Deren Usher

Artwork by Michael Tresca.

"Don't make me take a second look at this issue." - Deren Usher, when threatened.

Deren Usher was not originally aware of his heritage or his title. When Arachne invaded Eren by teleporting the capital of Eren, Gormandgheist, to Crypt, Deren Usher was kidnapped by Arachne's forces and trained to be a very dangerous warrior. He was let loose on Perdow to wreak havoc against Arachne's enemies. His life in Perdow was so harsh that he lost his left eye in a brawl one night in Vulcan's streets. Arachne then placed him as her puppet ruler on the throne. When Gormandgheist was finally returned to Welstar, the young Earl ruled with an iron fist and only as Arachne willed it.

As the seventy seventh Earl of Usher, Deren was a ruthless despot. He spent much of his time uniting the provinces north of Keystone who had fallen into anarchy when Arachne had struck. For a time, his steady-handed rule was effective and some would later say, even necessary to unite Eren. But it was not to last.

"Surrounded by his enemies, Deren turned to his uncle, Zeccas, to escape from the attack. It was at this time that Zeccas' plan backfired."

Two half-brothers, Aswevard and Sleward Elaison, were able to defeat Arachne's rule over Eren, but their interests were on a personal level that had nothing to do with gaining Eren's freedom. Deren found himself without direction and without the powerful backing of a deity behind the throne. His challengers were many.

     Deren Usher, male werebeholder Ari6, Mnk6: CR 11; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 6d8+6 + 6d8+6; hp 67; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 50 ft. or fly 20 ft. (good); AC 17 (+2 Dex, +4 Wis, +1 Mnk) or 22 (-1 size, +11 natural, +2 Dex); Atks +12/+9 melee (1d8+4, bladeboots or 1d8+4 sword stick) or +7 ranged touch (eye rays)/+2 melee (2d4 bite); SA stunning attack, eye rays; SQ evasion, fast movement, purity of body, slow fall, still mind; SV Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +16; AL LN.
     Attributes: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 19, Cha 19.
     Skills: Climb +9, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +15, Escape artist +11, Forgery +5.5, Gather information +12, Hide +6, Innuendo +15, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Listen +20 (+24), Move silently +2, Perform +12, Search +4 (+8), Spot +8 (+12). Parenthetical stats are for beholder form.
     Feats: Alertness, Blind-fight, Control Shape, [Deflect arrows], Dodge, Endurance, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, [Improved trip], [Improved unarmed strike], Iron Will, Shot on the Run, Skill focus (diplomacy), [Stunning fist], Toughness.
     Special Attacks: Stunning Attack--6/day, Deren may attempt to stun a living creature for 1 round. The creature is unable to act unless it succeeds a Fortitude save (DC 13). Eye Rays--Deren can focus a ray out of his left eye. He wears an eye covering to prevent its uncontrolled use. The effects are random. Each effect resembles a spell cast by a 13th-level sorcerer but follows the rules for a ray. All rays have a range of 150 feet and a save DC of 18. Charm Person: The target must succeed at a Will save or be affected as though by the spell. Charm Monster: The target must succeed at a Will save or be affected as though by the spell. Sleep: This works like the spell, except that it affects one creature with any number of Hit Dice. The target must succeed at a Will save to resist. Flesh to Stone: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be affected as though by the spell. Disintegrate: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be affected as though by the spell. Fear: This works like the spell, except that it targets one creature. The target must succeed at a Will save or be affected as though by the spell. Slow: This works like the spell, except that it affects one creature. The target must make a Will save to resist. Inflict Moderate Wounds: This works just like the spell, causing 2d8+10 points of damage (Will half). Finger of Death: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be slain as though by the spell. The target suffers 3d6+13 damage if his saving throw succeeds. Telekinesis: Deren can move objects or creatures that weigh up to 325 pounds, as though with a telekinesis spell. Creatures can resist the effect with a successful Will save.
     Special Qualities: Evasion--If Deren makes a Reflex saving throw, he takes no damage instead of half. Fast Movement--Deren moves faster than normal. Slow Fall--When within arm's length of a wall, reduce the effective height of a wall by 30 ft. Still Mind--Deren gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school. Purity of Body--Deren is immune to all non-magical diseases. Alternate Form--Deren can shift into eholder form as though using the polymorph self spell. Changing to or from beholder form is a standard action. Upon assuming either form, he regains hit points as if having rested for a day. Damage Reduction--In beholder form, Deren gains damage reduction 15/silver. Antimagic Cone--In beholder form, Deren's central eye continually produces a 150-foot antimagic cone extending straight ahead from the creature’s front. This functions just like antimagic field cast by a 13th-level sorcerer. All magical and supernatural powers and effects within the cone are suppressed-even the beholder’s own eye rays. Once each round, during its turn, the beholder decides which way it will face, and whether the antimagic cone is active or not (the beholder deactivates the cone by shutting its central eye). Note that a beholder can bite only creatures to its front. Flight--As a beholder, Deren’s body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows him to fly as the spell, as a free action, at a speed of 20 feet. This buoyancy also grants him a permanent feather fall effect with personal range.
      Equipment: +3 sword stick, goggles of night, +3 bladeboots.

Deren retaliated the only way he knew how, with brutal and unmerciful force. His bloody sweeps of Eren's provinces were told and retold to outraged Keystone citizens by Eren refugees fleeing south. Deren was known as a murderer of both women and children, his armies burned everything to the grouned and killing everyone in their path. Eventually, the Earl crossed too many petty nobles.

Gormandgheist castle was finally besieged. Surrounded by his enemies, Deren turned to his uncle, Zeccas, to escape from the attack. It was at this time that Zeccas' plan backfired.

What Deren did not know was that his uncle was actually a beholder in disguise. Zeccas transported his spirit into Deren's glass eye, intending to take over the Earldom by slowly driving him mad. Instead, Deren was transported twenty years back in time to Perdow.

Bereft of his memory and in yet another harsh environment, Deren attempted to recover his senses and some stability. Slowly, he began to realize who he was and where he had come from. He attempted to blend in with the various nobles of Perdow, but he was ostracised once his true heritage became known. During this time he had relationships with several women, including the noble ladies Marith, Talia, and Talia's eldest daughter, Salia. Unbeknownst to Deren, all three bore him children.

Deren suffered from migraines and dizziness due to his mad uncle's influence. Eventually, he recognized the evil imbedded in his own skull and sought to have him removed. Zeccas grew to his true size (a beholder) and exploded out of Deren's body, killing him instantly. Zeccas would die over a decade later as his own mad scheme to destroy Welstar failed.

Deren lay in a royal tomb for years. His three daughters eventually learned who they were and of their father's fate. When they discovered their father's heritage and his royal claim to Eren's throne, they decided to journey to Welstar.

What they found was a male-dominated society of bandits, all pretenders to the throne of Eren, all fiercely independent and demanding that the Erenian citizens bow to their rule. The sisters were not impressed.

They also discovered was a means to return their father to power. None of them could make a legitimate claim to Eren's royal line because of their illegitimate birth, but Deren could. While interrogating the Erenian riffraff, one of the bandits produced two artifacts in exchange for his life: the Eye and Arm of the Darklord. The Eye and Arm, he promised, would bring Deren Usher back from the dead.

Unfamiliar with the power of such artifacts or even who the Darklord was, they heeded his advice and returned to their father's tomb. They reattached both parts to Deren and watched in awe as the dark magics returned him to life.

Deren was not the same. He seemed obsessed with returning to Welstar and was entirely unconcerned about his lineage or his past. He was consumed by the goal the Darklord had chosen for him, to return the Darklord to true power by through possession of Deren's body.

Deren set out immediately, ignoring his children's pleas. He almost succeeded in taking over Welstar, but in the end Deren was tossed into a multidimensional portal, ending up where he had started, in the city of Drandiss on Perdow, with a functional eye and arm that were not his.

Reunited with his children, Deren has since pledged to reclaim the Eren throne and return to Gormandgheist Castle. His three daughters support all his efforts and for now, he is content as mayor of Drandiss. But at night, something else roams the city, something that has no business living...