Backstory

Born under a blood-red moon in the shadowed underbelly of a crumbling tiefling enclave on the fringes of the Age of Umbra, Orlin Shadowbane was never meant for an ordinary life. His infernal bloodline, marked by curling horns, ashen skin, and eyes like smouldering coals, made him an outcast even among his own kind. As a child, he survived by running with a notorious criminal syndicate known as the Veiled Blades — a guild of smugglers, spies, and killers operating in the lawless districts where the light of civilisation barely reached.

Orlin quickly rose through the ranks not by brute force, but by his unnatural talent for infiltration and silent elimination. He became a feared enforcer and assassin, specialising in jobs that required slipping into heavily guarded compounds and leaving no trace but a cooling corpse. His big break — and his downfall — came when he was hired to eliminate a corrupt noble who had made a pact with darker powers. During the hit, Orlin was exposed to forbidden eldritch energies leaking from the noble’s ritual chamber. Instead of dying, something awakened inside him: a direct connection to a mysterious patron (a shadowy entity that whispers from the darkness between stars).

This pact granted him the ability to command shadows and see through perfect darkness, but it also marked him as a target. The syndicate turned on him, branding him a liability. Orlin barely escaped with his life, fleeing into the wilds and eventually finding his way to the central hub of the Towerheart West Marches expeditions.

Now he operates as a freelance shadow operative — a Tiefling assassin who sells his deadly skills to adventuring parties brave (or foolish) enough to delve into the Umbra’s forgotten ruins. He prefers to strike from within clouds of magical darkness, twin blades flashing with vexing precision, vanishing before enemies can mount a counterattack. Though he maintains a calm, sardonic exterior, Orlin is driven by a mix of revenge against those who betrayed him and a growing curiosity about the full extent of his warlock powers and the patron that chose him.

Personality Traits

• I always have an escape plan — and a backup plan for the escape plan.
• I speak little, but my silence is more intimidating than most people’s threats.

Ideal
Power comes from the shadows. Those who master darkness control their fate.

Bond
The Veiled Blades still hunt me. One day, I will return and burn their organisation to the ground.

Flaw
I trust no one fully — not even my companions. Everyone has a price, and I’m always calculating it.