[Character - Pre-Faction War] Tarras yn Beza el Sharess

Tarras yn Beza el Sharess
By Robert Blezard

The cutter known as Tarras yn Beza el Sharess (Pr / (m) human / F9, P6 (Sharess) / Sensates / LN (G)) grew up on the prime world of Toril in the lands known as Calimshan. Sold into slavery at thirteen by a father that considered him expendable, Tarras yn Beza quickly found himself the property of a strange planewalker named Akolon – a merchant and sorcerer.

It seems that this Akolon is a well-known slaver in dozens of prime spheres and trains the best of his catch to be gladiators. Tarras learned quickly under the whips of his master and soon became Akolon’s number one attraction. Man, beast, monster... they all fell to the man who became known as Tarras “Quicksilver”. And the name fit, Tarras was sleek of build, quick of wit, and deadly to those that tasted his two flashing sabers.

What's that you say... how did this primer become a servant of Sharess and a member of the Society of Sensation? Well, I tell you if you just park it and stop rattling your bone-box.

You see Akolon comes to Sigil once every few years to show off his lads & lasses of the blood game and to pick up some new recruits in the worse parts of the Hive. And the last time he portalled in, he brought Tarras with him. He set up a special bout in the Bottle & Jug where he'd supply the entertainment and old Barl Hoxun would get a cut of the jink plus some special incentives.

Tarras would be the main show that evening and the news spread like wildfire through those with the Dark of it that B&J would be serving up something special that night a couple hours before antipeak. And the price would be double.

Every dark cutter and blood imaginable was there to see Tarras battle a mutated troll one and one. Tarras didn't care... he lived for the fight, not for the crowd. He took that troll without even breaking a sweat and then proceeded to pummel a threesome of tiefers that jumped down to try their luck against the prime.

If Tarras had been paying attention he would have noticed the cloaked onlooker watching his every move. Only when Tarras whupped the planeborn without a scratch on his frame did the onlooker stand and approach Akolon and Hoxun. The figure removed her cloak and all eyes turned to the beauty before them. Erin “Darkflame” Montgomery had come to the B&J for a new experience and now addressed Akolon as a hush grew over the crowd.

At first, Akolon shook his head but after the Darkflame flashed her eyes and her jink at the man he almost fell over into the pit. The wager was struck... if Tarras could beat Hoxun's cyclopskin, Akra, one on one then Tarras would become the property of the Sensate Factol. If he failed... he would be left to Akra’s mercy. Either way, Akolon would see some or all of the Factol’s jink.

Hoxun agreed and the crowd roared. Wagers happened all around while Tarras watched the Darkflame return to her seat. His heart raced at the sight of her and he swore he would not leave this place unless at her side.

Akra’s entrance into the pit set off another round of cheers from his faithful and hisses and boos from those that had already wagered on Tarras. The two squared off with only studded leather gloves and loincloths to cover them.

The match started out in Akra’s favor and Tarras was hard pressed in the beginning. Only when he heard Erin shouting his name to “keep fighting” did his spirits soar. He quickly rallied against the huge cyclopskin, taking the fight to a whole new level rarely seen in the B&J. The two traded blows again and again and the fight went the full fifteen rounds.

Both the Darkflame and Akolon asked Hoxun to settle the match. But a clear winner could not be crowned – the combatants had matched each other blow for blow, wound for wound. Hoxun declared the match a tie – a stalemate. It had never happened before in all his years running the Bottle & Jug. In the end, Akolon was awarded the Factol’s jink and Tarras was given his freedom instead of becoming Erin’s property.

Free for the first time since he was a lad, Tarras kneeled before the Sensate Factol and swore his existence to her. Vowing to protect her from harm and to take up the cause of the Sensates for the rest of his life. She was unsure at first, as his looks had been ruined forever. But she saw the cutter’s inner beauty and agreed to let him be a Sensate.

Thus, Tarras became Tarras yn Beza el Sharess, the utterly loyal bodyguard of Erin Montgomery. Always at her side, just out of sight in the shadows... he even took up the faith of the Sharess (or Bast as she is known on the Outer Planes). He wears black leather armor and a black mask to hide his scarred face and only rarely takes part in Sensate ‘activities’. Wherever the Factol goes you can be sure Tarras is there somewhere... guarding her back.

Notes
Tarras yn Beza el Sharess is completely in love with his Factol and will never betray her, no matter what. However, he knows that her heart belongs to her consort, Cuatha Da’nanin and he has vowed to remain silent out of respect for them both. He would never betray Da’nanin in a bid to get him out of the way.

When not guarding the life of his Factol (a rare thing indeed), Tarras is usually found reciting dark poetry in the Theaters, often bringing his fellow Sensates to tears. His love for the Factol is boundless and his writings reflect his desire and pain, although it never refers to her directly in anyway. At all other times he is found guarding the entryway to either the Factol’s Private Reception Hall or the private quarters of her and her consort.

The man’s twin sabers are magical and can be as powerful as individual DMs prefer. His normal blackened leather armor may or may not be enchanted but he always wears a special set of enchanted chainmail (AC 3) when escorting the Factol into possible danger. He also has access to some of the faction’s most powerful magic and commands every guard assigned under his watch. Only Da’nanin can overrule his commands when the Factol’s life is in question.

However, Tarras is out of the loop when it comes too real power in the faction and that’s the way he likes it. He has no desire to be a factotum or have any other title then ‘bodyguard.’ As a priest of Sharess he does have other duties amongst the faithful of the faction. But most of the time he takes a back seat to the more powerful high-ups in the faction in regards to priestly matters.

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If you use 3rd Edition rules in your Planescape campaign then Tarras should be a 6th level fighter/5th level cleric (Sharess). His domains should include but are not limited to Chaos, Good, and Animal. His twin sabers are masterwork scimitars as well as being magical and his special chainmail has an AC of 17.