Vincent Vale

Vincent Vale

Male Human

Player: 073090 / Numbers Guy

[[Image:File:Vincent Vale Flame.jpeg File:Vincent's Mask.jpeg|300x600px|]]

General Information
Full Name:	Vincent Vale
Nicknames:	Vince, Mr. Vale, The Godless Swordsman
Age:	Unknown
Deity:	None
Alignment:	LG LN LE NG TN NE CG CN CE
Occupation:	Ex-spelljammer pirate, tavern proprietor, relic hunter, monster slayer, champion of mortals.
Faction/Rank:	Athar
Place of Birth:	Enthar
Physical Attributes
Height:	6'5" / 198 cm
Weight:	258 lbs / 117 kg
Eyes:	Azure
Hair:	Charcoal
Complexion:	Fair
Physical Build:	Muscular
Physical Features:	An imposing figure in armor with the build of a warrior.
Skills
Ninth-tier divine magic, master swordsman, supernatural eyesight, great discipline and willpower.
Equipment and Items
Full plate, helmet, sword, shield, many miscellaneous.

"The gods have become our greatest creation, our greatest lie."

Personality

Vincent is a man consisting of as much reserve as mystery. Little of his past is known to others, save for a few close companions. He is one with little patience for wordplay or devices, often preferring blunt statements over lavish narratives. Due to his previously solitary lifestyle, he exhibits a quiet stoicism that may be construed as intimidating. Indeed, something about the swordsman is imposing, even when he is relaxed. While his size and reputation with a blade ostensibly contribute to this perception, he tends to command the respect of those around him.

Those that come to know Vincent quickly discern that he is not some mercenary looking for an easy wage to squander on a weekend of revelry. Rather, his bearing suggests his involvement in something more, though he rarely speaks of his role on the subject. It can be difficult to see beneath the sterile mask of his emotions, as he is someone in complete control of himself. In fact, it would seem very little will phase the Athar in general. Yet, Vincent has been known to let his guard down in the right company, and the few that know him best may come to understand the man behind the intense eyes.

Religion

Vincent's religious ideologies are closely related to one of Sigil's factions known as the Athar. He follows no deity and argues that power, especially the power of gods, is to be respected rather than worshiped. While he once did not directly associate himself with the Deniers, he has since decided to join their cause. Like many of them, he does not faithfully serve a patron, but instead has the ability to channel divine energy through what they refer to as the Great Unknown. Vincent came to his current understanding after discovering the pantheon he once knew was limited to the imagination of his species. He now believes what many societies refer to as gods are merely ascended mortals with great power.

Life Before Sigil

Vincent originates from a harsh and isolated prime world consisting of rocky bluffs and extended mountain ranges. The Enthar belong to a peculiar subrace of humans with various traits that set them apart from the norm. Vincent describes his prime world as heavier, which is due to a gravitational warping that causes everything on the surface to be roughly 30% heavier than average. Time inside the plane is greatly slowed relative to the other planes, which he estimates to be roughly a day-to-year ratio. Due to the plane's extreme contortions, the surface of the world is regularly afflicted by monstrous supercell storms that are capable of covering half the plane at a time.

In his youth, Vincent was a shy and soft-spoken child with an affinity for manipulating energy. Magic was a rare ability among his people and his natural instinct was considered to be a great gift. At a young age, he was taken from his home and permanently placed in a small covenant of similarly prodigious youth. Far from any city was a temple built on top of a cavernous ruin that predated their civilization. The grounds were treated as a holy place, despite nothing truly being known of the faded runes depicted on the great central archway. In their naivety, the Entharians believed it would one day open to the heavens of their creators as a final test.

As time passed and lingering memories filled Vincent’s head, he began to miss his family more each day.
He fought the pain, knowing his time with the other gifted would grant his underprivileged family some small
amount of honor. As years past with this guiding thought, Vincent’s abilities rivaled that of the adults in his
community. He could not explain his own skill, as it was more of a burning ache inside of him that manifested
with his emotions. He learned early on that the other children shunned him for his differences, and yet he was
glad for it. Magic was the one thing in his life that he could always appreciate, the only thing that made sense.

When Vincent came of age, the desire to escape his life had burned through him like a fever. The elders in
his covenant could no longer teach him anything he had not already done better himself. He wanted nothing
better than to travel and experience the world firsthand, but he knew it he would never have the chance. His
path was ahead of him, confined to the temple for his lifespan to pass on knowledge as others had done
before him. Restlessness eventually took Vincent one night and he abandoned his bed to visit the ruins as
he had done so many sleepless nights before. The darkness of the vast hall loomed around his flickering
candle as he stared upon the colossal gateway with unfading awe. A haze crept over him where he sat,
and before long, he curled up and slept like a child once more. He dreamed of freedom.

Vincent was thrust awake in a thrashing fit of cold sweat on the damp stone floor. When he lifted his hands,
they were a luminescent pulse of energy. The light branched out, connecting him to swirling patterns of magic
ascending up the two great pillars of the archway. To his terror, he saw a flicker of energy as a doorway tore
open before him. A fierce wind overtook him and began pulling him toward the unyielding threshold. He
desperately clawed at the rocky floor, but the fury of the tempest sucked him into the darkness of the vortex.
The last thing his mind could comprehend was a great eye looking back at him through the gateway, then
nothingness. He drifted between existence, unaware, yet not truly asleep. Bleak, dreamless emptiness was
his only existence for uncountable lifetimes until, at last, a crack of light in the veil of blackness swept open
before him. His first conscious moment in ageless oblivion was a raw understanding that everyone he had
ever known was gone.

After being jaunted from his dimension, the knowledge of planar travel opened new possibilities for Vincent.
The fear of remaining alone drove him to master the skill within a year. After that point, he spent the better
part of his life combing the planes for his small home. For each world he searched, he learned little more
and became a little stronger. The realms he encountered were numerous and perilous, but he came to know
determination. There were times when Vincent felt as though he might actually belong somewhere, but he
never allowed himself to linger long. The yearning for his home ever bubbled under the surface until his
restless spirit pushed him on again. It wasn’t until a decade later that Vincent found himself gazing upon a
familiar sky. After two weeks of crossing the wilderness, he finally came to the crumbling ruin that was
his home. In his heart, he knew a great amount of time had passed, but never had he suspected this. He
truly was alone.

Life In Sigil

Vincent's life in Sigil truly began on Freedom's Keel when he met a young woman of the crew named Aerin
Grey. She caught his interest early on, and with her help, Vincent shortly demonstrated his capability to the
captain and earned his keep on the vessel. The late Lord Regand Azureus was a man of passion and to
Vincent's surprise, great honor for a pirate king. Over time, the crew became like family to Vincent with Aerin
as his lover.

Vincent came to discover that the members of Freedom's Keel were no mere pirate crew. Even with the
powerful spelljammer at their command, they did not seek to rob others for plunder. Instead, they sought
something far more unobtainable. They wished to know a truth of the Wheel, the likes of which mortals
were never meant to comprehend. Vincent came to know the struggles from success and failure over this
time, yet distinguishing himself all the while. He braved the depths of Acheron and fought through waves
of powerful outsiders within a labyrinthine Cube connected to Styx.

After over a year of strife and bloodshed, the knowledge the crew sought was finally their own, but it cost
them dearly. The greatness of an individual confers an insatiable appetite that may consume them given
the chance. This truth was beyond any of them, and so their destinies were forever altered. Ultimately, the
endeavor would claim great personal sacrifice for each member of the crew, the greatest being Captain
Regand's very life. With his death and the keel in disrepair, the members took directions of their own.
These days, such matters are rarely spoken of, even amongst the disbanded crew themselves.

It was after this time that Vincent and Aerin disappeared without a trace for nearly a year. Their absence
was due to Aerin being taken by a cult of demon worshipers that wanted to complete a ritual using those
like Aerin with specific abyssal descent. Vincent spent the entirety of this time hunting down those that took
his love from him, refusing to suffer from drawbacks and dead ends. Countless alleyway interrogations,
often leaving the interrogated bloodied and broken, resulted in Vincent finally discovering the location used
to house Aerin during her long captivity.

After storming the complex, Vincent carved a path of destruction, leaving dozens of cultists dead in an
attempt to find Aerin. After breaking her cell open, they were set upon by forces retaliating against the
intrusion. As Vincent held the tide back, he made Aerin invisible and commanded her to run. Once free of
worry for her safety, Vincent's fury was a storm. A master swordsman with powerful magic fueling his rage,
he slew half a hundred by the time of his own escape. Yet, after Vincent fled the complex, he discovered
that he was unable to find Aerin.

In her panic and confusion from being brainwashed by torture and hallucinations, Aerin used her abilities to
planeshift away once free of the dampening field. She went into hiding, even from Vincent, as she was unsure
of what she could trust in reality. After recuperating some weeks later, the two reunited and sought the help of
old friends. Together, they came to the realization that the masters were likely attempting to perform a ritual to
Graz'zt using Aerin's bloodline, as she was in a long line of descendants from the dark lord himself.

Most of the cultists Vincent came across were either brainwashed or blindly following the lies of the cult
leaders. As simple pawns, their deaths meant very little to the grander cause. The real danger, the masters
behind the veil, remained free with unfinished schemes. Vincent proposed to hunt down these monsters, not
only for personal revenge, but to protect the realm from their continued evil. Vincent and Aerin became
determined, and with the aid of allies, they set in motion a plan to track down and slay the masters.

Lasting Interactions

Balthazar De'Medici, today an influential wizard and renown factor of Sigil's Godsmen. Engineer, inventor, politician, philosopher, the man has a hand in every skill with no amount of mediocrity to be found. Balthazar was the primary engineer and pilot of the keel.

Hafsa Sarah Shadiya Tabassum Alfarsi, a Djinn of no small significance. Hafsa has a reputation as one of the most wise and knowledgeable around. Hafsa helped to guide the crew with her immense expertise.

Alec, a long standing Bleaker of Sigil. The man seems to be a legend around the Wheel, and those nearest to him see that he always seems to have a hand in something crucial in importance. Alec was an honorary addition of the crew and one of the few allowed on the keel without truly being a member.

Hugh Huxley, formerly known as Treylile Strath; a man who's very nature personified a spelljammer pirate. A charismatic wildspace pioneer, the fellow could lecture his way out of a dragon's maw while stroking his magnificent mustache.

Face, a friend outside the company that Vincent risked his life for on numerous occasions in the past. Together they fought through an army of para-elementals and Dao wizards in the plane of earth. Their intent was to breech a fortified Dao palace and free thousands of enslaved shapeshifters like Face himself.

Avarice Martell, a young man very new to Sigil, but a highly promising commissar nonetheless. Vincent has come to spend more time with this new friend, the two often seen together in the Clerk's Ward or The Ubiquitous Wayfarer. Avarice seems to spend his nights on the couch in the tavern's upstairs residence from time to time.

Cassidy MacKenna, a warrior and ally he has come to know. Much like himself, this woman refuses to back down from a challenge. Headstrong with a willingness to do what she believes is right, she has come to earn Vincent's respect.

Lishthessaril, a woman never far from Cassidy's side and vice versa. Vincent has come to know the two lovers from their many honorable deeds around the Cage. Vincent often accompanies them on dangerous missions against various evils.

Saevio Silverbludgeon is a man Vincent has sparred with on occasion, and since discussed grander aspirations with. The two are truly a sight to behold when they clash, though it is always in good fun. Respect seems mutual between the two warriors, as their handshakes often create sparks.

Eidothea and Vincent are affiliated to a degree, as the swordsman often visits Nix to see The Spectre. The topics of their conversations are largely unknown, yet it is obvious that the warrior seeks information on a matter of importance.

Varied Rumors

-He has a bounty on his head for killing a hive lord.
-He's the last survivor of his species.
-He used to be a ruthless spelljammer pirate.
-He's one of the best swordsmen in the realm.
-He's owed a million jink by a factor.
-He never takes his mask off because he's actually the Worm Lord in disguise.
-He's the only one who really knows what change happened to Alec.
-He's a paragon from his prime.
-He owns the Ubiquitous Wayfarer in the Lower Ward.

The Ballad of the Last Entharian

"This is a story of a child that was kept from the serendipity of youth, locked by his kin in a tower of secrets and magic... They meant for him to study his inner strength forever, but what he did find... Was a journey that would take him through a thousand human lifetimes, and a myriad brand-new sights. Now ever-torn from the place he once knew, our hero begins his arduous way home." - Minnalaushee, the illusionary bard

The song began with an avid tempo and very little held back. It was a rhythm of epics - a journey not suited for the weak of will but for the deeply determined. The illusionary notes of the bardess filled the air with static and displayed in the audience's mind's eye a constant planet-wide sandstorm. The wrath of Enthar's nature raged across spires of an ancient architecture that rose up from the dust, resisting the elements. In one such tower, the Elven bard showed the audience a boy, yearning for the world outside.

He wanted to face a life out of this place
He could keep the pace
Unsure, of how much more he could take
For Life was ticking away!
Drifting afar... Sigh by sigh, spell by spell

The illusions then showed the boy finding secret passages into the depths of the tower, and being consumed by a violent portal at its core. The music made a shift to indicate a search - one that was timeless and placeless: it was everywhere and eternal.

Keeping count of every heartbeat, losing count of every step
Seeking out his people again
One breath... Don't let it slip away!

The song now seemed to imply a great magical prowess held deep inside a young heart; a nostalgia for a long-lost home. The chorus began: a scene of tribulations and regret, but also an adamant hope to see Enthar again. The illusions the bardess wove were of a child becoming a man, taking an enchanted blade and using it to light his path.

He knew, he knew
It wouldn't be the same when he came home
He knew, he knew
That every step he took would be away from
Ever finding... What it means to stand with his own
Always searching... For the faded Enthar that he mourns

The music stopped, like the silence before a great storm, and in a heartbeat it resumed: regret, sorrow, but the pleasure of becoming oneself and discovering new worlds in one's search. The illusions of the bard were of a man made out of essence of magic, fighting impossible monsters with spell and steel - all in the hard road back to what he knew.

He lost the scope, of what he thought he'd become
Got lost inside the might of his mind
When all he wanted was a way to grow
And all he found was... All he found was
Ashes - ashes of home

A small solo, the illusion that the bard accompanied it with wove the vistas of a myriad of different planets and states of existence... They had nothing in common amidst themselves, save for this single plane-shifting pilgrim.

And he feared what he would find...
For all he knew was left in the past
Bring me back!
Bring me back!
Bring me back!

In this past verse the voice of the girl was desperate and begging - for the winds of fate, to return the traveller to the place of his people. In the illusions she wove one could see the ruins of what once used to be Enthar, slowly rising from the sands that had finally eaten her whole. Then the chorus, impetuous and intemperate, returned.

He knew, he knew
It wouldn't be the same when he came home
He knew, he knew
That every step he took would be away from
Ever finding... What it means to stand with his own
Always searching... For the faded Enthar that he mourns

The Enthar that he mourns

The song came to an abrupt stop, though small notes still lingered to weave a journeyman that was now contemplating a reality that was much bigger than the one he knew before this arduous adventure. The illusions began to fade, the real world rebuilt around the audience.

Written and sung by the bard, Minnalaushee Aethervoz