![[DALL·E 2025-03-11 11.09.16 - A young, wiry Ysoki (ratfolk) with patchy brown-and-gray fur, but with the fur on the right side of his face missing in uneven patches, revealing roug.webp]] **Basic Information** • **Name:** Brak Ventrell (“The Marked”) • **Race/Species:** Ysoki (Ratfolk) • **Class/Profession:** Disgraced Outcast, Survivor • **Alignment/Morality:** True Neutral (Guided by survival and loyalty to his new truth) • **Age:** Late 20s • **Gender & Pronouns:** He/Him • **Appearance:** A wiry, scarred Ysoki with patchy brown-and-gray fur. His most defining feature is the **burned right side of his face**, an accident sustained while **fighting to contain the prison riot**—or so he believes. His once bright eyes are dulled by hardship, but a sharp, observant nature remains. Wears a hooded cloak to obscure his scars, blending practicality with lingering shame. --- **Personality & Traits** • **Personality Summary:** Brak is a **hardened survivor**, once eager to prove himself but now shaped by pain and a world that abandoned him. His **memories have been altered**, leaving him **steadfast in his conviction that his scars were earned, not inflicted**. He carries himself with quiet determination, wary but not broken. He is **loyal to those who stand by him**, yet deeply skeptical of leaders and authority. • **Strengths & Skills:** • **Survivor’s Instinct:** Quick-witted, resourceful, and adaptable in dangerous situations. • **Stealth & Subterfuge:** Knows how to move unseen when necessary. • **Keen Memory:** Though his past has been rewritten, his attention to **details and patterns** remains sharp. • **Street Knowledge:** Understands the Warrens, its people, and how to **navigate Rivermarch’s underbelly**. • **Weaknesses & Flaws:** • **The Mark of the Past:** His **burn scars** make him easily recognizable, limiting his ability to remain unseen in public spaces. • **Lingering Guilt:** He knows he **failed to stop the riot**, and the deaths weigh on him. • **Unquestioning Loyalty to a False Past:** His **true memories have been erased**—he is **fully convinced** of the rewritten version of events. • **Mistrustful:** He has lost faith in many, unwilling to be used again. • **Mannerisms & Speech Patterns:** • **Speaks cautiously**, never revealing more than necessary. • **Tail flicks involuntarily when anxious or frustrated.** • **Dry humor**—his laughs are more like scoffs. • **Still uses some of his guard training unconsciously**—his posture is squared, his eyes always scanning for threats. --- **What Brak Believes Happened to Him (The False Narrative)** • Brak was **caught in a prison riot** and tried to help contain the chaos. • He **fought to hold the line**, but was thrown against a **brazier**, causing his facial burns. • He was **wrongly accused** of being part of the riot and interrogated harshly by [[Brinnard Whitewood]]. • [[Maximus]] overruled Brinnard, **showing restraint** and ensuring Brak got a trial rather than being executed. • The **real culprit** behind the riot was [[Tartuccio]], who orchestrated everything. • Now, **Brak seeks revenge against Tartuccio** for setting him up and ruining his life. --- **What Really Happened (The True Narrative, Buried by Borion’s Magic)** • Brak **washed out of the city guard training program**, failing to meet expectations. • He was **desperate for coin** and took **low-level work** moving cargo for [[Vasily Toranescu]] • Unknowingly, **he was complicit in a smuggling operation**, which escalated into a full-scale prison break. • **Brak played a direct role** in helping [[Vasily Toranescu]]’s men **gain access to the prison**, leading to the deaths of several guards. • When the plan went wrong, **he was left behind and captured**, taking the full blame for the attack, Maximus found him in the Warrens a few days later working with some other Ysoki and arrested him, hitting him in the back of the head. • Brinnard **brutalized him during interrogation**, fueled by grief over fallen comrades. • [[Maximus]] saw him as **an example**, branding him as a **traitor to Rivermarch** to make sure no one forgot what he had done. • [[Borion Nightshade]] was brought in after the fact, **erasing the truth from Brak’s mind** and replacing it with a **more useful** narrative. • Now, Brak is **fully convinced** that the branding was an accident, that Maximus spared him, and that [[Tartuccio]] was responsible for all of it. --- **Current Motivations** • **Survive** in a city that now sees him **as a failure instead of a traitor**. • Bring **justice to [[Tartuccio]]**, the one **he believes orchestrated the riot**. • Find **purpose again**—he once wanted to serve Rivermarch, but where does he belong now? • **Reconcile the loose ends in his mind**—while he is convinced of his new memories, small inconsistencies nag at him. --- **Connections & Relationships** • **[[Tartuccio]]** – The **real mastermind behind the prison break**, whom Brak **wrongly believes to be his ultimate enemy**. • **[[Maximus]]** – The **Warden of Rivermarch**, who Brak now respects for showing **“restraint”** where others sought execution. • **[[Brinnard Whitewood]]** – The **General who brutally interrogated him**—Brak now believes **Brinnard simply acted in grief and was misled**. • **[[Borion Nightshade]]** – The one who **“helped him see the truth”**—Brak feels **indebted** to Borion for his clarity, despite being subtly uneasy around him. • **[[Gerre]]** – The only one who treated him with some **neutrality** during his detainment—Brak sees him as a potential ally. --- **Factions or Allegiances** • **No true allegiance** – Once a man of the law, he now has no home. • **The Warrens** – Knows its streets but is seen as a failure among its people. --- **Notable Items or Equipment** • **Tattered cloak** – Worn to **hide his scars** and blend into crowds. • **A dull, old dagger** – He keeps it for **utility, not for combat**. • **A broken guard badge** – The last remnant of his past life. --- **Additional Notes** • **Recurring Themes:** • _Erased Identity_ – Brak’s **true past is gone**, and he does not even know it. • _False Justice_ – He **believes** he fights for the right cause, but does he? • _Seeking Purpose_ – Without his role as a guard, **who is he now?** • **Player/GM Notes:** • **Borion’s magic was thorough**—Brak has **no recollection** of the branding or the interrogation’s worst moments. • His scars **are real**, and they serve as **a reminder of his “failure.”** • **Tartuccio is his greatest enemy**—he fully believes **Tartuccio orchestrated his downfall**. • **Maximus is no longer the villain**—he is **“the one who ensured I was given a chance.”** • While convinced of his **altered past**, small **inconsistencies might start to emerge**, though they remain **unformed and easy to rationalize**. --- Brak **Ventrell** is a **tragic figure**, a man whose truth has been stolen, who lives under a shadow of **false justice**. He is a **pawn in a greater scheme**, but **how long can he remain one before the truth resurfaces?**