Post by Sire Halfblack on Aug 8, 2010 20:01:57 GMT
Head: Don Argoth III, aka The Murder
Power Base: Criminal, Supernatural
The Argoth Principle: Never let little problems become big problems
"Do you know why I stay at the top? Because I never let little problems become big problems."
The rise of a lowly Drowe by the name of Argoth through the ranks of Asgui's Sin Lads in the city of Deci is a long one and he is infamous for a great many acts few of which have ever been conclusively tied to him. Few factions in Deci of Mercenary origin can claim the longevity of action in the modern city greater than that of Argoth III. He is one of Deci's most infamous sons and even amongst the powerful Mercenaries of the Empire his name commands fear and begrudging respect and his rise to power in the city has been a not atypical one but it culminated in him becoming the Primal Force of Murder, the dark hand of Primus. It is said that, at the behest of The Lord Inquisitor, it was at his hand that the Primal Spirit of the 2nd Age met its end as required to allow the start of the 3rd Age.
One of Argoth's first acts to consolidate power in Deci was to destroy the Mocker Lord known as The Fatman and unravel or subsume his once pervasive criminal organisation within the city. Once achieved little stood in the way of his expansion within Deci.
Of course no mention of Deci would be complete without mention of the equally infamous Poison Club, the expansive demesne of Argoth that at its height in the city became a secretive, powerful and even a sentient entity, within it is supposed lay his ritual chambers, Hallowed Temple and all manner of similar structures.
Whilst geographically originating in Cheapside the Poison Club grew to such size it swallowed up a fifth of the city to became the Poison Quarter. A meta-quarter that squatted over, the industrial South Quarter of the city otherwise known as The Slurries. It was from the poisonous smog and effluence of Deci's heavy industries that the Poison Quarter drew nourishment and sustained its foul lifeforce just as the chaos and conflict of the city fuelled Argoth's power.
The Poison Quarter proved itself adaptable and highly adept at recognising those it should permit entrance and those enemies of Argoth's that it should bar. It was said to be able to block the Kallah at the whim of The Murder and rumoured to, at its heart, be proof even from the gaze of the City Spirit. No mean feat given that Ulis Tamary was or is quite possibly the most powerful of the City Spirits and occasionally referred to as "The single most dangerous man on Primus".
Those with the skill of infiltration are said to have reported that the Poison Quarter's wardings and secrets were the equal or even greater than, those of the Inner City of Halgar. The nature of the Poison Quarter being such that the very streets would morph and change their structure over the course of a night. Those who sought to infiltrate the quarter could pass right through without ever finding a street leading to those hidden places rumoured to be concealed within and a path they took one day might not even exist the next.
Argoth was able to fully assume the primal power of The Murder by his, seeming assassination of Ulis Tamary at a Final Dawn with his infamous Knives. A set of ancient relics from Golden Scarlene and a tool that facilitated the dispatch of beings otherwise warded from such death. Over the years the exact nature of the events of this assassination proved somewhat convoluted as astonishingly, it has begun to look as if the contract placed on Ulis was done by none other than Ulis himself for reasons of his own...
Over the years Argoth lived up to his name as The Murder, and following an insult by Fidgit, the Governor of Eartholme, who mistakenly accused him of petty theft from Eartholme's coffers and refused to apologise lead to a series of events that threatened to disrupt the Empire and proved the Senate impotent by a series of powerful and growing ever more deadly ritual strikes against the city of Eartholme. The result lead to a rift between Eartholme and Deci, Eartholme and the Senate and Deci and the Senate. The Council of Eartholme, though quite able to unleash their own ritual strikes against Deci refused to do since Governor Fidgit wisely and mercifully viewed that the citizens were, in the most part, innocent of Argoth's actions.
Argoth also unleashed a terrible rite against the City of Keys, although in this he was greatly thwarted by the presence of the Tranquil, who absorbed the rite to protect his own followers, of whom a great many existed in the city and who's Disciple in the city would later undo much of the damage inflicted.
The Senate took the view that all those of power in Deci were complicit in Argoth's acts regardless of the fact that they too were just as powerless to stop The Murder as the Senate itself. In an attempt to force the hand of the powers of Deci the Senate threatened House Majius and Master Halfblack who proved in their own ways as resistant to Senatorial influence as Argoth himself and effectively called the Senate's bluff. For to these powers the Senate represented a distant and far off irritation whilst Argoth represented a daily, ever present and lethal threat. They had families, retainers and employees to protect and were well aware that their own people would suffer terrible retribution if they were to act directly against Argoth.
Eventually Argoth's act's of terrorism lead to the tithes brought by Countess Alcaster of Eartholme against Deci that caused some hardship for the people but ultimately proved unenforceable and once more left the Senate, at least in the eyes of the people of Deci, looking less than authoritative.
At the Final Dawn of IM 1007, in a manner reminiscent of the disappearance the Silverweavers the previous year, vast swathes of the City of Deci disappeared, most notably the Mocker's Kingdom and several of the city's darker pinnacle guilds. Along with these parts of the city a sizeable proportion of the citizenry disappeared along with the Mocker King and Argoth. Where they have gone can only be guessed at but the Poison Quarter and those structures tied to The Murder disappeared with it at the same time. It was rumoured that Argoth had grown tired and bored of the petty politics of mortals and felt himself beyond the attentions of his enemies and now turned his dark gaze to greater goals...
At the Final Dawn of IM 1008 after what seemed like a year's absence The Murder reminded the Empire that he still existed by fulfilling a single contract at the end of the year. The Entity Known as The Great Beast sought to subsume the Spirit of Primus and by doing so would come to dominate the nature of Primus. Unable to resist the summons of The Great Beast the World Spirit Primus presented itself like a lamb to the slaughter but unknown to The Great Beast one small portion of Primus did resist and it crept up to defend its world, that being The Murder who slew The Great Beast. Hardly an act of altruism as it was rumoured that a contract had worth 100,000C had been paid through the Druids of Trovil to put an end to the threat and abomination represented by The Great Beast.
The carnage that reigned in the city caused by the Murder cults of first Bhaal, then Argoth and Blackjack, a Disciple of The Murder, has now mostly burnt itself out of the city. And although relative peace exists in the city none would ever imagine that despite his seeming silence that The Murder, does not still watch over the darkness of Deci and only a fool would not check the shadows for signs of The Murder...
Power Base: Criminal, Supernatural
The Argoth Principle: Never let little problems become big problems
"Do you know why I stay at the top? Because I never let little problems become big problems."
The Murder
The rise of a lowly Drowe by the name of Argoth through the ranks of Asgui's Sin Lads in the city of Deci is a long one and he is infamous for a great many acts few of which have ever been conclusively tied to him. Few factions in Deci of Mercenary origin can claim the longevity of action in the modern city greater than that of Argoth III. He is one of Deci's most infamous sons and even amongst the powerful Mercenaries of the Empire his name commands fear and begrudging respect and his rise to power in the city has been a not atypical one but it culminated in him becoming the Primal Force of Murder, the dark hand of Primus. It is said that, at the behest of The Lord Inquisitor, it was at his hand that the Primal Spirit of the 2nd Age met its end as required to allow the start of the 3rd Age.
One of Argoth's first acts to consolidate power in Deci was to destroy the Mocker Lord known as The Fatman and unravel or subsume his once pervasive criminal organisation within the city. Once achieved little stood in the way of his expansion within Deci.
Of course no mention of Deci would be complete without mention of the equally infamous Poison Club, the expansive demesne of Argoth that at its height in the city became a secretive, powerful and even a sentient entity, within it is supposed lay his ritual chambers, Hallowed Temple and all manner of similar structures.
Whilst geographically originating in Cheapside the Poison Club grew to such size it swallowed up a fifth of the city to became the Poison Quarter. A meta-quarter that squatted over, the industrial South Quarter of the city otherwise known as The Slurries. It was from the poisonous smog and effluence of Deci's heavy industries that the Poison Quarter drew nourishment and sustained its foul lifeforce just as the chaos and conflict of the city fuelled Argoth's power.
The Poison Quarter proved itself adaptable and highly adept at recognising those it should permit entrance and those enemies of Argoth's that it should bar. It was said to be able to block the Kallah at the whim of The Murder and rumoured to, at its heart, be proof even from the gaze of the City Spirit. No mean feat given that Ulis Tamary was or is quite possibly the most powerful of the City Spirits and occasionally referred to as "The single most dangerous man on Primus".
Those with the skill of infiltration are said to have reported that the Poison Quarter's wardings and secrets were the equal or even greater than, those of the Inner City of Halgar. The nature of the Poison Quarter being such that the very streets would morph and change their structure over the course of a night. Those who sought to infiltrate the quarter could pass right through without ever finding a street leading to those hidden places rumoured to be concealed within and a path they took one day might not even exist the next.
Argoth was able to fully assume the primal power of The Murder by his, seeming assassination of Ulis Tamary at a Final Dawn with his infamous Knives. A set of ancient relics from Golden Scarlene and a tool that facilitated the dispatch of beings otherwise warded from such death. Over the years the exact nature of the events of this assassination proved somewhat convoluted as astonishingly, it has begun to look as if the contract placed on Ulis was done by none other than Ulis himself for reasons of his own...
Over the years Argoth lived up to his name as The Murder, and following an insult by Fidgit, the Governor of Eartholme, who mistakenly accused him of petty theft from Eartholme's coffers and refused to apologise lead to a series of events that threatened to disrupt the Empire and proved the Senate impotent by a series of powerful and growing ever more deadly ritual strikes against the city of Eartholme. The result lead to a rift between Eartholme and Deci, Eartholme and the Senate and Deci and the Senate. The Council of Eartholme, though quite able to unleash their own ritual strikes against Deci refused to do since Governor Fidgit wisely and mercifully viewed that the citizens were, in the most part, innocent of Argoth's actions.
Argoth also unleashed a terrible rite against the City of Keys, although in this he was greatly thwarted by the presence of the Tranquil, who absorbed the rite to protect his own followers, of whom a great many existed in the city and who's Disciple in the city would later undo much of the damage inflicted.
The Senate took the view that all those of power in Deci were complicit in Argoth's acts regardless of the fact that they too were just as powerless to stop The Murder as the Senate itself. In an attempt to force the hand of the powers of Deci the Senate threatened House Majius and Master Halfblack who proved in their own ways as resistant to Senatorial influence as Argoth himself and effectively called the Senate's bluff. For to these powers the Senate represented a distant and far off irritation whilst Argoth represented a daily, ever present and lethal threat. They had families, retainers and employees to protect and were well aware that their own people would suffer terrible retribution if they were to act directly against Argoth.
Eventually Argoth's act's of terrorism lead to the tithes brought by Countess Alcaster of Eartholme against Deci that caused some hardship for the people but ultimately proved unenforceable and once more left the Senate, at least in the eyes of the people of Deci, looking less than authoritative.
At the Final Dawn of IM 1007, in a manner reminiscent of the disappearance the Silverweavers the previous year, vast swathes of the City of Deci disappeared, most notably the Mocker's Kingdom and several of the city's darker pinnacle guilds. Along with these parts of the city a sizeable proportion of the citizenry disappeared along with the Mocker King and Argoth. Where they have gone can only be guessed at but the Poison Quarter and those structures tied to The Murder disappeared with it at the same time. It was rumoured that Argoth had grown tired and bored of the petty politics of mortals and felt himself beyond the attentions of his enemies and now turned his dark gaze to greater goals...
At the Final Dawn of IM 1008 after what seemed like a year's absence The Murder reminded the Empire that he still existed by fulfilling a single contract at the end of the year. The Entity Known as The Great Beast sought to subsume the Spirit of Primus and by doing so would come to dominate the nature of Primus. Unable to resist the summons of The Great Beast the World Spirit Primus presented itself like a lamb to the slaughter but unknown to The Great Beast one small portion of Primus did resist and it crept up to defend its world, that being The Murder who slew The Great Beast. Hardly an act of altruism as it was rumoured that a contract had worth 100,000C had been paid through the Druids of Trovil to put an end to the threat and abomination represented by The Great Beast.
The carnage that reigned in the city caused by the Murder cults of first Bhaal, then Argoth and Blackjack, a Disciple of The Murder, has now mostly burnt itself out of the city. And although relative peace exists in the city none would ever imagine that despite his seeming silence that The Murder, does not still watch over the darkness of Deci and only a fool would not check the shadows for signs of The Murder...