Tobias "Shark Slayer" Slater

"Tobi's a prick. But he's a good prick to have at your side in a fight. Stop asking me questions."

Erik Ivarsson

Tobias Slater was born to Nathaniel and Elaina Slater in the small fishing village of Catham on the Silver Coast on the 13th of Moonharvest in 6685 CY. Elaina died from a bout of plague that ran through the Silver Coast in 6687 CY, leaving Tobias' father to raise him, who was a fisherman by trade like most of the village. They were a very poor family, living in a shack next to the pier. Tobi's father was always gone before Tobias was up, and usually home after he went to bed, which gave the young boy quite a bit of freedom in how he spent his days. As there was not much money to be had, Tobi typically fended for himself while his father was off working. While Nathaniel cared greatly for Tobi, he never saw it that way. Tobi felt trapped in this small village, with no excitement in his life and no purpose. Things would quickly change however.

For unknown reasons, in 6696 CY the bay in Catham was overrun with sharks, and the fishing trade, the very lifeblood of the village, came to a screeching halt. Tobias and his best friend Aryn decided to take matters into their own hands, taking out a small rowboat armed with pitchforks, some chum and a lantern, deciding that they were going to take care of the shark infestation single-handedly. As Aryn chummed the waters, Tobias was prepared with his pitchfork at the ready for the first shark that approached them. When the first shark did approach, Tobi poked and prodded it to no avail. Needing to get closer, Tobias leaned to the edge of the boat, reaching out to get a better angle on the beast as his foot got caught in the net! With Tobi's foot caught in the net he fell over the edge of the railing, flailing in the water as the sharks circled around him. Thrusting out his weapon in all directions, he struggled to both keep himself above water and the sharks at bay as Aryn struggled to get Tobi back into the boat. Finally he succeeded, pulling Tobi back into the boat, laying him on the edge as he struggled to catch his breath. As he fell to the floor of the boat, his knuckles white from gripping the pitchfork, he passed out.

Tobias slept peacefully for several hours at the bottom of the rowboat, recovering from the shock and the minor injuries he sustained as Aryn brought them back to the village. Tobi awoke as Aryn was telling the local fisherman of their bravery, and how Tobi had slain a shark. Tobi, still gripping his weapon in his stupor gazed down at the pitchfork and the shark skewered at the end, not two feet long. Roars of laughter rang through the village as Tobi was dubbed "Shark Slayer" and was ridiculed from then on amongst the fisherman of the village. Tobi took it upon himself to train with that pitchfork and the same net he stuck his foot in for years to come, determined to prove the fisherman in the village wrong about him and to one day rid the bay of this infestation of sharks.

Eventually at age sixteen he realized instead he could make money off of these fighting skills he had honed so carefully over the past five years. He left Catham, promising to send money back to his father when he could as he made his way to New Iskar, hoping to make his name amongst the famed gladiators of that region. Rebuffed from the Coliseum in Everhold due to his youth and inexperience, he eventually made his way to the fighting pits of Hightower. He started amongst the dregs of the hopefuls in Hightower, fighting his way through animals and monsters before he eventually graduated to more challenging opponents, such as other men and women. Eventually he caught the eye of Brom, the Pit Master in Hightower, who took a liking to Tobi. He did his best to take Tobi under his wing, showing him more advanced fighting techniques and how best to conquer each of his opponents. Brom taught Tobi to attack with speed and precision, instead of his previous slow and awkward fighting style. Tobi progressed at a surprising rate, beginning to take on more challenging opponents. Tobi began to fly through the ranks, eventually becoming a famed gladiator in the fighting pits of Hightower, taking on the area name of the "Shark Slayer" as a reminder of his roots and all that he had overcome.

Tobias eventually became the champion of the fighting pits of Hightower, defeating a fully-grown minotaur in single combat (see Minotaurs). The encounter would change Tobias forever however. While it was common in the fighting pits for slaves to fight at the whims of their masters, this encounter with the enslaved minotaur would be different. In the heat of combat, as Tobi stood victorious over his opponent, he begged for mercy, pleading with Tobi to spare his life. While normally it was common for Tobi to grant the request, in the heat of battle, with the roar of the crowd calling for blood, instead he brutally murdered the creature. It is something Tobi would regret until his last day. Unable to escape the pleading of the beast, he through himself into drinking and cheap women for years, continuing his path of slaughter through the fighting pits.

The next several years were a blur of fighting, women and cheap booze until finally he approached Brom about retiring from the pits. He had been champion for several years, conquering the pits by the age of 24, and felt he had nothing left to prove. Brom agreed, and so they decided to plan out a few last epic fights for the "Shark Slayer" before he would slip into a quiet retirement, perhaps purchasing a tavern here in Hightower and regaling travelers as well as those that frequent the pits with tales of his battles of old. The last match that had been set up for Tobi would be the hardest yet however. Planning to go out with a bang, Brom and Tobi set up his final fight against a small group of minotaurs, each trained in a different style of combat. The battle was long and bloody, and ended up with Tobi bloody, defeated and unconscious on the ground of the pits. In the final moment, defeated and helmet removed, the last living minotaur pleaded for his life, as the one so many years ago had. Taken aback at the similarity of the situation, Tobi looked to the crowd and saw a young disfigured child that caught his eye. As they locked eyes, the minotaur roared and savaged Tobi with a mighty blow. Tobias ended up in a coma for six months as Brom's priests watched over him each day, eventually removing his arms from gangrene as the infection set in. By the time Tobi awoke, he had also lost his right eye and his left lung.

Beaten, battered and broken, after awakening from his coma Tobias was a lost man. Spending all of his savings for his tavern on treatments and a permanent room at the local inn, he searched far and wide for a cure for himself. He spent his money on the clerical services of priests who promised a return to normal, and any tonic or mixture that any roving salesman promised could help. Eventually one of these salesmen travelling through Hightower promised a cure as part of a dark ritual. Agreeing, Tobi went with the man, who took him back to a dark chamber, where he fell unconscious as part of the dark ritual. Tobi awoke many months later, with a new eye, the ability to breath again, and new arms that were not his own. Whose where they? A scream came from Tobi's lips but no sound came out. Then laughter rang out throughout the chamber, an otherworldly sound as the being to whom he had unknowingly created a pact with laughed as his misfortune.

Relationships

No Known Partner
No Known Children
Parents: Nathaniel and Elaina Slater
No Known Siblings

Organizations

No Known Organizations

Species

Humans

Age

29 (6714 CY)

Date of Birth

13th of Moonharvest, 6685 CY

Gender

Male

Belief/Deity

Kalross the Burned One