Hardly anyone ever sees it, but he has a tattoo of the silhouette of a murkroot. The bulb and leaves start at his elbow, while the roots grow and spread out all along his arm, snaking their way up to his shoulder to a wild mass of tendrils.

Donovan has two stand-out items in his usual wardrobe: a black bowler hat and a dark, indigo suit jacket with coattails. On both sides of the front of his coat are a column of 4 gold-colored buttons with ornate carvings. These have no function, being more for show than anything else.

Beneath the coat, Donovan wears a maroon vest, buttoned-up completely. The vest is worn over a wrinkled, white dress shirt, as well as a black tie. Lastly, Donovan dons a pair of black dress pants, accessorized with a reptile-skin belt, colored a speckle of brown, black, and white. The buckle is an copper, oval plate with spindly carvings around the outside.

Donovan doesn’t wear dress shoes. Instead, he wears black leather boots for durability, comfort, and ease of movement.

Donovan hides the fact that, underneath his clothes, he wears chainmail armor to protect his torso at all times (except when he sleeps and bathes). Aside from this, Donovan wields a buckler (explained below), and wears an iron armguard on his right forearm.

Cane Blade - “Th’ simplest approach is usually th’ best approach.”
A standard issue weapon of the Sabers, Donovan still holds onto his own cane blade, but he has modified its appearance to conceal its origin.

The cane blade is a long, thin shortsword, approximately three to four feet in length, being tailor-made to its user. The blade is concealed within a simple black, wooden scabbard that doubles as a cane. At the end of the scabbard is a brass tip, while two brass rings circle around near the sheath. The handle of the blade itself is also simple and made of brass.

Donovan has had the handle replaced with an ornate carving of a wolf’s paw, made of silver. The toes of the paw curve slightly, allowing for an easier grip. The scabbard has been painted over to resemble a mahogany finish.

Flintlock Pistols - “Reloading these things is a right pain in the arse, butcha only e’er need one shot.”
To complement his blade for close combat, Donovan carries with him two flintlock pistols.

The flintlock is the latest in modern warfare. Rare weapons only seen among the wealthy or among government officials, Donovan still carries his flintlock from his time as a Saber. His second flintlock was purchased from a black market merchant that harbored in Throngale for a night.

His main flintlock is kept in a leather holster on the left side of his hip. The secondary is kept on a chest holster, laying across his left breast.

Donovan’s preferred firearm, hiis Saber-issued flintlock is simple design, made primarily of wood. The structure indicates cheap production over fanciful decoration.


His secondary flintlock, purchased from an illegal vendor. The exquisite ornamentation and metals probably mean this was stolen from some noble. It also has the exotic quality of containing three separate barrels.


Donovan does not dual-wield both flint-locks like a fool. He keeps two on his person in case he needs a quick second shot.

Flintlock Rifle - “I prefer my work done up close, but sometimes, you don’t get to choose yer circumstances.”
A specialty weapon, Donovan has had experience using these before while on the Sabers. However, these were not standard-issue due to their expensive costs to produce, only being requisitioned for specific operations. Donovan has purchased this one legally from a weapons store in Throngale.

Donovan rarely ever brings, let alone uses, this rifle, but he is still a skilled enough marksman to land a shot from a distance. He has tied a strap to the barrel and stock, allowing him to carry it on his back.

Derringer - “Don’t let people know yer the most dangerous man in th’ room.”
Another exotic weapon purchased off a seedy merchant through illegal means, this is a miniaturized version of the common flintlock pistol, it only measures three inches from barrel to butt. Donovan keeps this hidden up his right sleeve, attached to a spring-loaded mechanism. By pressing down on a switch near his right elbow, Donovan can release the spring, extending the Derringer directly into his hand from the sleeve.

The spring was custom-made and set Donovan back a Lily and a Blood, and he has only actually used it once, but the one occasion saved him in a barfight turned fatal. Donovan would argue that his life is definitely worth more than that.

Buckler - “This thing has saved me life more’n once...it always leaves me with a sore wrist, though.”
A simple iron buckler Donovan wears on his left forearm, attached by two leather straps. The buckler is thin and light enough to wield with some agility in combat, while large enough to cover Donovan’s face and neck.

However, its thin design means it’s not going to block any heavy weapons such as axes or longswords, as they’ll simply break through the metal. Arrows are able to pierce through, but the buckler should prevent them penetrating through completely. It is strong enough to block distant shots from flintlocks as well as the common shortsword, including the cane blade.

In combat, Donovan typically uses his buckler to deflect or glance blows, rather than outright taking the hit. Additionally, he can use the buckler to unleash a backhand swipe powerful enough to knock out most people.

-Parchment and charcoal sticks for writing/drawing
-Set of simple lockpicking tools, nothing fancy. (“Fer when a swift kick o’ th’boot is too loud.”)
-Counterfeit ℘ragon's Heads (“Hopefully I never meet ‘em again.”)
-Cloths and rags
-Whetstone
-Bandage wraps, healing ointments, and herbal medicines for minor injuries
-Canteen of water
-Drawings of his family, kept safe in clasp of boiled leather
-A loaf bread
-Various cheeses
-Salted meats

Donovan grew up happily in a farming community. He wanted to be a hero like the ones from stories he heard every night. Him and his family saved up to send him off to Vrent.
On his first day, Donovan was mugged by two guys, then saved by Bulwark Finnigan (a Bulwark is a cop basically.) Donovan immediately idolized Finnigan, and wanted to become a Saber (Saber is a normal cop, Bulwark is a captain/detective.) Finnigan adopted Donovan and became like a father.
Finnigan payed for Donovan to go to private school, studying to become a Saber. Donovan graduated, applied to become a Saber, and was accepted. Finnigan had Donovan transferred to his unit, and they served together for years.
Eventually, Donovan was nominated to move up and be promoted to Bulwark. Finnigan represented Donovan, explaining to the higher-ups why Donovan should be a Bulwark. Donovan was accepted, becoming a full-fledged Bulwark.
Early on in his career as a Bulwark, Donovan picked up on a conspiracy, finding evidence that Finnigan, his adopted father, was helping criminals get out of punishment. Donovan brought this to the court with a mountain of evidence, but Finnigan got off free, probably pulling some strings.
Finnigan threatened Donovan’s life, so Donovan fled to a far away city, where he lived as a bounty hunter for years.

Fox O’Donovan was born in and grew up in one of the many farming communities that made up Isthia, fifth out of seven children. Both of his parents worked as workers tending to the fields of murkroot, who have literally spent more than half of their lives toiling in the water and muck. The O’Donovans never struggled to survive, but every member, including the children, had to put in more than their share of hard work to put food on the table. Donovan remembers working ever since he was able to walk.

As a child, Donovan’s parents would read stories to him and his children every night. Being farmers, they couldn’t afford many luxuries without risking food being absent for a few days. Thankfully, a passing merchant traded a musty storybook for a few of their murkroots. And so, the O’Donovan family would hear about the many adventures and triumphs of fictional heroes, the Vindicators of Truth, battling against the malevolent spawn of darkness.

The young Donovan grew up happy and content in his childhood. His family loved him, there was usually food to eat, and he made friends with the other farmers’ children. He wanted more out of his uneventful life though; he wanted to fight evil just like the heroes from the stories he heard every day. Donovan would run around the marshes and rivers of his village, slashing at invisible monsters with a stick.

With the help of some of his older siblings, Donovan eventually saved up enough to travel to the Citadel, the best place to pursue his dream of fighting evil. Donovan gave a bittersweet farewell to his family, and left for Vrent’s Citadel.

Donovan arrived at the gates of Vrent, young, idealistic, and wide-eyed. He had never seen anything as big as the towering stone, never seen so many people crowded in one place, never experienced anything like the cultural melting pot that was Vrent. Neither had he experienced the cruel side of humanity. The naive young man approached some gentleman with the appearance of having lived in Vrent for some time, asking them for advice for a new resident. These two gentlemen eagerly agreed to show him around, and promptly escorted him to a nearby alley where they proceeded to beat him and take his belongings. Just as the muggers were taking the last of Donovan’s belongings, a couple of Sabers happened upon them, chasing off the muggers.

Enter Bulwark Finnigan, the man that fended off Donovan’s attackers. At that moment, Finnigan had engraved himself in Donovan’s mind as the ideal everyman’s hero. As Finnigan turned to pursue the muggers, Donovan stopped him, begging Finnigan to take him on as an apprentice. Finnigan was visibly confused, so Donovan explained to him his dreams and his situation. Finnigan took him in, unofficially becoming his new guardian.

Finnigan became like a father to Donovan, teaching him to adjust to life in the city. He also helped Donovan understand the darker side of man, due to his lack of real social experiences. Eventually, Finnigan used his own ℘ragon Heads to put Donovan into the Academy of Truth, a highly prestigious school for training those interested in joining the Vidril of Truths.

Donovan passed through the Academy with flying colors, eager to achieve his dream of fighting criminals and protecting the innocent. He applied to join the Sabers immediately upon finishing his schooling, and was promptly accepted, getting through the probationary period without any trouble. Donovan was officially a Saber of the Vidril of Truths. Proud of his adopted son, Finnigan requested to have Donovan transferred to his unit, continuing to mentor the young Saber.

Donovan excelled as a Saber, defending the Truths of Vrent and its citizens from crime, big and small. However, as he served through the years, he noticed every now and then that the Tribunal would let go criminals he had caught, despite having overwhelming evidence and eyewitnesses pointing towards them obviously breaking a Truth. Donovan simply dismissed it as the Tribunals being careful to not condemn an innocent man.

Due to his success and zeal in the line of work, Donovan was an obvious candidate to move up to Bulwark. Initially, Donovan suspected that Finnigan had been the one to nominate him, but he later found out that it was actually his fellow Sabers. This was especially surprising, considering that Donovan was both the youngest member of their group, as well as the one on the force for the shortest amount of time. Finnigan may not have been the one who recommended Donovan, but he was the one who represented Donovan. Finnigan never revealed what he wrote in the letter of recommendation, nor what he said in the interview. Regardless, Donovan was approved, advancing further in his dream career...Bulwark O’Donovan.

Unfortunately, Donovan’s career would be cut short as a result of him doing what he loved: his job. He was unrelentless is hunting down the most secretive of criminals. The years as a Saber had transformed Donovan into an efficient, well-oiled machine, a bloodhound that always sniffed out its prey. One of Donovan’s hunts had him catching the scent of a criminal on the inside of the Vidril of Truths. Everything started coming together for Donovan, why suspected criminals had gotten off without a conviction, why evidence seemed to go missing or go completely disregarded, everything.

Every crook he interrogated, every document he screened, every undocumented financial transaction he caught pointed to one logical conclusion, with one man at the center of it all: Bulwark Finnigan, likely with the help of others in the Vidril of Truth, would help criminals that paid him off get released without a conviction. Donovan didn’t want to believe it, but he did have to fulfill his duty. He gathered together all of the evidence he had and pushed the case forward to the Courts of Truth.

Donovan was given special permission to witness the Inquisition of Finnigan. The Inquisitor of the Offended let loose an unending torrent of proof, presenting every shred of proof without any possibility of refuting its validity. The Accused’s arguments were pitiful, only stating that this was possibly an elaborate conspiracy to frame Finnigan. The long-time Bulwark and father figure to Donovan was obviously guilty, and yet...the Tribunal declared Finnigan as innocent.

Dumbfounded, Donovan wandered into the hall outside the Court, staring at the wall. How could he have missed it, Finnigan would have needed accomplices working as Triunes to get criminals off scot-free. Now, he was using those same connections to get himself out of trouble. While Donovan continued to stare at the wall, Finnigan strode over to him and whispered,”I will kill you if I see you again.”

Those were the last words Donovan ever heard from Finnigan. Wasting no time, Donovan gathered all of his belongings and money, fleeing to Throngale, a backwater port town. For the past few years, he has lived there amongst the pirates and outlaws making a living as a bounty hunter, still pursuing his one-man war against crime.

Fearing that Finnigan would send someone to silence him, Donovan completely changed his identity. He changed his name, started growing a massive beard on his clean-shaven face, and remade his image.

Donovan ditched his uniform, trading it with some backwater tailor for an old suit and hat. With the money that he had, Donovan purchased a small, barely self-sufficient farm near Throngale, and hired a steward to watch over the farm while he worked on making a new name for himself as a new person. On the deed for the land, Donovan signed as his new identity: Malcolm DuBeaux.

A little less than a year into the farming business, Malcolm’s farm had barely made any progress, with no return on investment at all. He needed more capital simply to obtain the equipment and labor needed to start turning a real profit. Not exactly a business tycoon, Donovan walked the streets of Throngale, pondering over ideas. He couldn’t turn to loans, as it would draw attention to him if he wasn’t able to pay them back. No investor in their right mind would put money down on an almost failed farm. Donovan needed a lot of money, fast.

Strolling down the line of warehouses on Throngale’s docks, an idea was literally hanging on a wall, as if sent from heaven: a Wanted poster with a hefty reward at the bottom. Suddenly, Donovan’s old passions were rekindled. He would build the foundations of his new life on the skills of his previous self. The farm would be saved by his ability and desire to punish the wicked. And so began the successful career of the mysterious Malcolm DuBeaux; plantation owner by day, bounty hunter by night. And also day.

Years later, after building up his reputation as a famed bounty hunter, he was contacted by an unnamed individual, recruiting Donovan (Malcolm) for a lucrative job. The catch?

It was back in Vrent.