Put This NPC In Your Game: Damien Toraan

Visiting the Grand Caverns in Virginia last week, as previously mentioned by Bridget, led to some pretty great ideas for gaming. One of them was when the tour guide turned off the lights in the cave to show us what true darkness was like. It was fascinating. You literally could not see anything. You could definitely see the need for ever-burning torches.

She told us your eyes would never adjust to being down in the darkness, and after only 2 weeks in the pitch-black, you would go completely blind. This fascinated me, and gave me the idea for an NPC some PCs would meet at a tavern. I’m going to leave him systemless, so he can be added into any game. Besides, the only reason you’d need a stat block would be to fight him, and why would you want to fight a blind old man? (BTW, in 4e, I’d consider him a minion, due to his disability and lack of any kind of skill anymore, so if you take him adventuring with you, keep a close eye on him, he’ll die easily.) If you put him into your game, drop me a line and let me know. I’d love to see where he shows up.

So without further ado, I present you Damien Toraan, former adventurer.

DAMIEN TORAAN

Race: Human

Age: 56

Hair: Grey

Eyes: White

Damien Toraan was once a great adventurer, known across the lands as a member of the Greyhands, a well-known party of adventurers who freed the land from many threats, including the blue dragon Paraxys, a great evil in the land. It wasn’t until they were asked by a small village to explore the cave north of the city where raiding bands of Drow emerged from that things began to go bad.

They set out, armed with a couple of torches, some climbing gear, and more than a month’s worth of provisions. They knew that if the cave truly led into the Underdark, they were in for quite a journey.

Sure enough, the cave went back further than the villagers realized. Descending by rope into a deep crevasse, they followed an underground river deeper and deeper into the earth. After a week of travel, and having encountered no enemies to speak of, the company decided to head back to the surface and encourage the villagers to seal up the cave. Within hours of turning back, however, they were set upon by the Drow.

The torches went out almost immediately as the Lolth Priestess snuffed them out, leaving the adventurers totally blind. The Drow, using their infra-vision, struck the party down. Damien was wounded and fell. He heard one of the party shrieking as he was drug deep below the earth, carried away for sacrifice to the Demonqueen. Damien was left to die in the darkness. The Drow assumed he would be eaten by a passing drider, or at the hands of something even worse.

Fumbling around in the darkness, he was able to find a healer’s kit, bandaging up his wounds. Then, he waited.

He sat in the darkness, the stink of his dead companions growing worse by the day. He fed himself on the rations found in his pack and his companion’s packs, sitting, waiting. He didn’t dare stray far, for he didn’t know where the next canyon or pit was. His and his companions’ canteens provided him with water. He felt the madness begin to set in.

He didn’t know how long he was down there. Time had no meaning.

Finally, he heard some voices. Fearing, and in some ways hoping, it was the Drow, come to finish their business, he grabbed hold of his sword, holding it aloft. He could make out the voices speaking in the common tongue, but in his delirium, he didn’t understand what they were saying. He heard the voices draw near, then sounded as though they came around the corner into the chamber he was in.

The band of adventurers who found him were quite surprised to find him alive, surrounded by his slain companions. As they began to look over the adventurers, he realized he was blind.

The party had been sent out to determine the fate of the Greyhands, and had only him to bring back with them.

Since that time, he has wandered the lands, from tavern to tavern, trying to find a band of adventurers who is willing to take up the quest of finding out the fate of his lost companion. Though the darkness claimed his eyes and sanity, he still has rational moments when he offers up anything he can to anyone who will listen if they will find his missing compatriot. He often offers heroes “wealth beyond imagining”, which he claims is hidden in a secret vault only he knows about. Whether it’s true, or just the ramblings of a madman, no one knows.

Until then, he will sit alone in his cups for another day of heavy drinking, trying to forget the screaming as they were drug away, and the stench of the other members of his party.