Kai

A Fighter and Crossbow specialist.

Grew up in a small village next to High Forest.

Childhood
Grew up in a small village on the outskirts of High Forest. From a young age Kai had an interest in hunting and the use of a crossbow. Him and his group of friends sometimes hunted rabbits and squirrels even without adult supervision. He'd scavenge for supplies and made his own bolts and even an improvised crossbow at a very young age. Being next to High Forest there were traces of magic and those who would travel but things changed after one fateful day.

The day he met the wizard with the winged cat. Being a quiet town he initially caught people's attention. Kai thought of himself at the town's scout and was also curious to hear about this man's travels. He packed his small adventure bag and followed the man.

On the outskirts of town the elderly man had camp, just as young Kai was about to greet him he noticed the eldritch sigils and traces of blood on the grass. A small animal carcass in the middle of a circle.

His body went cold, shadows wrapped around him. Strangling him.

His legs wouldn't move. Everything went dark.

When he woke there was no trace of the camp. His legs carried him back to his home, barely staying awake before he passes out on his bed. At night the shadows were back, they attacked him in his dreams. They entered inside him.

He woke up, it was just a dream. He walked to his mother's room relieved, but she wasn't there.

No one was there. The town was empty, he called out to his friends, to his mother and father.

Then he saw a thick black smoke crawl down the street, he thought he saw something in the smoke, he couldn't move. It coalesced and closed in around him and the town went into night, into darkness. He thought he saw eyes, he knew he saw the horns. He definitely felt the burning claw on his shoulder.  'Kai...'

He woke up again, really. He ran to the mirror in the hallway and pinched himself. Thanks to the Gods, all is well.

But the town was still empty. And there was a claw mark on his left shoulder.

He rubbed at the mark, over and over until it bled. It wouldn't come off. He ran and ran, through the woods.

Then collapsed again, and awoke in a safe place. He had been found by a traveling merchant and had been brought to Neverwinter. The young Kai spent three weeks in a coma, sustained by the a kind wizard from the House of Knowledge.He reached for the mark on his shoulder but the wizard stopped him. Saying he had never seen anything like it but that it did not seem to be of any danger as far as his magic could tell... where the shadowy creature had rested it's hand there was now a black handprint, with dark shadows pouring out like smoke.

Pre-Barovia
After talking to the wizard about what had happened he concluded that it must have been a summoning ritual that went horribly wrong, but why he was spared he did not know. Wanting to understand what had happened he turned to the books, every book that had anything about monsters, demons, devils, and the like. He wanted revenge, but he also knew that books alone could not help him, so he also started training, the only weapon he had any prior training with was the hand crossbow, so that is what he would use.

As the years went on he conned his way into the Lords Alliance, going by an alias to get more information, training, gear, and whatever else he needed to get ready for whatever he might face.

Barovia
His lead from the Lord's Alliance informed him of a person named Kiril and stories of werewolves kidnapping children. He met the rest along the way and proved a valuable member, especially in combat. His skill in crafting meant he always had the right crossbow bolt for the job, his signature move piercing accurately even at point blank range.

Since arriving in Barovia Kai has been through a lot with his party, even having died, which opened up his eyes towards himself. Realizing a little faith might not be a bad thing. Sure Sigmund could be loud, overzealous, and a bit rash, but his faith is strong and true and his power is without a doubt real.

After finding a book of hymns in the attic of Lady Lydia with the last page missing, Kai met with an angel of Lathander. It urged him to find the lost Abaude to the Morning Lord, so he could form a link with Kai to burn away the shadows in him.

Class.
He is a Fighter with a Crossbow Specialty. His shadowy mark allows him to dabble in some arcane magic.

Fighting Style
Carries a hand crossbows that he cleans, modifies and crafts bolts for himself. Able to attack in quick succession and at close range. Knows basic useful spells like making fire appear under enemies and creating light. His raw power and speed showed like when he repeatedly shot down a horde of twig blights.