Before you became an adventurer, your life revolved around rigorous training in service of the Ebon Blade, a sentient shadow blade which has amassed power and followers, and spends it’s power and the blood of it’s followers on avenging deaths of the innocent. As a fully trained, “Shadow” you have spent years in intensive training, and have apprenticed as a Shadowcast under the tutelage of your mentor Shadow for a period of years.
What some would call murder, you call justice, as the Ebon Blade can see to the heart of the truth as to guilt and innocence, or at least you believe you can.
You may have served as a Shadow (actually fulfilling the justice), a Shade (seeking the truth of whom the guilty party is, and where the Shadow will fall across the guilty party), or an Umbra (providing support and safe holds for both Shade and Shadow alike).
As a member of an adventuring party, you may find it difficult to keep the Ebon Blade’s purposes and designs hidden from party members, but on the other hand, few would expect a Shadow, Shade, or Umbra to be traveling with random adventurers, so you can hide in their shadow as it were.
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Deception, Insight, Persuasion, and Stealth
- Tool Proficiencies: Choose two from among one type of gaming set, one musical instrument, and thieves’ tools
- Languages: One of your choice
- Equipment: A set of clothes appropriate to your duties, a writ of authority (listing you as in the service of the Ebon Blade), and a pouch containing 20 gp
You are in frequent contact with people in the segment of society that your chosen quarries move through. These people may be members of criminal enterprises, ruffians, simple townsfolk, or members of high society. This connection comes in the form of a contact in any city or major town you visit, a person with the Ebon Blade, or a sympathizer, who can provide information about the people and places of the local area.
Suggested Characteristics
It is a tough job to be a Shadow, both physically and psychologically, this has a deep impact on the character.
| d3 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong |
| 2 | I am always deadly calm, no matter what the situation, I never voice or let my emotions control me |
| 3 | The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of every entrance and exit, and plan for a quick get away. |