold off to afford a good life. The maths didn’t lie though – Something had to give. Any sensible person
or family might have considered taking the blow to their pride and downsizing. For Idris, this was unacceptable. Even despite the huge blow it would be the Arcastrian’s famous pride, he couldn’t let his sons live a worse life than he had. He would find another way – There was no other choice. Unknown to Jeric, his father had found a way.

Over time, something began to consume his parents' lives. They became more distant from their children as they worked furiously to earn enough to be able to support their lifestyle and the Arcastrian pride.  While not outright ignoring their children, it would be accurate to say that they did only a little above the bare minimum required to be somewhat decent parents. However, the work paid off dividends. With the assistance of unknown allies they were able to place the Arcastrian family on the path back to greatness, with Idris as High Magister of the Arcane and Illiana pushing for a political career.

In school Jeric was quiet and dedicated, following after his parents’ dedication to work. He possesses this trait to this day. He was not the most social, but he made loose friendships with some of the other harder working students. In magic school, he thrived more. Because of Idris’ early teaching, he knew some of the basics and found learning easier than the others. Initially this was met with admiration which turned steadily into envy and hate, and a young Jeric would struggle with people bullying him for being ‘too clever’. He tried the official channels, appealing to teachers, but this didn’t work. After approaching his parents, he learned a lesson that would carry with him – Sometimes in life, you had to hurt people who were in your way. The next person who bothered him, he punched and found himself left alone. That suited him fine.

He left magic schooling competent and focused. He went as soon as possible at 10 and finished at 14 leaving 2
years before he could go to the Academy. During that time, his parents gave him a great deal of freedom. He chose to pursue some further studies into the Weird under a private tutor, finding that this part of Arcane magic called to him
more so than others. He also did some work around New Haven, earning a little money for himself which he stored away for future use. Occasionally he would
treat himself with it, but the remainder was scurried away.

The Grand Academy would normally have been where his talent as a Mage advanced to its fullest. However, it was
not to be. By now, Jeric had caught on to the unusual behaviours of his parents and he was aware of the news. He knew Idris would disappear to do something
some nights, sometimes accompanied by his mother but sometimes not. He wanted
to know what was going on. Tracking them one night revealed them visiting Alaric Starfall, although he would never know exactly whose place it was. Afterwards, he observed a runner leaving for the Rift. He followed, and it became clear to
him that his family was embroiled into a conspiracy. That runner ordered the death of someone from a criminal organisation of some sort. Shocked as he was at first, he knew he had to go deeper. He had to find out who his parents were
working for, and why. First, he asked his parents to help him move out to get the independence that he would need. They allowed it, believing that he was smart enough to be fine independently, promising regular financial support for him now that Idris had become the High Magister of Arcane.

Jeric found jobs and pulled together the reserves he had made over two years of doing little. After a couple of months, he had the money for a rifle and the ammunition for it. The
Grand Academy had all sorts of facilities and he managed to make use of the tools in the Magitech department to craft his mask, paying off a student there just to get his help. He joined the Academy’s shooting society, picking the brains of its best members for advice. He ventured down to the Rift when he was prepared to find the crew of hitmen. He succeeded. The Rift Stalkers, as they called themselves, were looking for new members. Jeric, in the guise of Exitus, looked apt for the part.

He would take several contracts from them in the time before being forced to run away from New Haven. None of
them what he was looking for, from the people he was looking for. The first kill was the hardest. He was shocked, even a little horrified by what he had done, but he forced himself to remember why he was doing this, and he could hardly complain of the money. His coin purse grew and grew and Jeric became ever more practiced. His magical education went to hell in this time. He had ensured to finish his portal theorem, a practical choice to allow him to get even with more experienced and skilled killers, but the Metamagic and Enchantment theories were being developed slowly. He would spend hours on a contract, picking the right moment to take the shot and end his target’s life. Sometimes they were easy, others put up a fight.

During one contract, he got into a shootout with his target. The man was the manager of a foundry belonging to one
of the many Magitech companies and was guarded well. After eliminating the target through the window of his office, he took a bullet to the head from a rifle belonging to one of the guards. He fell back to the ground in agony, but
clenched a fist and picked up his rifle again. Revenge was taken, and he stumbled back to the Rift Stalkers. He was given his paycheck, and he found his way to a private medical service. The money from that contract went straight into replacing his eye.

It was shortly after this that Jeric fled New Haven after killing off one of the Magisters. Before he left, he returned home in the middle of the night to bid his brother farewell, and to warn him to perfect his magical skills to defend himself. Afterwards, he took the last train to Erradan to find a new life in its criminal underworld. With experience and money under his belt, he would ascend the ranks of the city's criminals and become the greatest assassin of all. Alone. For he was all that he needed.

His criminal career in the city of Erradan was briefly successful before getting thrown into Bleakstone Prison. With the assistance of Catalyst, Evelyn Munroe, the mysterious Layla of the Mists from the Children of the Mists gang and the fearsome Vaughn Vernonwood of the Black Dragon Brotherhood he escaped, assisting in enacting a massive riot which threw the prison into chaos. After this, the trio worked alongside the gang for some time performing several jobs on behalf of Vaughn.

The first major job of note was a heist at the manor of a famed treasure hunter. They were tasked with stealing an ancient crown that was said to be locked inside a sarcophagus. After acquiring disguises by dispatching a pair of Free Company Mercenaries to retrieve their uniforms, Jeric and Evelyn broke in while Catalyst brought the carriage up to the manor in the night while the guards were distracted. The party were able to sneak the entire sarcophagus out without disturbing the contents. The process of acquiring the carriage was bloody, involving shooting a witness and leaving the owner of the carriage locked in a closet for 24 hours.

The second job involved implicating a Constable who opposed Vaughn Vernonwood to have him removed from his position. Jeric was able to locate letters from the man's Whyteholder lover which was sufficient to disgrace the policeman.

They soon stumbled into trouble when Jayce 'Ironjaw' got word of Evelyn's presence in the city. When they tracked him to a hideout, Evelyn was detected. He covered her retreat by shooting Ironjaw in the head, but to his surprise, the man only laughed and regenerated the wound. Ironjaw soon counterattacked the King's Cup Pub where the Black Dragon Brotherhood's leadership operated from. Jeric was part of the defence, and helped Evelyn escape with a garrotting wire and lighter. He was hurt, but bought enough time for her to escape, leading him away. Understandably paranoid, Jeric offered her the use of a hideout he had purchased. While seeking answers, the team used their contact in the Children of the Mists to seek information about the hideout and the renegade mage Zardel to learn about the precise nature of Ironjaw's immortaility. Catalyst was able to craft a bullet able to slay Ironjaw, but the gangster went to ground before they could catch up to him. And in any event, Jeric's life became far too busy.

As his exploits became known in the underworld, he was contacted by a mysterious employer known as Princess to carry out a high profile public assassination against the Hirokiri Ambassador. After a short recon exercise, he asked Catalyst and Evelyn to assist, including splitting the pay. They refused and tried to talk him down from the job. Despite intense debate, Jeric was unswayed, and his companions still did not help. This put a schism in the group.

Jeric's assault against the Hirokiri Embassy made headlines. The papers were not aware of the intense detail of the action within, nor its ignominious beginning where Jeric was instantly detected and captured. Despite this, he was able to break free and raise hell throughout the building. Notably, he defeated a trained Hirokiri warrior on the roof of the embassy by baiting him close to the edge by standing on the thin railing, then whipping his grappling hook around the man's throat and leaping off the top. Jeric swung neatly into a window, and the unfortunate guard met a messy end on the ground. Jeric shot several guards, his rifle jamming, forcing him to rely on his pistol. He was almost cornered in a corridor, but a tactical use of a grenade destroyed one of his pursuers and bought enough time for him to get away from the second and dispatch him. Eventually, Jeric was able to bait the Ambassador on to the roof, which he promptly shot the man off the top of.

When the Royal Guard appeared to contain the situation, they arrived in time only to witness the assassin Exitus leap off the embassy into the ocean.

This incident propelled Exitus into the limelight and he was called upon to perform other minor kills by Princess. He undertook an operation to hunt down the inventor Oden Bespoke who unfortunately fled the city before he and Catalyst could locate him. During this time they met the original inventor of Miracle Skin, a wax-based skin substitute intended for reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately it was highly sensitive to flame, and the product and inventor were disgraced after a massive fire left many users horribly deformed. At Catalyst's urging, Jeric killed the inventor. He also encountered the Evolved Society assassin known as Thorn who was able to drive Jeric away in their first encounter, and almost defeated Jeric after an unfortunate weapon malfunction. He was rescued by Catalyst. Together, they killed Thorn, leaving the formidable organisation without one of their top enforcers.

Eventually, it was revealed by Princess that this was all building to the assassination of King Cyrus Dragoncrest. Jeric was eager to take on the challenge, and intended to use the substantial sums earned to upgrade his hideout and set up an escape route. After a meeting in an expensive hotel where she revealed her true name of Circe, Exitus set off into the night. By the end of that fateful evening, Jeric Arcastrian would be utterly friendless, destitute, and worse off than ever.

After failing to secure Layla's assistance travelling to the palace to conduct the killing and burning his last friendly contact in the city, he was forced to use the services of the Bloodflag gang. They directed him to a crew of Hirokiri sailors who carried him most of the way, before threatening him. Jeric was able to rely on his reputation to make them stand down. He was close enough to infiltrate the grounds, and did so. After performing reconaissance and witnessing the King's body double, Jeric took to the roof of the Palace to find a way in. There, he battled a squad of Cabal Slinks using knives alone to preserve stealth. One escaped, and Jeric was forced to move quickly.

Exitus swept the upper floors of the palace to no avail, then moved to the lower floors. Here he found a programming room for the Slinks, and upon exiting it, came into conflict with the Royal Guard. A quick shootout ensued where he proved the faster and better shot, and his improvisational talents were stretched to the limit. He learned that the King and his family had been moved to a safe room already. In an attempt to buy himself some time to make it there, he used the palace intercom system to misdirect the guards. This was ineffective. However, he did attract the attention of King Dragoncrest.

They spoke at some length on the radio, discussing Jeric's predicament. Knowing his options were few and getting fewer, he decided to take an all-or-nothing gamble. He surrendered to the guards outside the radio room to meet the King. He had made the King a guarantee - If the King allowed himself to die, his family would be spared. Jeric was not ultimately sure if he would have followed through. Nevertheless, this piqued King Dragoncrest's interest with his boldness.

When they met face to face, Jeric had been disarmed of his trademark guns, leaving only his concealed knives and the grenades he carried. The guards clearly did not believe that he would attempt a suicide attack. King Dragoncrest offered Jeric a job as part of The Cabal, promising a place to belong, luxury and practically infinite resources. Jeric offered the King his hand, remarking that he was the most formidable opponent whom he had ever faced. The King, sensing victory, took Jeric's hand.

And Jeric cut the King's throat.

In the moment of awestruck horror, Jeric threw a flashbang and hurtled for the exit. He burned every ounce of magic in his system to break out, then triggered an amulet provided by Princess. The royal airship exploded. In the wake of the firestorm, Jeric fled into the night. Despite hot pursuit, he was able to flee through the palace grounds, over the bridge separating the halves of the grounds and across the walls into the city.

When he returned to Princess, she was pleased with his performance, but noted that he was far too dangerous to keep alive. And he knew far, far too much. A deadly duel of wits ensued as she personally fought Jeric. He was able to slip away after another tactical grenade was used. She began hunting him through the hotel. Jeric's bionic eye began malfunctioning, causing him great pain and interfering severely with his vision. The effect seemed to intensify as she approached, and he quickly surmised that it was some sort of magical or technological effect she was capable of producing. He led her to an ambush spot, relying on her knowing exactly where to go. When Jeric struck, he struck true. Using a vial of Catalyst's acid he was able to inflict critical damage against Princess, melting the Miracle Skin covering the Clockwork underneath. As the body fizzled away, she swore vengeance, and he stole her peculiar staff.

Jeric planned to flee the city that night. However, the Constabulary had already raided his hideout and he quickly ascertained that they were watching his known hideouts. With no other options, he found somewhere else to go, and removed his eye. Half-blind and running out of money, he went into hiding.

Eventually, Jeric was able to return to his hideout and recover a hidden cache of supplies. He entered the Rat District to meet the Gutter Prince to find an exit strategy to get out of town, and leave the truth about Circe in the hands of the city's most well-connected information broker. He was eventually able to force a meeting. The Prince gave him a lead to a Black Dragon Brotherhood affiliated smuggler heading out towards the border with the recently independent Duchy of Thassalia. They were attacked by Circe's Clockwork minions and everyone was forced to flee. Jeric was able to collapse a building on top of his pursuers with the assistance of some judicious use of explosives, and made it to the smuggler's transport.

Jeric's travels took him to the capital of Thassalia, after taking some measures to try to disguise himself. His last known location was the front of Thassalia's magical Library, where he sought an audience with the Archmage to understand the nature of the staff he had stolen from Circe.

## Skills and Abilities

Jeric is a skilled marksman, his technique honed by years of practice since his short time in the Grand Academy. Hand him a weapon, and he will quickly take its measure and adapt to its use. He knows a little of melee combat, though he is hardly as proficient, having chosen to resolve matters from a distance. Most of what little he knows went into practicing knifework for emergencies.

Beyond that, he trained himself to be proficient in a variety of skills necessary for the discerning assassin. He can climb, pick locks and move silently with consummate grace, as well as pick out his targets and openings to strike.

Before he chose to become a killer for hire, Jeric was a student, and his Arcane knowledge cannot be overlooked. He boasts a robust understanding of magic through his studies as a child and a young man, and has been constantly adapting current theories of magic to suit his needs. So far, Jeric has developed the following magical techniques:

**Portal Creation**

This is Jeric's first and most indispensable technique. By manipulating the forces of the world, Jeric tears two holes in reality and creates a link between the two. Energy which passes through one side of the portal will pass through the other, allowing him an unparalleled advantage in combat. By creating firing angles where once there were none, Jeric can strike from the shadows, leaving his opponents nowhere to hide.

**Counterspell**

Metamagic manipulation of spells is not an original technique, but it is a brutally practical one. During his time in New Haven, he found that opponents' magic could present a problem during assassinations. By being able to prevent spells from being cast successfully, magic users are left with naught but the despair of their power failing them as they die.

**Slow Time**

This is one of Jeric's later developments in magic. He lacks the requisite knowledge of the area of magic in which he can improve his own speed or endurance. In an attempt to get around this, he found a far more deadly talent. By warping the essence of time around him, the world itself is slowed. In this time, Jeric can thoroughly study a situation and bring about his ideal result from it, or simply deliver more deadly damage.

**Enchanting**

Enchanting is a useful technique, especially when combined with the right magic. By loading up rounds with Metamagic inscriptions, he can hurt spellcasters while ensuring that their greatest techniques fail them. More than that, with his development of his time manipulation theory, he is investigating possibilities that will allow him to use the inexorable march of time itself as a weapon against his targets.

None of this would matter of course, without Jeric's greatest asset: His mind. Jeric is quick-thinking and creative, using tactics and manoeuvres that almost none could predict to achieve his objectives, as well as deploying more traditional strategies. His ability to improvise has saved his life, and secured him kills that he would never have otherwise managed. The mind behind the killer instincts is what will drive Exitus to be a truly great assassin.

## Trivia

* Jeric's forename name is borrowed from the villain Jerec from Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. The surname Arcastrian was completely made up.
* The original concept of Jeric's character was a combination of a Vindicaire Assassin from Warhammer 40,000, Corvo Attano from Dishonored, and the Magus Killer Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero. The design of Jeric's mask and choice of weapon are inspired by the Vindicaire Assassin, the use of a mask and the highly mobile pseudo-teleportation ability is derived from Corvo, and the ruthlessly efficient, highly versatile and anti-mage operating style are inspired by Kiritsugu.