Pliskin Hark

Official artwork of Pliskin by Jack Kaiser.

**Pliskin Hark** is a character in Team Four Star's D&D series "TFS at the Table". 'Worked rigging in his past ship, lone survivor of a ship crash but knows nothing about what caused it or why he doesn't remember.' - Chris Zito (DM)

## **Biography**

Pliskin arrived in Jahal Cove a year before the abyssal incident and met Risf the kobold.

One night, after a black out, Pliskin found himself halfway in the water with his legs transformed into something he couldn't identify. Risf called to him from the shore, which snapped Pliskin to his senses, and allowed him to leave the water. Since then, he and Risf have been inseparable.

## **Personality**

Little is known about Pliskin's personality. From what can be gathered, he is laid back and willing to let the flow of events and conversations go on around him.

Pliskin seems to take pride in his status as a pirate. When Wake made a comment on how pirates could be just as bad as the navy, Pliskin took offense to it and debated with him.

## **Adventures at the Table**

### **Chapter One**

Pliskin and Risf were aboard the cargo ship Voltun in episode one. He encountered Wake, Ezra, and Eloy in the mess hall talking with the ship's cook, Grammy. When they successfully guessed the secret ingredient to Grammy's soup (seagull), Pliskin reacted in disgust.

Pliskin helped to defend the ship from orc pirates who were after a goliath cadaver.

in episode two, Pliskin was brought into Jahal Cove alongside Wake, Ezra, Eloy, Risf, Skrung the goblin, and fellow human Redd. They were informed about monster attacks by Captain Jacob Meed, a pirate lord and governor of Jahal Cove, and were offered the chance to help investigate.

In episode three, Pliskin went with Risf, Skrung, and Redd to investigate a Yuan-Ti temple while the main trio went with the lizard man, Onslow Green, through the squawking path. They discovered that the temple had been repurposed by the Fine Day Boardwalk company.

In episode four, Pliskin and his group met up with the others at Piranha Bog. It was decided that Wake, Ezra, Eloy, and Onslow Green would go and investigate Yeldin Cave for clues while Pliskin, Risf, Skrung, and Redd would travel upriver to spy on a naval base. Wake hired Onslow's hunting rival, Old Young Cletus, to provide them with a distraction.

While traveling to the naval camp, Pliskin and the others captured a female Yuan-Ti who had been spying on them. When Wake, Ezra, Eloy, and Onslow met up with them in episode six, Wake freed the Yuan-Ti, named Zia'ka, and promised to help her if she helped them. Before raiding the naval camp, Pliskin had a brief argument with Wake regarding Wake's dislike of pirates until it was quickly settled by Ezra.

Pliskin and Redd took out several guards during the raid on the naval camp and were late given a share of the gold bars Wake and Skrung discovered.

In episode seven, Pliskin went with Risf and Onslow Green back to Jahal Cove to report to Captain Meed while the others went to the Yuan-Ti temple with Zia'ka.

In episode eight, Pliskin, Onslow, and Risf were rejoined by Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Nedra, Redd, and Skrung at the Flappy Stingray when they reported their findings to Mary. When asked why the trio had not already informed her of what they had learned, Pliskin responded by saying he went to get some sleep and a drink.

In episode nine, he was present for the parley with Captain Ave Lo but was not chosen to partake in the manhunt for Viktor.

### **Chapter Two**

Pliskin was mentioned as one of the people who went searching for the trio when they vanished for a week fighting Viktor. He later attended the party at the Flappy Stingray to celebrate the death of Viktor in episode twelve.

Ezra made his way over to Pliskin, Risf, and Father Dorne. After striking up a conversation, Pliskin told Ezra about his blackouts, his calls to go to the water, and how Risf gives him medicine to keep him awake at night.

Invested in the conversation (thanks in no small part to a few drinks), Ezra told Pliskin that he could talk to Wake about his condition. Later, when Eloy offered Risf the chance to travel with them, Ezra extended the same offer to Pliskin. He accepted so long as the pay is good.

In episode thirteen, Pliskin left Jahal Cove with the rest of the Lockwood Natural Wonders. He did not participate in the exploration of the Witness Tower, but he later identified a ruined vessel as the Mantaruva.

In episode fifteen, Pliskin put his name down on Ezra's talent show sign up sheet, listing his talent as acrobatics. He later investigated an abandoned town populated by deer alongside the rest of the Natural Wonders (minus Gulfur). He followed after Nedra when she went off to chase some of the deer.

In episode sixteen, Pliskin returned to the town's inn, Toad in the Hole, to wait out the night with Skrung, Nedra, and Onslow Green, who had been turned into a deer. The three managed to defend Onslow from a hoard of zombie deer who tried to claim him. The next morning, they reunited with the main group, who had been investigating the island.

In episode seventeen, Ezra asked Pliskin to make sure all the lanterns were lit, hoping the light would deter the zombie deer and their master from attacking again. Before going off, Pliskin showed Ezra a number of beans of various shapes, sizes, and colors that he and Nedra discovered. Calliope, the faun, explained that the beans were victims of the wendigo, which disturbed Pliskin.

Pliskin took point with Grammy, Skrung, and Gulfur to aim the cannons in the battle against numerous deer creatures. He fired the first shot of the battle and killed the entire first wave of deer. On the second wave, Pliskin's cannon misfired. He managed to do significant damage to the third wave of deer, but, by this time, Pliskin had transformed into a humanoid bull shark. On the fourth wave, Pliskin wasn't able to kill many deer, and his primal instincts began to take over. He managed to deal some damage to the fifth wave of deer.

After the final wave, Risf rushed over to Pliskin and helped him to remain in control.

In episode eighteen, Pliskin gave Eloy a stern glare after the donkey-man mentioned Pliskin’s secret in casual conversation at the Toad in the Hole. Eloy attempted to play off the situation but failed to deceive Calliope.

After settling their business at the port, the crew was gathered and permitted entrance into the upper area of Bulkard.

In episode nineteen, Gulfur, Redd, Risf, and Pliskin stayed aboard Yeldin while the rest of the crew wandered Bulkard. Oso provided the Wonders with rooms at the Kal embassy for their stay in Bulkard.

In episode twenty-one, Pliskin was at the crew meeting where Wake explained his plan to use the blink pyramids to transport the Collective One’s heart aboard Yeldin after it had already set sail back to Jahal Cove.

In episode twenty-two, the crew meeting was interrupted by Raniero Confictura. The macabre tabaxi had arrived to parley with them on behalf of Lot Nyeth, the pirate lord. Pliskin winced after Confictura mentioned being present as part of a parley. After some debate, they decided to try and cooperate with both Gore and Lot in an attempt to avoid making enemies unnecessarily.

Pliskin, Ezra, Wake, and Redd visited Fort Dizmak to find out what mission Lieutenant Gore wanted their assistance with. The Crabateer, a ship flying under the colors of the pirate lord Blurderek Rumblood, was in the area, and he asked them to subdue the crew and retrieve it within the next three days. They decided to accept the mission to stay in the Navy’s good graces.

Before Eloy’s duel with the bard college headmaster, Pliskin and Risf were selling symbols of Salima to the audience.

In episode twenty-three, after congratulating Eloy on his performance, Confictura requested the Wonders’ presence at the arranged meeting with Lot. It was decided that Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Pliskin, Skrung, and Zia’ka would go to Jovial Lot to participate in the parley.

Upon entering the carnival, they met up with Gavriil Bezumets, head of Lot’s research and development team, who guided them into the large complex beneath the carnival. They were taken into a tower-like structure where they were confronted by Saga, Lot’s quartermaster and owner of Bulkard’s zoo. She was not pleased that they had disturbed her property and growled at them as they all entered Lot’s room, where Lot and Confictura were waiting for them.

After Confictura verified that Meed’s parcel was untouched, the parley began in earnest. They discussed a variety of topics, including the fiasco at the zoo, Nedra’s past, and the Collective One’s heart, which Caster had purchased as a gift for the Kals. As neither group wanted Caster to hand the heart over to the Kals, Lot advised them to take the aasimar to the Unwitnessed Kingdom and obtain something of equal value to trade for the heart.

On their way out, Lot revealed that he knew of Pliskin’s affliction. Then, they followed Gavriil back to the entrance of the compound.

Before returning to the ship, the group, now without Zia’ka, went to the Catnap Inn to seek out Edward Caster. Despite Wake’s attempt to make another bet with the lawyer, it was decided that they would take Caster and Barabus to the Unwitnessed Kingdom to look for treasure, with Caster taking 95% of anything he deemed valuable. Eloy, Ezra, and Wake were marked to seal the deal, though Skrung and Pliskin avoided the same through deception.

Back on the Yeldin, the crew discussed the plans for both traveling to the Unwitnessed Kingdom and completing the mission assigned to them by Gore. They agreed to split into two parties to complete both quests in a timely manner. Skrung, Pliskin, and Gulfur would attempt to recover the Crabateer while the others took Caster on the treasure hunt.

In episode twenty-nine, Pliskin had accompanied a naval vessel to rendezvous with the Yeldin on their mission to the Unwitnessed Kingdom. For completing their mission, Pliskin, Skrung, and Gulfur had received gold and upgrades for their weapons and armor. Upon seeing Risf, Pliskin was shocked to discover the drastic change in the kobold’s appearance that had arisen from his refusal to serve as Vexkor’s acolyte.

After successfully trading for the heart of the Collective One, the Wonders departed Bulkard and set off for Jahal Cove. Along the way, Pliskin, Onslow, and Skrung began trying to replicate Yt’s bodily secretions with Ezra’s alchemy jug. Once they had arrived, Zia’ka placed the artifact in its proper location and returned to her people as a priestess of the Collective One. Then, the rest of the Wonders left Jahal on their next adventure.

### **Chapter Three**

In episode thirty, the Wonders began making their way to Eburkal. After retracing their path to Bulkard for a time, they diverged from familiar waters and turned more toward the mainland. As they continued their journey, the ship and crew were plagued by torpedo snails, small, black, poisonous creatures that occasionally turned invisible.

One night, a mysterious fog beset the Yeldin, and it was infested by numerous torpedo snails. Spending the night removing the scourge of snails from the ship, the Wonders were exhausted when dawn broke.

That morning, Yeldin ran aground onto the sandbar of an archipelago as they sailed through the fog. Deciding to take a short break after the long night, each of the crew took shifts on watch to look out for any danger. After everyone had rested up, they awoke to find Poliffi, a female, seagull aarakocra, entangled in the Yeldin’s rigging. She had gotten lost in the fog and requested to stay with the Wonders while regaining her bearings.

Bursting onto the deck, Redd revealed that the torpedo snails were infected with vampirism and demanded that the island be investigated. While Eloy, Ezra, Wake, Redd, and Nedra set off to explore, the others stayed behind to watch over the ship and scavenge materials from other wrecks on the beach.

In episode thirty-three, Pliskin, Gulfur, and Poliffi were seen stealing crates filled with cannonballs adorned with blades and hooks from the ship of the Ashdrakes, who had also arrived on the island to investigate vampire related events. When Ezra arrived back on the Yeldin to explain that a shaky agreement had been formed with them, he convinced the crew to return all of the crates they had stolen.

With their business on the island concluded, the Wonders set sail for the port of Rite, staying near the archipelago rather than traversing the open ocean.

During the voyage, the Yeldin had wandered into the presence of a massive storm giant and was caught amid numerous large manta rays trying to escape. Eloy garnered the giant’s attention by playing a soothing song on his bagpipes, but, when the song stopped, the giant seemed displeased. He grabbed the ship in his massive hands raised it to his face.

## **Notes & Trivia**

* Source for Pliskin's "The Accursed" class: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/263360/OAP-The-Accursed-Class
* It's been said that Pliskin coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to Antfish.
* As a running joke - Details of Pliskin's existence are usually forgotten due to his very few appearances in various ventures. Usually the only details that can be remembered are that he can turn into a shark often described with an appearance similar to the titular characters of the 1996 cartoon Street Sharks.