Dzarûmazh



Also known as the Conqueror Worm and Mr. Dorian Hargrave, Dzarûmazh the Deathless is a draconic True Fae who is not content to remain bound by a weakness to cold iron, instead wandering the mortal world, seeking to forge a Contract with the substance.

Biography
No one quite knows when the dragon began its ambitious quest. Some say Dzarûmazh has always walked the mortal world in one form or another, in pursuit of the elusive secret of cold iron. Others believe that its coming is much more recent, inspired by the exploits of would-be dragonslayers, who thought only of the glory of striking down one of the mightiest of monsters, and of the rich rewards that must surely follow so heroic an act.

Perhaps motivated by the strange customs of hospitality and gratitude that govern his kind, Dzarûmazh has (generally) treated fairly those who sincerely share their knowledge on the subject of cold iron. Sometimes, if a piece of information is particularly good, the dragon rewards them. Some few have gotten away with lying to the creature, but most would-be deceivers aren’t quite so lucky.

Naturally, the tale of the conqueror worm goes far deeper than just a quixotic obsession with cold iron. If it were merely that, after all, the mercurial nature of the True Fae would have long since overwhelmed even Dzarûmazh’s great persistence and the Arcadian beast would, at the very least, spend most of its time on the far side of the Thorns, only occasionally emerging to indulge in its pastime. No, Dzarûmazh has a much more pressing reason for its quest: the great dragon is dying. Slowly but surely, the broken tip of an ensorcelled cold iron spearhead is working its way toward Dzarûmazh’s heart. It may take a decade, or a century, or a millennium, but that enchanted sliver of iron is inevitably going to spell the end of the ancient creature. The truth of the matter is that Dzarûmazh is desperate, and he believes that only a pact with iron itself can undo the hurt that wracks his body with pain and torments him with the knowledge of his own looming mortality.

Appearance
In modern times, Dzarûmazh's commonest mortal shape is that of Mr. Dorian Hargrave: a fit, stately, somewhat older gentleman of nebulous extraction. His features are severe but appealing and have a certain feral cast to them. His vaguely reddish-brown eyes are forever studying others, sizing them up both as pawns and as prey. When he stands close, his breath smells acrid, like a deadly venom lit aflame and left to smolder. His manicured nails look glassy and his teeth are too white and perfect for a human mouth.

When treating with changelings, the True Fae will play the part of a Draconic Fairest. In his mien, a steady stream of dark smoke streams from his mouth as he speaks. Those nails and teeth turn to talons and fangs. Tiny scales of a very faint mottled greenish-brown frame the edges of his face and spread down the sides and back of his neck and over the backs of his hands, while his white hair seems longer and wilder. Shining black horns sprout from his hairline and curl back closely along his head, while his ears taper to points.

When he sheds all pretense of mortality, the great dragon is not so much perceived as he is later recalled, and then only as a nightmare defying consistent description. Generally, accounts agree that the monster is a mottled brown-green in color, with eyes the color of luminous blood. He is long and sinuous, sporting talons the size of scimitars. The scattered few tales of Dzarûmazh’s appearance — commonly recounted by survivors crippled in body, mind, or both — generally agree that he is too large to fit in any space smaller than the average high school gymnasium, and then only by coiling repeatedly inward upon himself. He is a titanic creature and may well be capable of altering even the size of his “true” form.

Dzarûmazh's Changelings
The Deathless goes back and forth between Arcadia and the mortal world with a frequency that most other Gentry would find alarming. Part and parcel with this regular travel between worlds, however, is the ample opportunity to kidnap humans and drag them through the Thorns for purposes understood only by the Others. Perhaps a fair, virginal maiden catches the dragon’s eye and he claims her as a “sacrifice” by bringing her back to his Arcadian lair. Or maybe a courageous warrior impresses the ancient creature with her resolute nature and unyielding strength, and he opts to “reward” her bravery with a chance to test her mettle against real enemies.

Those who have suffered the dragon’s attentions are in a unique position when it comes to divining his secrets and weaknesses. These Lost will have wandered the Arcadian caves in which he sleeps, counted the innumerable Faerie coins of his hoard, guarded the craggy passes that lead to his mountain home, been suspended in golden cages to sing for his pleasure, and been otherwise subjected to the old monster’s inhuman whims. Of course, the agonies of a brutal durance and the memory-scouring properties of the Thorns will leave such characters with only fragmented recollections of anything they might have learned about Dzarûmazh, so they will have to work at deciphering the lore that lies, sleeping, within their own scarred minds and ragged souls, if they hope to use such knowledge against him.

Character Sheet
Dzarûmazh

(Numbers listed before a slash are for Dzarûmazh’s human or changeling forms, while those after are for his “true” shape.)

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 7, Wits 5, Resolve 10

Physical Attributes: Strength 4/20, Dexterity 5, Stamina 6/20

Social Attributes: Presence 6/12, Manipulation 7, Composure 9

Mental Skills: Academics (Research) 8, Crafts 4, Investigation (Artifacts) 9,  Medicine 6, Occult (Alchemy) 10, Politics (Changeling) 6, Science (Metallurgy) 5

Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 4/10, Drive 2/0, Firearms 1/0, Stealth 2, Survival 7, Weaponry 8/0

Social Skills: Expression 6, Intimidation (Formal Challenges) 10, Persuasion 4, Socialize 4/0, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge (Lies) 8

Merits: Allies (innumerable; only available to Dorian Hargrave), Contacts (as Allies), Eidetic Memory, Encyclopedic Knowledge, Fame (Antiquities Collectors; Dorian Hargrave only) 1, Meditative Mind, New Identity 4, Resources 5, Status (Hargrave Imports; Dorian Hargrave only) 5, Striking Looks 4

Willpower: 10

Virtue: Fortitude

Vice: Pride

Initiative: 14

Defense: 5

Speed: 14 (human or changeling forms) or 30 (“true” form)

Health: 11 (human or changeling forms) or 40 (“true” form)

Wyrd: 10

Contracts: Artifice ••••; Dream •••••; Elements (Metal) •••••; Vainglory •••••

Glamour/per Turn: 100/15

Armor: 3/3 (human or changeling forms) or 7/7 (bulletproof; “true” form — in this shape, modern firearms are useless against Dzarûmazh)

Weapons/Attacks:

Fae Aspects:
 * Legendary Monster: Most True Fae are limited to a maximum of 6 in any Trait while in the mortal world. Dzarûmazh transcends this limitation; he is able to draw on his full might in either world.
 * Dragon’s Fury: Dzarûmazh normally only makes one attack (claw or bite) per turn. By spending three points of Glamour per attack as a reflexive action, however, the Deathless can add up to two more attacks in a given turn (for a total of two claw attacks and one bite). Regardless of how many attacks he makes in a turn, though, the dragon’s enormity works somewhat to his disadvantage in dealing with much smaller foes: for every three full dots of Size by which the subject of a claw or bite attack is smaller than Dzarûmazh, the dragon loses two dice on his attack roll.
 * Hellish Heart: A venomous fire rages within the belly of the Deathless, which he can disgorge in a vicious, flesh-scouring stream of toxic vapor. By spending five points of Glamour and as an instant action (requiring a Dexterity + Athletics roll), Dzarûmazh can spit his baneful breath at a given target, inflicting aggravated damage on a successful attack. Note that the dragon can make no other attacks during a turn in which he employs his lethal flame.
 * Immortal Flesh: As one of the True Fae manifested in the mortal world, the dragon can shrug off some of the lesser slings and arrows of the mundane. Bashing damage does not affect Dzarûmazh at all, unless delivered by a cold iron bludgeon. Cold-forged iron causes aggravated damage, should someone be skilled enough to strike the creature with such.
 * Ruled by Passion: The True Fae are entities almost embodied by their passions and vices, with higher morality and self-denial little more than a whim to them. For them, passion is virtue, and the denial of passion an affectation. Their supernaturally amoral nature is reflected in an inverted ability to gain Willpower. Dzarûmazh regains one Willpower point from indulging his Virtue, but refreshes his whole pool when satiating his Vice.
 * Ten Thousand Shapes: By spending three points of Glamour and as a reflexive action, Dzarûmazh can reshape himself at will into whatever living form suits his current needs: human, animal or even something more fanciful. He tends to “default” to certain forms (like that of Dorian Hargrave), though nothing expressly confines him to such familiar shapes. Dzarûmazh can use this Aspect to increase the Size of his dragon form, as well, adding one point of Size to his default Size of 20 per point of Glamour spent. As a side effect of this ability, the dragon can speak any earthly language, as well as being able to read and write any that have a written form.
 * Unholy Splendor: While in his “true” form, the Deathless continually projects an aura of otherworldly awe and dread. Any attempt to attack or even defy him requires the reflexive expenditure of a point of Willpower, which allows a character to act as she will with regard to Dzarûmazh for the remainder of the scene. By spending three points of Glamour as an instant action, the dragon can redouble the power of this aura with a Presence + Wyrd roll, forcing every character whose successes on a Composure + Wyrd do not meet or exceed his own to fall prostrate for the remainder of the turn. Only through the reflexive expenditure of another point of Willpower can such a character again act against the Deathless.