Aset, the Seeker

Aset, the Seeker is an androgynous, red-skinned Tiefling with a thick, spaded tail, and an unquenchable penchant for theatrics. When operating Aset’s Exotic Aviary & Emporium, they wear a pith helmet, shorts with numerous pockets, a vest covering their patterned shirt, a braided whip at their hip, and a handy haversack in the form of a backpack. The portal-crafting monkey Gu'Gu usually rides inside the pack while the duo seeks dangerous creatures.
Aset's whip is a +1 whip that also functions as a pair of dimensional shackles
During one of their travels, Aset was accosted by a portal-slinging thief called Gu'Gu. Though his form is small, Gu'Gu had stolen dozens of valuable artifacts from across the planes - and Aset was the target of Gu'Gu's next pickpocketing.
Aset proved a cannier mark than Gu'Gu anticipated. The Tiefling emerged as the victor in their scuffle and chucked Gu'Gu into a pocket dimension - until they needed a quick getaway. Aset delved into that pocket dimension to ask Gu'Gu's help, only to find that the odd creature had made himself perfectly at home. He had pulled bits and bobs through his portals, and Aset realised that Gu'Gu hadn't been trapped at all; he was just as interested in Aset as Aset was in him. In time, the portal-slinging simian formed a partnership with Aset.
Over time the pair imprisoned dozens of dangerous extraplanar creatures in this pocket dimension and expanded Gu'Gu's structures. At one point, while the two toiled over a particularly complicated enchantment for a permanent wall of force, Gu'Gu joked that they should let other planar travelers adopt and reform their captured creatures - and Aset replied, "That's no joke - that's a million-gold idea"
Now Aset travels to cities on a variety of planes, utilising the doorways of abandoned shops as portals to the dimension.

Goals

Aset isn't running this shop purely out of altruism. They have a few goals in mind.

Secure and Contain

Aset's ultimate goal is to contain dangerous planar creatures, pacify them, and redistribute them within Agela. Aset documents the history and abilities of each creature to aid with future captures. Since Gu'Gu offered to help Aset, they continue to research new ways to benefit from the inmates' powers. Weaponizing some of the more powerful inmates is not out of the question.

Adoption Agency

Aset sees something of themself in these creatures: wanderers far from home, with shady pasts, and the desire to become something greater than they were. That's why this shop is so personal to Aset, who is more than happy to relinquish control of most creatures they contain, even at significant risk to the adopter.

Aset's Magic

Aset is a powerful spellcaster with near-omnipotent control over the shop while within it. Aset can open or close doors, conjure tools, animate furniture, or banish a misbehaving customer and bar them from future entry.
Despite Aset's simulacra resembling the original, they do not retain the original's prodigious magical skill. Thus, the shop gains a certain theatrical verve whenever Aset is in in the flesh, as ethereal music and light fill its halls and animated objects dance about the guests.

Current Location

Aset’s Exotic Aviary & Emporium

Species

Tiefling

Ethnicity

Yrthosi

Year of Birth

1754 CE 46 Years old

Birthplace

Y'Matara

Pronouns

They/Them

Gender

Nonbinary

Presentation

Androgynous

Eyes

Blue

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Red-Skinned

Ruled Locations

• Aset’s Exotic Aviary & Emporium

Roleplaying Aset

When the characters interact with Aset, consider these roleplaying traits when deciding how Aset responds:
Personality Traits: "I have a lot of energy and always try to put on a good show for my guests. Despite these creatures' histories, I like making up cuter stories about why they're here."
Ideal: "Immortality. To be remembered is to live on, and I have a strong urge to be remembered."
Bond: "These creatures are dangerous, but I have power over them. Their futures are entirely subject to my discretion.”
Flaw: “I tend to lie about stuff, sometimes for no reason. Drama is more exciting than honesty.”
Aset is a welcoming, charismatic host whose presence lends to an air of excitement and mystery. However, Aset struggles to focus on any one thing for long, and they often get carried away making up stories or caring for inmates. This leads to constant cracks in Aset's stories as well as the security of the shop.
Aset, for all the kindness and respect they show able adventures, is a powerful and capricious being. morality is a slippery thing to beings with the power to enact their will upon the cosmos, and the characters may discover that Aset, while affable, isn't necessarily a "good" being