Role

Chapter 1

How much suffering can a man bear before he breaks? Truly, the answer must
depend upon the man. Or does it depend upon who or what is doing the
breaking? It is to these questions I, Ululrek Ar'kuni, Dedicate myself to
answering. I will know how to break a man, and by proxy I will know how to be
unbreakable.

Now, I realize this may sound like a plea to learn the powers of the shaman's
breaker path and so I wish to address this notion right off. While any boon
from the Lady Ishuli is welcome, the Breaker path may not be the best option
for my studies. Simply using the power of your god to tell a man to break
doesn't yield data on how much he could endure before breaking. In this
regard, any other shaman's path would be better for the research.

I first became interested in the topic working as a torturer. It's a good job
for a duergar, if somewhat cliche. My people were made for dungeons. But as a
professional torturer, one does not actually want to completely break one's
subject. There is typically a particular objective one is after - a bit of
information. If you completely break your mark they cannot provide reliable
information.

And no one tortures just for torture's sake. Usually.

But there I was, wanting to continue the pain of my victims long after they
gave up what I was paid to get. I could not sate my curiosity. I always
wondered, how much more can this one take? And, when I found out, I found I
could not wait for the next victim so that I might see what it took to break
them.

Eventually, my curiosity got me fired. No one wants a torturer who ends up
killing all the prisoners. Alas. At first I was upset, but I came to realize
I was free to pursue my studies on a grander scale. When I learned of the
Eternal Library, I found my true calling: to write the definitive work on
suffering.

Apart from this calling, I feel so little else is important. I was born in
Arkham to no-account parents who did little more than keep me alive. I have
no idea what they do now, and no desire to know. Though I consider myself a
scholar now, that trait did not appear until I found a topic worth studying.
I showed no particular gifts growing up.

I will seek out the Lady Ishuli to discuss my work, and its worthiness for
her Library. With her blessing I will go forth and unleash suffering on the
world and carefully measure the results. I intend to join the Scions of the
Eternal Night, for their aims would create a perfect environment for my
research.