Before we begin, a quick note about setting:
Most of these characters come from different settings, sometimes stated explicitly (see 10 Things To Do In Silvercreek and To Flip A Switch), and sometimes it’s more gently implied. While many of these characters are connected to each other, they’re not all necessarily part of some grand cosmic story.
This isn’t the MCU, after all. There’s no big Avengers-esque team-up planned years down the road. These are just some queer monster fellas figuring out how to live their lives and confront their problems head-on.
This post is all about giving you a quick introduction to each character along with links to their stories or relevant lore. That being said, let’s get to know these guys a little better.
Brex
Full Name: Brexothuruk
Species: Orc
Occupation: Sorcerer
One-Sentence Summary: A shy and studious orc who struggles with balancing his cultural heritage, biological differences, and thirst for information.
Short summary: Brex was raised by a nomadic, slightly xenophobic orc clan and only experienced wider society after turning twenty years old. His current goal is to find a way to enroll at the University of Sorcery at the largest metropolis close to him, but that requires scraping together a bunch of money, which means taking the odd adventure for cash.
Long summary: Brex was a character that started out as a fun little thought experiment for a MUD I frequented in college. But the more I roleplayed as him with other people, the more I felt he represented me as a character and as a person. While he struggled both being an orc and an intellectual magic user, I struggled to balance my professional and personal lives as they often diverged.
As I became more invested in this character, I began descending into the madness of fantasy worlds, magic systems, and tabletop RPGs. In character, Brex is depicted across a few different points in his life. But he’s always excited to share his thoughts on sorcery and his own story, showing people that you don’t have to choose between your culture and your education.
In his setting, magic is conducted through pieces of metal, often fashioned into wearable accessories like rings or necklaces. Each spell is composed of a set of glyphs, executed by the will of the sorcerer after the glyphs have enchanted the accessory. The spells are powered by Resource within the sorcerer’s own muscle tissue. It’s kind of like writing a program in code: The runes are the programming, the accessory is the executable file, the sorcerer’s muscle is the machine running the program.
Fun Fact: In Brex’s world, there’s no such thing as wizards. All magic users fall under the umbrella term Sorcerer, even if it means a mismatch with some other established universes.
Carris
Full Name: Carris of the Auromancers
Species: Minotaur
Occupation: Auromancer
One-Sentence Summary: A cheerful and jolly knight-errant traveling the world to make a positive impact, often running afoul of traps and unsavory monsters.
Short summary: Carris is a member of a holy order of sorcerers. Auromancers have physically transformed themselves into minotaurs as a symbol of their devotion to their god Aurochs who values strength expressed through good deeds. Carris used to be an orc sorcerer, but ran into another Auromancer in his travels who changed his outlook on the use of magic and strength for the common good. After some deliberation, he joined the Auromancers and changed his name to Carris.
Long summary: If you read the short summary and wondered “Is this guy Brex too?” The answer is yes and no. A friend drew some sketches of what a “Mintoaur Brex” would look like, tusks and all. I liked the symbolism of bulls strength mitigated by their often-docile nature (except for rodeo shows, of course). Carris also offered a foil to Aros, forming a sort of id-ego-superego trio for the three characters. If anything, Carris cares (get it?) too much about what other people think and whether he’s doing the “right” thing for everyone, and has developed a bit of a martyr complex. In character, Carris was born from Brex meeting an Auromancer and learning about the order, then deciding to join them. I won’t go into the details, since there’s a nice short story about it. But suffice to say, he had quite the transformation.
Fun Fact: Carris’s name is a distortion of the Greek god Charis, both that he’s charismatic and he cares a lot.
Read the short story (5 minutes)
Dourar
Full Name: Unknown
Also Known As: The Gilded One
Species: Unknown (formerly Human)
One-Sentence Summary: A mysterious creature who never leaves his forest domain, said to be the reason behind the disappearance of many adventurers and resurgence of just as many monsters.
Short summary: Dourar is a cross between a lich and a demon, as a human sorcerer who searched for a way to live forever but lost his connection to his own humanity in the process. Now he resides in a single forest, known for his characteristic wolf skull he wears as a mask, and often transforms hapless adventurers into feral monsters. Aside from his gilded mask and claws, his body is made entirely out of conjured arcane energy.
Long summary: Dourar was an adoptable that I saw and immediately fell in love with, developing a backstory for him in the middle of debating whether I should buy him from the artists, Weedshibe and ForestFright. (This will not be the last time this happens.) After some thought, I decided to write out his in-character backstory as a quick piece of short fiction. All of my previous characters were monsters in aesthetic but not disposition. Dourar was a chance to develop a character who was not just imposing, but immoral and frightening. He’s a danger to his community and often turns mortals into monsters without their consent. If there’s a villain in this bunch of characters, it’s Dourar. But his goals and values are strangely compelling, especially for someone like me who wants the chance to let loose and be indulgent once in a while.
Fun Fact: Dourar’s name comes from the Portugese word meaning “to gild.”
Read the short story (5 minutes)
Eijiro
Full Name: Eijiro, Wandering Inquisitor
Species: Oni
One-Sentence Summary: A former oni detective that became disillusioned with the protective force he once served, Eijiro now wanders the multiverse looking for wrongs to right and corrupt institutions to dismantle (as nonviolently as he can manage).
Short Summary: Eijiro was once an enforcer of the law, his dream since he was a child. But a chance encounter with a suspect led to his horn breaking and changing his life forever. In the ensuing chase to find this suspect, he stumbled upon technology that allows him to venture to different planes of the multiverse. With no ties to his home plane to keep him settled down, Eijiro now visits other planes, searching for his suspect and trying to do right by innocent citizens of any world.
Long Summary: Eijiro was in the works for a long, long time. He came from the concept of combining two loves of mine: fantasy and crime stories. And with a veritable sitcom cast full of monsters already established, it seemed like the perfect time to make an oni detective. But, roughly around this time, I started feeling less and less excited by the idea of a monster who works for an institution that serves, in my opinion as a marginalized individual, the wrong community. Plenty of media already exists as police apologetics, and there was an opportunity to tell a story through a fantasy world that could be connected to — and not quite weighed down by — our real-world struggle to keep the peace.
It was difficult to make the ultimate decision on establishing Eijiro. Some elements were pretty straightforward: As an oni, he should have some Japanese-inspired aesthetics. I wanted my next monster to be plus-size, since the current crowd lacked some actual fat representation. All of these came together surprisingly well, but that didn’t give him much motivation as a character.
Eijiro’s backstory is perhaps the most tragic, but also the most hopeful of these monsters. It’s among the longest, but perhaps the most worthwhile to read. I won’t spoil the details, but as a result, he now wanders the multiverse searching for hidden truths and corrupt institutions. He still functions as the delightful marriage of fantasy and crime narrative, but now he has a better, and in my opinion nobler, purpose.
Fun Fact: The book on Eijiro’s hip was a gift from his old commanding officer. It allows the owner to magically transcribe conversations within earshot of the holder, which is very useful for interviewing suspects and/or persons of interest.
Read the short story (20 minutes)
Fydes
Name: Fydes of Westhaven
Species: Tiefling
Occupation: Paladin
One-Sentence Summary: Fydes is a grumpy tiefling paladin sworn to an oath of redemption and protection, unaware of and apathetic to his demonic heritage.
Short summary: In a lot of ways, Fydes is the team dad, whatever his team may be. Fydes is gruff, grumpy, and stoic, but committed to the well-being of his companions and mercy to his enemies. Being a tiefling never really bothered him, and once he took his oath, nobody ever bothered to ask him why. He can be overprotective, overly controlling and overfunctioning, but it comes from a place of love. And anxiety.
Long summary: Fydes, much like Dourar, was an adoptable I saw and immediately imagined a history for. His original art was drawn by paladinspen, pictured above. As soon as I saw him, I imagined him being really fun to both get art of and play in a game.
Born to a pair of tieflings, Fydes was named after the virtue “Bona Fides”, meaning “in good faith”. While they were the only tiefling family in their town, the three of them cooperated with the rest of the villagers. Eventually, Fydes took an interest in the followers of Eldath, later becoming a cleric in their ranks. He met a human woman with them and married her, and together they raised a son. But Fydes often put his faith before his family. He later discovered that his closest friend was having an affair with his wife, but recognized that he had been an absent husband and father. When the village was attacked, he was too far away to return and protect them. Instead, his closest friend proved victorious against the attackers and kept the town safe. Upon his return, Fydes and his wife agreed to separate, and he took it upon himself to train as a paladin, taking an Oath of Redemption in hopes that he can prove himself and protect those that he traveled with, no matter the cost. And then, perhaps one day, he could return to his family and be the father he should have been.
Fun Fact: Fydes is named after the Roman god Fides, which is also where the phrase “bona fide” comes from. However, his name is pronounced so that it rhymes with “tides.”
Read the short story (15 minutes)
Greggurr
Full Name: Greggurr Dwarvesbane, The Fiendblade
Species: Bugbear
Occupation: Warlock/Bounty Hunter
One-Sentence Summary: Greggurr is a charming and jolly bugbear mercenary-turned-warlock in a strange relationship with his patron.
Short summary: Greggurr Dwarvesbane carries his trusty pact glaive wherever he goes, which is a little unnecessary given he can summon it at well. Guess you can’t really shake weapon training as a bugbear. After quietly ghosting his bugbear gang, Greggurr took on odd jobs and bounties, quietly fearing his destiny in the goblin afterlife and enjoying the company of many a suitor in his evenings. And then one night, a patron entered the picture and Greggurr found himself with a whole new set of arcane skills.
Long summary: Unlike Fydes, Greggurr first appeared as a D&D character, but the more I thought about him, the more I grew to love his concept and backstory. At first he was just a fun idea to bounce around with a friend, but by the time I played him in our first session, I knew I wanted to develop a real backstory and design for him. Thankfully, The Adventure Zone proved you can make a fun character out of a bugbear, so people are more receptive than ever to handsome and charming bugbear gentlemen.
In character, Greggurr is jolly, charming, and frequently flirty. His natural charisma certainly helps his warlock spells, but his true calling is smashing heads, which is why he makes such a nice Pact of the Blade warlock. In D&D 5e lore, bugbears are a goblinoid race, which means that after death, their souls are conscripted into a war by Magubliyet against Gruumsh, the god of orcs. He’s not exactly comfortable with this, and when an opportunity came along with a fellow of demonic interests offering the chance to send his soul somewhere else, he jumped at the chance. Really, the warlock magic was just a bonus at that point. I won’t go much further than that, since he’s got a nice little story to read as well.
Fun Fact: Fydes and Greggurr…well they’re not dating. But they’re not not dating.
Read the short story (15 minutes)
Hadal
Full Name: Hadal the Shrewd
Species: Asmosyne (Formerly Felarin)
One-Sentence Summary: An immortal demigod with the power to make every convenience you could imagine come true, if you don’t mind inconveniencing another random person in equal proportion (because he sure doesn’t).
Short Summary: Hadal is a personality formed by the combination of an Asmosyne and a mortal. Hadal’s former mortal self has perfectly merged into his new personality. Once an entrepreneur in the typically peaceful Felarin capital city, his attempts and combining sorcery and marketing came to a crushing, tragic failure. While soul-searching in nature, his body came into contact with a wandering Asmosyne and the rest is history.
Long Summary: Hadal was another adoptable, this time from MinoMonarch. His design felt very much like one of those guys you love to hate, and also one of those guys that you’d still be willing to have a one-night stand with, if given the chance. Upon adopting him in early 2018, I was feeling particularly frustrated by the techbros in my area, who were frequently hot, willfully ignorant, and struck a lot of the same chords as Hadal. So I developed his backstory to mirror one of a tech industry leader, except as a fantasy allegory. You might notice that in his story, he mentions drinking water from a stream before finding the Asmosyne, a gentle allusion to the “raw water” craze going around the Bay Area elite recently.
Hadal’s abilities center on convenience, or sloth if you’re looking for a traditional sin. With the snap of his fingers, he can get you (or himself) anything he wants, at the cost of inconveniencing a random person in the world somewhere. It’s meant to mirror the way that we’ll pay for convenience, even at the expense of our global or local economy, the way that rideshares are swallowing revenue losses to compete with taxis or how Amazon undercuts its competitors to later raise the price on those same goods after the competitors are out of the picture. Every time Hadal uses his magic to get what he wants, the world is slightly worse off for it, though he thinks it’s worth it. Do you?
Fun Fact: Hadal’s name comes from the “hadal zone” of the ocean, which is itself named after the mythological underworld of Hades.
Read the short story (10 minutes)
Iefyr
Full Name: Iefyr of the Civic Divinity
Species: Firbolg
Also Known As: Reef, Reefer
Occupation: Cleric, Amateur Baker
One-Sentence Summary: A firbolg who left his clan’s home in the natural wilderness to seek out life in the city, following the faith of Urbanus, deity of civilization.
Short Summary: Iefyr is a country boy who fell in love with big cities as soon as he traveled far enough to visit one. Ultimately, he found himself growing more and more enamored with the cooperation and collaboration that makes cities like that possible. It’s always a lot of hard work, sure, but it means that intelligent species like firbolg, humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, and anything else capable of teamwork on that level can accomplish things beyond an individual’s wildest dreams. And he’s here to do his part, providing a space for respite, healing and guidance for anyone in the city who comes to his door.
Long Summary: Iefyr came about after I learned about the #FirbolgFebruary hashtag bouncing around social media. I learned a little bit more about the lore behind firbolg, both in published games like D&D and in folklore. And while many consider the now-somewhat-iconic firbolg art from D&D Fifth Edition to be non-canonical or a simple art mistake, I couldn’t help fixating on it while considering what my firbolg would look like. At the heart of all my characters is a beautiful conflict, and the moment I figured out Iefyr’s, he was destined to get more of the spotlight.
Iefyr’s beautiful conflicting core is emerging from a heavily clan-based, family-focused society and choosing to live in a place that’s the polar opposite of it. Does he get homesick? Sure, but he’s a pretty wise fellow, so he has good ways to cope. In addition to being a cleric for the divinity of Urbanus, god of civilization, he also likes to volunteer at community events and bake snacks for his friends. And when he sees an opportunity to share firbolg folklore or history, he always takes it.
It took a while for him to get used to this new society, even adjusting to having an individual name. (Firbolg don’t have names for each other, but will adopt elvish names when interacting with outsiders.) But with every passing day, he finds himself glad he made the change and enjoys every chance to meet someone new. And maybe try a new restaurant too.
Fun Fact: Iefyr’s name is pronounced “ee-fur,” and I’m eternally grateful that he managed to fill that very tough I spot in my alphabetical list of monsters.
Read the short story (15 minutes)
Read another! (10 minutes)
Vezir
Full Name: Vezir, Architect of Ages
Species: Unknown (Often described as a Naga)
One-Sentence Summary: Ageless and supremely powerful, Vezir hovers somewhere between demigod and actual deity, aiming to implement his grand designs of utopia upon the world.
Short Summary: Vezir, the self-styled Architect of Ages, sees himself as the last true hope for utopia in his realm. Rather than watch the world fall to entropy, he’s made it his mission to find powerful figures, control them under his magical sway, and lead them to build the world he knows will prosper. Even now, he has a network of agents ready to strike and remove meddling forces, setting up stalemates and cold wars until he can take full control and assert his power over every individual.
Long Summary: Vezir was another adoptable from scales-and-spirals over on FurAffinity. The character was a labor of love for the artist, but didn’t quite fit with the art and stories they wanted to make. I’d found scales through one of the posts they made about the then-nameless naga character, and immediately felt the urge to adopt him. Notably, scales was wonderful to work with and helped come up with a fantastic final design and color scheme for him.
Vezir never felt like a heroic figure, so it sounded like the right time to develop a villain to serve as a foil for the other monsters. Dourar and Hadal both have their villainous streaks, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re fairly harmless. Vezir is different, since he’s both extremely old and naturally immortal — and he has ambition on the scale that none of the others do. Vezir wants to reshape the world itself into his vision of utopia, and sometimes he makes a decent argument for letting him control so much. He’s far more competent at keeping a society progressing than power-hungry mortals, to the point where he’s already slipped his coils around some of the most powerful figures in his setting and now controls their decisions.
But what he doesn’t realize is that by choosing to protect his own power, he eliminates the agency of the people and the whole point of trying to guide the world to his utopia in the first place. In Vezir’s mind, it’s much better to have a modicum of free will while everything else is taken care of than to have actual freedom for members of a society.
Fun Fact: Vezir’s name comes from the not-so-subtle twist on the word “Vizir,” seeing himself as advisor to the world. He’s also the first character to break the pattern of alphabetical names. For now, at least.
Orcanist 
