WHISPERS IN THE MAZE, VOL.1 - THE BANISHED PRINCE
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Maze!
I find myself often influenced or inspired by various movies, books, video games etc. about a certain story, character or setting, and it seems like if I don’t write about them it kind of drives me nuts. Well, recently I’ve also gone another direction and created various characters and things that pop into my head as miniatures using the AWESOME Hero Forge custom mini creator. I figured instead of these stories and characters just disappearing into the void of my head/hard drive of my PC I would occasionally share them here in between other posts for nerds like me to enjoy! The first one today was heavily influenced by the game and characters from Dishonored (mentioned in my previous post on the Apprentice’s Corner). That dark turn of the century styling of the corrupt port city, and the awesome character designs like Corvo, and amazing gameplay made a huge impact on me coming up, and I had to translate that to a character that you could meet in a setting like DnD 5e, Pathfinder, etc.
So, with that being said, keep your eyes peeled, and your torch lit, because in the Maze, we are all travelers clinging to the light. I like to think these characters linger in the dark and forgotten corners of the labyrinth like a whisper. Stories and beings too lost to find their way out, and lost to only those brave enough to journey past the maps found in the libraries and halls of heroes. One false move and you could slip into the planes they inhabit, never to return! So, keep your ears to the ground, and listen carefully. This young mans life was stolen from him by those that were supposed to protect and serve him. His blade knows no ally, his vengeance knows no limits…
Caelum Virethane - The Banished Prince.
Once the heir to House Virethane, rulers of Galespire, Caelum was born into opulence — his family held dominion not only over commerce but over innovation. His father, Lord Alstan, governed the port and its fleets, while his mother, Lady Virelle, chaired the city’s League of Natural Sciences, blending alchemical brilliance with philosophical zeal. Together, they ruled with vision and austerity.
But change crept in like mold through stone…
A faction of high scholars and political schemers began whispering of a “New Enlightenment” — a philosophy fusing science with occult thought, seeking transcendence of the flesh through arcane evolution. The Virethanes opposed these unorthodox tenets and refused to yield their throne.
Then came the coup.
A massacre masked as a fire claimed the manor, with Caelum barely escaping through a drainage tunnel under the city. He awoke in the sewers beneath Galespire, broken but alive. A band of exiles nursed him back to strength, including a former house guard and an old tinker once loyal to his mother.
Years passed in the shadows. Caelum trained — in steel, stealth, and secrets. He scavenged books of forbidden lore and dissected the new regime’s philosophies. Though he reviled their dogma, he learned from it, shaping dark powers into tools of revenge.
Now, cloaked and masked, Caelum stalks the corrupt towers of Galespire, hunting the architects of his family’s ruin. Each kill is surgical. Each symbol etched in blood a message: The Prince Returns.
Character Sheet/Info to use in your preferred TTG!
Character Title: “The Daggerborne Prince”
A noble scion turned shadowy scourge. A myth to the people, a nightmare to the usurpers.
City Name/Plane: Galespire
A mist-wreathed coastal city once bustling with trade, whaling fleets, and the hum of industrial wonders. Galespire was as much a cathedral to progress as it was a hub of commerce — where laboratories resembled sanctuaries and thinkers were revered as prophets.
Character Name/Info:
Caelum Virethane
Race: Human (Variant)
Class: Rogue (starting), multiclass into Warlock (The Undying or The Great Old One, reflavored as occult science)
Background: Noble (customized: “Disinherited”)
Alignment: Neutral (with dark leanings)
Age: 28
Title: “The Daggerborne Prince” / “Wraith of Galespire”
Character Stat Sheet (D&D 5e Style)
Level 5
(Rogue 3 / Warlock 2)
Ability Scores (Point Buy + Human Variant):
STR: 10
DEX: 16
CON: 14
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 14
Racial Features (Human Variant):
+1 to DEX and CHA
Feat: Alert (or Dual Wielder for style/play)
Skill Proficiency: Stealth
Class Features:
Rogue 3 – Assassin Archetype
Sneak Attack (2d6)
Cunning Action
Assassinate: Advantage on attacks against surprised targets; crits on surprised foes
Expertise: Stealth, Investigation
Thieves’ Tools proficiency
Warlock 2 – The Great Old One ( reflavored as “The Mind Beyond the Stars” )
Patron: An unknowable presence glimpsed in the bowels of the city’s arcane cathedrums
Pact Magic: 2 spell slots (2nd level)
Invocations:
Devil’s Sight (for stealth + darkness)
Mask of Many Faces (Disguise Self at will)
Spells: Hex, Eldritch Blast, Armor of Agathys, Darkness
Skills:
Stealth (Expertise)
Investigation (Expertise)
Insight
Acrobatics
Deception
Proficiencies:
Armor: Light
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Thieves’ tools, poisoner’s kit
Equipment:
Hand crossbow, +1 (heirloom from mother’s engineer guards)
Twin daggers (one inscribed with house crest, the other with arcane symbols)
Cloak of Elvenkind (optional magic item)
Tattered journal filled with diagrams, blood notes, and sketches of suspects
Disguise kit, grappling hook, vial of whale oil
Roleplaying Notes:
Caelum speaks in quiet, calculated tones — rarely wasting words.
He harbors a deep conflict: to become what he hates to destroy those who deserve it.
Often invokes philosophical quotes from his parents or twisted versions from the cult’s ideology.
Believes “progress without soul” is as dangerous as blind tradition.
