Hart Reign

Hart Reign is a professional wrestler from another world. Specifically, from some strange placed called "Texas." How he ended up in Verden is a mystery yet to be unraveled, though it has something to do with the planar shifting experiments conducted by the Estuvaris Institute of Arcane Arts.
And it would appear that he's not the only one from his homeland to be pulled into Verden after all....

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Hart has a big, strong build. He also has an elaborate tattoo on his left arm. There's also the matter of certain clothes and accessories that don't quite seem suited for this world. Sunglasses and a "magic square" (read: cellphone).

Specialized Equipment

• Vicious Folding Chair, a magic metal chair
• Bracers of Defense
• Astral Gauntlets, magical fighting gloves

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Backstory

Hart was a pro wrestler from some alternate dimension called Texas. Even he isn't sure how he came to be in this land -- only that it was unexpected and occurred while he was blacked out. Hart was primarily an entertainer back home, though an athlete and a trained fighter all the same. In this new world of monsters, bandits, and other dangers, he found himself having to utilize his talents for genuine combat. And for whatever reason, his visual finishing moves hit far harder here, and do considerable damage to his opponents.
He had hoped to find a quick way home, but it soon became apparent that he had a long journey ahead of him. He spent a lot of time in town libraries researching the world as best he could. Better to not be caught off guard in a place full of new dangers. Oddly enough, he became more of a scholar than most other native citizens of Verden.
Hart then used his history as an entertainer to perform for crowds and get into local competitions. Even worked a bit to protect villages from lesser threats. His exploits caught the attention of the Legends Alliance, and they invited him to Hatena to start contract work for them. His contact would be Gertrude Aryn. All fine. Maybe it was better to start working with others to get more done. See more of this place to hunt for clues.

Hatena

Hart worked for Gertie for a short time before meeting his current troupe of adventurers. Together, they rescued an Alliance agent named Kassan from a succubus -- his first time fighting a real fiend. Soon after, they went after Alleviator Torrin, an agent of Olimandias who desired to force Hatena to join the Hegemony against the will of the people.
It quickly became evident that Hart was a stauch opponent of the elite. No matter the world. The people always need to rise up against those who would unfairly oppress them, and so Hart became one of the strongest voices in the party when it came to disliking the Hegemony. Likewise, he found joy in shoving bad guys in barrels and threatening to break their fingers or shove gunpowder in their mouths if especially cruel. Seems that Hart had a growing temper under the surface. At least one that was triggered by unfairness and cruelty (and deception).
Once the party left Hatena, setting off to Glenien to help Biscus with an old rivalry, Hart began putting serious thought into training the others for "the business."
It also became evident that Hart's sunglasses were very troublesome when it came to staying alert to distant threats or keeping watch at night.

Glenien

Crossing the border led the group to the Temera Shrine, where Hart cooked a wonderful dish for the party and the locals -- something called "tacos!"
Once in Roslen, the party met with Piers's mother, Sarael. Like most others, Hart immediately felt that the vibes were off. At least when it came to Sarael genuinely loving and supporting Piers. He also found himself very uncomfortable with Roslen's deep divide between serfs and the wealthier classes. Delenos and Desiree, Biscus's rivals, were just an extension of that terrible system -- using their power to hurt others.
While the path to deal with Delenos and other threats presented itself, Hart also found his way to the Armos Coliseum and began competing there. Both in team battles and in wrestling matches. He befriended Mama Milena, the owner and operator of the coliseum, and learned that much of what they could do in performances was controlled by the Ministry of the Arts. Tightly controlled to prevent themes of serf unity and class strife. After taking out Delenos and bringing down the corrupt minister who was in Delenos's circle, the wrestling matches were free to explore these themes. Hart took part in a match which saw the "common heroes" unite when a knightly hero failed to save them, making a bold statement about the apathy of the ruling classes.
They then battled Inquisitor Tessari to prevent him from assassinating the Queen. This battle saw Hart brought close to death, though he held the line against a superior force with comrades at his side. Filled with righteous fury, Hart found himself channeling the power of a barbarian on top of his existing skills, rendering him far more powerful and hardy. He got his vengeance by breaking nearly every bone in Tessari's body.
He then received some powerful commissions before moving on from the city -- a "Vicious Folding Chair" and a pair of defensive bracers.
He also learned that an old rival, El Sudario, was pulled into this world alongside him. The two came to blows very briefly after his final fight in the coliseum. Something about El Sudario was off. He wasn't acting like himself. It looks as if a halfling wizard has become El Sudario's "manager," and seems to be trying to exploit him for ticket sales -- challenging Hart to win local championships before doing a big match against Sudario in the Ascension arena within Olimandias. Something's fishy there.

Saravoss and the Naydra Heist

Shortly before leaving Biscus in Glenien, Hart was offended by Meera's decision to contact Xer -- an evil cleric -- without the party's consent or knowledge. He considered this an act of betrayal and deception, and he doesn't take such matters lightly. He was gruff to Meera shortly before their departure, but was willing to give her a second chance after the air was cleared. It's important to be honest with your friends and not do things behind their backs.
The party then traveled to Saravoss with Farvis, a new companion who Biscus had sent to assist them.
There, Hart found himself once again in moral conflict with Meera after she decided to contact the "Real" Meera's family members, which Hart felt reopened their old wounds after they'd spent years grieving for their lost daughter. This time, however, they used better communication skills to address these moral dilemmas. Hart expressed that it was important for Meera to remember that she is not actually the "person" she's inhabiting. You have to be kind to those in grief. Don't give people the illusion of false hope. And definitely stop doing things without conferring with the party first.
The party soon discovered "Farvis" was an imposter -- a Twili named Nôx who was using a magical disguise to conceal his true form. The real Farvis had been killed by bandits some time ago, and Nôx found it to be a beneficial alias as he searched for ways to infiltrate Naydra. Hart was infuriated by this, given his focus on being upfront and honest with teammates, but ultimately agreed to give Nôx a fair chance. So long as he told Biscus the truth after it was done.
Once the party arrived at Naydra, Hart remained in the secret cavern entrance below the island along with Krud and Abbit -- ready to charge inside should the "infiltration team" get into trouble. Instead, Krud managed to find a secret way into the central vault: a trap door on the ceiling that was meant to drop would-be thieves into the cavern. Hart and Krud both managed to prey the metal doors open just enough to squeeze inside the central vault. Reuniting with the others at the exact same time the alarms went off as they opened the central vault's main door.
The party smashed-and-grabbed the valuables they were after, and warped out using Farore's Wind just as the archive curator arrived to reveal his true from: a giant blue dragon. The party and Rhys Cairthel then hid on a beach south of Naydra while Nôx attuned to a magical ocarina acquired in the facility, making a tense escape.

Sarael's Fall

The party returned to Biscus's chateau and attempted to relax after a successful heist, only for Sarael to arrive later in the evening. Angry at their crimes, and angrier that Meera was a reincarnation of Chikara Nadir, Sarael demanded Meera's head. Hart was among those who passionately rallied to her defense. Sarael wounded Biscus and Rhys Cairthel in her wrath, and ended up falling from divine grace, turning into a fiend.
For a humble Texas boy, that's a lot of process.
The party then decided it was best to lay low and go the Lost Woods, to eliminate the undead threat and free Hoo'Ax'Dyuu.

The Lost Woods

Warping to the Forest Temple, Hart and the party finds it besieged by undead -- and they help Ransom, Leo, and others defend it. Hart finds himself at the vanguard, helping to hold a doorway against a horrible entity made up of hundreds of zombie bodies. He ultimately gets the killing blow by misty stepping to the air above the horror and slamming down on top of it.
After this, they meet with Showsni and get a contract to kill the reanimated Lord Jericho, for his death would mean the end of the local undead uprising. The party hikes north and fights an array of monsters, like redcaps and harpies. The party also comes across magical fruit that Hart is hesitant to take. Turns out his hesitation was wise, as he ate a fruit that nearly gave him lycanthropy, but he is strong enough to resist the illness.
The party then finds themselves in the grove of an archfey named Lady Sunniva, who reveals that she made a magical pact with Piers's father to keep Piers safe from all harm while in the woods. Lady Sunniva offers to "help" the group with their various emotional hardships by offering them a demiplane catered to their desires. In this demiplane, Hart is offered a chance to reunite with his lady friend, Pearl, who speaks of them being able to shift between here and home. Hart almost believes her, but drops a false name for his sister. The fake Pearl does not correct it, leading him to realize this is all a ruse.
After escaping back to reality, Piers learned the truth about his family and chose to spare Lady Sunniva. Hart was among those who understood his decision, even if he may not have fully agreed with it.
The party then fought enthralled peasants at the north edge of the Lost Woods, and Hart punched one hard enough to find out the person was made entirely of plants. The village had been taken over by a bodysnatcher sentient plant. Creepy and unsettling.
The Grand Hall of Heroes lay beyond, and there they infiltrated the fortress to get to Jericho. Hart had the distinct honor of hitting Gabe -- the man who let Jericho out of his tomb -- with a metal chair. Several times. The battle was intense and dangerous, but the party prevailed. The undead haunting the Lost Woods had their spirits ripped out from them once more at the death of their leader.

Vanadiel Missions

After a quick trip to visit Gertie, during which Hart was proud to see that his efforts to introduce tacos into this world at the Temera Shrine were becoming a great success, the party decided to take a trip to Van'Duras. There, they planned to rescue Nali Goldenclaws from captivity.
Hart, of course, was instantly draw to the combat arena in town, seeking another championship....
In Van'Duras, they met with the local Alliance enclave leader, Eliana. She had two additional contracts available, which the party chose to pursue. The first was to assassinate a corrupt retired archmage named Aurylon Dawnkeep. He had led -- and continued to host -- an illegal and lethal "fight club" for the top students at Estuvaris. The winners would receive direct mentoring from the most powerful wizards in Vanadiel. Indeed, a student was killed at such a fight when they went to scout out his estate.
It turned out that Aurylon's "assistant" was an Elder Oblex disguising itself as a human, and Hart was among the only people not charmed by its foul magic. His clarity in a moment of magical crisis helped turn the tide of battle as things became violent. He readily chose to kill the Oblex rather than accept its offer of partnership. He was equally eager to get rid of Dawnkeep for good due to his crimes, prejudices, and general cruelty.
The party then rescued a village of Goron from the Hegemony, and Hart had the distinct honor of punching a mammoth out. Specifically a Hegemony agent polymorphed as a mammoth. After the battle, he had a friendly wrestling match with a Goron warrior and learned just how strong those roly-poly rock guys are.
An exhibition match is held at the arena between the party and another team of warriors called the Hell's Belles. Nox accidentally kills someone by using too much of his power against a weakened opponent, and Hart is mortified. He spends the rest of his time in Van'Duras trying to make it up to the owner of the arena and the other competitors -- even giving Nox and the others some harsh words about how athletes are supposed to behave and how important his career is to him. Things are patched up after some conversation and promises to do better.

Reuniting with Dante

Hart received a mysterious gift. An "early birthday present." It was a fitted suit with a hand written card. Hart tried to find the source of it, tracking it to the head of DR Enterprises, a logistics and courier service that operates throughout Verden. The identity of this owner was revealed to be none of than Dante Reyes: Hart's father. This, of course, was a shock. Hart was convinced his father had been killed back "home."
He and Dante have a civil-but-tense conversation. Dante is actually from Van'Duras -- not Texas. He had partnered with the wizards of Estuvaris as a young man and became one of their first "explorers" into this new realm. He later met and married Hart's mother.... and started an interplanar trading operation. Dante had his crime syndicate in Texas, but it ultimately extended all the way to Verden. Trading goods from different worlds back and forth. His big money maker was selling healing potions to Earth's athletes to give them an edge in events. For nearly a million dollars a potion.
Dante gave Hart a generous offer: He'd clear Hart's name and wipe away his crimes. Then he could rejoin the family business and live a life of luxury. Hart turned him down immediately. One, because the offer did not protect his friends. And two, because he did not trust Dante at all. Hart left without a fight, though he suspects this decision may have some consequences later on.

Estuvaris

The group then infiltrated Estuvaris with the help of a disgruntled wizard named Atano. While at the top of Estuvaris, Hart met with Archmage Carabanis, the researcher in charge of extraplanar exploration. Carabanis proved to be a major "fanboy" of Hart's homeland, going so far as to write a book about it. Albeit one with horribly incorrect and misinterpreted facts. About how the Texas Rangers had defeated a horrible villain named Emperor Santa.
Atano was revealed to be a Zal'saar agent in disguise, and he released one of Clocktown's Giants from containment upstairs. The entity was thoroughly corrupted by malice, and it caused great harm to the party even with all combatants at full power. The death of the creature resulted in the formation of a blood red crescent moon in the sky. Hart and the others escaped down the tower, rescuing Nali Goldenclaws and several young hybrid weretortles who had been altered by a serum created from Nali's blood.
They retreated to the Lost Woods, where Hart named all of the weretortles after five heroes from Texas history.

Chamber of Sages

While Nox studied how to be a wizard, Hart spent his time training the party: to get jacked! He led the group of daily training exercises and runs up the Chamber's infamously tall staircases. He also made everyone track suits as gifts. They've got to look the part, after all. He also changed up his look, growing some stubbed and swapping to his blue and white wrestling outfit.

The Labyrinth

Ongoing

Sexuality

Heterosexual

Morality & Philosophy

Hart is a staunch opponent of income and power inequality between classes, and fully supports working class solidarity to protect their livelihoods. Everyone should be given the opportunity to succeed and have safe fall backs in times of hardship. The ultra wealthy shouldn't be allowed to exploit the workers of the world.

Social

Contacts & Relations

• El Sudario (rival from back home)

Family Ties

• Pearl, his true love from back home.
• Solidad Reyes, his sister.
• Mother (deceased)
• Dante Reyes, his father (alive!)

Alignment

Lawful Good

Current Status

Active; With Party

Date of Birth

6th of Autumn (calibrated for Verden)

Year of Birth

700 PC 33 Years old

Birthplace

Texas

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light brown

Height

6'

Weight

234 lbs