Étienne

**Étienne** is an employee at the Tits & Slither inn and a former thief with the Axis Guild of Thieves.

## Biography

Étienne was born in Is-Hoar, Gelum, where he was orphaned and spent some time in foster care. However, he would one day run from his foster family and became reliant on his pickpocketing skills to live on the streets. He soon stowed away with a travelling salesman and ended up in Plostri, where he found his was to Axis and caught the attention of Mortin Ianto.

Ianto trained Étienne in the ways of thieving and provided him with shelter among the Axis Guild of Thieves. He came to view the Guild as family and especially looked up to many of the older thieves in the organisation, especially the other orphans such as Heckle & Jeckyl. Eventually, Étienne's role models moved on from the Guild in their early adulthood and he too began to question what he wanted for his life.

Years later, on the verge of adulthood himself, he chose to leave the Guild and Plostri, moving to Skenesos where he settled in the town of Hogan, just outside of Notus. Here, he met the mysterious warlock Eire the Holdfast who offered to teach him in the ways of shadow magic. Étienne, enticed by the powers he saw displayed, eagerly agreed to become his apprentice and was branded with the Mark of Scor, bestowing him with power derived from the orc deity Shargaas. Under the tutelage of Eire the Holdfast, Étienne became proficient in the use of umbrakinetic magic and eventually made his way to Notus to earn some success as a thief.

Over the years, Étienne continued to travel and eventually ended up back in Axis, where he encountered Lacey Stain, one of his former idols within the Guild of Thieves. In awe of Stain's success and excited by her recent acquisition of a tavern, Étienne took the opportunity to settle in Axis and bartend at Tits & Slither, offering additional service to Stain with his new magical talents.

## Personality

Independant from a young age, Étienne has always been self-reliant and confident. This quickly translated into thrill-seeking behaviour and Étienne gained a reputation among the Thieves' Guild as a fearless daredevil. He enjoys the reclusivity of heights as much as the thrill of climbing them and will often perch on daunting ledges to relax.

Étienne can be quiet and reserved at times and enjoys reading. Though young, he has a deep respect for those he idolises, particularly his foster father and siblings, as well as the older members of the Thieves' Guild he looked up to, including Lacey and Jemi.

## Abilities

Étienne is a skilled thief, being a particularly talented pickpocket since early youth. His small frame made him a skilled cat burglar, as he is able to climb into small spaces easily, as well as being an extremely skilled climber and acrobat. He is also a talented actor, often employing this skill to lie to and deceive targets and has escaped the clutches of the law many times by relying on his acting skills.

In addition to his skills as a thief, tutelage under the warlock Eire the Holdfast has afforded him some magical abilities, gained through his branding with the Mark of Scor. As a follower of Scor, Eire taught Étienne how to channel the deity's power to create fields of darkness, use darkness to drain a person's energy in order to heal himself and even teleport over short distances by travelling through shadows.

As stated by Eire, those with the Mark are indebted to Scor when he one day returns to the Material Plane.

## Equipment

### Weapons

* **Twin Batons:** Étienne carries twin batons that he uses as a melee weapon in combat. He is extremely proficient in the use of his clubs and they are his signature weapons.

### Other Equipment

* **Burglar's Pack**: Étienne keeps a burglar's pack, which contains multiple ball bearings, string, a bell, candles, a crowbar, a hammer, a hooded lantern, oil flasks, pitons and a tinderbox. It is also where he stores his waterskin, purse, rations and clothing and has fifty feet of hempen rope strapped to its side.
* **Thieves' Tools**: Étienne also carries thieving tools on his person which include a small file, set of lock picks, a mirror, a set of narrow-bladed scissors and pliers.

## Relationships

	+ Mortin Ianto - Foster Father and Former Mentor
	+ Heckle - Foster Brother and Former Thieving Partner
	+ Jeckyl - Foster Brother and Former Thieving Partner
	+ Jemi - Former Thieving Partner
	+ Lacey Stain - Employer and Former Thieving Partner
* Eire the Holdfast - Former Mentor
* Scor - Power Source
* Tits & Slither
	+ Silk Greengallow - Professional Ally
	+ Caithera - Manager
	+ Peg - Colleague
	+ Bury - Colleague
	+ Phaul - Colleague
	+ Fill - Colleague
	+ Niaro - Colleague
	+ Barf - Colleague

## Trivia

* Étienne has an unusual cajun accent from moving around in his youth.
* He has a distinctive style, often dressing in black to help him hide in the shadows.
	+ Étienne also has several piercings and his Mark of Scor brand is on his left shoulder blade.