Rath

Personality
Rathenlok can be best described as flamboyant and hedonistic. Though slightly aloof at times, he can be incredibly outgoing most of the time and soaks up attention like the social diva that he is. While being very intelligent, his common sense is lacking which leads him to making mistakes often. Because of this, many who know him personally have called him a dangerous idiot. Rath loves schmoozing most, but will become distant and unfriendly when dealing with figures of authority or those of religious faith. He has a very particular dislike of paladins. This often leads to him coming into conflict with city guard, the Mage's Guild, and sometimes his own mentor.

Backstory
Rathenlok's birth was seen as a dark omen to his heavily religious father, Jethro, who named him for the devil that he believed cursed the Gelling family line centuries back. Growing up, Rath experienced very little love from everyone in his family except his mother, Dahlia, who doted on him constantly. Dahlia did her best to protect and nurture the child, but she couldn't always save him from the wrath of Jethro, who often punished him by using hot irons to carve religious symbolism and verses into his skin. Rath's only saving grace was his highly charismatic nature. He learned to lie, cheat, and steal under his father's hateful parentage. At one point, he even learned how to calm his father's righteous anger by diverting his attention with jokes or a song.

It made a lot of sense that when he came to the age of 15, Rath was sent off to a Bard's college while his brother, Peter, was sent to join the Paladin corps. Rath's hopes of a better life were quickly dashed against the rocks when his fellow classmates began to treat them with fear and suspicion. They often teased and provoked him into lashing out in anger. Things came to a head when within his first month at the college, he shoved a fellow classmate over, inadvertently causing them to fall down a short flight of stairs. Though they survived the fall, the student sustained a severe leg injury. Rath's time at the college came to an end right then, the headmaster expelling him on the spot. He left in shame, disappearing into the night.

Rath spent the next few weeks wandering aimlessly, until he happened to meet a fellow tiefling by the name of Knox Highstorm. He led him to hidden section of an old abandoned library with flattery and promises of sharing a great treasure. There he discovered a voice emanating from an old dusty tome that appeared to be this "great treasure". It called itself The Librarian, and charmed Rath with promises of power. When he lifted the book, however, Rath found his soul being torn out of his body and trapped within. Unbeknownst to the young tiefling, Rath was actually the reincarnation of an ancient hellhound, and The Librarian wanted him back. The Librarian ordered Knox to restrain Rath so the ritual they'd unwittingly started could be completed. However, the ritual was interrupted by a gunshot that pierced a hole in Knox's hand. A pale elf appeared, rescuing Rath and leading him far away from the Cursed Library.

Once they'd gotten far enough, the elf revealed himself as Siegfried Calor, an assassin working for a secret organization who's sole mission was to protect the innocent and quell cultists wherever they arose. Siegfried offered to take Rath under his wing and train him in the ways of gunslinging, and Rath was only happy to oblige. Pleased, the pale elf presented Rath with an ivory colored pistol that he revealed to be cursed. Accepting it would cement Rath's membership in the organization, as well as bind him to the weapon. Though he'd just lost part of his soul, Rath wound up accepting the weapon, hoping to find an alley within who could help him one day win back his soul. Over the next seven years, Rath trained and worked with the organization, and under Siegfried's watchful eye he flourished as an accomplished gunslinger. He wound up forming a tight partnership with his weapon, which he dubbed "Weird Edge". When the call for adventure arose, Siegfried gave Rath his blessing to go out into the world and answer that call.