Finn Hamm (MC)

"Nobody's going to serve you if it doesn't serve them."

— The Black Wolf

Finn Hamm
Name:	Finn Adrianovich Hamm
Aliases:	Adrian, Gomez, the Black Wolf
Birth Date:	4821
Age:	30
Occupation(s):	Pirate, smuggler, privateer
Personality:	ISTJ

      Finn Adrianovich Hamm was an Occan pirate born in 4821 operating out of the continent of Aphelion. Nicknamed "the Black Wolf" for his brutality, Hamm and the crew of the Adipocere were among the most notable pirates of the chaotic interregnum period, particularly for their involvement in the sacking of Corona and the ensuing legendary Hunt for the Tomb of Herobrine. His complicated life and eventual death became the stuff of much folklore and fiction, and public view of his character has warped and shifted from his heyday to the contemporary period.

Biography

Hamm was born in a period of relative prosperity for Aquila. With the Alliance at the height of its power and the founding of Nova Aquila in sight, the continent of Aphelion was undergoing rapid efforts to chart its harsh interior, and the city of Corona was one of many settlements to reap the rewards of the continent's growing export sector. While the remote city of Dreiton, the so-called Shimmering Jewel of the southern coast, was no doubt the fastest growing colony, its political situation was quickly deteriorating due to growing secessionist sentiment against its "benefactors" back in the old world. While Corona was de-facto within Dreiton's sphere of influence due to the latter's monopoly over the former's bountiful redstone mines, Corona was much more content with the colonial status quo, and used its friendly relationship with the corporate wing of the Alliance to negotiate full sovereignty over the Strait of Corona, the highly profitable stretch of air and sea between the Aquilan mainland and the Aphelion.

The city of Corona had been under full political control of the "Last Bastion" Templar cell for some time by Hamm's adolescence, owing to a swift and bloodless coup some 5 years prior. Widely regarded as the last remaining formal Templar cell in existence, the Last Bastion rapidly consolidated control over Corona under the guidance of the Seneschal and his inner Circle of Knowing, converting the humble city into the Principality of Corona, a crusader state; while the reawakening of the Old Ways was taking the rest of the world by storm, Corona advertised itself as a haven against new heathenistic practices where all magic was outlawed. Additionally, to compete with Dreiton's wildly profitable lumber, diamond, and iron industries, the Circle of Knowing nationalized the state's redstone mines, freeing itself from both Aquilan and Dreitonese shareholders. Immigration to the Principality grew exponentially; merchants and mercenaries willing to fly the Templar cross were welcomed with open arms, while refugees were expected to work in the redstone mines until the arbitrary price of citizenship was paid. Many would die due to exertion or spontaneous ignition before their "debt" was absolved.

Hamm's family immigrated to Corona from the Occan city of Humberto. Once a humble wheat colony for the Empire of Medriaas, the city fell into hard times with the annihilation of Providence some years prior, and was itself sacked by the Ancient Fear in the Final Incursion. Some stubborn merchants stayed behind, but the Hamms eventually hitched a sloop to the Principality with a paltry sum of emeralds and some healing potions in tow. They were able to bargain citizenship with what little they had - under the condition that Finn be offered as collateral to work off the remaining tithe. His parents reluctantly agreed, and he was shipped off to the mines; only a lad at the time, "Finn Hamm" was merely a pseudonym - he had no memory of his given or family name.

Finn would often dream of freedom and rebellion. He would hear legends of a group of heroes called the "Outlanders" who saved the world, and naively believed that eventually they would come and liberate him from the mines some day as well. That day never came, and he had his naivety and compassion beaten out of him by the time he was a teenager. Eventually, though, some hope for emancipation came when news spread that the Brotherhood was in need of fresh recruits to help protect its shipping lanes in the Strait of Corona. Hamm jumped at the opportunity and began to petition for knighthood.

His freedom did not come so easily, however. Initiation was not lightly given, and Hamm was forced to prove himself by rite of battle before he could be unshackled. He bludgeoned, beat, and clawed his way through dozens of other miners petitioning for knighthood before his trial was complete. Afterwards, he underwent several months of brutal conditioning until he was finally declared a Knight Irregular by the Circle of Knowing. He was immediately deployed to the Strait upon the Templar vessel, the Vindicator, part of a new line of Aphelion-manufactured airships, which were rapidly becoming the world standard after reverse-engineering of Ender technology made traditional sailing obsolete.

Hamm was a remarkably effective and brutal privateer, and due to his expert tactical sense and proclivity for intimidation and aggressive strategy was quickly named Captain of the Vindicator after the previous holder captain was fried by a stray lightning bolt from a pirate with a strange enchanted grimoire. Hamm was bewildered and fascinated having never witnessed the Old Ways in person before, and surreptitiously claimed the tome for himself, claiming it was destroyed in the battle.

Finn's obsession with the occult grew. He intercepted exponentially more profane artifacts attempting to be smuggled across the Strait by the month, and had even begun to attempt some rites of his own. His first mate, Sofia, was initially mortified upon discovering his secret, but quickly became enthralled as well; steadily, more and more members of the crew were clued into the conspiracy, and whispers of mutiny against the Last Bastion began to circulate. Hamm had never bore any love for the Brotherhood - he simply viewed them as a tool for his ascension, and was eager to cast them aside if it meant he could live as a free man and continue to uncover secrets of eld.

Sofia, the Red Rabbit

Eventually, however, talk of the conspiracy reached the wrong ear. One particularly stubborn Prior immediately deserted and made a beeline back to Corona to alert the Circle of Knowing of the imminent mutiny; sensing treachery, Hamm quickly purged any of his crewmates not already involved in the rebellion and attempted to flee south. The Vindicator was intercepted in the skies over Dashari by a Templar warship and an epic clash ensued - though it was quickly cut short once the Dashari warriors began to fire at both sides indiscriminately from below. Narrowly, Hamm's crew were able to use the distraction to lose the warship and continue on their path towards the Free City of Dreiton, far beyond the reach of the Last Bastion.

Captain Hamm and the newly renamed Adipocere eventually ran out of of redstone fuel and crash landed in the outskirts of Dreiton, within a massive forest whost canopy shrouded the savage groves below. The crew fought tooth and nail to evade the hostile fauna within the evil forest - jumbees, slimes, and other unnatural beastes - before arriving upon an abandoned settlement called the Grotto. Its dilapidated spires evoked memories of a byegone era where the Old Ways reigned supreme. They came upon a hollow which seemed curiously recently inhabited, within which was a wealth of arcane artifacts and knowledge. They raided the domicile, only losing a handful of crewmen to sinister traps meant to ward off looters. Hamm soon reached the sealed off depths of the hollow, where he discovered a corrupted diamond hosting the spirit of a deceased black mage named Benthamic. The sorcerer's consciousness immediately latched itself into Finn's mind, instructing him in the ways of the dark arts and constantly insisting that he set aside his vain worldly pursuits and instead devote his efforts to the "grand struggle" against injustice and tyranny. Hamm was mostly uninterested in the dead wizard's musings, but occasionally heeded his wisdom in moments of turmoil; the two were forever intertwined, and it is unclear whether some decisions Finn made in his life were truly his, or the result of possession by the spirit.

Benthamic, the Phantom

After sufficiently turning the Grotto inside out, the crew of the Adipocere finally proceeded to Dreiton, where they acquired the parts to refit their airship and laid low for a few months, accumulating some capital by reselling Templar plunder and establishing connections within the city for later exploits. Hamm was initially somewhat content to simply remain in Dreiton to continue studying the arcane, but his first mate and confidant Sofia convinced him to use his newfound powers to live a life of crime instead, and perhaps even take revenge on their new Templar enemies, who were certain to come after them eventually. After scouring the city for enough scallywags brave and foolish enough to replenish the ranks of the Adipocere, Captain Hamm and Sofia set off for Bakadaja, the pirate haven on the west coast of Aphelion in a state of cold war between Windforth and Tyfen.

Hamm and his boys were a welcome addition to the pirate republic's fleet, though some were suspicious of their link to the Templar contingent, who were tightening their grip upon pirate activities in the Strait of Corona by the day. Nevertheless, Finn used his intricate knowledge of Templar strategy to offer the pirates new smuggling routes which mostly avoided Bastion interception. With Hamm at the helm of pirate activities in the Strait, the Templars were forced to withdraw and reevaluate their strategy. Meanwhile, the Adipocere established itself as one of the most feared pirate vessels in all Aquila, even harassing Nova Aquilan merchant ships as far north as the waters of New Augusta. With the Templars temporarily outsmarted and the Alliance's navy all but defunct due to Pluton's Rebellion in Sivistys, Hamm and Sofia began to build something of a pirate fleet of their own, sparing their victims from being thrown off the bow in exchange for vassalship. Hamm and his crew became the stuff of legend for their brutal effectiveness, and merchants across the Avunian Ocean came to fear the menacing black-masked captain they called "the Black Wolf."

The Adipocere did not have free reign indefinitely, however. The Circle of Knowing eventually brokered a deal with Tyfen, Windforth, Nova Aquila, and Dreiton to set aside their political intrigue and clamp down on pirate activities in the Strait of Corona, spearheaded by a newly revamped Templar fleet armed with guns derived from designs salvaged from the Incursion. Caught off guard, Hamm attempted to flee back towards Bakadaja, but they were intercepted by a newly established Templar blockade launched from Windforth. The Adipocere was forced to flee north, heading up towards Sivistys where they hoped to obtain temporary political asylum.

The battered city of New Detroit reluctantly sheltered the pirates. After being virtually destroyed in the Resurgent War and put down by scorched earth tactics by the Alliance quite recently, the populace were bitter and defeated. Memories of Pluton's Rebellion were still fresh on their minds, and many yearned for another chance to strike against Nova Aquila and regain sovereignty. Sensing an opportunity, Captain Hamm began to reignite the spark of rebellion, and set himself up as the leader of the new revolution that New Detroit desperately needed. In truth, he was apathetic towards the revolutionary fervor of the city and despised politics, but saw great potential in creating a distraction for Aquila so he could resume his activities. 

Over the course of several months, Hamm bided his time, leading expeditions across Sivistys to Sidon and Corvus to secure supplies whilst Sofia smuggled herself and a small detachment of bodyguards to Dreiton to rendezvouz with their old contacts for weapons and fuel. Upon arriving at the Free City, it became immediately apparent that the citystate's political turmoil had reached a breaking point. The so-called "Dirty Wars" were now in full force, and the Council of 8 could no longer maintain influence over the region. Sofia and the detachment returned to New Detroit with a shipload of enchanted armor, weapons, and potions. Meanwhile, Hamm slipped past the aerial blockade by foot to reach his allies in Bakadaja to arrange for a coordinated assault. The captains there agreed on the condition that they be given a fair share of the Templars' plunder.

Hamm and Sofia led a daring attack on a Nova Aquilan redstone fuel refinery in Aragon to begin the insurgency, causing the Aquilan fleet to immediately withdraw from the Strait and travel northeast to protect its fuel interests. Upon arriving in the region, revolutionary forces beset the fleet, providing a distraction for the Adipocere to race directly for Corona. With Dreitonese and Aquilan forces scattered, Bakad forces were able to penetrate the blockade and allow Hamm and his boys to infiltrate the city's walls. The assassins detoned a redstone fuel cell under the inner chamber of the Circle of Knowing, violently killing them all, save the Seneschal, who escaped to Tyfen and became Hamm's bitter rival to the end.

Seneschal, the Nemesis

With the city in chaos, the crew of the Adipocere infiltrated the vault of the Last Bastion, discovering massive obsidian chambers filled to the brim with precious gems and forbidden enchanted books. Most notable to Finn, though, was a thin golden blade crackling with black and cyan energy called the Invidere, along with a map to "the Tomb of Herobrine." The map alleged that only the Invidere could unlock whatever chthonic power lay within the Tomb, and that the secret could not leave the halls of the Templars.

The crew fled before the Bakad distraction could be broken, gathering what loot they could and setting aside a share for their associates as promised. With the Circle of Knowing annihilated and their leader sent into exile, the Templars had finally been crushed, and a provisional government sympathetic to Dreiton was established to restore some semblance of democracy. The blockade disintegrated, at least for the time being, and as piracy returned to the Strait, the trading powers sought alternative routes.

Hamm and his crew returned to Bakadaja as heroes and spent the next year ruthlessly plundering the Strait, much to Benthamic's chagrin, as the spirit insisted that Finn instead devote his efforts towards seeking the Tomb of Herobrine. Hamm was initially content to remain within familiar waters, but his hunger for a challenge eventually won over, and he and Sofia departed to seek the Tomb with the Templar map and the mage's guidance.

Leaving their growing pirate fleet in the hands of their quartermaster Anatole, the duo traveled first to the site of the Elverum Trench in the center of the Avunian Ocean - the deepest confirmed point in all Aquila at the time. They made base camp at the nearby isle of Kalga Bland, a long-abandoned holy site for the Aquilan Empire. Beset by automata guardians left behind by the ancient architects, they fled into the depths of the temple through a series of caves before coming upon a ruined Nether portal. Pursued by constructs, Hamm used the fire aspect properties of the Invidere to light the portal, and the two entered.

A short trek through the remains of a long-abandoned Nether fortress guarded by Wither skeletons brought them to an extravagant throne room which could only have belonged to the late Herobrine himself. Displayed in the center of the chamber was a looking glass emanating with chthonic energy called "the Oraculum." Before Finn and Sofia could snatch it, they were attacked by a swarm of dark acolytes who called themselves the Followers of the Old Ways, who had long sought the secrets of the Tomb for themselves and could now claim it at last thanks to the unearthing of the map from the Templar vault. Their leader, a Khotanese warrior in black robes called Haru, took the Oraculum and the map before vanishing into the shadows.

Narrowly surviving a skirmish with the remaining disciples, the two pirates escaped the crumbling temple and, upon discovering that their entry portal had been smashed beyond repair, wandered through the depths of the Nether aimlessly for several hours before coming upon an iceway that brought them to a guarded exit portal. The sentries, clad in diamond armor, claimed to be guarding the entrance to the aptly-named Sanctuary, a haven for pirates in the southern ocean. Hamm brandished the Invidere and threatened the wrath of the legendary pirate, the Black Wolf, to strongarm their way in.

Arriving in the obsidian fortress known as Sanctuary, Finn and Sofia laid low for a few days, gathering what information they could about the so-called Followers of the Beyond. Apparently, their organization had existed in some form or other since before the founding of the Aquilan Empire, worshiping the Daemon-Sultan "Moros" and collecting arcane relics across the world for his glory. They were all but exterminated by the Empire and then the Knights Thash in subsequent genocides, and had recently resurfaced after centuries of dormancy. They learned from an archer named Reeve that they were rumored to be operating out of an island called Kuwaktana within the cursed Lost Passage. She offered to lend her bow to their quest in exchange for a stake in whatever tresures lay within the Tomb, to which they hesitantly agreed.

Reeve, the Deadeye

Lacking the funds and manpower to mount an airship expedition, the three traveled by sea to the infamous Lost Passage aboard a humble sloop with the aid of some rapscallions whom they had no intention of paying. According to legend, this stretch of sea was where the Mad King's inquisition forced 100,000 accused magic-wielders, prisoners of war, and other political enemies to row out and be consumed by the Passage's evil guardian, a monster known only as the Hunger. Hamm admired their brutality.

Suddenly, the moon disappeared from the night sky and the sea fell into complete darkness. The crew were met by apparitions of their past - Finn himself glimped the spirits of what he'd imagined his parents to have been, and was nearly enthralled by their presence before he shattered the illusion, noticing the massive sets of teeth encroaching upon the ship from the water. The captain shook Reeve and Sofia from their trances as well, enraging the beast. Thinking quickly, Hamm cast a handful of the remaining enchanted sailors into the depths, hoping to satiate the Hunger. The monster's advance slowed, allowing Reeve to cast a lit redstone fire charge into the beast's gaping mouth. With what remained of the crew roused, the sloop made for the nearest shore on the northern coast of Ertdor, the site of a Nova Aquilan encampment.

Hamm's face wasn't recognized by the scrambling Aquilan soldiers. Before the pirates could get their bearings, the base was attacked by a massive fleet of airships bearing the Khotanese standard - the red Sunflower. Covered by artillery fire, the Khotanese warriors assaulted the Aquilan base camp with elytra support, bearing all manner of enchanted weapons and armor which bore a curious resemblance to those brandished by the assassins from Herobrine's fortress. Hamm reasoned that the Khotanese forces couldn't have mounted such a full-scale invasion from the Khotan mainland and must have captured a refueling point midway in the Surlada Ocean, just outside the Lost Passage. Hedging his bets, Finn took his comrades Sofia and Reeve and stowed away on one of the Khotanese airships heading back north, leaving the rest of their shipmates to fend for themselves.

The pirates arrived on the frozen desert island of Kuwaktana, where they observed the Khotanese invaders meeting with two acolytes clad in black robes upon sneaking off the airship. The War of the Sunflower had begun, and apparently Khotan had found an ally in the vengeful Followers of the Old Ways. Infiltrating the acolyte fortress in stolen black robes, the trio stealthed their way into the inner chamber, which housed the prized Oraculum. They were discovered by a black mage who called himself Jojosamu, who was familiar with them and joined their party as a fourth, claiming that Haru had gone insane and had to be stopped as he could not be trusted with the secrets within the Tomb. According to the mage, it was better that a simple pirate wield the power than a man as dangerous as the Archmage Haru.

Samu, the Mage

They were greeted by the selfsame leader of the assassins whom they'd met back in Herobrine's fortress. Rather than attacking, Haru offered his hand in friendship, proclaiming that the Followers were on the "right side of history" - wielders of the Old Ways had been repressed for milennia, and now, the cultist argued, it was time for them to seek retribution and finally claim Aquila for themselves with the aid of Khotan. Confessing that the Invidere was the final key to unlocking the Tomb,  Haru claimed to have foreseen that the interlopers would be vital to their counter-crusade, and that the secrets within would be the instruments of their final victory. To the horror of his comrades, Finn agreed to accompany Haru to the tomb, much to the Archmage's delight. 

Hamm, Sofia, Reeve, and Jojosamu traveled to the Crag in far northeast Kilran aboard a Khotanese frigate, accompanied by Haru and his top assassins along with a small detachment of elite Khotanese samurai. Arriving at the Crag, Finn's compatriots were completely unsure whether it was all an elaborate rouse to claim the Tomb's power for himself or he was genuinely attempting to join the Followers of the Old Ways, and he most likely did not know either. Regardless, the expedition hiked to the center of the foreboding mountain range, following the map closely until they came upon a desolate valley. Haru used the Oraculum to reveal the location of the Tomb, allowing the party to enter its cursed depths, infested with eldritch abominations and strange obsidian stalagmite formations.

Finally, the expedition arrived at the burial chamber of the fallen god himself, opened by way of a complex lock opened with the flames of the Invidere - only to find that his sarcophagus had long been sprung open and desecrated. Enraged, Haru prepared to execute the pirates before Hamm investigated the empty coffin to reveal what appeared to be a gleaming white gem - the Eye of Makrozoia. The Archmage rushed to snatch it for himself, but Finn activated its power by instinct, using its dark juju to reanimate the scores of undead warriors housed within the Tomb and sic them upon the acolytes. Only a pair of samurai escaped, fleeing into the wastes as Finn, Jojo, Sofia, and Reeve returned to the airship. Having grown disillusioned towards the frightful ambitions of the Followers of the Old Ways, Samu agreed to return to Aphelion with the captain, if only to ensure that the Eye was kept in worthy hands. Hamm found the mage's counsel useful and was eager to bring him into the fold.

The pirates returned to Bakadaja triumphant and with Herobrine's final secret in tow. Upon returning to his fleet, however, he'd discovered that his quartermaster Anatole had spread a lie that Hamm had been executed by Khotan in his travels, and thus attempted to take the reins of the pirate fleet himself. Finn and his new comrades, alongside his old friend, the "Pirate Paladin" Virgil, destroyed Anatole's operation and purged the disloyal who had given into his deception. When interrogated, Anatole admitted that he was not acting purely out of greed - he was on the payroll of the captain's old nemesis, the Seneschal. 

Virgil, the Bruiser

With the Eye of Makrozoia uncovered, his fleet restored, and with old enemies resurfacing, Hamm got back to work in Aphelion, putting his growing pirate syndicate back in order and setting his sights upon the profit to be made in the escalating War of the Sunflower, alongside his most trusted allies - Sofia the Rogue, Reeve the Deadeye, Samu the Mage, and the newly promoted quartermaster Virgil, the Bruiser.

Trade activity in the Strait of Corona rapidly shifted once the War began in earnest. With the Templars crushed, the humble city's monopoly over activities in the region vanished, allowing piracy to flourish. The crew of the Adipocere became a singular thorn in the side of the Free City of Dreiton, whose financial empire claimed soft economic sovereignty over the waters of all Aphelion. The citystate's premier joint-stock company, the Dreiton Exchange Mandate, acted with arguably even greater authority than the Council itself, and maintained a private navy larger than the Free City's own formal standing army. Though Dreiton maintained de-jure neutrality in the War, the Mandate's coffers grew fuller by the day due to its massive weapons exports - to both sides. Thus, the company began to devote its resources towards eliminating the resurgent pirate threat.

Not to be outsmarted, Hamm feigned retreat by redirecting his flotilla away from the Strait, where Mandate presence was strongest, and instead basing his operations out of the lawless isle of Voshe. From the dense jungles of the wild sub-continent, Finn and his associates could easily intercept trade vessels in the vast Gulf of Mes Raina, just behind the supply lines of Nova Aquilan forces. The pirates made a fortune plundering war supplies - primarily enchanted diamond gear, redstone cannons, potion stimulants, and chemical weapons - which they resold to black marketeers in Elitia and the hidden pirate haven of Arcadia, a reclaimed underwater factory. Their activities severely crippled the war effort. Undersupplied and losing morale quickly, Alliance forces were forced to cede more and more vital land to Khotan by the week, and imperial forces had begun to encroach as far as Apollyon. 

The Mandate were furious. Addison Mayfield, the vicious Dreitonese captain responsible for the annexation of Barcelona and the Animus Isles, was chartered into the company and dispatched to the Gulf of Mes Raina to snuff out the pirates. Mayfield, widely regarded as nearly Hamm's equal in terms of strategic mind, was the first to deduce that the Adipocere could only logically be operating out of Voshe, as Krak was under a state of Alliance marshal law and Hog Bay was too remote to provide the pirates the fuel they needed to stay airbourne for weeks at a time. Mayfield orchestrated a plot to lure the Adipocere out from Voshe with a wayward company galleon appearing to be bound for the Aquilan outpost of Aragon - Hamm slipped up and gave pursuit, allowing Mayfield's warship, the Leviathan, to covertly launch from New Tempus and cripple the Adipocere.

Mayfield, the Cunning

The resulting battle aboard the Adipocere was brutal, drawing both sides to a stalemate - though the Leviathan's crew were more plentiful and better equipped, Finn and his boys were willing to fight to the bitter end, and the captain's growing control over the Eye of Makrozoia created havoc amongst the frenzied Mandate hunters. Cutting his losses, Mayfield ordered a cease-fire and quickly offered Hamm a non-negotiable accord - surrender his ship and crew, and sign a letter of marque for Dreiton, absolving him of his crimes. Hamm agreed, to the disgust of his crew, who were taken to the Free City's secure facility on Canine for trial.

With the Black Wolf now flying the colors of Dreiton with a crew of elite company mercenaries, Aquilan supply lines quickly recalibrated, allowing Alliance forces to liberate huge swaths of land in Kilran and Ertdor. Hamm was patient, slowly gaining the trust and respect of the Mandate and their allies in Apollyon whilst keeping the true extent of his knowledge of pirate activites in the Gulf a secret, and keeping tabs on the trials of his comrades back in Canine - reportedly, his remaining agents in the Free City were able to delay the proceedings long enough to keep his crew locked safely away indefinitely. Finn operated as a remarkably efficient smuggler for Alliance forces for upward of a year, outsmarting Khotanese patrols easily and slipping weapons to supply lines as far north as Sivistys regularly. The captain had begun to accidentally help turn the tide of the war.

Eventually, however, Hamm grew bored of working for his nemeses and prepared to execute his plan to restore his honor. Flying Dreitonese colors, he attacked a hidden Khotan base in the ruined city of Providence, alleging that the samurai there were merely pirates flying false colors to evade detection. When the counter-attack launched, Hamm marooned his crew on Occa and fled to Arcadia, using his remaining emeralds and clout to convince the pirates there to shelter him temporarily, and to send word to Bakadaja that the Black Wolf would howl again. The Immortal Emperor of Khotan, in his fury, declared their non-aggression pact with Dreiton broken, and warships flying the Sunflower standard were immediately launched toward the ill-prepared Free City. Finn doubled back to Providence and stowed away aboard one of the massive Khotan warships, arriving in Dreiton within the week.

The pirate leapt from the airship directly into the Dreiton harbor, covered by devastating artillery fire. Disguised as a Mandate official, he infiltrated the Canine prison and reunited with Sofia, Reeve, Samu, Virgil, and the rest of his motley crew, who were in the midst of an ill-conceived escape attempt themselves. Though bitter, they were swayed by his apparently heartfelt explanation that he'd always planned to free them, and had orchestrated the entire distraction so as to right his wrong. The pirates escaped with the anchored Adipocere with ease as the entire city scrambled to defend against the devastating Khotan invasion; the Adipocere had long since escaped by the time the Empire was finally repelled, bound for safe haven in the west. 

Combat profile

• Strength: 6
• Dexterity: 13
• Constitution: 5
• Intelligence: 14
• Wisdom: 9
• Charisma: 13
• Class: Arcane trickster
• Weapons: Rapier (the Invidere), daggers, sorcery
• Armor: None
• Alignment: Neutral evil
• Proficiencies: Piloting, puzzle solving, battle planning, stealth, deception