Hugo Clarion

Hugo Clarion

Player Name	Keller
Languages	Common, Draconic
Affiliations	The Protectors of the People, Silent
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Height	6.4
Eye Color	Blue

Hugo Clarion is an adventurer in the Greedy Green. He is a Hexblade Warlock who has gained a small reputation for his crossbow skills and his crow mask.

Physical Appearance

Hugo Stands at above average height with an average build. He wears a large purple coat adorned with many small pockets and satchels, including a quiver full of crossbow bolts. Underneath his heavy cloak are basic dark adventurers leathers. He wears thick and heavy gloves along with two strong blue paladins on his shoulders. He wears his purled hood up along with a dark crows mask, which has become worn do to years of age and being witness to many battles. It is covered in stiches and replacement fabrics which Hugo has had to use to repair it after being damaged from claws, arrows, and the like. With him always is his trusty crossbow which seemingly has lines of orange pulsing energy moving along its ridges. In battle he is rarely seen as he holds to the edges to line up the perfect shot so his crossbow can make its mark and fell his foes. But most of the time he wont even be in the fray as he prefers to take out his foes long distance, where they don't even know they are about to get a crossbow bolt to the neck.

But underneath the heavy leathers he appears much different then what you would expect. He has pale smooth skin, a calm demeanor to his person, with serene blue eyes and shaggy white hair mixed with flecks of blue. Two distinguishing features though are the deep burn marks along his hands and wrists and light scars around his neck.

Personality

Hugo Clarion holds himself in a very different demeanor in and out of battle. When on his own or with trusted allies he will remove his hood and mask. He has an open and friendly personality and is quick to make connections with people. Yet still he is very practical in how he works with others on a professional level and how he carries himself in his day to day life. He still likes to keep himself aware of his surroundings and of any possible threats, which is one reason he does not partake in ale or alcohol as he does not care for how it inhibits his cognitive sensibilities. He has a love for music and holds those who can play an instrument in high regard and will pay well for good music.

But when it is time to get serious and get to work, he becomes quiet and calculating. He will meticulously plan out the job, with many contingencies and backup plans for if things go south. When he does though interact with his foes, he can be ruthless and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done no mater the cost. He is very protective about his crossbow and can grow very cagy about it when people inquire to its origin.

History

Hugo Clarion's family was a troop of traveling minstrels and musicians. He had three sisters and two brothers along with his mother and father. For a time they were happy and Hugo was content with his life playing music with his family in towns and along the road. He would play his panpipes along with the rest of his family to all of those who would listen. But everything changed when they reached one particular town. Hugo at this time was in his late teenage years and his family had gained quite reputation for their minstrel work. But Hugo's youngest sister had become a bit of a prankster in her youth and during one of their shows, played a prank on a stranger in the crowd. It turned out though that this man, one Gerdalt Finnly, was a powerful and influential noble within the town, a man not to be trifled with.

This was not an offense the noble would take likely and chose to make the Clarion family and example to any of those who would look to make an embarrassment out of him. In the night, guards of the town watch, the entirety of which was under the thumb of Gerdalt Finnly, broke into the inn the Clarion family was staying in and arrested all of them on false charges, including Hugo. The entire family was given the death penalty and set to hang. And hang they did. Hugo did not know why he survived. All he remembered was waking up in the shallow mass grave of his family, broken, but alive. As he mourned over the dirty corpses of his family, he noticed an orange light in the distance through the dark forest.

He weakly made his way through the growth and underbrush of the forest until he reached a small clearing, the grass scorched black. In the center of the smoldering clearing was a tree blazing with fire. Yet while its limbs were coated in flame the wood did not brake away in burn, the tree continuing to stand tall in the inferno. The tree had a small hole in the base of its trunk and Hugo was compelled to reach inside by forces he could not comprehend. Even as the flesh on his palms charred, he reached inside and pulled out a large iron box covered in strange runic carvings. What was noticeable was on the cover of the box was a large crack that seemingly emitted a strange orange light. As soon as Hugo opened the box, the tree collapsed into a pile of smoldering ash before being blown away in the wind, almost as if it was never there. Inside the box were two items. One was a dark cloth mask of a crow, with dark glass goggles that seemingly were pools of endless night. The second was a weapon, the weapon of a killer. An ornate, well carved crossbow that grew warm in Hugo's grip.

Hugo made his way back into the town that condemned his family and with great prejudice executed the guards standing outside of Gerdalt Finnly's estate. The last thing the crooked noble saw was the mask of a crow as the flames grew around his bed. Hugo could not longer return to the life of a minstrel. Though, he did find that there were those willing to pay for his particular use of his crossbow. Hugo was meticulous in selecting his targets, making sure that they deserved the unholy wrath he was about to unleash upon them. On his journeys when he would find those like Gerdfalt Finnly, those who wished malicious upon the world for their own selfish gain, he made sure they made their way into the fire, because...

We all burn in the end.

Languages

Common and Draconic

Powers and Abilities

Hugo Clarion specializes in long range assassinations with his crossbow. Along with that he has an array of spells at his disposal granted to him by strange powers beyond his comprehension to help assist in his brutal work. His crossbow has special qualities that help bind it to Hugo, along with the ability to mark quarries for the kill.

Attacks and Weapons 

Hugo favors his crossbow in battle, but is not above resorting to using daggers or his Shadow Blade if the job requires.

Adventures of Hugo Clarion 

Sro III 

This would be Hugo Clarion's first true experience adventuring with a party. After collecting a few small bounties set by the Wold Order, Hugo was approached by one of their representatives for a much bigger job, a quest to slay a Dragon. Hugo along with some other adventurers gathered at the Trout's Toe in Seglock. The Fiery Gates had opened once again and that could only mean a Dragon had once again made it their home. If they were to slay the dragon, its hoard would be open for the taking. A party of adventurers had gone in once before, only to barely escape with their lives. His new companions for the next few days would be Linden Rue, Tristram Caniedydd, Kluck, Markoth, and Volrac. So that Tristram could prepare a Glyph of Warding for their adventure, Hugo and some of his other new companions gave over what little they had to pay for the spell's components. Then after pointing out some oddities in the job posting and after "a fire was mysteriously and accidentally set at no fault to his party," the adventurers were off.

As they entered into the Greedy Green Hugo used his abilities to cloak the party in illusory mist while Kluck surveyed from above. One morning though, while they were packing up their camp, they noticed a strange individual sneaking up on their site. After pointing weapons at each other, the individual claimed to be Sro, a paladin of Bahamut. Sro was acting suspicious and began to point out oddities regarding the environment, mainly the water which had to it an odd sheen. After with some experiments with the water where it was discovered it had healing properties and Sro advising them not too disturb it, Sro bestowed upon them the 7 rules of dragon slaying. He then advised the players to draw the dragon from its lair as to prevent it from gaining any form of advantage.

The adventurer's arrived at the mountain, discovering three entrances, one with what appeared to be the footprints of a previous party. After much deliberation, it was decide that Tristram would go in alone and invisible. After exploring a false entrance, the bard entered the cavern and found the Fiery Gates. He also discovered a strange draconic skull from which water flowed. Tristram fell pray to an arrow trap before finding a strange and bloody alter. He then discovered what appeared to be two cultists of Tiamat discussing a White Dragon. After finding a suspicious pile of gold and almost getting caught, Tristram chose to leave the cavern and regroup with the party at a nearby river. This is where the adventurers would make their stand, with Hugo moving a far distance away and setting himself up with his crossbow, crackling with orange fiery energy. But no matter how much they disturbed the strange water, which Sro claimed would alert the dragon, no Dragon came. All that could be heard was distant roars, and a creature in Draconic yelling, "Stop." During their time waiting, Linden discovered that Sro was wreathed in Illusory magic.

When the party returned to the Fiery Gates they were met with a strange and unorthodox dragon which could not escape the gates. It told them that others were coming and slinked away into the dark. Tristram attempted to follow the dragon into the dark before encountering the two cloaked figures from earlier. These figures claimed to be part of the Cult of Tiamat, but were almost seeming to put on some form of act. Tristram tried to convince them he was just a random traveler and was passing through and the cloaked figures mentioned that they were waiting for a group of adventurers. All hell broke loose though after Markoth cast a light spell on his sword and the cloaked figures realized that the rest of the party was present.

The cloaked figures started the fight off with a bang, letting loose a Fireball at the party. Tristram managed to pull off a Hold Person on one of them before the other ran to make his escape. Hugo managed to lay into the remaining figure with his crossbow before Sro flew off the ground, grabbing the figure. As the two talked, Sro alluded that he knew they weren't Cult of the Dragon followers and with one strike knocked out the cultist. The party pursued the remaining figure into the next room, Markoth getting pelted over and over again by the arrow trap in the process. The figure then let out a large Cone of Cold, with only Hugo and Linden avoiding the blast. In a rage Markoh smited the figure, making quick work of the mage and making his head roll.

Hugo took cover behind the alter as two more mages made their way into the cavern from a back room. In one swift motion they let loose a flurry of magic missiles and dropped the mighty paladin Markoth. Sro managed to convince the strange dragon from before who was still lurking in the background to help the fight the mages so that the party could free it. The strange dragon agreed to do so and let loose a ball of storm energy, filling the cavern with rain and lightning. As Linden brought back up Markoth, Kluck and Volrac engaged the mages in melee. After dropping the first though, the second let loose another Cone of Cold, Linden and Hugo once again avoiding the blast. Weighing their options, Linden used the last of her energy to raise her fellow party members while Hugo dove out of cover and took another shot at the mage. The battle was quickly concluded as Linden cast Silence on the mage, before Kluck finished the job in a rage.

The strange dragon revealed themselves to be Mentztonalcoatl, a Pearl Dragon. He also revealed that the strange skull the party found earlier was that of his daughter. He told them if they found the rest of her bones and tossed them in the water, she would be reborn. Sro and Kluck then discovered a strange runic circle, which they discovered as what was binding Mentztonalcoatl to the cave. Mentztonalcoatl revealed that the fake cultists were of the Wold order, and that their greatest mages placed the seal. The Wold order was hoping to use his presence as a way to test adventurers as dragon slayers. The party interrogated the remaining Cultists, discovering that each had a sigil that allowed them to pass through the traps unharmed. The great dragon then showed them the false hoard that the Wold order set up and said it was for the party's taking. Hugo managed to take away from it a fair amount of gold and a strange gold locket. While they rested, in the night Volrac snuck away from the party and killed the fake cultist.

In the morning the party was hoping for a miracle as they placed their blessings onto Linden who was attempting to dispel the magic seal. After holding their breath,s miraculously the seal was broken and Mentztonalcoatl was freed. As the party left though, they confronted Sro on his true nature. Sro then revealed that his true form was that of a great Silver Dragon, ferrying the party back to town on his back.

This was not it for Hugo though. The Wold order had sent innocent adventurers to die at the Fiery Gates, and who knows how many lives had been lost before due to their tests. he could feel his crossbow crackle in his grip. Revenge for those that were lost needed to be fulfilled. Hugo knew that when he found that slimy contact of the Wold order who set him and many adventurers like him on these missions, that the man would quickly find a crossbow bolt in between the eyes. For as Sro would always say, it is the Law of Consequences.

For we all burn in the end.

Flame III

It had been a long month since Hugo's encounter with Sro at the Fiery Gates and things had grown quite. Sro had taken flight once more and those he fought with in the depths of those forsaken caverns had all gone their sperate ways, leaving only Hugo to remain. But Hugo was not content to wait. He beheld the Silver Greatwyrm in all of its glory, and Hugo realized how powerless he really was. At night Hugo would sit and watch as embers flared in the deep crevices along the wooden and steel frame of the crossbow he pulled from the fire and found it harder to resist putting on the mask. At night all he would hear are the screams of those he burned in the fire.

When word got around of a Gold Dragon attacking Muso, it got Hugo's interest. Sro spoke of the war between the Chromatic and Metallic dragons, and that the Metallic dragons were supposed to be the good ones. Nothing made Hugo's blood boil more then a monster putting on the face of something good. Beings of malice are evil by nature, be them man or beast, and while Hugo will put them down, he cannot be mad at their nature. But when a being chooses evil over good, Hugo will make sure their death is painful and slow.

The mayor of Muso was a bumbling idiot, suspenders, top hat, and all. An answers that could be received from that man were sparse. Then there it was, the roar. A roar that shook the earth and turned water to steam. Circling overhead was a dragon of crimson scale and fiery blood, large wings casting a shadow over the poor town, still in the process of rebuilding. The records called him Flame, the bounty called him eight thousand gold, the people called him death. Hugo dashed out of the town hall to find cover from the dragon as well as a good spot to aim. As he prepared his crossbow, he watched as Flame let loose a torrent of fire upon the buildings. In this moment of dire need, Hugo wasn't the only one to draw his weapons. From inside the greenhouse came a elven man with a pale demeanor and an owl made of bone named Nockdus. From the highest building ion town from the rooftops flew a small Owlin Alchemist named Ona who used her glass monkey homunculus to make quick work of the fire burning down the greenhouse. And from the far end of town, exiting the blacksmith's was a tall brass dragonborn artificer named Clank, coated in heavy armor and whirring trinkets, and holding a large metal projectile weapon. After the battle Clank would inform Hugo that this was what Clank called a shotgun. But strangers from out of town arrived as well. Bursting through the gates as a young disheveled elf with black robes over a frail stature named Reylendor Aspenmorrow as well as a Red Dragonborn Ranger riding a donkey by the name of Oxan Lighkeeper.

Hugo griped his crossbow preparing for the first shot, but as he focused, the whispers of the crossbow, the warmth it gave off faded, only to be replaced by something else. The world almost seemed to slow down. The world turned colorless and morose and it almost seemed as if the shadows from every object grew toward Hugo. That is when they spoke to him. From the shadows the silhouette of them formed. Large feathered wings stretched outward behind a towering figure crowned with horns that formed the shape of a strange halo. The only point of color Hugo could make out in the silhouette was two points of pointed light for where the being's eyes would be. They stared past Hugo's mortal form and into his soul. They offered Hugo a trade, power, for his mortal soul. Hugo pondered it for a second, and as it thought he once again felt the warmth from his crossbow, encouraging him to take this leap of faith. Whoever this being would take him after death is better then where he would be going elsewise. For all those he killed he knows he would burn for his crimes to, no matter how much they deserved it. The choice was easy. With a quick few flicks of his wrist his name was signed in her necrotic ledger as two bolts of shadow and flame let loose from his crossbow.

They hit their mark as Flame roared to the heavens. Flame too was very much aware of that same very being and cursed its name. The battle continued fiercely with those working to both slay the dragon and to evacuate the people. But for a moment in the battle, something else caught Hugo's eye. The strange priest who had stubbled into town now walked with a strange confidence while the shadows stretched out to their form. Reylendor soon gained back their awareness though, but Hugo could tell that he was not the only one the shadows were interested in today. During the battle, Flame addressed one of Hugo's party, the dragonborn ranger Oxan. It used a line Hugo was deploy familiar with. We all burn in the end.

As the battled continued the adventurers continued to make sure as much of the town survived as possible, loading people in to carts and escorting them out of town. But as the battle continued Hugo watched as it seemed that Flame was beginning to act more cautious. But quickly that caution in its eyes turned to fear. Hugo thought back to a tail told by one Markoth Dawnborn, a paladin of celestial birth, who he had traveled with on his way to the Fiery Gates. During those travels, Markoth spoke about his own encounter with a dragon. A dragon of black scales like night who spewed a vile filth that could melt flesh from bone. Markoth and those he fought with were close to their victory, only for it to be cut short as before the final blow could be made, the dragon flapped its mighty wings and took flight, far from where Markoth or his allies could reach. Hugo watched as the fear grew in Flame's eyes and knew what was about to happen.

Calling out to his allies he warned them about the dragon's impending retreat and all attempted to either retrain the beast or to drop it to the ground. Even a hastily put together launched cannon couldn't do the trick. So Hugo went back into that space, to meet the silhouette, and put his crossbow in its hands. Two shots rang true and the last of the fire burning within the dragon was extinguished. At least, that is what it seemed. As the fire in its heart burnt away, it was quickly replaced by one of purple flame, seemingly a gift from the shadows. Curiously, it seemed the being which Hugo struck a deal with played both sides of this war. The adventurers had one shot left, from the fledgling ranger Oxan. Using an arrow modified with light by the great tinkerer Clank, Oxan's arrow was able to sunder this fell beast for good and with a crash that shook Quelmar the body of Flame hit the earth. Hugo made sure that the last ting that Flame saw before its soul left to join the collection of the same being who would have Hugo's soul in the future, was the mask of the crow, where in its dark reflective eyes was nothing but raging fire. Whispering into its ear, "We all burn in the end."

It was time to collect the spoils of war. As the party prepared to harvest the corpse of the great dragon, from the ether came an old friend of Hugo's, a charming Eladrin Bard known as Tristram Caniedydd. Then with Oxan leading the harvest the party was successfully able to harvest a great deal of resources from the dragon's corpse. As the party worked on the harvest, Reylendor was successful in casting a Speak with Dead spell on the head of the Crimson Terror. The answers the party got to their questions were, interesting to say the least...

Flame was resistant to questioning, even under the effects of a Zone of Truth, preventing the party from reaching any common ground with the dragon and from discerning where the dragon's lair may be. When questioned about why he was attacking towns that were previously raided, he responded that it was to "finish the job." When questioned about the Gold Dragon that attacked Muso, he responded with "she embraced the darkness finally." Then finally when questioned in regard to what the dragon's true name was, Flame responded saying he "wasn't done with it."

Things soon grew quiet once again in Muso, and much like before, those he fought with went their separate ways, leaving Hugo as the last remaining dragon slayer in Muso. He sent a message to an ally of his, Linden Rue, regarding the information that they had learned from Flame in order for her to then pass that information off to Sro. As he pondered his place in the works of the Greedy Green, he understood that things might not have been what they were like before, as this time he wasn't alone. he would watch as the shadows would twist and turn in the setting sun, long fingers reaching out around his person. even if it was just for a second, he could swear he caught a flash of purple eyes in the dark. With that flash though, he received a message. "One does not simply put their fate in Death's hands without something in return. You owe me one more soul." He then had their name pictured in his mind, Silent.

It was time to get some more information regarding this entity known as Silent. After some inquiry, he was eventually led to a Topaz Dragonborn known as Delphi who was responsible for establishing a number o alters through the Greedy Green. From her Hugo learned much, how Delphi freed Silent from Yggwilv's Hut, Silent's nature as an arbiter of death, and Silent's desire for more followers. Though Delphi has little to say on why Silent would desire the soul of Flame or what the nature of the dragon's deal may have been.

Hugo soon returned to the small town of Muso. Hugo has known what his purpose has been for a long time, to purge this world of those who would seek dominion over others for their own gain. In the eyes of death all were equal. Hugo may not necessarily attribute to worship, but he sees that the goals of Silent and his may align for now, and from that many things may be achieved. In Muso he worked to convert the town to the worship of Silent, spouting rhetoric regarding the failures of their gods to stop the Dragons and the success of Silent's interference, all in a show of loyalty to the death arbiter. Hugo realizes that while he had purpose his scope was limited, that one cannot make change one death at a time. He needed to emphasize,

"We all burn in the end."

For the first time in a long time Hugo slept without hearing the screams in the inferno.

Mothers V

After departing from Muso Hugo began to search for some quick jobs to bide his time while preparing for the next steps of his mission. This led him to a Protectors of the People waystation. To his knowledge a hideout of their had recently been hit and now the guild were moving their supplies to a number of other bases around the area. A few of these caravans were open to hiring Hugo for protection as recently there had been a string of robberies along the road. After his most recent gig, he was resting at the waystation when a man of strange flamboyant dress made his way into the building. In a boisterous voice the man declared his name was Gideon and that he was looking for his eggs. This drew the attention of Hugo along with the attention of a few other individuals within the waystation, mainly a Yuan-Ti warrior named Elric, a large goliath cleric named Asger Snærr, a devout paladin named Amund Zen, and a Bugbear pumpkin merchant and Protectors of the People guild member named Drang. Gideon informed Hugo as well as these other individuals that the eggs that had recently been taken from the now deceased Thymor'ala the Black were of his loins and that he would like them to be returned to him. Gideon made a deal with Drang that if Drang and the Protectors of the People returned to him his eggs, that he would assist in stopping the bandit raids as well as assist in investigating a recent incident regarding giant moths.

Gideon led Hugo and his new companions into the forest where they met up with Kihlek Vaess, a Kobold ranger, and a woman from the hometown of an individual named Gregory who was associated with some of the recent attacks. While the woman returned home Kihleck joined the adventurer as they continued into the forest. Gideon led Hugo and the others to a small clearing where they could see a small campsite as well as a gathering of individuals chanting in a circle who were flanked by two Stone Giants. Hugo joined Kihlek as they stealthed to the other side of the camp while the rest of the party remained where they were in hiding. From what Hugo and the others could hear, the chanting revolved around some being known as the The Shadow Lord.

When the signal was given to move in, Hugo was the first to strike. Channeling the power from inside his crossbow, the burning fire, he let of a shot right into the first giant. Elric was quick to follow, using a mighty smite on the second giant as Hugo's other allies began to clean up the remaining individuals. But even as they were being cut down the strangers continued to chant as a fissure opened up in the earth between them. Kihlek was also able to identify one of the strangers as Gregory who had disappeared days prior. With a few more attacks the Giants and most of the strangers were felled, but as each one died, a large hand of shadow would rise from the fissure to drag down their body. Seeing that the fight was a loss, Gregory and another cultist cast some form of shadowy invisibility and disappeared. During this time Hugo attempted to investigate their campsite only for a fissure to appear under the tent, almost dragging Hugo in. The first fissure as well continued to grow, releasing a giant made of strange shadow. The fight continued on as Kihlek was able to locate the fleeing Gregory, dispelling his invisibility. It set Hugo up with the perfect shot, as the you man attempted to flee across the stream. Kihlek looked at Hugo and pleaded for Hugo o let Gregory live, but Hugo was far past giving mercy at this point. Gregory had been the one responsible for a number of unnecessary deaths up to this point and it was time for the fire to take him. A quick bolt through the neck made Gregory collapse into the creek. With magical help from Gideon, Hugo's other allies were then able to fell the monstrous giant. As the giant's form dissolved, the fissures sealed into plots of barren earth.

Hugo would learn that Gregory had indeed survived his attack, if it had been just barely as they were stabilized by Kihlek. As the adventurer's recovered, Drang discovered that a large stash of materials had survived in the campsite along with a number of strange notes. During this time, Gideon made his leave with the party, returning to the waystation to wait for the return of his eggs. Drang made an offer to to any who would join him of joining the Protectors of the People, a guild of warriors and heroes who would defend the people and then build them back up through their charity works.