Post by ranzunar on Aug 11, 2008 0:04:32 GMT -5
Dolorito is based on a character of the same name from one of my favorite novels La Resaca, by Enrique Laguerre. He is a troubled young man with a tragic childhood that destroyed his innocence and hope. The youngest of three children, he was forced to grow up as he saw his family whittle away. His father is a drunk that would only leave his laziness to further his drunken stupors or to deliver one of his constant beatings to his children. His mother was a pious and religious woman who loved her children deeply, but never more than the fear she felt towards her husband. Often abused herself, her only escape was through intense pantheistic prayer to almost all deities for things to get better. They never did, and this became most apparent when a grave illness left her bedridden and suffering for almost a week before her untimely death. During that time Dolorito searched the countryside for any cleric or healer to save his beloved mother, but none spared the time as his mother’s prayers continued in vain. In her final wish to her children, she asked that they honor the will of the gods and let her rest eternally for this was her destiny. Dolorito was eight years old when this happened. His eldest brother became the sole provider, working odd jobs to keep the family fed and the occasional drink to keep his father quiet. For two years things seemed well enough until a draft was called for all able bodied men to go to war. His father went off and disappeared while his brother was one of the first killed. Dolorito’s slightly older sister was already a surrogate mother but now she was also substituting for everything else. They made due however they could for a few years until the son of a local baron raped her trough which she was pregnant. Law enforcers either ignored Dolorito’s pleas for justice or were easily swayed by political and/or financial interests. Whatever silver lining that could have come from this dissipated when his sister died of complications from childbirth after delivering a stillborn child. Both were buried next to Dolorito’s mother on the day he turned fifteen. From that moment on he acquired the signature trait of having a constant stare that displayed all of the hatred he had for that which ruled the world. He laid that deadly stare upon his home as he produced a flame from his hand with which he burned down his childhood home and the past he wanted to erase.
Things had to change, Dolorito knew this but he recognized that the lack of strength, numbers, and resources made this impossible. He began as a hired sword, but his skills for social interaction and support quickly grabbed the attention of those who needed a blade and a voice for their cause. He joined a local group of sorcerers and wizards that called themselves the Ashbringers, who wanted to orchestrate a coup over the local government. As Dolorito served as recruiter and negotiator, he developed his magical skills; sorcerers teaching him how to cast and wizards giving him constant crash courses on everything Arcane and spells on a daily basis. His magic never became a resource but rather an Ace in the hole that no one expected and exponentially increased one of his best tools, deception. After a few months, the Ashbringers gained control of the government thanks in large part to Dolorito’s contribution. Yet it only took a few weeks for him to understand that the only change that came to the power scheme was only the names. Disheartened, he continued his travels through the countryside granting his talents to rebel groups of many sizes, methods, and ideologies. At one time he actually inspired an entire town to attack a corrupt knight that collected taxes much higher than ordered. Their courage evaporated however when a small battalion came upon the town demanding the one responsible for such disrespect. The townspeople quickly gave him up and he barely escaped incarceration. It was at that time that Dolorito came to believe that society can only be saved after it would be destroyed at its essence and then recreated. His trust could never be found within people, yet individuals that want true change can still be relied upon. His abilities were great, but they were excellent when around allies, and those that fought with him also recognized this. His travels led him to a reclusive whisper gnome who believed in a forgotten deity, Hypnogogia, that finally gave him the hope of change he and everyone else could believe in. Dolorito serves as the front man for this cause to purge all of creation. An old legend continues to inspire him as he manifests that the greatest of leaders and institutions can be toppled. Millennia ago, it is said that colonizers from the across the ocean came and enslaved the local populace. Their armor, weapons, and magic left the people to think that they were godly and oppressed them merely through their reputation. During a large celebration, a small group took a midlevel conquistador named Diego Salcedo and threw him into a large bonfire. The image of his burning flesh and twisted face left the people to rebellion under the banner of “We will burn you too”. The outcome of that war is not known but such defiance is what the world truly needs at this moment.
Pain's allies serve under a banner that goes bwyond the mundane. Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Things had to change, Dolorito knew this but he recognized that the lack of strength, numbers, and resources made this impossible. He began as a hired sword, but his skills for social interaction and support quickly grabbed the attention of those who needed a blade and a voice for their cause. He joined a local group of sorcerers and wizards that called themselves the Ashbringers, who wanted to orchestrate a coup over the local government. As Dolorito served as recruiter and negotiator, he developed his magical skills; sorcerers teaching him how to cast and wizards giving him constant crash courses on everything Arcane and spells on a daily basis. His magic never became a resource but rather an Ace in the hole that no one expected and exponentially increased one of his best tools, deception. After a few months, the Ashbringers gained control of the government thanks in large part to Dolorito’s contribution. Yet it only took a few weeks for him to understand that the only change that came to the power scheme was only the names. Disheartened, he continued his travels through the countryside granting his talents to rebel groups of many sizes, methods, and ideologies. At one time he actually inspired an entire town to attack a corrupt knight that collected taxes much higher than ordered. Their courage evaporated however when a small battalion came upon the town demanding the one responsible for such disrespect. The townspeople quickly gave him up and he barely escaped incarceration. It was at that time that Dolorito came to believe that society can only be saved after it would be destroyed at its essence and then recreated. His trust could never be found within people, yet individuals that want true change can still be relied upon. His abilities were great, but they were excellent when around allies, and those that fought with him also recognized this. His travels led him to a reclusive whisper gnome who believed in a forgotten deity, Hypnogogia, that finally gave him the hope of change he and everyone else could believe in. Dolorito serves as the front man for this cause to purge all of creation. An old legend continues to inspire him as he manifests that the greatest of leaders and institutions can be toppled. Millennia ago, it is said that colonizers from the across the ocean came and enslaved the local populace. Their armor, weapons, and magic left the people to think that they were godly and oppressed them merely through their reputation. During a large celebration, a small group took a midlevel conquistador named Diego Salcedo and threw him into a large bonfire. The image of his burning flesh and twisted face left the people to rebellion under the banner of “We will burn you too”. The outcome of that war is not known but such defiance is what the world truly needs at this moment.
Pain's allies serve under a banner that goes bwyond the mundane. Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.