Alec, the Bleak Pilgrim

Alec

Male Human - Prime Material

Player: Smart Alec

General Information
Full Name:	unknown
Nicknames:	The Bleak Pilgrim, The Man with the Hat
Age:	estimated late 40s
Deity:	unknown
Alignment:	LG LN LE NG TN NE CG CN CE
Occupation:	unknown
Faction/Rank:	The Bleak Cabal
Place of Birth:	unknown
Physical Attributes
Height:	6' 3"
Weight:	152 lbs
Eyes:	Pale Green
Hair:	Dark Brown, Lank
Complexion:	Pale
Physical Build:	Thin, Spare
Physical Features:	Large nose; scar across right eye and cheek
Skills
Arcanery, Research, Planar Politics, Amateur Detective Work, Stage Magic
Equipment and Items
A wooden staff, a satchel, a thin sword, a Hat

If nothing you do matters, the only thing that matters is what you do.

Few remember when this spellslinger first found his way onto the Planes, and it's a sure bet he didn't make too much of an impression then. Now, though? Hes almost an urban legend. A noted traveller, planeswalker and sage-for-hire, following his own path across the Great Wheel without rhyme or reason. As likely to buy a meal for a starving berk as he is to face down a dragon to save a thief, it's said! A seeker of knowledge and doer of good, with a solid reputation as a capable companion and a series of minor tales springing up around his deeds. The Man with One Name, the Berk with the Hat, the Bleak Pilgrim.

That Which Is Seen

I'm crying on the inside. Saves water.

Enough know the chant on this blood to know him by sight, and some of the details are there - a sharp, thin face, with a scar across the right cheek and an impressive nose. A broad-brimmed hat, a wooden staff, a patched cloak, a gloved right hand. A dirty bronze badge of the Bleak Cabal. It's all as you might hear. But something's off. Something's changed.

From a distance, he looks... wrong. Never well-built, he now looks scrawny and underfed, his skin tinged an unpleasant grey. Clothes that were once carefully maintained are falling into disrepair, with rents, small tears and frayed edges becoming ever more pronounced. He mutters soundlessly to himself at random intervals. He constantly glances all around him in confusion, uncertainty or mistrust - unless something gets his attention, when he'll fix them or it with a hard, intense stare.

Close-up, things aren't much better. His eyes are dark and mismatched, the right pale-green and tired, and the left wide and bloodshot. Ragged clumps of beard have been spared the razor. His hair is matted with patches of dirt or blood, and sticks out at odd angles under his hat. Facial tics flicker in at random, and he twitches with nervous energy. The whole picture is one of a disordered mind.

But more unnerving still is that which is apparent to those versed in magic, or with senses beyond the normal. A force lays heavy around this man now, like a pregnant thundercloud - arcane, and potent, but tinged with an undefinable inhumanity.

That Which Is Heard

I've earned favours from many, and escaped the wrath of worse. Most treat me accordingly.

Some things are known for sure. Alec's of the Bleak Cabal, and he's known around their stronghold, the Gatehouse. He's travelled in the company of some notable Planeswalkers, and had his name attached to some strange stories. But from there, the rumours get addled. From outwitting ancient immortals to fighting in the Blood War, from battling with the spawn of Powers, to somehow winning Cage-wide beauty contests - and from defeating Hive gang-lords and their thug armies, to duelling illithid spelljammers in the Outlands sky. To hear some tell it, Alec even fought the King of the Nine Hells himself to decide the fate of a world. All screed, but there's no denying this mage has just made as many powerful enemies as he has friends.

Alec seemed, in many ways, to be the quintessential Bleaker planeswalker - willing to endure the madness of the cosmos as it comes, rather than make his lot any easier. He'll often speak about his Faction's philosophy, debating those who look for meaning or purpose outside their own minds and hearts. And in keeping with Bleaker tradition, he only ever goes by a single, four-letter name, with the rest forgotten as irrelevant and pointless. Once upon a time, he had nothing but disdain for the violent, the ill-mannered and the self-important... perhaps hypocritically so.

But now? More than one old friend's disturbed by what he is now. Some've spoken of the air turning chill at his approach, or of sudden breezes heralding his arrival, guttering candles and flickering flames. Others've told of a flickering unreality about him, of footsteps that don't quite match up to footfalls. More still mention sudden, dangerous bursts of magic coinciding with flares of a temper he struggles to keep under control. The fear is that the Bleak Pilgrim has taken one arcane step too far, and might finally be losing his mind... and no-one valuing their skin gets too close to a Madman wizard with that much power.

That Which Is Known

I've never been insane, except for when my heart was touched.

Alec's been around a lot, and made a few friends. He treats other veteran planeswalker survivors of the Ironridge disaster well, having had many dealings with the psionicist Aria, the gypsy Aerenxa, the paladin Alinda, the elfling Sarah, the halfling warrior Alex, the fluttering fey Nairna and, weirdly, the tiefling Rager, Mack. He's let out space in the Archives for the performer Sah'el to write and dance, and shares caretaking duties there with the resident experimenter Niki and the building's owner, Shalira.

But in Sigil, he's made other friends. There are signs of prior understandings between Alec and the professional Madam Naaziira, the doctor-knight Edward, the sinister Drow warrioress Gre'vyll, the Elven warrior-traveller Seluil, the rowdy Doomlady Asenath and his one-time supposed student and apprentice, Liz. Most bizarrely, he was recently the subject of a romantic novel penned by aspiring author Keira.

But it's not all fondness and pleasant company, as there are a few he's known to have less friendly relations with. He was once arrested by the Order of the Planes Militant for capital crimes, and though he was seemingly acquitted, he still doesn't seem to see eye to eye with two of their former agents - the succubus and former paladin Eruca and the tiefling wanderer, Emma. There seems to be prior uncomfortable history between him, the noted collector and trader of artifacts, Garrak, and the Fated nobleman Karsperus. The dragoness Visenya ignores his very presence whenever in his company. And hushed tales tell of some sort of score to be settled between him and the sinister demon, Ashtaroth.

But there's one more tale to tell, of Alec being part of a fateful voyage into the heart of Darkness aboard the spelljammer, the Freedom's Keel - a journey that saw its captain, Regand the Blue, dead. Since then, others who took that journey have disappeared seemingly without trace, among them the arcane inventor Silmia, the gatecrasher Aerin, her partner Vincent and the adventurer-sailor Treylile, aka Hugh.

But there are those that remain, three who walked out of the Dark along with the Bleak Pilgrim... all three rising to recent prominence. The wizard-engineer and Godsman Factotum, Balthazar. The shadowy sorceress and seller of secrets, Eidothea. And the mysterious genie and speculator in Fate, Hafsa. Sometimes Alec and these three seem to be allies - but just as often, they seem to be at each other's throats.

That Which Is Worn

The Hat says hello. I suppose I ought to do the same.

Alec's Hat has been attached to his head for as long as anyone can remember... which is another way of saying that before he found the Hat, no-one could remember much about him. And when not wearing it, Alec seems somehow diminished. Though none know for sure, the stories of how Alec came by such a notable piece of headwear are numerous - a gift by some forgotten Power of Magic, a magical focus crafted from the remains of a broken demi-plane, a sentient piece of headgear containing the souls of a dozen arch-mages, a relic of an ancient civilisation given new, strange form...

Regardless, the wizard is always protective of the Hat, unwilling to let it be worn or even left in the hands of others, especially other arcanists. It certainly seems content to stay there, remaining on the man's head despite wind, rain or worse. If anyone knows what powers it contains, then they aren't talking - but given its continued survival despite being on the head of a man in such a risky and explosive vocation, there must be something to it, mustn't there?

That Which Is Spoken

You're not going to believe everything you hear, are you?

• Recently, some sort of terrible secret or curse has hounded him, and whatever cure or relief he's seeking for, he isn't finding it. Whatever's happened, the wizard's become harsher, sharper and nastier, less willing to tolerate fools or hold back from using his powers. But on other occasions, he's been seen in distress or pain... muttering something about an infernal clockwork.

• Alec once was more than willing to aid the studies and pad the spellbooks of those that seem willing to do the same. But of late it's hard not to miss the fascination he has with new magic and unusual power, a fascination that borders on greed. More than that, there's a recent distrust and paranoia in his eyes - something that speaks of a fresh betrayal. One thing's for sure - he keeps his cards a lot closer now.

• Alec is the wandering avatar of Odin. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But when you read the legends; a wandering traveller with a staff and broad hat, a knowledgable sort with power, being crucified on the Tree of Wisdom... well, it's one theory. Whatever's walking around in his shape these days, it doesn't feel wholly human, and it's a lot scarier for sure.

• There's something odd about this one, something most overlook. Some'll claim he can teleport infallibly even within Sigil, travelling from place to place in a flash - but others'll claim they've known him to be in two or more places at once. More recent stories tell of a three million jink bounty put on his head by someone in Sigil's underworld, and of his body being delivered by the Gatehouse in order to claim it. But if he's dead, then who is that walking around? No-one knows, but the bounty certainly isn't open any more.

• Others have unfriendly eyes on this one. Not long ago, a cadre of Babau assassins began stalking and attacking the wizard's friends and associates, a spree of terror that ended with him taking a journey into the Abyss. It's rumoured that the sponsor of these assassins was none other than the succubus doyenne, Red Shroud - and that whatever conflict arose between her and the wizard remains unresolved.

• Though some say the wizard's changed in recent times, others'll say he was never as clean as he claimed to be. There are more than a few rumours that Alec's hired mercenaries in the past to take care of some shady Lower Planar jobs, the kind of jobs that some have even refused to take part in. Other disturbing rumours from his former planar activities include making deals with Neogi slavers, working as an enforcer for Hive crime-lords, pledging his soul to a spiteful Power of Chaos in return for her favour, and even being a member of the forbidden sect, the Incantifiers.

• It is known that this one tried to make a living as a freelance information-gatherer and detective, and some can speak of two, possibly three serial murder sprees that were brought to an end due, or at least partly due, to his work. But these stories come with a darker side - that of a man willing to sell information and secrets to the highest bidder, or of working for various planar governments as a spy, or of being willing to use what he knows to blackmail others into furthering his work.

• He's not known for walking around unclothed, but of those who've seen him without his usual attire, they'll tell of a body dotted with old wounds, rough scars, faded burns and other marks of hostile sorcery and violence all over, too many to come from any single battle. His only other distinguishing feature is that of a tattoo on the bicep of his left arm, a simple numeral made in dark ink: XXVI.

• This one's well-known for his asexuality, seemingly disdaining the intimate company of men or women in favour of other pursuits - a trait mentioned oft enough to be remembered. His awkward demeanour and gawky looks certainly fit the picture. And yet, tales from Alec's early time on the Planes are confused on the issue, speaking of women seduced, brief dalliances and hearts broken, and even an affair with the partner of a fellow Bleaker.

• The Mage's Collective was his idea - a gathering of planeswalker spellcasters willing to co-operate in industrial and domestic magic projects, to earn their way into being members of Sigil's prestigious wizard's guild, the Society of the Lumeniferous Aether. Though the idea seemed to falter, the word on the street is that he hasn't given up - and is looking to put whoever got in his way the first time into the dead-book.

• Before he came to the Planes a handful of years ago, his previous identity is a void. The man gives away only sparse detail, and even powerful divinations struggle to learn anything about him. He's known to return to the Prime Material from time to time, but as to what he's doing there, it's anyone's guess - he's always careful to obscure his travels with magics and misdirection. And with only a common two-syllable name to work from, most don't have much to go on...