Daronis Mal'konnorvix, Former Dark Aspirant of the Forbidden Barrow, and Undead Graduate of the Ro'don Gamsi Culinary Arts School of Lower Baldur's Gate
Born in a dark corner of the world, Daronis was always drawn to the dark arts. His father and mother both were cultists of a vampire who made his dark fortress beneath a cursed Barrow containing the evil spirits of a dark lord's army of ages past. For a child like Daronis, it was a life of struggle, backstabbing, and lust for power.
He slowly worked his way up the ranks of cultists, and by the time he was seventeen, he was granted knowledge to become dark necromancer. He excelled in this, growing a large force of undead, bent to his will of cursed warriors, and he knew his next goal, to eliminated his dark master, use his dark knowledge to attain lichdom, and rule the world as a dark lord of his own making!
Daronis's gained the loyalty of his fellow cultists when they saw his powers at work, and they overthrew their vampiric master without much hesitation. Daronis took the surname Mal'konnor'vix, the title of a lost lich of old, and studied for decades until he had the knowledge needed to rise again as an immortal master of the arcane, and eventual ruler of the world he would cover in darkness.
The ritual began with a dark phylactery placed next to Daronis as he stood in an evil circle surrounded by his loyal followers. It, however, was read upside-down by one of his new cultists, so didn't quite go as planned. The man, Ke'vin, realized his mistake halfway through the ritual and turned it right-side up, and continued from where he left off, thinking that 'it would probably be ok'.
In the end, Daronis was killed by the magics that very clearly were 'not ok' and his magical abilities, instead of being enhanced by the ritual, were stripped of him completely.
For a few centuries, he sat in the spot as a phantom, at first mad at Ke'vin (who eventually left to become a struggling poet, a career he truly had wanted but instead had taken his father's advice and followed the family business (Ke'vin had a single poem published in his lifetime, but after he died, critics agreed that 'he was getting better toward the end, but if they were being honest, he probably would have been better at writing textbooks than poetry)), but then just extremely disappointed.
After this time of sullen disappointment, Daronis, always being a determined man, realized that this setback in his life...or unlife at this point, should not be the end of his story. He would instead pursue another love he had found during a part-time job while he worked his way through necromancy school: cooking.
So, he stole a few thousand gold from the barrow wights around him (they cursed his name eternally after that), grabbed his ghostly staff and lucky pair of skulls, and set off for the most prestigious (in his affordably price-range) culinary school in Baldur's Gate.
Over the next few years, he worked harder than he had even at necromancy, for he was, as his teacher put it (though in harsher terms) "not gifted" at the culinary arts. But after much scolding, and many nights spent on dish scrubbing duty because he couldn't get his sauces right, he finally impressed his chef with an incredible beignet recipe with a perfect dusting of sugar and a chocolate/flumph juice extract mixture that left Chef Gamsi speechless. They shook hands, Daronis was given his diploma (which had his last name misspelled, but he never got corrected because he didn't want to be a bother) and he set off to find a kitchen for him to live out his new passion.
It turns out, that finding a cooking job for the phantom was difficult. Many were wary of his almost non-existent resume, despite the impressive grades he had received at school, and the glowing recommendation letters he received both by his teacher and one of his former, though now ancient, cultists. The jobs he was applying to said that they just couldn't take a risk on such an 'unknown' chef at this time, but if he got a few more years experience at a similar establishment, he should definitely reapply.
Short on funds, he got a part time job in Waterdeep at a local tavern, cooking short order, and living mostly off the tips that he received from the drunk patrons. The fire in his heart would never die though, and he kept looking for a place where he could live out his new dream.
Finally, a posting in the local town crier caught his attention: a new tavern was opening in Trollskull Alley in the North Ward, and it was ghost friendly! This was his chance. He straightened his ghost robes, combed his incorporeal beard and hair, scribed off a new resume and recommendation letter and went to the interview.
After a interview with the head butler of the establishment, who was also incorporeal and rang bells for any answers that Daronis had, they shook hands, or what Daronis assumed was the interviewer's hand, and Daronis was hired.
It turns out the tavern had a full ghost staff, which for awhile made Daronis wonder if he was just hired because he was a ghost chef, but he quickly put that fear aside and took over the kitchens, his kitchens, and finally found a place where he truly, in his cold undead state, felt alive.
He'll still rant to any who listen to him about how he could have 'ruled the world' and how someday he'll 'rise up again more powerful than before' but really, it's to play it up to the customers and his heart is truly in his cooking.
Relationships
Ke'vin is now also a ghost and sends drafts of his poems to Daronis to read. Daronis rarely replies, he is still 'sore' about their whole thing.
The proprietors of the tavern are a group of adventurer's and are usually away, and while in his past life Daronis would have cursed them for their 'goody goody' attitudes, he like's their banter and really feels like they respect his artistry for what it is.
The other incorporeals of the place seem to like Daronis well enough, and they have a good working friendship going for now.
Children
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