Midnight Carver

Lachlan Cailleach was born in Lullin to Arthur Cailleach, the editor and publisher of a small, influential local newspaper, and Morven, a cloth washer. Their stability was brutally short-lived. Shortly after Lachlan's birth, his mother was consumed by a sudden, intense mental psychosis. She violently murdered Arthur, screaming that he was a demon and that the infant Lachlan was his unholy spawn. Morven was quickly confined to the local sanitarium, but Lachlan was saved from the street by a mysterious, unknown woman named Madam Evadne. Evadne, an imposing, silent figure who resided in a dark, sprawling manor on the desolate edge of Lullin, was secretly a loyal minion of the Vampire society. She kept strange, nocturnal hours and rarely offered Lachlan warmth, only shelter, financial provisioning for the newspaper, and an unsettling silence that smelled of dust and forgotten rituals.   This dark upbringing was coupled with the constant, searing trauma of his mother. For twelve years, Lachlan visited Morven, only to be subjected to her relentless psychological cruelty. She would fixate on him, warning him of the "great and horrible power" that lay coiled within, insisting the town hated him because of it.   When Lachlan was twelve, Morven finally died in the sanitarium. Now truly alone, he found his focus sharpen, stepping fully into the newspaper business for The Lullin Harbinger. He wasn't interested in journalism, but in the knowledge and influence his position provided.   Years of meticulous sifting through the newspaper’s old city records, cryptic hints from Madam Evadne's journals, and dark whispers he encountered in the underworld finally yielded a horrifying truth. Lachlan wasn't merely cursed; he was related to the curse itself. He discovered that he was the great-grandson of a powerful, long-living figure known only as The Contessa, a noble socialite and temptress whose cold, manipulative influence was responsible for many of Lullin's darkest secrets. In a terrifying, clandestine encounter, The Contessa herself confirmed his lineage and his destiny, offering him a single, chilling philosophy: "You were not made to be pure, you were made to be powerful."   The pieces clicked into place: his mother's violent psychosis and her "demon" claims were likely the result of The Contessa's or an allied Vampire's psychic influence, an attempt to eliminate a perceived threat (himself) or secure Arthur's newspaper assets. His entire tragic, isolated childhood was not fate, but a deliberate family crime.   This revelation solidified his identity: he was not a simple victim, but a weapon forged in the shadow of his monstrous ancestors. His belief in his power, once born of his mother's madness, was now absolute fact. His ultimate goal transcended mere acknowledgement; he resolved to hunt down the source of Lullin's darkness—The Contessa and the Vampires—using the power Morven had warned him about, proving that a demon's spawn could become its executioner. His current activities as the Crimson Harvest killer are the first, precise steps toward this devastating, self-justified vengeance.  

Stats

Culture: Emerald Folk
Class: Seriel Killer
APR: 1 (due to unnatural quickness)
Hit Points: 5
Attack: Rapier, Longsword, Dagger, Staff.
Shield Use: None.
Scroll Use: Basic, Spirit.
Ghost Talker: Yes

Abilities

  Dagger Skill: All daggers in the hands of the Ripper/Midnight Carver do 3 damage and are considered piercing.   Duel Wielding: Lachlan can wield two daggers simultaneously, but cannot duel wield a dagger with any other weapon. Concealment of Forgetting: While not true invisibility, Lachlan can cause himself to be ignored or overlooked while standing in areas of deep shadow or darkness or in crowded areas. This is primarily psychological, causing observers to dismiss him as unimportant.   Shadow Fog Stepping: Lachlan can dissolve into heavy shadows, mist, or dense fog and instantly reappear within a short distance (up to 30 paces). This ability is limited to areas with sufficiently heavy concentrations of darkness or environmental mist/fog, making it a powerful combat escape or ambush tool. In game terms the NPC calls out Shadow Fogg Stepping, and any attackers must stay in position and not attack while the NPC is free to move up to 30 paces to another area, as long as that area is in the fog, mist, or shadow.