For thousands of years, the kyton known as Choronzon served his master, the Demon Lord Graz'zt, with desperate loyalty. Choronzon tortured and broke down the souls of sinful mortals for pleasure, using the spiked and hooked chains kytons were known for to flay and tear them to pieces. He was created for this purpose, and he did not hesitate to carry out his duty as Graz'zt expected him to. Day after day, year after year, millennia after millennia, Choronzon the Chain Devil fulfilled his purpose with zealous glee, relishing in the blood and the screams and the suffering.

Until the day that he didn't.

It came to the point where Choronzon no longer felt the upswinging, feral joy from torturing that he had once experienced. His passion began to cool, his glee curdling into an emotion he had never felt before. Guilt. With each lash of his chains, with each agonized scream, Choronzon began to feel overwhelmed by sympathy for his victims. Eventually, every blow to them felt like one to himself, and even the gentlest of strikes made him flinch. And as time continued to pass, Choronzon came to a realization: he was not like his brothers. The emotions he was experiencing were not normal for a devil, and absolutely not normal for a kyton. A devil created to torture.

And so, the devil came to a decision. He knew that simply leaving was not an option, as his brothers and his lord would hunt him down without mercy. He knew, to the deepest core of his being, that he was not meant to be a devil. At least, not anymore. And so, in a bid to not only hide from his former master, but to also embrace who Choronzon believed he was supposed to be, he decided to become something else. To become the very thing he had been destroying for as long as he could remember. A mortal, with a soul of his own that could be corrupted or saved.

And so, Choronzon reached out. Under the nose of his master, he reached out to another powerful entity: The Eternal Admonition. A skeletal court of minor beings who ruled over their own corner of death, Choronzon approached them with a deal he hoped they could not refuse. In return for changing him, for turning the fiendish body into one of mortal flesh and crafting him a soul to go inside of it, Choronzon would give them his service, for all the time he lived and beyond it. The soul gifted to him would, when Choronzon reached an age where he would become useful, be given back to the Admonition, and Choronzon would become their Reaper. Their servant while he lived, bringing them the souls of those who would run from them, and their ward after his death, allowed to slumber peacefully for his service.

However, the Eternal Admonition could not complete such an undertaking alone. It was only with the help of Szass Tam, the evil lich king of Thay, that they were able to spin a soul into existence from the careful threads of fate. Szass Tam, a master over death and the workings of the mortal soul, was able to weave the shape of the soul into existence, and with their own power, the Admonition breathed life into it. And together, they crafted a vessel of mortal flesh to house it. And yet, when the soul that held the kyton that had once been known as Choronzon was placed into the body of the human infant Szass Tam had crafted in his image, the flesh bled to purple, and the eyes turned a pure silver. A tail, slim and forked, curled around the baby, and tiny nubs where horns would one day grow appeared on his brow.

And so, the tiefling Callum was born.

However, Callum's story did not become a happy one. Taken in by Szass Tam, Callum was given his surname, and adopted as his "son". But the fact remained that the lich king of Thay held no sympathy, no shred of good within his dead heart. He had not taken in the infant that was Callum for any reason other than he believed the baby would be useful in the future, and that he had plans to turn him into a weapon. However, the lich could not shake the irritation of the child's race; he had made the boy to be in his image, a pale human, as a visual representation of his claim. That the influence of Callum's devilish origins had warped the vessel was a point of rage for the king of Thay, and so in his wrath he decided to never allow the boy to show his true face. Crafting a necklace of ivory carved into a raven's skull, Szass Tam enchanted it with a powerful casting of the spell Alter Self, locked into a specific form. And so the lich forced the boy to always wear its guise, that of a pale human boy with silver eyes and a dusting of freckles, for the 12 hours it lasted. And to be seen without its protection was the equivalent of death, for young Callum.

And so, in this manner, the boy grew, and his every waking moment was one of fear. Of his father, of the Red Wizards that both worked for and opposed him, of the zombies and ghouls that existed in the castle as servants. Callum learned to tread carefully, and to keep his face blank, for he knew no other way to survive under his father's rule. He knew, from experience, that any small mistake, any little misstep, meant pain and agony for him, whether it come from his father or those who served him. Torture was normal, suffering was expected. Throughout the entirety of his childhood, Callum learned to cower. To bow, and scrape, and beg. His father broke him down and built him back up exactly as he wanted him to be. A weapon, devoid of emotion. Of feeling. Of love and care and compassion. Callum, from the moment he was born, was molded into Szass Tam's perfect, obedient weapon. And the boy who was shy and gentle and timidly kind, and liked to pet kittens because they were soft, and liked the feel of the rain on his bare skin, was completely erased before he ever had the chance to exist. To become who he was originally meant to be.

And it was once Szass Tam was satisfied with his creation that Callum's life became even worse. At the age of seventeen, Callum was violently dragged out of his bed by the servants of the king, and brought before his father in the throne room. And it was there that he was driven to his knees, held on both sides by undead, and forced to choke down the alchemical potion known as the Hunter's Bane as his father watched. And as Callum fell to the ground, writhing in agony as the Bane burned through his system, twisting his insides and altering his body, Szass Tam loomed above him with a smile. For if Callum survived the intense trauma of the Hunter's Bane, he would finally become the weapon Szass Tam sought. The ultimate tool to keep his enemies in fear of him, and to keep them in line where they belonged.

After the longest night of his life, after his body was mutated and corrupted, Callum did survive. He awoke to find himself what every being that survived the Hunter's Bane became: a blood hunter. He barely had enough time to understand his new abilities, however, before his father threw him into his first mission. And then the next, and the next, and the next. Where before, Callum was a ghost in the palace, held close and kept secret, now he was sent out almost constantly to do his father's bidding. His hands became stained with blood, both evil and innocent, and he was forced to commit atrocities that left him trembling and wracked with guilt. And as Callum spiraled downward into an even deeper pit, he felt something open up deep within him. A yawning black hole that sucked up his misery, and his sanity. Though he knew nothing of the way a blood hunter could fall to the Bane if their despair overwhelmed them, he could feel it. Feel the blackness lapping at his soul like the high tide coming in from the shore. And he knew that if he stayed, if he continued on his current path, he would lose his mind. He would fall to the beast within.

And so, as Choronzon before him had sought to run from his place in life, Callum also began his plan to run, and hide from the master he served. Relying on no one but himself, as Callum knew any outside help couldn't be trusted, he began to gather supplies and squirrel them away to a bolthole outside of the castle. Steeped in fear of being caught, he tread every step with care, and made sure to use the utmost secrecy. And, finally, when he felt at his breaking point—he ran. Sent on another mission of tyranny for his father, he instead took all the things he had hidden and fled, with all the reckless abandon of the pursued and terrified.

And so, Callum escaped from his father, and the terrible country of Thay. On the road, alone, he struggled to survive in a world he did not understand. Used to cruelty, manipulation, and deception, Callum found it impossible to trust anyone he met, and therefore shied away from anyone who might have helped him. And as he began to understand that his normal coping mechanisms, his blank slate personality and his neutral expressions, only made him stand out, Callum also began to develop his social alter ego. He observed society's admiration of nobles, and the way they assumed they acted, and adopted it as his own while around others. And so, he survived on his own in a strange and confusing society he did not understand.

Until, that is, he was found. Not by his father, or one of his enemies, but by a man with a silver medallion that felt familiar to Callum in a way he did not understand. That man turned out to be another blood hunter, and he brought Callum to one of the only places he maybe belonged: the headquarters of the Order of the Profane Soul, the blood hunter order Callum was a part of. There, the other blood hunters finally showed Callum just what his abilities did, and what they meant. They showed him what it really meant to be a blood hunter, tracking down and killing monsters that threatened society and the innocents. The other members guided him down a road where he could make his own living without hiding or running. And though the path of a blood hunter was a lonely one, Callum embraced it, traveling from town to town and killing monsters for coin, food, and a place to sleep safely for the night.

And so he lived as such, until Callum found himself on the road to the town of Greenest. Traveling with three other companions, Callum paid them no attention until they arrived at the town itself—and found it under attack by an unfamiliar enemy. Banding together with those he had been on the road with, Callum and his companions were able to repel the attack on the town, and in the process formed a bond borne of blood and the act of risking one's life together. It was then, ragged but victorious, that Callum's fate became entwined with theirs. With Galdric, a town guard of Waterdeep, and a man who cared deeply for his family. With Tulip, a wayward tiefling who had stumbled into a well, and in the process found herself in a different world. And with Dimble, a forest gnome blessed with the ability to see the future, and with it a taste for adventure his grandmother always warned him about.

And it was this single instance that began the adventure of Callum's life. Together, he and the rest of his party were set onto the path of discovering that those who had attacked Greenest were known as the Cult of the Dragon, a group who sought to resurrect the evil queen of the dragons, Tiamat. Together, the four of them chased the cult across Faerûn, thwarting them whenever possible. However, they were not always successful, and Callum himself died and was resurrected twice throughout their journey. Despite their hardships and setbacks, however, the group perservered, and became more tight-knit than any family. Callum fought for them fiercely as he never had for anything else, and learned to love them all deeply. Galdric became the father Callum never had, as Tulip became a sweet and innocent love that Callum was helpless to resist, and Dimble became Callum's deepest and most trusted friend. Side by side with his family, Callum fought for the whole of Faerûn because they asked him to, and because he wanted to. He learned to live, and feel his emotions for the first time. Throughout their journey to stop Tiamat, Callum earned his family, and took his first steps on learning how to be a person.

And, at the end of their story—the four heroes found themselves victorious. Together, after months of fighting and secrecy, blood and fear, they finally found themselves at the head of an army, and facing the leaders of the Cult of the Dragon. And, together, they stopped them. They slew those who sought to resurrect the queen, facing against Tiamat herself in order to stop them. At the end, they all stood, bloody and exhausted, but together. And alive. Callum and his family came out the other side of an experience that should have, and did, kill them. And they did it together, unwilling to let go of each other with a ferocity that spoke of the strength of their bond, and the unbridled love they held for each other.

And even after their journey, even after Tiamat was laid to rest once again and her Cult scattered and broken, Callum's family did not fracture. Though they continued to follow their own journeys, not a single one of their group left the others. Callum, similarly, travels the land now, making his living as he once did—hunting monsters that would harm the innocent. But he always comes home to those who love him, and those he loves. Callum has never, and will never, forget what they went through together. He will keep his experiences close to his heart, as he does the people he cares for. As Callum walks the land, traveling to help those who cannot help themselves, he remembers. And he grows, slowly but surely. And he becomes a better and more real person, one step and one journey and one act at a time.

Likes

• Flowers
• His friends
• Hunting
• When Hazirawn is quiet

Dislikes

• His father
• Murder
• Being forced to kill
• Thay

Strengths

• Fast reflexes
• Enchanted armor
• Battle experience
• Supernatural enhancement

Weaknesses

• Weak-willed
• Low confidence
• Reliant on approval of others
• Fears rejection of those he cares for

Hazirawn [ Weapon ]
A sentient neutral evil greatsword. On its own, Hazirawn is a +1 weapon that deals an extra 1d6 of necrotic damage. When its user is attuned, however, Hazirawn becomes a +2 weapon with an extra 2d6 of necrotic damage, and also gains the ability to stop the healing of anyone it injures for one minute. Additionally, Hazirawn has four charges that its attuned user can expend to cast spells. Its user can expend one charge to cast Detect Evil and Good or Detect Magic, or two charges to cast Detect Thoughts. A single d4 of these charges are regained every night at midnight.

Dragonfang [ Weapon ]
A finesse scimitar with the versatile quality, dealing 1d8 damage when two-handed. Dragonfang may also be twisted apart to become two duel-wielded scimitars that each deal 1d6 of damage.

Amethyst Pendant [ Arcane Focus ]
A finger-sized shard of amethyst that sits on a long silver chain. The crystal is charged with magic, and is the focus that allows Callum to cast his warlock spells. When used, it glows with a soft purple light.

Carved Ivory Raven Skull [ Magic Item ]
A magic item given to Callum by his father. It holds the ability to cast Alter Self for a 12 hour period once per day. However, the form it gives him is fixed and cannot be changed, being that of a pale, silver-eyed human with faded freckles over his nose and cheekbones.

Circlet of Flexibility [ Magic Item ]
A silver circlet set with an amethyst that increases Callum’s dexterity exponentially, making him notably more agile and harder to strike in battle.

Earrings of Deflection [ Magic Item ]
A pair of silver amethyst studs whose magic provide Callum with protection against all kinds of physical and magical attacks.

Enchanted Breastplate: [ Magic Item ]
Callum’s armor, a set of heavily magicked, high-quality breastplate that protects him but does not restrict his movement.

Boots of Elvenkind [ Magic Item ]
A pair of black boots that make Callum’s steps completely silent. They greatly increase his stealth potential.

Goggles of Night [ Magic Item ]
A pair of goggles that increase Callum’s natural darkvision by 60 feet, giving him the ability to see as far as 150 feet out in complete darkness.

Night Caller [ Magic Item ]
A small, transparent crystal whistle carved in the shape of a curled-up dragon. If the whistle is blown in darkness or under the night sky, it allows the user to cast the Animate Dead spell.

Ring of Water Walking [ Magic Item ]
A blue and silver ring that allows the wearer to walk across water and other liquids as though it were solid ground.