You were once entrusted with recording the truth - but learned quickly that truth is flexible in the halls of power. As a royal historian, archivist, or propagandist, your role was not just to preserve history, but to shape it. Whether you rewrote records to flatter rulers, buried inconvenient facts, or fabricated entire lineages, you became adept at blending fact with fiction.
Now, you carry a dangerous skillset: you know what really happened - and how easily others can be made to believe otherwise.
- Skill Proficiencies:
- History
- Deception
- Tool Proficiencies:
- Calligrapher’s supplies
- Forgery kit
- Languages: Two of your choice
- Equipment:
- A set of fine clothes
- Calligrapher’s supplies
- A small archive of notes (real or falsified historical accounts)
- A signet ring or seal from a former patron (real or forged)
- A pouch containing 15 gp
You can leverage your knowledge of history - and your skill at twisting it - to influence how others perceive events.
In any settlement with records, libraries, or oral traditions, you can:
- Identify inconsistencies or gaps in widely accepted history
- Pass off altered or fabricated historical details as truth (at DM discretion)
- Secure an audience with scholars, officials, or nobles by presenting yourself as a legitimate authority
People rarely question you unless given strong reason to doubt, though your claims may unravel under scrutiny or investigation.
Suggested Characteristics
Personality Traits
- I casually mix lies into conversations to see who notices.
- I quote historical “facts” that may or may not exist.
- I am meticulous in speech and presentation.
- I enjoy correcting others—even when I’m wrong.
- I treat every story as something to be edited.
- I speak as though everything I say will be recorded.
Ideals
- Truth. History should be preserved, not twisted. (Lawful)
- Control. Whoever shapes the past controls the future. (Evil)
- Legacy. I want my version of events to endure. (Neutral)
- Freedom. No one should control knowledge. (Chaotic)
- Power. Information is the greatest weapon. (Evil)
- Redemption. I will correct the lies I once spread. (Good)
Bonds
- I falsified a record that ruined someone’s life.
- I possess a document that could topple a ruler.
- My former patron wants me silenced.
- I seek the true version of a story I once altered.
- My work is hidden in archives across the land.
- Someone knows my greatest lie.
Flaws
- I lie even when the truth would be easier.
- I believe I can outwit anyone.
- I struggle to remember what’s real anymore.
- I underestimate those without formal education.
- I panic when my authority is questioned.
- I keep secrets that put others in danger.
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