The Tale of the Becomer Armand or Amanda Quickshar
So for a Becomer perhaps where does one begin I would suppose it’s best to start at the beginning with an introduction. My given birth name was Armand Quickshar but I sometimes go by Amanda depending on my mood. Of course my birth was far from ordinary as I was born on a ship at sea during a vicious storm. My Mother Shan Quickshar the Changeling Arch Mage and future Sage of the Island as it is called was fleeing my Father Zarez the Baatezu or Devil Pit Fiend due to her shall we say having made a poor deal.
My Mother at the time was not the powerful Wizard and Sage Protector of the Island where she chose to call home. Instead she was a Wizard below even my current ability who had found the price she had to pay to find her brother was greater the she had expected to pay. Let me be brief she had found the location of her Brother who had been missing for some time by making a deal with Zarez the Pit Fiend. What she had failed to realize was the price she would have to pay for that information would be to bear his child.
My Uncle was a Warrior for Hire who was known for never backing down from a fight and had at the time been missing for two years before I was born. Zarez had told my Mother that while he could not give her the information on where to find her Brother. He would give her the information she needed to one day find his offspring with the hope of then finding him. So she had taken the deal and soon found herself instead of obtaining the information she sought she instead raped and imprisoned.
I have never known the exact nature of her escape but perhaps her love for her child was great enough for her to not only escape the prison but find refuge on the Island a place where her son could hopefully find joy. I could go into the philosophy of all that and perhaps I will at a later date but for now let us just stick with the facts my Mother had arrived at a virtual Utopia. It’s a good thing to for while I have never been one to call myself evil per say but I firmly believe had my formative years taken place anywhere else I would be a very different person indeed.
Believe it or not but I remember being born and my Mothers touch on my mind compelling me to look at her and to us my Changeling gifts to resemble her. Due to my fiendish heritage my normal grey skin was instead brownish black. While my eyes glowed red and I even had horns protruding from my forehead. Let’s not forget my razor sharp nails and fangs or my bat like fully functional wings I thing you can get the picture. The proper word for my type is a Cambion and it would have been my duty to join the army of my Father Zarez had he had his way. Luckily he did not have a say in the matter.
I will admit I have always felt a fire burning within my soul and while now I know that is the fire of my Immortality within me. As a youth even though I was surrounded by those who accepted both my Mother and I it never felt quite right. Quite the opposite really I always felt the need to be self sufficient and do thing on my own since the people of the Island did not really seem to value anything. It was frustrated to an extend but my Mother took to it like the Becomer she was and had soon met an Elven native Warrior Protector named Quinton Darkholme whom she married and would eventually give birth to my two Changling siblings my dear sister Jara and my brother Mal.
As a young child the darkness within me was harder to control and I never ceased to find a way to attempt to buck the ideological system of the Island. Let us just say when it came to thing like morals and right and wrong I have always had For the most part I will admit they did a good job of working to cement lighter emotions among the populace. Believe it or not they had even for the most part eliminated Greed. Such was the wonder of the Island Society which had been founded by a like minded group individuals seeking enlightenment through the pursuit of Love and Joy. Well I wanted Love and I wanted Joy but I also sought Power which led my Mother to begin my apprenticeship early into Wizardry since as many know Knowledge is Power.
At ten years old my study of the Art began in earnest and finally I had found something that began to bring order and balance to my life. I learned the value of Manners and the need for Diplomacy. I even found a way to explore the life of my sister Jara who was a free spirit if there ever was one. It was her love and friendship that helped me to find a way to find the joys of Hedonism. I would even have to admit that it was that change in my personality that allowed me to see past my most potent rival my Mothers star apprentice the beautiful Dark Elf Half Vampire Yasriia Alet’tar. She was truly a vision and her Clan had been on the Island since the founding of the society and soon rivalry turned into wonderful friendship.
Being never one to waste time Yasriia and I were soon lovers and in the coming years I became closely acquainted with not only my beloved by her Clan as well. While spending time with her I learned much more about the Drow culture and customs and found it much to my liking. I was even fascinated to learn that Yasriia’s Clan had been slowly reaching out to the more chaotic evil Dark Elf clans and even establishing connections with them by setting up trading sites throughout the Under. It was ironic that Clan Alet’tar which had actually long ago abandoned their darkness and were for the most part neutral with many of their Clan actually being good. So of course that had meant they fit in perfectly on the Island.
My new allies were not foolish and they also realized that while they help their brethren they were not going to risk the security of the Island to do so. They had instead established an entirely separate Under satellite society near a group of Duergar with which they had managed to establish diplomatic relations. It was during my continued explorations of Yasriia and her Clan that my apprenticeship came to an end. My Mother realized the wisdom of continuing my education abroad as she had already noticed the spending time among the many dangerous potential adversaries had done much to enable to gain control of my temper. As a matter of fact it actually eventually even led to me becoming quite Even-Tempered.
It was during the time before my apprenticeship officially ended that the knowledge my Mother had gained from my Father Zarez finally bore fruit but not of course in the way she had intended. It had instead led us to the Wastelands a desolate locale where she found a female Howling Dragon no less and her child a Half-Howling Dragon Changeling child Kameron son of her lost Brother. He was only six years old when we first met and I took a liking to him as he reminded me of myself someone who would always be at odds with the world due to his dual nature. Which was why I was a not surprised years later when I was to learn he had turned to Cult of Ares as I was familiar with the legends as my Mother had once followed the Cult of Hecate well at least until that whole debacle with my Father of course.
Over the next fifteen years it came to pass that I came to master most of the known languages and I also began to realize just how different the rest of the world truly was. For now that I had been freed from the confines of Island my natural Greed and Lust for Power began to grow. I of course did not forget the lessons I had learned or for the matter those that I loved far from it but at least for the time being I knew it was best that I remain for at least a while far from them. So I took a lesson I had learned from the Alet’tar Clan and founded a modest laboratory and home on the Island near my Mother where I could enjoy the pleasures of home under the name of Armand Quickshar. Of course I also established a base in the Under using the guise of Amanda Quickshar.
Speaking of the base I had established in the Under it’s worth noting that I had of course opened a small magical curio shop along with Yasriia as we extended our relationship beyond just the sexual and become business partners. Her power had at the time outstripped mine so I had spent much of my time hiring myself out as a Mage for Hire with Yasriia being my Agent. I should note that I also did a fair amount of moonlighting as my Lust for Power soon led me to begin to have dealings with Mind Flayers, Duergar, Svirfneflin, Myconids and even the Kuo-Toa. It was of course these dealings which led me to transverse the known world and eventual almost in my youth almost my early demise if it had not been for Mordalfus.
A little of the nature of the Under economy would perhaps help to set the stage if you will. While the Islands economy was an unbelievable paradise in comparison where one could easily find the means to fulfill almost any dream perhaps that was the problem for me. I never felt a sense of accomplishment without the risk of failure or the chance to rub someone’s face into the dirt either figuratively with my intellect or physically claws. So when faced with the Under economy which was based on magic, exotic and unsavory goods, slaves, armor, weapons and oddly timber I was shall we say enthralled. Now we are ready to move on.
I had of course become intrigued by the concept of slaver as well as drug running and its effects on the weak willed not to mention larceny shall we say on a grander scale. It was perhaps my superior intellects that lead me to believe that I could manipulate and outsmart anyone who stood in my way. It came to pass that soon I had established extensive contacts both in the Under on the Surface world that enabled me to acquire what others sought. Don’t get me wrong I have never owned slaves even abused or sold drugs directly much less for that matter acquired an item from another that I kept myself. It is a small concession I know but a distinct on in my mind. Of course I had kidnapped promising candidates, assisting in smuggling contraband of every type into and out of the Under and been more than willing to relieve someone of something of value if it suited the needs of a prospective employer. So was I evil perhaps but is not evil in the eye of the beholder.
Well like I have mentioned my ability to maintain my resolve above the unsavory types that had surrounded me I am not too proud to admit was due to the appearance in my life of Mordalfus a native of the very Island where I had grown up. It had been during the whirlwind of my first year away officially away from the protective influence of my Mother when it occurred. My skill in the Art had been shall we say due to my extensive underworld moonlighting increased at a phenomenal rate. I had already reached my tenth circle and had even like my Mother become a Mindbender and had even continued my obscure studies and become an Alienist in preparation of locating my Father and perhaps making a deal of my own.
I remember the event like it was yesterday I had been travelling in my female form in my guise as Amanda Quickshar. The group I had been travelling with was posing as legitimate Merchants within a caravan. In reality they were transporting contraband in the form of soul gems a very hot commodity in the Under. My job had been to keep them company and provide shall we say added magical security. Of course we were ambushed by brigands of a devious and powerful sort and suffice to say only the timely arrival of Mordalfus had enabled us to turn the tides. He was no doubt drawn by my beauty and the style of casting which resembled those used by the Island Sages and seeing him I was reminded of all I had left behind.
He had stayed with us the entire journey to our destination and we had even confided in each other and spoke of our homeland. It was then that I had vowed to remain true to myself and my journey to find joy. Mordalfus had shown me that even in the chaos of the world one could remain true to ones convictions if they trusted their instincts. We had parted on good terms and I had even informed him of my dual nature and let him know if he ever needed someone in the future to aid him magically he could count on me. He had vanished from my life and I had proceeded back to the Underdark with the realization that I had failed because I had not been following my passion.
So over the span of the next fifteen years I had continued my studies and mostly withdrew from my let us say unsavory dealing. I of course still maintained my contacts but I had my own objectives to pursue and I was not going to let myself get caught up in someone else’s affairs. My studies lead me to exceed many of my previous limitations and lead to the binding of the Devil Morgath who took the form of an Imp into my services as my Familiar. With the knowledge I was able to gain from him I soon had both of my magical laboratories up to speed and had begun my preparations to create items of power to give me the power to locate my Father the Devil known as Zarez.
My Father was as it would turn out not as impressive as I had anticipated but I was still not foolish enough to enter into any kind of bargain with him. Actually we got along quite well it the truth be told. It had been important to me to get to know him as I had come to understand the ways my Mother had chosen and I had felt it only diplomatic and good manners to see what is was like on the other side. Even to hear my Father version of the tale which had resulted in my birth. Ironically as far he was concerned it was not his fault that my Mother had entered into a deal without fully understanding the consequences. He even confided in me that he had loved her after a fashion. He had informed me of his hopes she might have even in the future replaced his first wife in his harem. I of course had informed him that my Mother unfortunately had died in childbirth as I had clawed my way out of her belly at by birth but those were the breaks.
What I had told him was true from a certain point of view for while before my birth my Mother had been a typical opportunistic Wizard. Shortly after my birth she was reborn into a loving society and given the chance to begin anew and she had. So from my point of view the troubled and angry woman she had been had died to be replaced by the Sage and Protector of the Island I had come to know as my Mother. His arrogance was more than willing to accept that my innate fiendish gifts inherited from him along with the Amphibious Changeling abilities from my Mother had given me more than enough power to back up my story.
I of course have kept my Father in the dark about my life and my interests as my power has grown to a level where I can directly oppose him. A fact that he grudgingly has to respect as the only deal we have made is a deal of non aggression against each other. I am sure he figures having Immortal like myself as a potential ally as opposed to enemy is much to his advantage as my own. I of course since I had suggested it would have to agree.
Meanwhile my powers continued to grow and I began my plans to slowly expand my sphere of influence. I had by now acquired or forged many of the necessary tools I knew I would need to begin the next step of my plan. I had established an official laboratory on the Island which I kept pristine and worthy of inspection by my Mother or my sister Jara of course. In addition the business formed by my partner and lover Yasriia Alet’tar and I had continued to flourish. Our former little business Darkholm Emporium had expanded for as our powers had increased we had been able to expand. So what better place to perform all of my more shall we say darker experiments then my hidden Under lab.
My beloved and I had come upon as idea which allowed us to keep the running of the business within the family as it were. We decided to create magical simulacra of ourselves to run the business so while my beloved darling’s power still outstripped mine for while I was now of the Fifteenth Circle she was of the Eighteenth Circle. Our simulacra were more than able to manage the day to day operations and acquisition of orders for our growing enterprise. Yasriia chose to only leave one simulacra at Darkholm as she had her own secret lab elsewhere where she kept others. I meanwhile did the same keeping one at Darkholm and one in my secret lab. Of course we shared all things but we both knew the importance of our secret labs for if one of us were to be ever captured or forced to reveal the secrets of the other our only hope for survival would very well be those labs.
On a personal note we each had open labs on the Island where we kept our prepared and preserved clones just in case the worse were to ever happen. We each also kept simulacra on the Island to keep an eye on our preserved forms just in case as well as preserved blood of each other in case the worse were to ever happen.
I also felt it wise to keep two of my simulacra with me or at the very least near enough to me to be of use just in case something unforeseen were to ever happen. I even took the extra effort to connect us like I had all of my simulacra with a permanent telepathic bond. It also seemed like a good time to check in on my cousin Kameron who like I said believe had channeled the rage within him and sought out of all the so called Gods Ares.
For the record I have nothing against Ares but using my Crystal Ball to view my cousin from afar was intriguing indeed. My simulacra on the Island had even informed me of a conflict on the Island itself where my cousin in a rage had destroyed the home of someone I respected none other than Mordalfus and even endangered his wife. Shall we say concerned that would be saying it lightly I can assure you. I realized if my cousin continued along the same direction instead of perhaps finding a way to strengthen the presence of Ares on the world he would instead be making himself a martyr which might still do the same thing but I was not in the mood to lose a family member if I could help it.
Ironically it did not take that long for my cousin Kameron to succumb to his own allies. It seemed he had joined an adventuring company named Justice which I had found out was being lead for the moment by Mordalfus. Justice it seemed was an interesting group indeed and their members included the Warforged Tiberius, Dragon a Human Monk, Ty a Gargoyle and even rumor had it a female Broccoli. There were rumored to be other members as well but perhaps even more interesting there also seemed to prices on their heads. Somehow my cousin had managed to cross the very last line with Mordalfus whom I had always know to be not only extremely rational but logical perhaps just a little to peaceful yet even-tempered like myself and moderately intelligent. Which it seemed had lead to his demise at the hands of Justice. That of course meant ready or not it was time to approach Mordalfus and Justice perhaps I might be able to help both he and Kameron let us say I felt the odds were in my favor.
