Story:
As an orphan on the street of Burnt Hill, Malik's dream job used to be the local gang's leader. With his street-smart and natural charisma, it didn't seem to be an unreasonable goal. By age 16, he was already the "leader" among some trouble-looking teenagers. When a group of strange outsiders arrived with a truck of unconcealed valuable objects, Malik was eager to reprioritize the target of their next heist. Words of caution from senior gangsters only fuelled their enthusiasm. And of course, they did not know what they were up against until it was too late.
Malik led the squad to create distractions, while his trusted friend, Rita, led the other squad to gather the prize. When they slipped past the three sentinels as planned, none of them could imagine the brutal trap waiting in the end. Stoic knights appeared from nowhere when Rita's squad reached for the seemingly unguarded treasure, and cut them down without mercy. Malik was forced to watch that while surrounded by mercenaries with cruelly playful intentions.
Fate is a strange thing. Driven by his friends' death and a strange sense of loyalty, Malik tried to throw a hail mary---a clearly self-sacrificing act for a slim chance for the rest of his squad to escape. That had no effect other than adding to the entertainment of the seasoned mercenaries. However, all of their lives were spared by the command of the expedition leader. This mysterious woman appeared with an obvious commanding aura, and the mercenaries immediately obeyed. Malik and his squad was captured but not harmed.
She told him it was due to his courageous act. She apologized for his dead friends on behalf of her late intervention, and gave them proper burials as the circumstance allowed. For a while, Malik believed her. The five teenagers accepted the offer to be the expedition's local guides and errand boys. In the following month, Malik learned to operate strange machines, and was overwhelmed by the information from the outside world. His dream job, had changed from local gang's leader, to an adventurer. The others felt exactly the same way. When the expedition ended, they watched the departing caravan with aspiration. Armed with this new determination, and significant payment for their work, their adventure party would have been ready for the road in a few months.
Unfortunately, in the end, Malik took the road alone. While they were busy preparing, his friend started to get sick in various ways, and died one by one. When his hairs started to turn grey and his fever rose, Malik thought it was his turn, too. He also realized that it was not a coincident. The dots started to connect. Why entrusting the operation of these amazing machines to the hands of local boys. Why people avoided them during the operation. They were spared that day not because of his courageous act. It was because expendable labours were needed.
The fever did not take his life. This 16-year-old was left with a full head of grey hairs, way ahead of his time, but will live on with his tormenting memory. Malik took the road and became an adventurer. What gleamed in his eyes, was not aspiration.
Description:
In the beginning of the adventure, Malik was less than 20 years old. Although he is quite used to pretending that he's around 40. He does not hide his origin from Burnt Hill. So night-vision and knowledge about alien technology is known to companions and maybe employers. While on the road, he will use typical rogue skills to perform recon jobs. Although he is also good at planning and leading operations, he is reluctant to do so due to some past trauma.
Character Plan:
Rogue at the 1st level, with the intention to take Arcane Trickster at 3rd.
Pretty resistant against harmful effects from proximity to Orichalum. That's the reason he did not die.
