| 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, Draconic, Elvish, Primordial, Thieves' Cant, Wiki
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.
Hugo Clarion's Soul Scape
Hugo's Soul Scape reflects the horrors and ash of the town he once burned of name now forgot. Within the holms remain the blackened charred bodies of those innocents screaming. In the center of town hangs the bodies of Hugo's family, wreathed in fire. Little of Hugo's Soul Scape has yet to be explored, though it is notably currently inhabited by Hugo Prime who has discovered a way to jump Soul Scapes. At this moment Feyjin Eldarhearth has been the only individual to enter Hugo's Soul Scape.
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."
The Interrogation of the Crimson Terror
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."
Following the Trail of Silent
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. This is an offer that Hugo as well as Asger would take Drang up on.
Joining the Protectors of the People
Drang brought Hugo, Asger, and Kihlek back to the base with the supplies and Gregory in tow. From there Hugo was given the greenlight to do his work. Hugo has had to do some things he has not been proud of in the past, but all it meant in the end was that he was wiling to get his hands dirty when the doing needed done. Hugo removed his heavy purple coat and left his crossbow on the table before unwrapping a well cared for assortment of small tools and knives. Thankfully Gregory was open enough that in the end they were not needed. Gregory told Hugo and the others that he served the Shadow Lord, a evil being in the Shadowfell that traded souls for power. He was a member of the Coven of Mother Love, Mother Joy, and Mother Peace, hags in service to the Shadow lord. Along with that he drew Hugo a map of each of the Coven's secret hideouts. This was where the debate of what to do with Gregory began. Kihlek wished to return the cultist to his village to let them bring upon him their own justice, but Hugo could not wretch it from his mind that either the hags would get to him first or by the Gods Gregory's village may show him mercy. Thankfully for Hugo the debate was cut short as Drang bisected Gregory down the middle with his greatsword.
From here Hugo was invited to a meeting with the Protectors of the People. Here he was asked to summarize what occurred in regard to the attack on Muso by the dragon Flame, the rumors revolving around the Gold Dragon that had also attack Muso who may have been the former guild master of the PtoP Brenna, and to relay all of what he had learned in his interrogation with Gregory. Hugo would learn that he had been invited to the PtoP in a time of great change for the guild and it was during this time that it was requested of him to take up the newly formed position of The Claw based off his recent work with Gregory. It was his job to take up the "wet work" for the guild and to do the dirty work of the PtoP that other members maybe couldn't be seen doing.
Working as the Claw
Hugo took little time to rest in his new position before proposing a joint operation between the Claw and the Tail, which was currently being led by Reylendor Aspenmorrow. The mission would be to investigate the three missing eggs of Thymor'ala the Black. Based of the letters that were discovered in the possession of Gregory it would seem that the Coven of the Shadow Lord had interest in using such eggs for nefarious purpose. Their first lead led them to Tristram Caniedydd who they had been told had smuggled his egg into the Feywild. But after a long questioning, Hugo and Reylendor were unable to acquire any actionable information without resorting to more violent means of which they did not have the council's approval to undertake. Next tHugo and Reylendor moved onto question Linden Rue about the egg that was rumored to be in her possession. Under the pretense of a game of Dragonchess, Hugo and Linden reminisced about their adventure in the Fiery Gates. But things turned tense as the questioning moved towards the eggs and after Reylendor cast a Zone of Truth. Linden felt offended that they would dress what she thought was kindness under interrogation and left, but not before directing Hugo and Reylendor to Pum, who linden said had the only dragon egg to her knowledge. Hugo and Reylendor then began the search for Pum who they have been unable to locate.
It was soon after this that Hugo's new friend Asger Snærr who was now the leader of the Scale in the PtoP brought something of great interest back to the secret hideout along with a new job for Hugo. This was to interrogate the head of the former PtoP guildmaster Brenna, who was revealed to have been the Gold Dragon Bazzniagalvinica who had been responsible for a number of recent dragon attacks. Asger informed Hugo that he along with a group of other adventurers had encountered Bazzniagalvinica while investigating a strange dungeon along with discovering her egg which they believed was soon to hatch. After attempts at peace talks failed they were forced to slay Bazzniagalvinica. After she was slain though Asger told Hugo that a group of strange Warforged who claimed to be the Disciples of Sardior used strange time magic to preserve the egg before taking it for themselves. They claimed that their plan was to use the egg to revive the long dead Topaz Dragon.
With this information Hugo set the scene, taking off his heavy purple cloak, laying down crossbow while leaving on the nice white dress shirt and vest underneath as well as his black leather crow mask. The interrogation room was set up at a PtoP satellite site as Clank who Hugo had worked with to slay Flame and now who was also responsible for helping to slay Bazzniagalvinica wished to be present for the questioning. Once the Speak with Dead spell was cast, Hugo began his work. Hugo lied to the head about the current whereabouts of her egg, telling the deceased dragon that the egg had hatched and was now in his possession. he threatened Bazzniagalvinica that if they refused to cooperate that he would harm the poor wyrmling.
Hugo's first question pertained to why Bazzniagalvinica had left the PtoP and began to attack towns. In their response, Bazzniagalvinica began to wax poetic about how some may suffer to save the whole, and that she needed to purge the weak to save the lives of the rest of the world before the arrival of the One Who Waits. On some level, Hugo was able to understand her logic, on how sacrifice, lesser evils, were necessary for the greater good. From there Hugo moved his questioning onto the Disciples of Sardior and what their mission was. Bazzniagalvinica explained that the Disciples are a group of Warforged with an ancient connection to the Gem Dragons and that their goal was to help bring about the return of Gem Dragon God Sardior. She then explains that the Topaz dragon, Tuschallo, died 1,000 years ago. Bazzniagalvinica stated that without a Topaz Dragon,they would be unable to summon Sardior and that the Obsidian Dragon, who is the true identity behind the One Who Waits and the Shadow Lord, would destroy everything without the Gem Dragon god to stop it.
Hugo then pushes to inquire more about the Obsidian Dragon as well as the other Gem Dragons. Bazzniagalvinica explains that the Court of Sardior was broken generations ago and the Gem Dragons were scattered across Quelmar. She said she only recently became aware of the Crystal Dragon, Eros, and the Sapphire Dragon, Bleucorundum and that she only knew of Tuschello because he was an ancestor of hers. She then provides what she knows regarding the Emerald and Amethyst Dragons. The Emerald Dragon, The Hedonist, left to find a place of ultimate pleasure and was never seen again and the Amethest Dragon, The Scholar, left to find the place of ultimate knowledge and still walked the lands of man. Bazzniagalvinica then further explains that the Obsidian Dragon, The Betrayer, lived in a land of pain and shadow biding his time until Quelmar was at its weakest.
Next Hugo then inquires about the new player in the field, Gideon and what Bazzniagalvinica knew of him. Turned out Gideon had mated with many dragons even beyond Thymor'ala the Black, including Bazzniagalvinica herself. Bazzniagalvinica said that while Gideon may have been charming and self-centered, he was always a man of peace. She then requests Hugo to give her child to Gideon as she believes he would be the best father for her wyrmling. Hugo then finishes the questioning by asking how the Obsidian Dragon possibly related to the recent Dragon attacks and Bazzniagalvinica responds that the Chromatic Dragon attacks were just the byproduct of the Obsidian Dragon's building chaos. She had attempted to abate this chaos as Brenna, but when Bleucorundum asked her for her egg, she knew she had to take desperate measures to stop the return of the Obsidian Dragon.
A Pact Forged in Fire
Afterwards Hugo had time to ponder about the new threat growing in Quelmar. Even if it wasn't by direct action the Obsidian Dragon was behind much of the pain and suffering throughout Isonhound, and that by stopping it in its tracks, he could help build a better world. He knew he needed to take the next step if he wanted to make this change. If he was to bring others into the light, so be it if he must make the sacrifice of stepping into the dark. It was all for the greater good. He called out to the force that was Silent. All the lights dimmed as the shadows grew on the wall before peeling away to reveal a pale figure with dark horns and black feathered wings. He made of her an offer, the forging of a new pact in return for his eternal servitude and worship. For a long time Hugo had considered the fire he wielded, the force within the crossbow. From what he has been able to discern is that this fire and will wasn't of some demon, god, or extra planer being, at least to his knowledge. Hugo believed that what it was was a force all unto itself, will personified, a promise of retribution against those who have caused harm to others. A promise that no man can ever stand above another and claim he is superior because of that fact. That is because in the end we all fall to the fire. Hugo sees that if he were to seal a new pact with Silent, that those two forces would not have to be exclusory and that in fact they shared a lot of similarities. Because in death as well, all are equal. To Silent, this was agreeable. Hugo removed his mask and summoned his crossbow. With Silent's presence he reached out to the crossbow and from the cracks in its frame drew out the tongues of fire until it sat within the palm of his hand, leaving the crossbow an empty smoldering husk. Taking the fire in his grasp, feeling the flames lick against his burn scares, warm but not burning, he handed it to Silent. Taking it into their skeletal hand, Silent molded it, changing it from a fiery red into a searing white. Hugo felt as the light grew so did the shadows as the wrapped around his feet before crawling up his frame embracing him in a strange darkness. "The it is sealed." With those final words Silent returned the fire into Hugo's hands where it then leapt into the shell of the crossbow, bringing new life to its frame. As Hugo looked up from his weapon, he watched as Silent's wings outstretched before closing in around their frame, the Arbiter of Death disappearing in the wind their wings created.
Now it was time to go to work as the Claw. From the batch of new Protectors of the People recruits, Hugo handpicked four. Four individuals who he knew would be loyal above al else and would be willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. First, he chose Melkin, an older Half-Elf arcane fighter trying to make up for the sins of his past. Next Hugo chose Drugar, a young Dwarven barbarian pit fighter who wished to give back to his community. Then Hugo chose Sizzle, strange Kenku rogue who wished to take down the establishment. Finally Hugo selected a Eladia, a Triton Cleric of Twilight of former nobility who escaped the oppression of her underwater kingdom and family. With his new allies, Hugo began to hit up locations listed on the map provided to him by Gregory of all of the Hags' lairs across Isonhound. Hugo would make sure they paid for all of their crimes against the people of the land, because
"We all burn in the end."
Mothers VI
At this time Hugo and the rest of The Claw had been well underway in investigating the number of potential hag lairs, but were only able to turn up a number of satellite sites. The cultists and warlocks of the covens at those sites were eliminated but were unable to give any information beyond what Hugo and the rest of the Protectors of the People had already learned from Gregory. When each of the cultists uses ran out, they were quickly eliminated. But each emptied lair meant they were one step closer to eliminating the Coven of the Shadow Lord along with Mother Love, Mother Joy, and Mother Peace. The situation grew even more dire as children all over Isonhound were falling into strange comatose states when they consumed the hags' candy. Research into this revealed that their souls had been taken and were being held at another location. Things continued with Hugo raiding the sites on the map until new information came down the grapevine, the hags had all separated to places across Isonhound and their primary lair had been determined. The movement to take down the hags was spearheaded by Gideon, who with the direness of the situation revealed himself as a Brass Dragon. He assisted in organizing teams of adventurers to locate and exterminate each hag. While three teams were made to go after the hags, a fourth was made to clear out their lair, and to hopefully find how to free the souls of the comatose children. Hugo volunteered to join the team going to the lair as he had some of the most experience clearing out their lairs.
The team consisted of Reylendor Aspenmorrow and Kihlek Vaess who Hugo had experience adventuring with before along with some new faces. There was Harold, a Loxodon sea captain, Spinel, a Shifter warrior, and Thuchor, a large Giff rogue. Gideon transformed into his draconic form, and using a longboat transported Hugo and the rest of the party deep into the swamp to where the lair had been located. After setting everyone down Gideon quickly flew off to check on the rest of the adventurers. The party quickly spread out and slowly began to move through the swamp until something was discovered under the muck and underbrush, a corpse. Upon casting speak with dead on the corpse, it revealed itself to be named Daniel and that they had been a school teacher. A strange old woman had come to his school and charmed the children, making them disappear. When he tracked her into the swamp, he was killed be a "beast of fire". After burying the body, the party continued on, only to their horror, discovering a mass amount of more corpses within the swamps along with a series of floating lights that giggled in the voice of a child.
As Hugo and the others continued on, they could make out what appeared to be the silhouettes of what appeared to be small wooden huts in the distance. But before they would go any further, a shape rose from the earth. A creature with a large pumpkin at the center of its plant like body with a number of other stalks with smaller pumpkins at the ends of them, it was a Pumpkin Beholder. The battle against the beast was fierce. Blasts shot from its pumpkin stalks charmed one into believing they were an animal and its its blasts connected with the ground, its could raise the corpses to fight on its behalf. After getting a strong shot off against the creature, Hugo got hit by one of the beams and for a time believed he was a bear. But soon he was able to shake himself of the affliction and the Pumpkin Beholder was slain.
Upon its demise, all of the strange lights faded away as the souls of the lost children were permitted to return to their original bodies. Upon investigating the huts, Hugo and the other adventurers discovered an assortment of loot and valuable items, including a concoction known as Granny Wax which could turn a normal broom into a magical flying broom. After the place was thoroughly emptied of any useful items, Hugo made sure to torch the huts to make sure there was nowhere for the hags to go home to if they managed to escape their executioners. Hugo was sure that wouldn't be the case though, because
"We all burn in the end."
The Breach IV
Three left, only one was to return. Asger Snærr, Markoth Dawnborn, and Drang had all been called unto a mission to slay a horrid green dragon. All three knew the risks. All three knew they may not return. The members of the PotP found Drang's broken half alive body in front of the doors to the base, alone, the rest taken by the void. New guildmembers Feyjin and Reylendor Aspenmorrow brought Drang to surgery as Hugo could only stand there in shock.
"Silent, is there anything you can do for them?" "I'm sorry, but they are out of my reach." Strike 1
Hugo could feel it. All of it. His mind slipping into the fire as the world around him fractured into a million pieces. This world he lived in no matter how much he fought would just take and take. It took his family of blood, and now it was slowly but surely taking his family found.
"We all burn in the end."
When Drang was alone in the makeshift operating room that had been constructed, Hugo slipped in when no one was watching. He looked upon the broken and frail body of a friend he couldn't bear to lose. The one whose kindness had served as a foundation for Hugo hoped to become, the foundation for this guild he had found in new purpose. That kindness who had their body beaten and broken in a world incomprehensible in pain. Quietly Hugo sat down to his dear friend and began to speak, tears peaking out from underneath the mask.
"Drang, I feel like I am standing at the edge of a cliff, and what I am standing over, its bottomless. I stared into the abyss like so many others have done so before me, but I blinked. If they are really gone, if they don't come back, I don't know what can stop me from falling into the depths below. Drang I need you to promise me. If I fall, I need you to catch me. And if that fails. I need you to promise you will kill me before I hit the ground." “Remembered as good people, all anyone can ask for. I would do the sames for you”
In the days following, Reylendor was successfully able to get a Sending out into the Shadowfell. The results were, disheartening, and proved that there was no bringing them back. Strike 2
Hugo needed to get his mind off of what had been going on at the base and decided to take a trip far out across Isonhound. This would eventually lead him to the guildhall of the Order of the Watchful Eye. Here Hugo would fall in with a group of adventurers including his fellow worshiper in Silent, Delphi. The adventures were shown a contraption quiet interesting, a combination of Aerocyrstal, Fellstone, and Wovenstone which could grant a structure weightlessness. Here gears began to turn in Hugo's mind. After this demonstration the adventurers were sent on a mission to investigate strange activity at a mine in the Northern Snowy Mountains. Here Hugo beheld the rift. A break in the material into a land of shadow and darkness from which death reeked. Somewhere, on the other side, Hugo knew, they were there. Asger and Markoth, lost, scarred broken. But he knew it was hopeless. Against the pleadings of Delphi and some of his fellow adventurers Hugo was the one to flick the switch to collapse the mine and seal the rift.
Hugo would bring the designs for the contraption he learned of to his fellow guildmember Pot'tu Kobb. He was quickly met with a strong and harsh rebuking for meddling with stones from across the planes. Hugo tried to convince them of the great possibilities of the stones and what they could be used to do, about how many lives could be saved and about how much wrongs they could right. But they didn't understand, they just couldn't, wouldn't understand. Strike 3
The sound of someone breaking. Its quiet. Alone in utter silence. behind cold dead eyes no ne sees anything different on the outside, yet the world behind the mask they call their face has shattered into a million pieces. Everything that held Hugo back in the past had finally fallen to the wayside. He was free.
Hugo's actions over the next weeks concerned his fellow guildmates. Be this he brutal maiming of a supposed intruder, his violent tests for a potential new guildmember, or the fact that he no longer removed his crow mask. The straw that finally broke the camels back came one cold starless night when a guildmember accidentally wandered into Hugo's quarters. They saw two things. Hugo was sleeping with the mask on, and they say what Hugo was working on in his room. That guildmember was only able to tell people about the mask before Hugo eventually got to them, and made sure that they wouldn't be able to explain what else they saw. This was when the PotP finally stepped in an told Hugo that he had gone to far.
Funnily enough to Hugo, the council thought he was possessed by some evil force. They thought that the Hugo they knew would never be doing what he was now, that the real Hugo was still in there somewhere. They were wrong, but Hugo played along, at least on the surface. Behind the curtains though Hugo made sure to prepare the other members of the Claw for action. As The Claw himself, it was Hugo's duty to be prepared for any possibility, and potential threat. What Hugo did not tell his compatriots in arms though was that he had plans to stall and or eliminate each of them if they were to ever get in his way.
The ritual was called a Soul Exposure, and the purpose was to open a way into Hugo's Soul Scape in order to "expel" whatever being they believed had begun to inhabit his spirit. Reylendor was far off from the base and so operated through their lieutenant, Quill. As soon as the ritual began, the members of the Claw took action in order to draw as many of the PotP members away from Hugo as possible. Sizzle absconded with Drang's pumpkin cart, drawing him into a chase beyond the walls of the guildhall. Melkin and Drugar entered into the room of the ritual and quickly knocked Quill unconscious, which trapped Feyjin Eldarhearth inside Hugo's Soul Scape mid Soul Exposure as Quill was the one holding the incision open. Then finally Eladia cast Sending to Reylendor who was trying to rush back to the guildhall, and in hopes of stalling them by awakening their other half, recited the Prayer to Att-Annalo.
As soon as the ritual was ended, Hugo could once again move about the guild. Quickly he made his way into his quarters and began to pack or burn all of the documents and materials he had collected over the recent months to prevent the PotP from learning what he was up to. Sadly though, Sizzle didn't make it to far from the base, and after Drang ripped his head off, the bugbear made his way back to the guildhall and found Hugo in his quarters.
Hugo has two faces to him. The face he puts on showing his true ruthlessness and utter desire for vengeance, and the face he pts on when he is with those he considers true friends, family. When Drang entered Hugo's quarters, hands bloody and eyes filled with rage, all Hugo could do was give a warm smile, the smile you give a loved one you haven't seen in quite some time. There was no shouting, no angry vitriolic words spat from his mouth other then the kind soft words, "Hello Drang." It was here that you could clearly looked behind the yes of Hugo to see that fractured psyche that remained. Hugo couldn't help but cry.
"What are your intentions Hugo?"
As Hugo continued to pack away and burn, ”What it has always been. Same as yours, same as Feyjin, same as Reylendor. I just couldn’t take upon this mission in the same way anymore after what happened to Asger and Markoth. Drang do you remember your promise to me?”
Drang is upon Hugo in a second and grabs him b y his coat, lifting the warlock into the air. “Considers this catchings you.”
Hugo is full on weeping. “Drang that moment has passed. It’s to late for me. I am to far gone. If I keep going I don't know what I will do. Drang, not all of us come out of the darkness. I’m sorry.”
Drang pulls Hugo into a crushing bear hug. “I forgives you, call of your men, let go of Feyjin, I forgives you.”
”I don’t know if I am capable of forgiving the world though Drang.”
“If I cans come back from what’s I was, so cans you. Let me catch’s you, unless you truly thinks there’s no coming back.”
”We are not all as strong as you Drang.”
Drang's grip changed to the back of Hugo's neck. Stifling a sob, “But you could have been, your were a good man Hugo Clarion. Find peace my friend.”
Just before it is about to occur Hugo slips on a leather glove. “This isn’t goodbye forever Drang. For who is to come, please help him, teach him, be there for him. Don’t let him turn into who I was. Sooner or later though you will need me again. This version of me. Someone who can do what needs to be done when the day comes. I am going to give you the key. Goodbye friend.”
Drang feels the palm of the leather glove on the back of his neck and then a searing burning pain as Hugo brands him with a symbol from his glove before
Snap!"
"We all burn in the end."
The Northern Snowy Mountains
Upon Hugo's death, Feyjin Eldarhearth was able to free herself from his Soul Scape and cast revivify on his freshly deceased corpse. The identity which can be referred to as Hugo Prime was no longer in control it seemed though. In its place was one now deemed to be Hugo 2.0. It was discovered that Hugo 2.0 held none of Hugo Prime's original memories and was a complete blank slate. After the council interogated the remaining members of the Claw, they discovered a book which Hugo Prime had written which was a detailed account of all of Hugo's memories and thoughts, which was given to Hugo 2.0.
Hugo 2.0 began to operate in Hugo Prime's stead, taking over as The Claw. In this position he formed new bonds with his fellow guildmates, and even went on an excurion to the Northern Snowy Mountains on an airship, an expedition that quickly turned south as soon as he and his fellow compatriots were set upon by a Yeti, a Frost Salamander, and many Ice Mephits. Though during this excursion Hugo helped to save the life of Ensign, a member of The Band of the Iron Hawk which he used as a conversation starter with Vadath regarding a discovery of much concern. Conversations were then held behind closed doors.
In addition Hugo has participated in a number of more Soul Excursions, most notably into the souls of Feyjin Eldarhearth and
