The Writings of the So-Called Beast of Otari Scrawled across leather-bound pages, the handwriting rough but deliberate.
Beast of Otari
I don’t remember my parents. Not their faces. Not their names. Just cold cobblestone and empty nights in Otari. That’s where it started.
Yinyasmera took me in. Not out of kindness—out of convenience. I was another blade to sharpen, another coin to earn. Crook’s Nook wasn’t a home. It was a proving ground. I fought for scraps, for a place at the table, for the right to sleep under a roof. Every bruise taught me something sharp: survive, or disappear.
When the orc blood in me started to show—when I grew fast and strong—she saw potential. I became her fighter. First in the hidden pits under Otari, then in the grand arenas of Absalom. She called me the Beast of Otari, and highborn filth paid to watch me bleed. Fame, but never fortune. She kept the coin. I kept the scars.
And then Miveyn.
One of the Seven Sisters to be wed. She saw something in me. Maybe the real me. We were careful. Quiet. But secrets don’t stay buried when gold and jealousy are involved.
She was murdered. I was framed. And when I snapped—when the Rage first took me—I made it true enough. I killed guards. I ran. Left Absalom in flames, now I’m hunted.
I escaped aboard a ship, stowing away like a rat. That’s where I met Vorrix. Old half-orc with more wisdom than I thought existed. He saw something in me too. Took me in. Taught me calm, tradition, even worship. For the first time, I wasn’t just a weapon. I was a man trying to understand what he’d become.
But nothing good lasts. Assassins came. Yinyasmera never lets go. Vorrix died, and something of him clung to me—his spirit, his teachings, his rage. Now when I fight, part of him fights with me. Spirit Instinct, the shamans would call it.
I came back to Otari for revenge. But she was gone. Like smoke. Now I’m stuck in the place I once called home. A ghost walking the streets. I’ve tried to help here and there—lifting things, killing beasts, stopping monsters—but I don’t know if I’m doing it to find meaning… or just passing time until I find her again.
Yinyasmera says she raised me. Maybe she did. Maybe I am the weapon she made me, ragged and keen for blood.
But what I become next? That’s mine to decide.
Chapter 01 – Rats, Webs, and Watchful Eyes
Tamily at the Fishery needed help—fish going missing. Said something big must be eating them. I used to hide in that basement, meal’s a meal. Was quiet back then.
Easy coin. Seemed simple.
Crew’s a strange bunch. Guard dog named Jaahn—real uptight. I remember, never trusted him. Drow bounty hunter too—Machival. Keeps to the shadows. Hope he doesn’t know who I am. Other one’s some dusty old caster with a strange cannon. Druid? Wizard? Don’t care.
Turns out it was rats. Big ones. Jaahn got cocky. I ripped one open and painted him red. Beautiful.
Rats came from a hole in the wall. Might be something more down there than rats.
Went deeper. Mushrooms everywhere—none looked good to eat. Webs too. I set fire to them. Woke the spider. Big one. Didn’t last long.
Found some weird stuff—undead walking out of their tombs, a bowl full of magic water. Took some. Might be useful.
Kobolds were digging at a vault. We stopped them. Machival lined his pockets when he thought no one was watching.
I was. Can’t trust him.
Chapter 02 – Old Instincts Die Hard
Woke under the fishery. Kobolds dead. Air still foul. Caligo appeared—some weird mushroom-mage creep. Almost crushed his little skull, nothing else down here been friendly. The old Sage, Radagast, calmed things down.
We cracked a coin puzzle, left that to the group to figure out…. They found us a chest and switch. Then came kobolds. Traps. Machival got a spear in the gut, idiot didn’t check his footing.
Had trouble with a fountain, couldn’t get it to budge, real slippery business.
I split off, thought I was better off alone, until I found some flame orb thing - which turned into a fire rat. Got bit in the face, could only see flames. Hair’s shorter now. Ran back for help–Don’t trust magic. We came back, doused the bastard with water, then fried it with spells.
Sloppy. But done.
Chapter 03 - Trust is a Knife
There were two more orbs in that chamber. Touched one and the wind spoke—real strange. Gave me the gift of flight. Only once, it said. Still haven’t used it. Don’t like debts I can’t repay.
The others found a green dragon. Baby still, but dangerous. We fed it the Xulgaths we killed. Might’ve spared the town that day. Doesn’t feel like it.
Machival laid a trap for me. Some coward’s snare. Jumped me in the dark. I got loose, but not clean. He vanished. Left me bleeding. Won’t forget that.
** Turns out Machival took our payment and ran straight to the mayor, told him what I am. That I’m wanted. That I killed Miveyn.
He’s setting more traps. I can feel it.
Chapter 04 - Smoke and Mirrors
Festival in Otari. Don’t remember what we’re supposed to be celebrating. Jaahn pissed off somewhere, haven’t seen him since. Caligo drank something that turned his brains to soup. I drank too. Got a good hit to the gut—felt stronger.
Went loud in the tavern. Offered coin for info on Machival. Got enough drunk gossip to follow him out of town. Found a goblin merchant—Jack. Caligo made me look like a hobgoblin. Jack… took a liking to me. One thing led to another. Not proud of it.
Disguise failed right at the finish line. Her giant bodyguard almost caved my head. Radagast calmed it down. Mushroom stole a bag of Weasels, I don’t ask questions. We found out Machival somehow took that dragon north to Gauntlight Keep.
Stormed the place. Killed a bunch of Goblins, then met one with a crown. They had Machival “captured.” We dragged him back to Otari. Seemed too easy.
I was right - He sold me out. Even the Mushroom and Druid left me to rot.
Should have known justice wasn’t for me, never has been. Now i’m in a jail cell. Beast of Otari finally caged.
Chapter 05 - Back From the Brink
The dead rose in Otari. Light from the graveyard. Blue, unnatural. The guards ran. Cowards.
Machival came back. Said he needed me. Didn’t believe him, but I believed the dead.
Didn’t trust him. Still don’t. But I couldn’t let Otari fall. Not yet.
We all fought side by side. A spider-thing came from the light, tore through us. I pinned it with a javelin. Radagast lit it up with lightning.
Otari lives to see another day. Surprised no-one died.
Chapter 05.5 - The Cards and the Blade
Went to Wrin to get patched up. Figured I was done here. She pulled out a Harrow deck. Said fate had something to say.
She laid them out, spoke of pain in strength, darkness from the past, and a tyrant’s shadow… She saw survival, secrets around me, and danger close. The future held choices, power, and the threat of a fall into darkness.
Didn’t follow all of it. But I felt it in my bones.
Then came a ghost. Said I carried Otari’s promise. Told me to mend what’s broken. Then vanished.
Didn’t have time to think—Wrin’s door burst open. Her lackeys came first. Then Yinyasmera.
Same voice. Same tricks. Told me she raised me. Told me I was dangerous. Said she’d stop me.
Machival showed up next, but… backed me up. So did Wrin. Maybe the stars shifted.
I hit Yin hard, but she bled me bad. Then she vanished, like she always does.
Wrin patched me up. Machival’s friend one day, foe the next. I’ll be keeping one eye open.
Didn’t sleep anyway. The Harrow, the ghost, and Yin… feels like something bigger’s coming. And now I’m right in the middle of it.
Chapter 06 - Steel, Fire, and Rage
Back to Gauntlight. Got restless. Charged ahead of the others. Can’t sit still in places like that.
Triggered a trap—metal doors slammed shut. Fancy Clockwork machines came out swinging. They fall to my blade all the same. Fought alone for a while, reminded me of the pits. Smashed one to pieces. More came.
Others caught up. I tore through a wall to rejoin them. Kept breaking through ‘til we were clear. Wasn’t smart. But I’m not built for waiting.
Others found a shrine. Couldn’t place it, but looked like a sacrifice had been made - one of Yin’s men. Wish I’d done it myself.
We found more stairs below the shrine. Deeper still.
Ran into a lazy ghoul reading some book. Didn’t care about us. Caligo tried talking nice. I didn’t. Nothing worked. She wanted us to kill another Morlock. Gave us nothing useful. I was ready to cut her down. Caligo talked me down, not worth the hassle.
Pushed on. Found a hallway glowing green. Lost track of Machival. Led us to a mist-filled room.
Something inside it—tentacles, one eye, lots of attitude. Machival shot it, then bolted. Caligo peeked in, then ran too.
Left me and Radagast to clean up the mess. Guess he’s the only one I can count on these days.
This thing hit hard. I hit harder. Ripped the eye from its smoky skull. It died. I didn’t. Add that one to the list.
Chapter 07 - Bugs, Bones, and Bad Blood
Machival and Caligo showed up right after the fight ended. Figures. Told them to stop splitting up—something down here’s gonna finish us if we’re not tight.
Didn’t take long to prove my point. Machival led us into a trap. Bones floated up, formed into a giant man-bull made of skeletons. Rodeo time.
To his credit, Machival yanked the glaive out of its hands. Shame it still had horns. Nasty fight. I pinned it, crushed it. Dust now.
Found some bug-assed freak licking the walls in a rot-soaked room. Bit me, then vanished. Threw chalk at it—nailed it. Made it visible. Gave me some kind of disease. Radagast fixed me up.
We tied the bug up, I wore it like a pack.
Later, found Graulgust—the Morlock that lazy ghoul wanted dead. He knew her name too. Grudge match, maybe. Didn’t speak our tongue, so the mushroom played charades. We handed over the bug as tribute, watched them tear it apart. Couldn’t trust it anyway.
He wanted a drake killed. Fine.
Found the beast in a pool up north. Nearly tore Radagast apart. I tore off its head instead.
Brought it back. Graulgust liked that. Gave us a tour. Didn’t care about the Morlocks we’d killed earlier.
But then he called us slaves. Saw he’d already caught some poor bastards I knew from Crook’s Nook.
Blood’s boiling. Might be time for another Morlock to die.
Chapter 08 - Teeth and Shadows
We baited that Morlock boss—Graulgust. I faked a prisoner fight, dragged him in. Prisoners cut him down fast.
Prisoner’s looked weak, but belonged to Yin. Couldn’t fool them, Machival convinced them to follow us. Said they’re looking for some portal machine. If Yin wants it, I gotta find it first.
Took Graulgust’s head, fancied a trophy. Lazy Ghoul liked that, decided to join us.
Found a cult of hungry ghouls. Needed a way through. They wanted flesh. We handed over the prisoners. Didn’t feel right, but they were gonna knife me the moment they could. Still hear them screaming.
Then we saw something worse. Volluk—thing made of leeches. Didn’t fight it. Yet.
Had time to wander, walked into some ghoul’s den—called himself a tattoo artist. Didn’t ask permission before he bit into my arm. Nearly died. Radagast patched me up, but I was feeling… off. Ghoul fever, they say. Radagast knew a cure, not becoming a Ghoul today.
About to break into the old library. Might’ve had something on the Occult—maybe even answers about my spirit rage. Vorrix always said books held power.
Didn’t get the chance.
Heard a fight behind us. Machival and Radagast caught in it. Some fairy-thing blinded Machival—fool can’t see a damn thing now. It vanished. Think it hides in light. Tried my chalk trick. No dice.
Regrouped outside the library. More ghouls. Fairy was with them.
Caligo pulled some magic—made a fake Volluk. Didn’t fool them. He bolted one way. We went the other.
Now I’ve gotta track him down. Again.