Steven

Stub-class article · First seen: s17 · Last seen: s20
Steven
Portrait of Steven.
Character
StatusDeparted
First seens17
Last seens20
PlayerAsh
FactionSevryn's recruits

Steven is a halfling Fiend warlock with Pact of the Blade played by Ash from session 17 to session 19. Olive complexion, black hair, 3'9", chubby [3]. Charlatan background: ran a fake-holy-water hustle outside an Aurelian church before the Aurelians sank the ship he was on [4]. His Deception is formidable (a 26 on his first check, [5]). Already nightmare-bound by a previous pact, “last time I signed a contract, I got nightmares” [8][59], so the patron is established as separate from Hugo’s Black Mask. Joined the party when Hugo and Terry pulled him and Mike from the wreckage of an Aurelian-sunk ship in the Sapphire Sea [2]. Retconned out of the campaign in session 20: the party woke with a doubled set of memories in which the artificer Barney Amoran had always held Steven’s place and no Steven had ever existed; out of character, his player Ash left the table and Trey joined as Barney [25][26].

Appearance and personality

Steven is a halfling: 3'9", olive complexion, black hair (a bit ruffled on first appearance), chubby and not the fittest-looking halfling. Usually well-presented in a nice vest and long-sleeved white shirt; “he usually likes to keep himself looking sharp, looking good for the next con, or a bit of trouble that he usually finds himself into” [3]. On first appearance he was clinging desperately to a piece of Aurelian-shipwreck, arms hooked around the wood [28].

Personality is slick-conman with a soft survival-instinct underneath. Recurring tells from his first session include the chin-rub gesture [29], the Prestidigitation flourish that cleans his and Mike’s clothes on a finger-snap [30], and the catchphrase-level “Time is money, and so is my time. My time is valuable money” [31]. When pressed about his pact history he stays tight-lipped: “well, look, last time I signed a contract, I got nightmares. So I’m good” [8], establishing that he is already nightmare-bound by a previous pact but not naming the patron. This is an open backstory hook.

Build

  • Race: Halfling. Halfling Luck reroll triggered on his first contested d20 of the session (1 → 7, narrated as a splash of water hitting the die, [7]).
  • Class: Warlock. Fiend patron with the Pact of the Blade boon. First-ever warlock build for Ash [9]; he is otherwise a “forever DM” who has only played Barbarian (twice) and Monk (a few times).
  • At-will Mage Armor [10]. Because the buff is permanently active, the DM reworked his AC mid-session as Mage Armor’s 13 plus his Dexterity modifier of 3, “16 AC at least”; since he had been wearing leather armour underneath, the DM simply added two “as a magical bonus” rather than make him take it off [32][33].
  • Charisma: a Deception of 26 on his first check [5].
  • Background: Charlatan. The hustle that got him into trouble: blessing water outside an Aurelian church and selling it for coppers. “I figured that if these people love their holy figures so much, what if I gave them water that was blessed by one of their holy figures?… It turns out you need a permit for something like that. And they don’t like it when you lie about their, well, their oh so glorious gods” [4].
  • Level: matches the party.

Equipment

  • Pact of the Blade dagger: Steven’s signature weapon, summoned as a bonus action with the distinct smell of expensive tobacco smoke [11]. On his s19 watch it ran warm and seemed to whisper [21].
  • Leather armour: worn under the Mage Armor; the DM added two to his AC “as a magical bonus” rather than make him take it off [33].
  • Nice vest, long-sleeved white shirt: Steven’s preferred presentation when not soaked and shipwrecked.
  • No identified magic items yet beyond the pact dagger; DM noted “even Steven seems to have a magic item that he has not yet picked however he’ll be able to pull it out of the ether once he picks one” [34], an open hook.

Campaign role

Steven travelled with the party for three sessions, from the shipwreck of session 17 to the retcon that erased him at the start of session 20.

The con man aboard. Pulled with Mike from an Aurelian-sunk wreck, he talked for both of them and spun the party a story of selling blessed water without a permit. He kept his own pact close: an earlier contract with an unnamed, fiend-flavoured patron that had left him with nightmares and wanting no part of Hugo’s.

The blade. His pact dagger made him a sharp striker at sea, taking the kill on the Brinemaw Wyrm, and later, on watch, it began to run warm and whisper to him.

Aurelian soil. When the patrol executed Mike, it was Steven’s plea of ignorance that the confessor believed, sparing the rest of the party. On the road back he fed the goblin Gristleback, drew a rebuke from Hugo for talking too freely, and sized up the penitent priest Father Thomas.

The retcon. Between sessions 19 and 20 his player left, and the DM overwrote him with Barney Amoran, whom the party now also remember in his place.

Session by session

Session 17: New Hands, the Black Mask’s Renegotiation, and the Rimeclaw

Main article: Session 17

Steven joined the party: Ash’s halfling warlock, found clinging with Mike to the wreck of the ship the Aurelians had sunk, and the first one Hugo hauled aboard [3][35][36]. Asked why the Aurelians had chased them, he told of selling supposedly blessed water outside one of their churches without a permit, a Deception that covered Mike too [4][5][37]. Halfling Luck squared Hugo’s dice game, and he wanted no part of Hugo’s contract: “last time I signed a contract, I got nightmares” [38][8]. On first watch he spotted a distant patrol boat, woke the party and dimmed the lantern too far [39][40][41]. At the reef line he summoned his pact dagger, smelling of expensive tobacco, and landed a critical hit on a water wolf; his last Eldritch Blast went wide as the boat rocked [11][42][13].

Session 18: The Wyrm Falls, the Catfish Escapes, and Mike Dies on the Road

Main article: Session 18

A natural 20 with his pact dagger, its edge lit with sulphurous flame, finished the Brinemaw Wyrm, and Steven narrated its life draining away [43]. He passed off his Eldritch Blast to Mike as a gift from a nice man, and Mike believed him; later he boasted that devils protected his kind [15][44][19]. His Perception spotted a giant red dragon overhead and his Stealth kept the boat hidden [45][46][47]. His Chain of Conviction broke on the catfish’s save, and on the swim ashore he rode on Hugo’s back [48][49]. At the patrol that killed Mike he swore the party had not known Mike could cast; the confessor judged that he “seems to be telling the truth” and spared the rest of them, though not Mike [50][51].

Session 19: A Penitent Priest, an Unmade Leash, and the Pixie in the Dark

Main article: Session 19

Steven took Mike’s execution as proof that the Aurelians do not hesitate [52]. On his watch his pact dagger ran warmer than the fire and seemed to whisper, a sign left unexplained [21]. When the starving goblin Gristleback crept out of the brush, Steven first claimed the rations were not his to give, then fed him [53][22], and Hugo, who had overheard, told him to talk more quietly next time [23]. At dawn he spotted one of the patrol coming up the road and read the newcomer, Father Thomas, as honest but “holding back a little bit”, ready to elbow Caelumn if he gave too much away [54][55][56]. Ash was away from the table after the mid-session break, so Steven took no part in the fey ambush [57].

Session 20: The Man Who Was Always Here

Main article: Session 20

Steven was written out at the start of the session: the party woke with two equally real sets of memories, one with him and one in which Barney Amoran had always held his place, his bedroll was now Barney’s, and the DM was clear that Steven “has never died” [25][26][58].

The prior pact

Steven is already pact-bound when he joins the party. The patron is unspecified in play; the only acknowledgement is Steven’s two-line in-character reference to nightmares being the cost of the prior signature [8][59]. This is an open backstory hook: the DM has not yet introduced the patron on-screen, and it is not the Black Mask (ruling 37). Steven’s prior patron is unknown, marked by the scent of expensive tobacco smoke [11].

Status at session 20

Retconned out: not dead and not simply departed, but overwritten. He was last at the table in session 19, alive in the night camp on the road back from Aurelia, with his whispering pact dagger unexplained [21][60]. Out of character, his player Ash then left and Trey joined; in the fiction, the party woke with two equally real sets of memories, one with Steven and one in which the High Elf artificer Barney Amoran had always held his place, and no trace of Steven remained in the camp [25][27]. The DM was explicit that he never died: he was overwritten, not killed [26]. The doubled memories are an open mystery (see Open Threads); nothing of Steven’s story is deleted from this page, which stands as the record of the timeline the party can now only half-remember.

Player

Played by Ash (Discord handle; from the US). Joined the table in session 17 alongside Brian (playing Mike). Ash flagged at the table that he is normally the “forever DM for my friend group” [9] and that this is his first-ever warlock build, with his prior PC play being Barbarian and Monk.

Notable quotes

“He has a bit of an olive complexion to him. Dark, or, well, black hair. a bit ruffled, especially now. He usually likes to keep up appearances for himself, but you’ll find him in a nice vest, long-sleeved, white shirt.” — Steven, on his own appearance, [28]

“Time is money, and so is my time. My time is valuable money.” — Steven, [31]

“well, look, last time I signed a contract, I got nightmares. So I’m good.” — Steven, on his prior pact, [8]

“This is, I think, my first time playing a Warlock. I’ve never played a Warlock. I mean, I barely play anyway because I’m a forever DM for my friend group.” — Ash (player meta), [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 17, line 28: First introduction, "my name is Ash I'm coming from the US I'm playing a halfling warlock".
  2. ^ Session 17, line 140-200: Pulled from the Aurelian-sunk shipwreck onto the party's skiff.
  3. ^ Session 17, line 141-143: Visual description (halfling, olive complexion, black hair, 3'9", chubby, nice vest, white long-sleeved shirt).
  4. ^ Session 17, line 383: Charlatan background (fake-holy-water hustle outside an Aurelian church).
  5. ^ Session 17, line 389: Deception of 26 on his first check.
  6. ^ Session 17, line 443: Prestidigitation chin-rub theatrics (cleans clothes and smell on snap).
  7. ^ Session 17, line 554-557: Halfling Luck reroll on the gambling-game (1 → 7, narrated as a splash of water).
  8. ^ Session 17, line 567: "last time I signed a contract, I got nightmares" (established prior-pact backstory).
  9. ^ Session 17, line 1099: Self-described "forever DM for my friend group".
  10. ^ Session 17, line 1385-1395: At-will Mage Armor: 13 plus his Dexterity modifier of 3, "16 AC at least", with two added as a magical bonus rather than make him take off his leather armour.
  11. ^ Session 17, line 1826: Pact-of-the-Blade dagger summoned as bonus action; smells of expensive tobacco smoke.
  12. ^ Session 17, line 1840-1850: Nat-20 crit on first water-wolf strike; 9 damage; purple blood.
  13. ^ Session 17, line 1978: Cliffhanger Eldritch Blast goes wide as the boat rocks.
  14. ^ Session 18, line 162-176: **Natural-20 dagger crit killed the Brinemaw Wyrm**: "look at that natural 20" and "that's going to be crit" (s18 L162), for "barely enough damage to finish it off" (s18 L167); the sulfuric-flame blade and the soul-draining kill narration are his own (s18 L166, L172).
  15. ^ Session 18, line 313: Cover-lie to Mike about his patron: "It was a gift. That's why. It was a gift from a nice man" (Deception 14 beat Mike's Insight).
  16. ^ Session 18, line 461-479: Nat-20 perception spotted the gargantuan red dragon overflight; 21 stealth check hid the boat.
  17. ^ Session 18, line 625-631: Cast Chain of Conviction at the catfish; saved against (17 vs the DC); half force damage on the throw.
  18. ^ Session 18, line 1062-1097: Halfling can't swim well; rides on Hugo's back during the open-ocean swim, Hugo swimming with his Ring of Swimming ("Steven, you're currently on Hugo's back, correct?", s18 L1096).
  19. ^ Session 18, line 1264: Confirmed his pact patron is fiend-flavoured: "We're protected by the devils of the hells".
  20. ^ Session 18, line 2106-2115: **Deception with disadvantage against the confessor's Insight** at the patrol intercept ("Look, okay, look, you brought down the heretic. We honestly had no clue that he was someone that could cast magic."); the DM said the confessor's roll won, and she stopped the knight's strike at Steven, "he seems to be telling the truth", ordering him to "kill the heretic and bring him in": the party was spared and Mike was not.
  21. ^ Session 19, line 477: On Steven's watch his pact dagger runs "more warm than the small fire" and emits "a small whisper", a new sentience/patron-contact hint.
  22. ^ Session 19, line 494-495: Feeds the begging goblin Gristleback, handing over rations ("the bare minimum... here's like 20 bucks").
  23. ^ Session 19, line 604: Rebuked by Hugo for loose talk in front of the goblin ("I know I heard what you said. Perhaps talk a bit quieter next time").
  24. ^ Session 19, line 703-704: Reads Father Thomas on a roll of 2: "he seems honest, but he is being extremely you know on", "holding back a little bit".
  25. ^ Session 20, line 94: **Retconned out.** The party wakes with two equally real memory sets; Steven is erased and the artificer Barney has always held his place.
  26. ^ Session 20, line 155: DM: Steven "has never died", he was overwritten, not killed.
  27. ^ Session 20, line 171: No trace of Steven remains in the camp; his bedroll "is Barney's bedroll now".
  28. ^ Session 17, line 141: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 17, line 441: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 17, line 443-454: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 17, line 387: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 17, line 1391: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 17, line 1395: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 17, line 961: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 17, line 193: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 17, line 200: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 17, line 396: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 17, line 556: Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 17, line 1176: Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 17, line 1188: Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 17, line 1206: Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 17, line 1840: Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 18, line 162-172: Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 18, line 322: Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 18, line 462: Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 18, line 469: Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 18, line 478: Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 18, line 627-631: Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 18, line 1096: Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 18, line 2106: Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 18, line 2115: Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 19, line 132: Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 19, line 492: Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 19, line 668: Inline citation.
  55. ^ Session 19, line 704: Inline citation.
  56. ^ Session 19, line 720: Inline citation.
  57. ^ Session 19, line 1057: Inline citation.
  58. ^ Session 20, line 173: Inline citation.
  59. ^ Session 17, line 611: Inline citation.
  60. ^ Session 19, line 1813: Inline citation.
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