Multiattack. Hyperbole makes three fingerstrike attacks or one fingerstrike and one fingerpoke of damnation attack.
Fingerstrike. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d2 + 5) piercing damage.
Fingerpoke of Damnation. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft. one creature. Hit: 1 fire damage, and the target must succeed at a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be incapable of making more than one attack during its next turn.
Disgusting Display. Hyperbole uses the thaumaturgy cantrip to harmlessly splash his flaming blood around, fill the first few rows of the audience with infernal echoing laughter, or turn slowly in place while staring at his opponent and the spectators with devilish glowing eyes.
Cowardly Maneuver. Hyperbole casts darkness with the look of a thick rolling cloud of smoke. He will usually then use his move action to walk behind his "surprised" opponent, then drop concentration at the end of his turn so the audience sees him poised to strike... of course, in a typical match, the opponent goes next, and often turns the tables. In a real fight for his life, he will use this maneuver to run away without provoking an opportunity attack. Sometimes fans take the act too seriously and accost him in the street, and this is the best way to keep in character without hurting the people paying for tickets.
Ocular Autohaemorrhage. Can only be used while at or below half of his maximum hit point total. Twin streams of blood shoot from the inner corners of Hyperbole's eyes. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 10/20 ft., one target. Hit: 2 fire damage, and the target is splashed with enough of the blood to burn for 1 point of fire damage at the start of each of its turns until it or another creature uses a bonus action or action to extinguish the flames. If the attack misses, the blood burns itself up harmlessly but dramatically as soon as it hits the ground.
Infernal Dodge. When a creature ends its turn within 5 feet of Hyperbole, he can back away up to 15 ft. without provoking an opportunity attack. He leaves flaming footprints when he does this; they burn out at the beginning of his turn.
Description
"Prince" Hyperbole of Towertop is not a prince, not from Towertop, and of course he's not really named Hyperbole. There actually aren't any princes in Towertop; their local rulers are called Ran and the most senior of the Rans is the Graveran. Hyperbole, if asked about this, will have no idea what that is-- but he'll make something up on the spot.
Ikan Vorros is from one of the lesser Contentious Kingdoms on the Eastern Continent. In the mountain passes he was a bandit; he later graduated to be a con man in the lower-class taverns and gambling-houses of Salenath, before being forced to choose between relocation and a tortuous death. He made the obvious choice, leapt from a dock to a departing ship, threw a bag of coins at the first sailor he saw, and by the time he arrived in the passenger cabin he had a story ready to go. His vessel arrived in Crescendo a few weeks later, about three hours before the SY 648 Acromion Brawl was due to begin, and he was tapped to be one of the first-round "sacrifice newcomers," given access to a wardrobe and some of the attention of a slightly more experienced fighter to show him the ropes, and as the first fight of the night got going, he had already developed his character.
The Empire of Kolis has conquered several smaller polities over the last few hundred years. In the last century it has joined Salenath, Bin Shan, and Sarunag in the rush to colonize the Gray Isle once shifting ocean currents made it easier that small continent by ship. Some nations have thriving colonies, but Kolis has failed in two different places-- and one of those former colonies is now a powerful kingdom of its own, ruled by Tiefling warlocks who broke away from their role as imperial "Servants" en masse two generations ago. The empire sent two dragons and half of its navy to destroy the upstart s, and lost the entire punishment force thanks to divination magic and a little bit of hellfire. The official story is now that the Tieflings were driven out of Kolis for vague "corrupting practices," which is ridiculous given how much truck with devils the empire has on a daily basis... but that's what they say.
And that's a perfect setup for a Tiefling who's not from the rebel kingdom to adopt the clothing style, accent, and general attitude of those "filthy sulphurbloods," and get roundly defeated before the end of every major event after being just enough of a threat to make the audience worry. Prince Hyperbole embodies this role to the hilt, even in private; he has no friends, only management, but he's making a lot of money. He's focused his magic so that instead of a proper hellish rebuke, his blood simply burns when he bleeds... and the fire fire can be seen by the people in the cheap seats.
Virtually every single detail of his persona, from the styling of his boots to his accent to his "Tiefling" slang, is wrong in ways that anyone from the Gray Isle can spot easily. He doesn't care; he's never even met anyone from Towertop, and once he has enough money to leave, he's not going there, he's going back to Salenath, and he's adopting a third identity when he does. One that looks different enough from any wanted posters that might happen to still be up after so long...
The fans, especially the well-heeled Citizens and the aristocrats in attendance, love to hate Hyperbole. Many of them lost money on trade arrangements with the colony when it broke away, or at least their parents or grandparents did, and he gives them someone to blame for the failure of their imperialism. It doesn't bother him one whit; he counts his money and makes his plans, drinks the finest wine and eats the finest food, and is never short on company, as long as he's careful about where he goes to find it. And he'll be gone after this Brawl. Or the next one, surely. Or maybe the one after that...
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