Tannin "Copperhead" Forscyth

Tannin “Copperhead”
Forscyth

Physical
Description:

While Tannin is
on the job, few have a chance to see him, well, only the most astute manage a
good look and even then it will not be long until they are dead. He is slight for a halfling and his pale milky skin with a
spattering of brown freckles over his nose and cheeks belie his time spent
flitting around the shadows and traveling in the dark underground of cities.
His auburn hair is usually slicked back with a gel that hardens the otherwise
unruly wavy hair into a neat shell that just reaches the nape of his neck.
Tannin, known as "Copperhead" to most, was so called for the sheen of
his hair that is only barely visible as it glistens in the firelight before he
finishes his job and escapes back into the shadows. His bright green eyes are
amiable at first glance, but the high cheekbones and thin pursed lips reflect
his rather severe attitude. Tannin has a habit of intensely staring at people,
or at his surroundings, just to make sure he still has the upper hand, or is
aware of potential threats. Being alive for almost a century, faint wrinkles
along his brow and mouth are the only signs of his age. Tannin sports a rather
noticeable scar under the left side of his jaw where an almost botched
assassination attempt left him with a rather nasty acid burn; the purplish taut
flesh is all that remains to tell the tale, which is rarely shared except with
other "whispers" over sober drinks at the conclusion of a successful
mission. He wears dark leather armor and dons a shadowy cloak when the weather
turns cooler or when he is in need of a hood to keep his hair and face
obscured.

Backstory:

Tannin grew up
along the South Ardeep River. His family, six nimble fishers, made their
comfortable, but by no means extravagant, life from the water, selling their
catches in the local marketplaces and sometimes curing some of their wares and
bringing particularly high-quality bounties to Waterdeep to fetch a bigger
purse. However, life was simple and plain, offering little adventure; it was a
quiet existence that ebbed and flowed with the seasons and the schools of fish
that populated the reliable Ardeep River. Yet, as time passed, traveling
merchants from nearby guilds began encroaching upon the family's business and
increased activity began diminishing the schools of rainbow-bellied salmon, a
particularly tasty commodity that was popular among locals that kept Tannin's
family's financials in order. Facing economic hardships, Tannin's father,
Brillwyn, much to his mother's dismay, took out a loan against his catches from
a local elite Zhentarim, throwing his family into debt with little hope of ever
completely paying it back. Most of his siblings went into a kind of indentured
servitude, ingratiating themselves to the Zhentarim and turning their backs on
their mother and father. As Tannin's family continued to struggle to survive,
he became acutely aware how much money lords over life and can sway even the
smallest of decisions. He vowed to himself that he would find a way to live his
life where money was the guiding principle and was the root to most of his
relations, since it was the inevitable outcome. Annoyed at his parents for
forcing his siblings into work for the elite, he decided to find his own boss
on his own terms. So, he snuck out, leaving a note to his parents and a separate
one to his beloved younger sister Trynn, saying that he would find his own way
in the world, free from the imposed burden of the elite's whims and his
family's debt.

Tannin then
made his way to Waterdeep. He kept to the shadows and sought the hidden
networks of exchange that was ruled by coin and little else. It did not take
him long to be swept up by what was locally known as "The Undertow,"
a locally operated branch of a much larger Thieves' Guild that mostly arranged
and realized black market trades for merchants. However, sometimes the jobs
erred on the more violent side, and on one such mission, Tannin was called to
assassinate a corrupt merchant, who reneged on a deal and thereby made rather
dangerous enemies with the merchant guild leaders. After being extremely
successful in this mission and being handsomely rewarded for his trouble,
Tannin realized the potential for specializing in such jobs. He sought guidance
by the small group of "whispers" in the assassin faction of the
larger Thieves' Guild, earning his keep and learning the art of meting out
quick and quiet death. He was given the nickname "Copperhead" from
his slicked back, shiny auburn hair that sometimes catches the light, quickly
glinting before it disappears into the surrounding shadow.

Organizations:

Tannin, mostly
known as "Copperhead" in the underground circles that advertise his
particular services, was inducted into a Thieves' Guild 30 years ago, when he
committed himself to a life unburdened by making troubling moral decisions. A
life ruled by coin. The guild, referred to by the merchants in Waterdeep and
Daggerford as "The Undertow" has provided the citizens of both cities
with reliable service and an extensive network through which they can pass
their goods without attracting much attention. However, Tannin is a member of
the Unseen Guild and the specialist cabal "Death's Whisper," the
guild's team of assassins.

Allies:

Although
generally likeable, Tannin has very few true allies. His allegiance is to his
Thieves' Guild and his fellow "whispers." The only other person
Tannin cares about is his younger sister, Trynn, to whom he sometimes funnels
some of his hard-earned funds from the shadows, rarely making actual contact
with her except through furtive missives and mysterious gifts.

Enemies:

Tannin works
and lives within the Thieves' Guild system, so anyone threatening the order of
the guild must be removed. Not only would these individuals threaten his
prevailing sense of order and organization, but it would also upset his primary
means of earning coin, which is (for Tannin) an even more troubling prospect.

Tannin's family borrowed from a loan shark who
was a member of the Black Network

Tannin's siblings were forced to do
unspeakable things on behalf of the Zhentarim including selling fenced goods and providing pleasures and service to
visitors..