Valen Shadowbreath

Valen Shadowbreath was a tiefling fighter and weapon master. Valen had a rough upbringing, born into poverty and becoming a street urchin at a young age. He was in the rebel drow encampment of Lith My'athar in 1372 DR.

Personality
As a tiefling, he was often tormented by the violent nature of his infernal blood and his dark past.

Although distrustful of others, Valen made his services available to an adventurer.

Early Life
Valen was raised in Sigil, the City of Doors—specifically, the Hive Ward, the poorest and most dangerous of its districts. He was born to a human woman; though Valen was reluctant to talk of it, it was likely she was a prostitute at a brothel in the Hive and thus his father a demonic customer. When his mother fell ill and under-performed, the demoness who owned the brothel violently killed her. Immediately afterward, Valen was thrown out into the streets, despite still being a young child.

Valen would remark that his childhood misfortune was not a unique story in Sigil, a city bountiful in orphaned waifs. Rather, he claimed to be unique in that he survived his childhood to become one of the top five pickpockets in the city, despite being a popular target for kidnapping into the Blood Wars because of his demonic ancestry.

The Blood Wars
Eventually, however, as a young man, Valen was snatched off the streets of Sigil to fight in the Blood Wars as a slave of the demon Grimash't. Being forced to fight in the Blood Wars as a slave stirred Valen's demonic blood and this began to drown out his humanity.

Valen and Grimash't were called to Toril by a drow priestess during the course of drow attack against the Seer and her forces. Encountering the Seer on the battlefield, she "looked into his soul" and Valen recalled his humanity. After being sent back to the Abyss, Valen's self-awareness remained awakened and he began to struggle internally. Grimash't sensed Valen's increasing rebelliousness against slavery and the demonic taint and tortured him to suppress it. In order to break Valen, Grimash't ultimately violently murdered a slave-woman Valen deeply loved, while forcing him to watch.

Almost defeated by the loss of the woman he loved Valen was almost resigned to his fate when the cage in which he was keep was damaged during a raid of a warring faction of demons allowing him to escape. Grimash't pursued Valen, finding and eventually cornering him only to be defeated by him. Valen was single-minded in attempting to reach the Seer who had awakened his humanity and escape the Nine Hells.

He reluctantly and somewhat shyly, implies he may have had to exchange sexual favors with a succubus in order to access a portal through which he escaped into the Underdark.

The Seer and the Camp in Lith My'athar
When Valen reaches the Seer in Lith My'athar, she teaches Valen that he is not controlled by his blood and helps him fully restore his humanity. Valen pledges himself in the defense of the Seer and her cause for her help and is fiercely loyal to that end. Valen acts as a bodyguard for the Seer and eventually becomes the General of her army. Despite not being a follower of Elistree he is nonetheless passionately committed to their cause. He is initially quite hostile with the player until the player proves to be a boon to the Seer, trustworthy and not a threat. Each time the player proves their trustworthiness players have a chance to learn more about Valen's past.

Cania and the Nine Hells
Valen struggles increasingly with his infernal blood if sent with the player back into the Nine Hells and even will suggest the player abandon him the deeper in the go do to his lack of 'control.' Exposure to demons and devils will slowly begin to overcome Valen's humanity, demonstrating itself in increasingly aggressive PTSD-like episodes - attacking mobs of demons and ignoring the commands of the player. Only Valen's bond with the player, (particularly a romantic one) allows Valen to resist the call of his infernal taint. If the player learns Valen's true name from the Knower of Names can he be can be freed from the infernal taint permanently at the Player's command before returning Toril in to face the Demon Lord in Waterdeep.

Romance
Female players can pursue a relationship with Valen if they successfully convince Valen to reveal his painful past. If the romance is fulfilled, Valen confesses his love to the player, and the player will have the option to either return the confession or insist on friendship. If love is mutually confessed Valen will not be tempted by Mestophiles during the final confrontation. In addition, he will be the PC's one true love, as revealed by the Knower of Names (unless the PC was already made the one true love of the Sleeping Man earlier in the conversation).

Relationships

 * Valen entertains a tenuous friendship with but a few characters, primarily the drow Nythyrra and Amoth.
 * He is almost blindly loyal to the Seer. He respects her in an almost reverent manner.
 * Valen can become extremely close to the player depending on their choices or keep them at arm's length doubling down on his standoffish, cautious nature.
 * If romanced by a female player, Valen admits he would like a future with the player, to live a normal life and have children. Valen's response to a romantic female player is to be embarrassed by overt or implied forwardness by the player. Valen will refer the player as "my love."
 * Valen tolerates Deekin. He is less than fond of Kobold's nickname for him "Goat Man." He will however occasionally sing with Deekin - though his opinion of the Kobold's voice/racket is about the same as Deekin's opinion of his. He will joke with Deekin during marches through the Underdark with the adventurer if Deekin is also a companion - while not so subtly threatening to throw him down the Underdark's deepest pit.

Curiosities

 * Valen sings a number of limericks during long marches through the Underdark i.e. "The Lass of Sigil" and one about his deadly heavy flail.
 * Valen is a weapons master specializing in the use of a heavy flail, he is particulary attached to his weapon "Devil's Bane."
 * Valen refers to the player as Rivil (surface dweller) until he comes to trust the player.

Appendix
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