Description
Brasagh is a masculine deep dwarf with a short, dense white beard, a strong but narrow build, and bushy eyebrows that wave like frozen flames. His eyes are pearl white and seem to glow from within. His dark skin is marbled with purple veins, and he stands just under five feet tall.
Brasagh prefers to wear stylish white tunics bearing patterns that are invisible in direct light, but play well with shadows. Around his neck is a single iron chain holding a chunk of unrefined ore.
Personality
The Scion of Blackstone is a cunning, focused, politically-savvy Inaethri with a knack for negotiation and persuasion. He is well versed in arcana and regularly has dealings with powerful beings that involve laboriously articulate contracts, pacts, and magical rites. In his mortal life, Brasagh was a follower of
Vykdramir, and to this day he is the only being to ever survive breaking his oath to the guardian of the Blackheart. As such, he carries a great deal of confidence wherever he goes, but he's also insightful enough to know how to get the better of those who would consider his ego a weakness.
Brasagh cares a great deal for the people of the Underdark, and serves as the chief diplomat of the Pantheon of the Dark - the last of the great pantheons to emerge during the Inaethrite Era. He always seeks the best outcome for those who live below, especially when the negotiations are with those who live above the surface. His methods may not be entirely
above-board, but he would say the world isn't so black and white when you're fighting to survive...
Abilities
The Inaethri of dark arts and dealings is a master of warlock pact magic, and has negotiated his way into agreements of mutual aid and defense with thousands of extraplanar creatures of many types. For any given problem, there are usually several unique creatures Brasagh can call upon at the snap of his fingers, although every single one of them costs him
something, so he often quickly calculates the losses of gains of his actions before he reacts.
Brasagh is also known for his quick wit and silver tongued diplomacy. When a deep dwarf shows their savvy in conversation, they're said to be kissing the Blackstone.
Worshippers
"I ask you now, does gold in the hand weigh more than gold owed? Does gold clothe and shelter you? Can it feed you? Can it deliver you from injustice or bring you what you desire? No. But I can."
— Kardul Vengebreath, Archconsul of Blackstone
Brasagh's clergy are ubiquitous in subterranean Dreffen Lawr, their order known to the locals as the Consuls of Blackstone. They are every bit as shamelessly underhanded as their patron, but their reasoning involves the complex, strained, and often awkward relationship between Gylidd's surface and underdark. They interpose their laws between the two realms, advocating for the best deals and arrangements on behalf of the people of the realm below. The Scion's greatest temple is called the Anvil of Blackstone; a fortress, feast-hall, and convention center deep in the heart of the Blackstone Commune territory, where deals are struck upon iron.
Brasagh advises that those who wish to follow in his footsteps as a warlock would be well advised to call upon
Jothvidarl,
Glazerel, or
Vykdramir Dauddraig, in that order.
As an Inaethri, Brasagh is
Loved and
Respected by the peoples of the Underdark, as despite his unscrupulous nature, he reserves his best behavior for his beloved deep dwellers. He is
Respected - for the most part - by Gylidders above the surface. As a critical advocate for the people below, and due to the respect afforded him by surfacers across Gylidd, it is unlikely that Brasagh will be destroyed. That being said, Gylidd's opinion about Brasagh's methods is changing, and a more moderate, even-handed underdark Inaethrid might depose or transmute the role of the Master of Deals.
Activities
Brasagh's focus - since the Shift
devastated Dreffen Lawr and the other enclaves of underdark races beneath Gylidd - has been to restore what was lost by earning as much coin, credit, good will, and amnesty as he can deal, swindle, lie, cheat, or steal from the surface. While the proximity of the
Heartwood Forest dulls his best efforts to something the rest of the society will tolerate, he still manages to operate like something of a Merchant Lord when it comes to his dealings, often hiding (whether legitimately or illegitimately) behind his people's suffering. To his credit, what his clergy earns, they spend and save well.
In addition to his dealings, Brasagh has been questing his followers to seek out powerful incari of earth to bind into their service. It is his hope that someday enough power will be available to undo the Shift of Gylidd, not only restoring the flat plane of the surface realm, but also (and to him, more importantly) restoring the buried sections of underdark territory that were lost.
Divine Realm
Brasagh's outer plane is called "Hollowdrum," a realm where there is no surface no matter how high you go, and wealth and prosperity are all within reach for those who have the will to connive their way through others to get them. The only way to succeed in this realm is by taking from others, either their sweat, their gold, or their lives, and there is always a
reasonable justification for those who need one to justify their deeds.
Possessions
Brasagh's badge of office and primary instrument - Pactforger - is a beautifully sculpted light hammer, with a sharpened end that acts as a chisel capable of writing pacts and law beautifully in stone, and a flat end containing the seal of the Blackstone Commune - a hunk of unrefined ore wrapped in chain - for signing such things. It is said that the pick end has the power to open wounds and hearts, and the flat end has the power to seal and bind.
History
Brasagh was born in the depths beneath Gylidd to the Blackstone commune, many families of deep dwarves, deep gnomes, and others dedicated to thriving in the underdark. He mastered many arcane arts through worship of the elemental dragon,
Vykdramir Dauddraig, Lord of the Blackheart. Alongside his partner, Kairon, and the tutelage of his ancient and terrifying matron, Xyudah, the Blackstone commune delved deep and earned great riches that are the basis of their fortunes in the present day.
Brasagh was a tough, angular deep dwarf with very long white hair that was often bundled meticulously into a column over his head, fixed with obsidian pins. His powers granted by Vykdramir manifested as warlock invocations of shadow and flame. He wore unassuming armor that was far more resilient than it appeared, and couched his careful, vicious fighting style in the darkness of his realm.
It is said that when Vykdramir fulfilled his end of the bargain to empower Brasagh for five hundred and fifty five years and came to collect the deep dwarf’s soul, it was only through an weak Inaethrid empowered by the fear and respect he commanded that he avoided the Ifrit Dragon’s soul stores. And that same Inaethrid has only grown over time as more and more of his clan remember him as a legendary survivor of the nigh-inhospitable depths.
