It's not uncommon for monasteries to take in children with no homes. The remote Brotherhood of the Unwavering is no exception, having raised many an orphan in the past. But when they were offered a Tiefling baby to care for one autumn night nearly three decades ago, they hesitated. The woman offering her baby looked wrong to them; a Tiefling, yet somehow even closer to a beast than the ones found in big towns. It wasn't until the desperate mother offered them generous coin that they finally accepted her plea, taking in her baby and promising him sanctuary. Be that it was, as time would tell, a sanctuary in name only.

Unnerved by the 'infernal child' as they called him, the brothers changed his name from Salrakh to Vice - and though they didn't shun him openly where he could see, the whispers were undeniable and the glances constant. On the rare occasions the monastery dealt with those outside it, they made sure no one knew who lived in the shed behind the main building. Still, the Tiefling boy knew not of a better life. He was fed, clothed, taught in the ways of martial arts and nature, and whenever dusk came he was allowed to roam the forests that surrounded the monastery. For over a decade, that was more than enough for him.

Then trouble brewed. Someone broke into the monastery one evening, stealing valuables and damaging property. A search was carried out in the nearby forest, and Vice ventured deeper than he ever had before. It was then that he happened upon her. Another that bore the same curse as he did; a Tiefling, around his age. She was unlike the monks at the monastery, and somewhat unlike him, too; though they looked similar, she behaved like a wild one, crouching and growling at his approach. Still, he pressed on, and she eventually spoke. Infernal - his language.

Before the two could talk any further however, the brothers found them - and at the sight of her, prepared their ki for a battle. They blamed her for the break-ins and the thievery, and refused to listen when Vice tried to defend her. It was clear that she did not care for treasure nor money, he argued; she was just startled by the noise. Yet despite his efforts, a fight broke out. He managed to get into the midst of it, distracting the monks just enough for her to slip away - but in doing so, he sealed his own fate. He was banished as a traitor and left to fend for himself in a world he did not know.

The next few years were as difficult as they come, and the threat of death was a constant companion on his travels. Vice knew and loved the forest, but he could only live there for so long before necessity pushed him to find humanoid settlements. He was willing to work for his bread, eagerly trying to help and talk to everyone he saw - but the few that spared him a glance did not do so with kindness in their gaze. It soon became clear to him that his was cursed blood, and it had doomed him from birth.

He ended up associating himself with others who society shunned; cutthroats, thieves and scoundrels. They had no more love for him than the rest did, but they were always interested in a few extra hands and eyes, particularly if no payment was involved. Vice became a spy, a little bird that carried information from one place to the next, finding his home in the shadows. In time, he combined such expertise with his teachings as a monk and became able to fend for himself. He travelled more, carried information farther and farther, saw more places, more hatred, and met with others of his kind. His home became the small settlements on the edges of towns and slums, where Tieflings made their nests. Wherever he went, he saw that coin talked, and power silenced. It became increasingly clear what he should do if he wished to get off the streets and change the way people looked at him.

All he needed was power. Not the kind that came with strength - but the kind that came with gold.

Eventually, he did what many Tieflings do: he changed his name. Once known as Salrakh by his mother and Vice by the monastery, he opted for the name Ardour; 'passion and devotion to a cause' - his cause.

Though his selfishness, his bitterness, mistrust towards the general populace, and lack of empathy for anyone that does not share Tiefling blood paint him as someone of the Evil denomination, Ardour is by no means a cackling villain bent on world destruction. Quite reasonable and calm most of the time, his goals are much simpler, if still grandeur. What he seeks is recognition, acceptance, perhaps even a taste of reverence - not only for him, but the rest of his kin. He's seen the way Tieflings live, huddled in dark alleys, hidden underground away from gazes that burn. It's no way to live.

He tried to change things through kindness once, but like his brethren before him, it was an attempt doomed to fail. The world at large is simply too hateful to pay any attention to the good deeds of Tieflings. So, now, he's decided to pursue his goals another way, by amassing power and riches through any means necessary. Those with power and coin are respected - if fearfully - irregardless of their appearance. It is his hope that once he's at the top, perhaps he can make things better for his kind. He finds great value in money, connections and information, and like a greedy dragon in its lair, tries to horde all of it.

With that said, there's honour among thieves - not that he would willfully refer to himself as such in the first place. He tends to operate on the verges of law, rather than directly against it, and favours trade and exchanges more than theft. Information is what he deals in, mostly. That isn't to say that coin or treasure has never illegally changed owners in his presence, but he will not con those that work with him out of their share or pick every pocket that happens upon his path, for example. He isn't a con-artist, either, lacking the charisma for it.

In addition, while his memories of the monastery itself are not great, he has not forgotten all that he learnt there. He appreciates nature and animals, to a point that he will never willfully bring harm to either, and may even defend them from others. He will always repay a debt to the best of his ability. Also, having been taught in the ways of balance and order, chaos isn't something he condones or seeks to cause. He's found that following the laws - at least superficially - yields him better and more reliable results, and ensures a more stable future. In a similar vein, he is not one to cause undue conflict within a group that benefits him, such as among informants, partners in crime or party members. Most of the time, he will defer to the majority at a time of decision.

Finally, he will always keep his word, and not utter a lie - or so he says. But just look at him; is that a face that would lie to you?

... Yes. Yes, it is. He isn't terribly good at hiding it.