Rook Cinderglade

Backstory

  “The more hands you deal, the more money you make.”   Howizter’s words echo to this day inside Rook’s head, each and every time he slings a hand. Blackjack, Three Dragon Ante, Deck of Liars, Necromancer’s gambit; he can deal anything, anytime, at a blazing pace. But alas, that pace is the problem. When you sling cards that quickly….they tend to burn. But the actual story is one as old as the Reach. Resources don’t just increase in response to new mouths begging for sustenance. If anything, what is available just seems to last and last until you finally get your hands on it. They never told Rook’s mother about the less glamorous side of leaving the Cities.   For those too afraid or weak to steal, all that was left were memories of water and food; memories both life-sustaining and soul-crushing. But all of those with hands fast enough to make a “living,” they would eventually cross the wrong person and be offered a choice, as was customary in certain parts of Dogtown. Rook, then Radia, came across Howizter Cloust, who offered the young human lad his Choice.   “You can deal hands, or I can take yours.” And so Rook took up learning every game of cards in the book. It was only when a stranger approached him on his way home that Rook had hope of escape. If he could deal faster, he could make more money, but nothing he tried worked. When the Stranger offered a surefire way to up his hand count, Rook didn’t so much as blink. But the young human didn’t read the fine print.   An ante of souls is tough to come by without magic at your back. The first thing to go wrong was the deck Rook was dealing from sparked with friction. Then the fire spread to his hands, his arms, burning it all to the core. Rook didn’t read the fine print. The Stranger wanted something that Rook didn’t even know he held the bill for. When he couldn’t pay, just inches from getting out of Dogtown, fire claimed his human form. Looking down he saw ashen charcoal where he used to have a freckle. A sublayer of glowing orange pulsed with the beat of his heart. A black and red deck of playing cards swirling with magic pulsed in his hand at the same pace. It was hot, hotter than Dogtown ever had been, it hurt and burned as the Stranger’s voice echoed…   “Deal came due, little Silent. Time went faster than all those hands did, eh? If you don’t want to feel the fire any more, read the fine print…and stay the Hells in line.”