Arcaan
(a.k.a. Doomfist)
Arcaan is the son of Prince Eli Voronov, and half-brother of Thexan. Eli's wife had an affair with one of the estate's half-orc slaves. When Arcaan was born, the prince immediately had the child taken away by the house staff. According to Eli and the rest of the house staff, the child's mother died during childbirth. But the child was allowed to survive. However, well into his teens, Arcaan was never allowed to set foot beyond the estate's walls.
Thexan loved his brother despite their obvious differences. They both shared a love of knowledge. Arcaan and Thexan were educated and aspired to greatness. Thexan was an inventor and artificer, using arcane training to infuse items with magical powers. Arcaan was also trained in the arcane arts but never fully pursued them until he discovered the ability to blend martial and arcane talents.
During their research, Thexan discovered ancient plans for a pair of gauntlets. The plans were written in infernal, inspiring Thexan to continue with the creation. He forged the spellhammer gauntlets. Arcaan was anxious to try them. Thexan was curious as well, so Arcaan put them on. He could channel his arcane power into the gauntlets, performing various effects. However, Arcaan was unable to take them off.
A Binding Curse
Thexan dove deeper into his research, trying to find a way to take them off. It became an obsession for him, driving him into great desperation. He could find no way to cure the curse on the gauntlets. He found no way to free his brother until he had found only one option - Mistress Serdrissa Nolarethi, a drow wizard. She told Thexan she had a lead on how to break the curse, but she would have to examine the gauntlets herself. In return, should she free Arcaan from the curse, Serdrissa would keep the gauntlets for herself. The issue became Arcaan himself. He loved his brother and continued to help him to find a cure. Thexan knew Arcaan would never agree to let Thexan make deals with Drow. So, in desperation, Thexan orchestrated a drow "ambush." He and Arcaan were taken by a group of drow and separated. Serdrissa told Arcaan that if he did not comply with her orders, Thexan would be killed. Once the gauntlets were removed, Serdrissa would appear to lower her guard and allow Arcaan to "escape." Arcaan and Serdrissa worked together and, over time, developed a mutual respect. So much so that Serdrissa shared some of her spellbook entries with the half-orc. Unfortunately, just as she discovered the secret to the curse, Nolveniss Azrinae instructed her to take Arcaan to Celwynvian to assist in the battle there. Serdrissa, a member of the Twilight Empire, was losing faith in the direction the organization was going. She questioned Lasdolon and Nolveniss, and was repeatedly told to follow orders. After spending weeks engaging the elves in Celwynvian, Serdrissa snuck away and made the trek to Riddleport. At Maly's Wondrous Vault, the drow requested Maly obtain an item for her. Lasdolon found out and gave Serdrissa an ultimatum - follow orders or lose everything. Serdrissa chose to keep her word to Thexan and was excommunicated by the Empire. That was also a death sentence. Serdrissa was tasked with completing a contract. If she succeeded, she would obtain the item she needed to break the curse. If she failed, her soul would be forfeit. The Empire engineered a delay, and Serdrissa had to give up her soul. Arcaan remained cursed with the gauntlets.Riddleport Rampage
After the battle for Celwynvian, Arcaan travelled to Riddleport before his allies, the Guardians of Golarion. Alone and wanting to drown some of his sorrows after learning about Serdrissa's demise and Thexan's betrayal, Arcaan's drink was poisoned with demon plague, which triggered the curse of the gauntlets. He blacked out, and when he awoke, he had been arrested for the destruction of Maly's Wonderous Vault, and Maly's murder. Elias Tammerhawk himself imprisoned Arcaan until he could either be cleared of the charges or taken into custody by the Hellknights. Once the Guardians proved Arcaan's innocence and released him from the gauntlet’s curse, Elias Tammerhawk gave the half-orc a room at the Cypher Lodge. He also offered him a job as his new “expediter”, an academic who would travel and gather information or relics on behalf of Elias and the Order of Cyphers. The job may or may not have involved some killing, but that was something Arcaan had come to grips with. Elias paid him well and provided him access to the Cypher Lodge facility. The improvements made him better at his job and any other side jobs Elias offered him.Doomfist
Arcaan felt reborn. For the first time, he felt in control of his destiny. He was free - free of the curse, and free of his so-called family. It was time to make some changes. The first of which was to make adjustments to the gauntlet. He liked the power it gave him and liked it even more now that he has control of that power. He carefully dismantled the formerly cursed gauntlet for research and used some of those parts to improve on the other gauntlet. It was his weapon of choice, and he was slowly beginning to build a reputation. In the underworld, he was known as Arcaan Doomfist. Doomfist was apt and was very okay with the respect and fear his new gauntlet produced. Thexan received a letter from his brother. Arcaan told him he was alive and free of the gauntlet's curse. He also warned Thexan that while he understood why his brother lied to him in an attempt to free him of the curse, he didn't like being lied to. Arcaan told Thexan that he now lived in Riddleport and it would be in Thexan's best interest not to come looking for him. Finally, he asked Thexan to pass a message along to his father. "Tell father that I am alive, I am very well, and should I catch the slightest sniff that he is moving against me in any way, I will be the one to put him in the ground."Temptation
Elias approached Arcaan with a job. He’d been told that there was a priest in Westcrown who may or may not have come across a piece of a tablet that possessed Thassalonian runes not unlike the ones on the Cyphergate. Arcaan was to go and speak with this priest and obtain the runes - either a rubbing or by returning with the original tablet itself. Elias made his preference known as to which he wanted Arcaan to procure. After weeks of travel and days of investigation in Westcrown, Arcaan located the priest of Asmodeus. He was younger than Arcaan was expecting, and Arcaan hoped that would make him more reasonable. The priest confessed to being a collector of sorts, finding religious items “for the church.” Arcaan assured him that the Thassalonian tablet wasn’t a religious item, and he was prepared to give a generous donation to the church if the priest was willing to hand it over. Magical persuasion prevented bloodshed, and the priest agreed to Arcaan’s generous offer. The priest led Arcaan into the Hall of Antiquities. Arcaan couldn’t help but be impressed by the young man’s substantial collection. He had statues, holy relics devoted to Asmodeus, and several paintings hanging on the wall. Arcaan’s trained eye began appraising the paintings, noting their age, style, and apparent rarity. The priest left him in the room to take in the art while he retrieved the tablet. Arcaan moved from image to image, marvelling at the artistry of each. His eyes fell upon one that stopped him in his tracks, and he felt his jaw fall slack. Impossible, Arcaan thought to himself. It was a beautiful human woman in a half-body portrait. The backdrop was a distant landscape of golden hills, its reflection hinting at them being hills made of gold. Her almost seemed to change colour depending on the angle Arcaan look at it from. Her hint of a smile was as mysterious as it was seductive. The more Arcaan stared, the more he swore the image moved slightly. He snapped out of his entrancement and, with a quick incantation, much to his growing surprise, concluded that the painting was not magical. Arcaan could believe the rumour that it had been painted by someone… more than mortal. The young priest somehow had in his collection “The Shadow of Temptation.” A woman’s voice whispered in his ear. It was warm and breathy, and Arcaan knew he was alone. But he wasn’t alarmed. It felt like a voice that had spoken to him many times, but he couldn’t recall when she had. She spoke a single word, and that word sent heat through his veins. “Yes,” she said. Arcaan’s gauntlet started to crackle as the young priest returned. “I have the tablet,” was the last thing the young priest said before Arcaan reached out and snapped his neck. The whispers continued. She spoke to him often, offering him guidance. Arcaan would stare at her portrait for hours, sometimes forgetting to eat or sleep. His gauntlet never came off. Wearing it was like holding her hand. Months later, she revealed that she had guided him in recreating her gauntlet, once worn only by her champions. Her holy armour had been lost, but through Arcaan, it could be reborn. She could be reborn. “Yes, my Queen,” Arcaan promised. “Yes, you will.”
Current Status
Hand of the First
Current Location
Species
Children
Eyes
Yellow
Hair
Short Half-ponytail, Mushroom Brunette
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Orc Green Brown
Height
6'3
Weight
226 lbs
Belief/Deity
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
