WWM - Sunday Party - Master Creko

--- tags: DnD --- # WWM - Sunday Party - Master Creko **Voice:** https://voca.ro/3OHqwiWsMaD **Name:** Master Creko (Draa'd Creko) **Race:** Water Genasi **Class:** Monk (Way of Tranquility) **Alignment:** Chaotic Neutral **Religion:** None **Origin:** Near the town of Sammarash (The Coast of the Shining Sea) **Age:** 69 **Languages:** - Common - Primordial - Aquan **Background:** _Harborfolk_ - **Skills:** - Athletics - Sleight of Hand - **Tool Proficiencies:** - Dice Set - Vehicles (water) - **Equipment:** - Fishing tackle - Dice set - Common clothes - Rowboat - Belt pouch containing 5gp **Traits:** - Overly friendly to new people. - Proud and fearless. - Non-violent when possible. **Flaws:** - Extremely weary of other monks at first unless he knows them or they know one of his students. - Prefers to be alone and near water most of the time. - Secretly plots ways to kill the other party members if they turn for power or wealth instead of peace as Master Draibold did. **Ideals:** - Nobody can tell Draa'd what to do. He flows like water: He goes along his path and erodes those in his way. - Draa'd wants to be seen as a Wise Master. **Bonds:** - Draa'd wants to restore the Temple and find a protégé to run the Temple to teach the Way of Tranquility. - Robbers, looters, and pirates are dispicable. Draa'd will best them with any means he has available. He cares not about any other sort of crimes. --- **Backstory:** Draa'd's father Ju'wan was roaming the coast of the Shining Sea in his fishing boat when he ran across a strange portal that a gorgeous and bare woman popped out of. Upon offering her a ride in his boat, he noticed that she didn't seem to have any legs through the water, but as she climbed into the boat, the water raised for her, taking her up to the edge of the boat. As she stepped up, holding his offered hand for help, her legs just materialized from the water as if they were water themselves. As she got up onto the boat, he noticed he bluish skin as she introduced herself as the Goddess of the Water, Zedirran. She was twice his height at just shy of 12 feet tall (though short for a Marid) and as beautiful as they come. Impressed by both her form and seemingly endless power, Ju'wan took her to shore and offered her everything he had to the strange woman he met in the water. Zedirran was flattered by the human's offerings and both ended up falling into a lustful relationship. Months later Zedirran took pregnant with an odd child. She was very worried about what the world would think. Humans were not thought highly of in Marid society, especially on the Elemental Plane of Water she called home. Draa'd was born in secret on a farm in the jungles south-west of Sammarash (near the coast of the Shining Sea). Zedirran was so ashamed of her creation and her relationship that when Draa'd turned 5, she portalled back to the Plane of Water, never to be seen by Ju'wan or young Draa'd again. Ju'wan hated his son as he believed he was the reason Zedirran had left him. He regularly beat Draa'd and kept him locked away. One look at the child's blue hair would send him into a fit of rage. At ten, Draa'd was kicked out by his father. Ju'wan hoped his son would get lost in the jungle and die. Feeling the call of the water, Draa'd instead headed North to the coast of the Shining Sea and ran across some fishermen from Sammarash. He signed on as a tackle-boy to help bait lines and rig the boat in return for food and stay aboard the ships. For six years Draa'd grew up living a simple life while hopping from fishing boat to fishing boat and working hard all the way. While he was docked in port at Ithmong a boat of Travelling Monks docked and took to the shores. While on shore Draa'd watched them train. He admired their routine and martial arts displays while hiding on the edge of town to watch them. A few days passed with the monks rotating through training and meditation. These strange visitors seemed to be leaving and Draa'd was so enthralled with the idea that he couldn't be separate from them. He followed in the water and latched onto an old anchor rope that trailed behind the boat as they left. For a day he followed, holding that rope and breathing water to stay hidden. When night fell he snuck up onto the boat and hid behind some supplies at the back of the ship. When morning fell though, Draa'd was too exhausted and didn't awake as expected. He instead woke up to the blunt end of a quarterstaff poking him in the gut. When Draa'd's eyes opened, he was greeted with a strange vision of someone he didn't recognize, not even someone he had seen from away. He spotted a decrepit looking old man with a strange long black mustache despite his grey beard and gray sprigs of hair on the sides of his head staring down on him. Around his neck was an odd little trinket: A necklace of rope tied to a little black stone fist. After being introduced, he found out this man is Master Jukiin Tibek who lead this pack of monks of the Temple of the Travelling Black Fist. The boat he had stowed away on was actually their travelling temple. Master Tibek decided to take on Draa'd and slowly trained him in their ways. As the years progressed, Master Tibek looked older and frailer, but never seemed any less capable. The Temple traveled and they took odd jobs for local townsfolk, keeping the piece and earning coin where acceptable to fund their travels. Some 13 years after they passed, when Draa'd was at the age of 29, Master Tibek finally succumbed to his old age and passed peacefully in his sleep. His eldest student took over the Temple in his stead. This is where things took a dark turn. The new Master, Master Draibold (Reigar Draibold), decided his monks were more powerful than a mere adventuring party and that they deserved to live in luxury and not on some floating log. Master Draibold's Temple of the Travelling Black Fist turned into a group of pirates. They took contracts from the unscrupulous traders on Tharsult to attack trade vessels. The monks would at first just sneak onto and sink the vessels. This brought good coin as the traders would pay to have less competition. Draa'd didn't like this, but knowing no better life he participated for 3 years as he was the best to sneak aboard any boat or put a few holes in the hull of a boat to sink it as he could be underwater indefinitely. One dark and stormy day, Master Draibold saw a large noble's merchant vessel and decided he wanted to upgrade the Temple. He commanded his monks to board the boat with him. Draa'd and the others followed obediently and got onto the boat. Once boarded, Master Draibold ordered the monks to slay everyone on board, strip them and toss them overboard. Draa'd was appalled by this course of action and feigned being tackled by one of the men and threw himself and the noble's guard off the boat. He took the guard to the hold beneath the Temple and told him to wait quietly and he would retrieve him at night and bring him to safety. Draa'd hid in the water until nightfall, popping up when the light dimmed to overhear Master Draibold counting his losses, 2 monks (one being Draa'd) for a fancy ship full of riches and the death of 42 nobles. The Master sounded elated as he uttered these putrid words. Draa'd knew he had to take action. As night completely fell, Draa'd climbed on the fancy ship and slashed into the barrels of strong spirits that were spread around the decks from Master Draibold's apparent celebrations. He then set the ship alight and climbed up the rigging to the sails. As the fire raged, the monks that were asleep on the deck were engulfed in flames. Some had the presence of mind to run, but many perished in the flames. 12 monks were killed, and 5 escaped into the waters as Draa'd watched from above. As the Captain's Quarters started to get surrounded by flames, Master Draibold woke to the screams of his men and barged through the doors and onto the flaming deck. Finding the horrific sight, he cried out, "Who's done this? Who destroyed my ship?". He seemed to care not for the lost men, but instead he cared only for the riches he would lose. The master wasn't a stupid man though and he knew he would soon be burned along with the ship and made a jump for the water. This is when Draa'd struck. Jumping from the sails he landed right on top of Master Draibold in the water and started to drag him down to the depths. He kept hold of the master while filling his lungs with water. Between his lean body and the lack of buoyant air in his lungs, he was like a rock to Draibold, dragging him into the depths. Draa'd drowned Reigar Draibold that day, while taking only the Black Fist Necklace from him. He returned to the Temple to retrieve his hidden Noble's Guard and took a vow to the Way of Tranquility from that day forward. Draa'd would never return to the cruel ways of Draibold's monks of the Travelling Black Fist. He used to the necklace of a reminder of that from that day forward. He freed the noble guard and landed the Temple at Tashluta. It seems the noble guard spoke well of him as he had nobody follow him. As he mastered his craft he learned that the ultimate way to strength was not in war but was in work. He took on odd jobs for the locals while wearing increasing weights. As the farming and building work became easier, he would increase the weight more and more until his sheer force of will could use his Ki easily. Once Draa'd felt he had reached the height of his personal journey, he took on a few students from Tashalar and started their training. His students ran the Temple as they sailed, wearing increasing weights as they went, getting stronger and stronger as they learned to control their Ki. Draa'd became Master Creko of the Temple of Tranquility. 23 Years passed as the Temple floated around with generations of students coming and going. Draa'd, now 55, decided it was time to set out on his own again. He left alone and sailed the Temple until it hit land and ended up on Chult. Once on Chult, he took to mastering the spear and designed a special spear that he had made by a local Wizard. This spear appears to be a staff that he uses as a walking stick, but it magically projects a spear head from the end when activated by a user with enough control of their Ki. He continued training with his new spear for 12 years, at the age of 67. While time passed on Chult, the Temple fell to disrepair and was landlocked. Master Creko took to travelling until he heard about a strong Lich that had dark plans for the continent. Master Creko decided to see if he could intervene and leave his mark on the world. He thought he could talk those under the Lich's control down and ruin the plans. While attempting this, he found his way to Omu where Acererak trapped him in a carving. Master Draa'd Creko has laid trapped in that carving for 2 years, waiting for his demise or his freedom. --- **Family:** - Father: Ju'wan Creko (Human - Deceased of Old Age) - Mother: Zedirran (Marid - Elemental Plane of Water) **Possible Backstory Enemies:** The 5 Escaped Monks (Draa'd killed 13 of their comrades and their master). Magical Items: - Ring of X-ray Vision - Tome of Clear Thought - Scarab of Protection