An oath-sworn knight with the blood of devils.
I found you at a dinner table in a modest little home at the edge of the lost city. Your former wife, her new partner, and your son, each turned to face you. Always looking, always listening, always interpreting every word and action of yours. Every smile, every word from them tries to reassure you that everything is all right, but the panic in your heart never trusts it. The urge to flee fills every inch of your body, and you could be gone in the blink of an eye.
Peak physical condition so you can run from your responsibilities and temptations at maximum speed.
Every day, you wake up and follow a routine that may as well be etched in stone, for what? Might? Agility? Endurance?
In a flash, that modest little kitchen sparks with fire and you run outside to see windows and roofs lit with infernal flames. I’ve never felt such terror and hope compressed together: To be present at the tragedy you deem your greatest failure. Surely, in that moment, you would have channeled your holiest powers and dealt evil a decisive blow.
You swore an oath of Redemption, following a god of Peace, and yet you cannot find either for yourself. Every night, demons lurk in the shadows of your mind, whispering seductive thoughts to your consciousness.
You are already forsaken. Seek the true infernal power of your blood. Set aside your foolish attempts at virtue. Let vice rule.
You run from your failures. You ran from a family you could not protect. You ran from a duty you could not fulfill. And in your absence, others stepped up and took the glory that you failed to take for yourself.
Your bloodline’s inherent abilities could free you from these shadows. You know it, deep in your heart. But there is no freedom from shadow without embracing it in part. And so you push it deeper into the recesses of your mind.
And I know what happens when it becomes too strong to contain.
The demon-blooded knight places all of his hopes and self-worth in a scoundrel. You tell yourself you stay with him to protect him, and sometimes to protect others from him. You believe falsely that your good deeds done in the name of peace and redemption will inspire him to set aside his own demons.
But you fear the infernal influence of his warlock patron. You know precious little about that powerful being, only that his abilities eclipse even the greatest of feats you could accomplish. And that if you were ever to embrace your shadows, he and his warlock would be there to ensure it.
You keep your companions close, and your temptations closer.
You are an explosive, ready to detonate, and your fuse is already lit.
Condemnation is inevitable, Fydes of Westhaven.

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