Derrin

Derrin — Original artwork by J. Leigh Bralick

At 21, Derrin is the oldest member of the Hole, and is generally considered to be second-in-command to Kantian. Enigmatic and somewhat aloof, he is nonetheless deeply protective of the younger Hole rats.

## Description

Derrin is fairly tall and slim, fair-skinned with dark hair and grey eyes. He is strong but not as heavily-muscled as some of the Meats, like Anuk, and he has a way of moving that makes him hard to notice unless he wants to be noticed. He wears the standard sort of fashion of the lower class in Brinmark — waistcoat and trousers — but his signature mark is the black driver's cap he likes to wear slouched low over his eyes, which only adds to his enigmatic presence.

## Personality

Derrin is a natural leader, capable of drawing people after him almost without effort. He sometimes comes across as having an unyielding temperament and excessively high expectations, but his charisma is powerful enough that people are willing to do almost anything to meet those expectations.

Derrin operates by a strict code of justice that is perhaps not readily apparent to everyone. He will protect the kids of the Hole from needless hardship, but won't hesitate to dole out corporal punishment to those who treat others unjustly. When faced with his own weakness or failures, the realization that he may have failed in justice is almost enough to destroy him.

For all that, Derrin is fairly quiet and reserved, often preferring to blend in with the shadows and observe than stand out in the open. He has profound respect for those who are in positions of rightful authority, and despite his leadership abilities, he would say he is more of a sergeant than a general.

Derrin is also an intensely private person who generally keeps information about himself to a minimum.

## Background

Like many of the Hole rats, Derrin keeps the truth about his origins very much a secret. He has been in the Hole since he was about ten years old, and was the first member of Kantian's crew. In the years that followed he quickly became indispensable to Kantian, both training the younger kids as they were brought onto the crew and making sure they were fed, employed, and protected. He was the one who suggested starting the street gang, commonly called the Meats, to act as protectors and security for the Hole.

*Click "Expand" for Madness Project spoilers about Derrin's background.*

It isn't clear when exactly the alliance between Rivano and Derrin began. But at some point, Rivano became aware of Derrin's rather rare ability and commissioned him to join the Clan. Rivano had long suspected Kantian of pursuing interests that undermined his own, and so he encouraged Derrin to continue winning Kantian's trust until he could learn the full extent of the Hole boss's plans. It was on one of Rivano's missions that Derrin was captured by the Science Ministry and first subjected to Dr. Kippler's experimentations. Dr. Kippler and Miss Farrady exposed him to both chemical and psychological manipulation until he was completely malleable to code words and implanted instructions. Dr. Kippler was the one who orchestrated Derrin's attack on the royal motorcade that was meant to kill Prince Tarik and delegitimize King Trabin's rule. Even after Derrin tried to leave the Science Ministry and fight for autonomy over his own mind, he remained extremely susceptible to the scientists' interference.

## Abilities

*Click "Expand" for Madness Project spoilers about Derrin's abilities.*

Like Prince Tarik, Derrin has kept his magical ability a secret for almost his entire life. Apart from Rivano, very few people were ever aware of his Gift—even people within Rivano's Clan. As a Ghost, Derrin has the ability to teleport anywhere he chooses, provided he has some knowledge of the place he is trying to reach. For most people, Derrin simply has a rather disturbing ability to melt in and out of shadows at will. No one realizes that he does, in fact, disappear and reappear by magic.