Skurve -- "Safiro"
Description
Illustrating the diabolic blue dragon, Skurve, requires first that one recognize that this chromatic dragon is over 28 feet long and easily four tons. His massive body is as draconian in shape as one would expect. Four great legs end in talons honed to a deadly polish. His lengthy tail appears to be a bony appendage, albeit thick and powerful. His entire body is sheathed in scales hardened like diamonds and a deep blue in hue, making him difficult to detect when he soars the wide desert skies. His underside and leathery wings lighten a little in hue though not durability, and are shocked through with veins of golden-yellow coloration. He does not have spines up his backside, but a number of bony spines rim the backs of his forelegs. A dramatic frill rises from the back of his skull and flares down his stout neck. A single horn juts forth from his snout, drawing attention to that maw of terrifying, jagged teeth. Skurve's devilish heritage becomes most evident in the dragon's eyes. Instead of a normal white, they are an inky black that flare with pupils of vibrant blue. Indeed, Skurve's whole body seems supercharged with built-up static electricity and the tang of ozone surrounds the drake. However, his mixed breeding can also be noted at the hooks at the edges of his great wingspan, which are curved more cruelly than normal, and at the tip of his tail. The shape should taper off, but instead forks like a devil's. Most prevalent is the air of pure evil that accompanies his lightning affinities. There is something frighteningly wicked about Skurve that gives even other blue dragons pause.
Only passably more acceptable is the humanoid form Skurve sometimes adopts through magic. Known then only by his common name, Safiro, he appears as a tall and powerfully built human around six and a half feet and approximately 250 pounds. Safiro wears no armor and only a hooded black robe of light material befitting desert travel. Silver bracers might be seen clasped about his wrists, etched with draconian motifs and inscribed with ancient glyphs of formidable arcane power. A silk cord loops about his waist, to which is attached a few pouches and a morningstar. This weapon's haft is of petrified wood and the steel head's spines are tinted red. Safiro's youthful skin is fair, though his intent gaze is no different than his eyes in his true form. The man has black hair, cut short and swept back out of the way. Fangs can be noted in his mouth, though they do not affect his smooth, silver-tongued voice. Safiro carries no visible medallions or symbols of his dark faith in evil and secret lore, but carries one in a pocket of his robe. Whenever he must prove his superiority to the ranks of the damned without crushing their bodies into dust, he bares that amulet. Even now, the smell of ozone and the built-up feel of electricity envelopes the incognito dragon. And so does that aura of evil, powerful and overwhelming to the more sensitive. Whoever Safiro really is, it seems better off to be elsewhere.
History
Skurve came to be 194 years ago when his mother, a powerful blue dragon named Shive, mated with a pit fiend in service to Asmodeus himself, as part of some infernal pact. What his mother hoped to accomplish, and what the baatezu expected, affected Skurve little at all. He took the common name of Safiro for when he dealt with others of non-dragon kind, due to his kind's love of sapphires and the diabolic sound of the name. The dragon picked his own path when he was old enough to survive on his own. Truly, his fiendish heritage aided him in his daily battle to live in the harsh Aria Desert. He hunted and defended himself adequately for decades. Gradually, he amassed his own little treasure hoard. But the glitter of gems and gold did not drive this dragon's lust, perhaps due to his devilish parentage. Instead, Skurve enjoyed digging up secrets more than treasure. He loved to learn every bit of arcana and forbidden knowledge that he could.
Eventually, his fascination with secrets led him to a deep and forgotten shrine to Rylokam, the lich-god of secrets, magic, and death. Rylokam appealed to Skurve, encouraging the half-fiend blue dragon to help him gather all the secrets possible. The dragon agreed to becoming one of Rylokam’s assistants if, in return, the deity gave him certain additional powers of evil and death in return. Skurve never agreed to worship Rylokam and never did. He bore Rylokam’s symbol only when exerting his influence over the undead or damning some poor soul with Rylokam’s gifts of evil magic. For the most part, Skurve was just eager to discover new lore. And through this resilient servant/assistant/lieutenant, Rylokam could learn more as well.
Personality
Skurve is not interested in the things that drive most dragons. That is no surprise due to his heritage. But he's not in pursuing any scheme of evil or tyranny either. Everything Skurve does is for Skurve. Every secret Skurve finds is for him; Rylokam gets to listen in just because Rylokam granted Skurve extra powers. Skurve serves nobody, least of all some lich who managed to grow to deific proportions. Theirs is just an alliance of convenience. He does not mind having others aid and assist him, of course, and can be quite compelling and manipulative if he thinks they'll help him find out new dirt on the mystical and arcane. Eventually, Skurve hopes to run various sorcerous experiments as well, and discover new lore directly thereby. But he knows he must learn more about what's already out there first. Truthfully, Skurve hides the fear that his mother or father (or forces thereof) may try and seek him out and force him into some ridiculous role. That's part of what drives this dragon -- the urgency to discover all the mystical loopholes to escape damnation.
Goals
Skurve will remain a cleric of Rylokam for only as long as that dark god's powers come in handy. That means he'll probably remain only a cleric until at least 10th level, and then possibly multi-class as a sorcerer, and maybe eventually become a mystic theurge…if Rylokam doesn't cheat him first.
Character Sheet