Renato

Biodata

Power Progression

Documented Attributes

• His secondary class remains level 1 with 30 invested experience through the early documented panels, including his Champion Warrior level-7 panel; that initial investment produces no noticeable change. It later advances to Chosen of Dakoul level 3 and eventually level 6 2 40 52 124 529.
• At his first class advancement, Eldritch Knight and Psionic Warrior are locked. He selects Champion Warrior over Battle Master because he needs immediate, tangible power 6.
• He initially suspects feats are awarded every three levels, but his level-6 panel lists no additional feat. Titan’s Grip appears at level 7 6 26 52.
• By observing Dragonkind Senses, Heavy Armor Specialization, and his improved History Knowledge, he concludes that the Guide reflects changes produced by his actual condition and training, rather than only class advancements 218.
• Repeated escort commissions for Rodi provide 2,000 experience without dangerous combat. At that point, he has accumulated 14,000 experience toward the 20,000 needed for his next warrior advancement 314.

Background / History

Renato was at home on Earth, eating hot pot and singing, when he was abruptly transported to another world. He arrived in the body of a cultist whose entire family shared the same faith, during a ritual in which that body was the intended sacrifice. Adventurers disrupted the ceremony, allowing him to escape, but the sacrifice damaged his memory so severely that he could no longer recall his Earth name 1.

He inherited the former owner’s memories, knowledge, handwriting, and swordsmanship. Those advantages did not remove the danger attached to his identity: pursuers wanted the bounty on his head rather than an explanation. He fled south, selling valuables along the way, and eventually reached Fried City with little money. Work as a noble’s scribe proved inaccessible, while the Adventurers’ Guild accepted him without a guarantor or extensive questioning 1.

After collecting payment for his first Goblin hunt, he encountered the Adventurer’s Guide, whose title used writing from Earth. He continued using it despite uncertainty about its origins because it offered both a connection to his old world and a means of surviving in the new one 1 2.

His career later extends from adventuring into public service and noble patronage. In Fried City, he becomes a constable and the Atwood Family’s swordsmanship instructor, hoping that official status will offer protection against threats connected to his past. His connection to the Atwoods also entangles him in their struggle for power 58 80 94.

After falling into the Underdark, he meets Balin and becomes involved in conflicts with Duergar, Mind Flayers, and Drow. He eventually enters Sammoril under a Drow disguise, serving Tristana and the Nightwind Family while continuing to seek experience and greater strength. Despite receiving a noble-sounding title and a permanent residence, he never considers the Drow city his true home 109 115 188 231 260.

He ultimately escapes Sammoril with Klauthsura, aided by Aknath, and enters a demiplane containing Nittel Royal City and the Niter Kingdom as they existed a thousand years earlier. There, he uses his inherited noble identity and fabricated family history to approach the kingdom’s court and White Tower 343 347 370 372.

Following further battles, recovery, and bodily reconstruction, Renato departs with supplies prepared by Klauthsura and reaches the Sea of a Thousand Islands. In White Harbor, he continues taking commissions, gains recognition as Black Blade, and becomes involved in the affairs of Selena Darktide and the Sea Elves 433 442 464 480 550.

Appearance

• Youthful human appearance: Described as a young human during his first Goblin encounter 1.
• Refined bearing: His appearance and manner of speaking distinguish him from Brekka Town’s other adventurers, inspiring the nickname “young master” 3.
• Initial clothing: A dark blue velvet coat embroidered with silver thread over a fitted white linen shirt. By his arrival in Fried City, the coat is stained, torn, and creased 1.
• Increasing stature: Perly thinks he has grown taller after reaching level 6; later, he stands half a head taller than Jack of the Stout Spear 27 42.
• Later combat attire: Full plate armor, a Crown of Intellect, and a metal half-mask leaving his mouth exposed. Perly paints decorative patterns, including wings on the shin guards 48.
• Titan’s Grip changes: His forearms thicken and develop additional, visibly abnormal bundles of tendons. Kira later remarks on the contrast between his pretty face and large, muscular body 52 54.
• Drow disguise: While serving the Nightwind Family, he assumes angular features, high cheekbones, slightly upturned eyes, and crimson irises. His Mountain’s Embrace armor is decorated with gold-thread ornaments, spider designs, and a spider-silk surcoat bearing the family crest 231.
• Consort mask: Tristana provides a mask enchanted with Darkness, reinforcing his public presentation within Drow society 239.
• Temporary elixir effect: The Wisdom Refinement Elixir briefly makes blood vessels in his face glow blue 292.
• Reconstructed physique: After Dakoul’s distant call, he reaches two meters in height, with sleek, compact musculature and improved bodily proportions rather than simply bulky muscles 433.
• White Harbor reputation: His height, black armor, and black greatsword make him readily recognizable to dockworkers and banquet guests as Black Blade 469 550.
• Further growth at level 9: His shoulders, back, and chest become broader and thicker; Mountain’s Embrace adjusts to his changed frame 529.

Personality

Renato is cautious, calculating, and attentive to practical risks. He prefers staying behind stronger companions, checks contractual clauses before signing, and considers whether a room gives him enough space to wield his greatsword. He also refuses to fight without armor merely to make infiltration easier 3 21 26 43.

His survival pragmatism can be ruthless. He helps preemptively ambush Martha’s party, kills her despite her pleas, and immediately evaluates the resale value of her undamaged armor. Nevertheless, he retains boundaries: he threatens Joe to prevent Bagg’s abandonment and does not regret sacrificing loot to bring the wounded man home 8 10.

His attachment to Perly develops beyond payment or quest experience. He teaches her, finances parts of her training, and holds her while she cries after repeated brushes with death. He cannot fully explain his desire to help her, considering both pity and his own prolonged loneliness 25.

Growing strength changes his ambitions. Rather than retire into comfortable city life, he decides to pursue extraordinary power and the possibility of returning to Earth through the Astral Plane. Confidence in his modern education initially makes him overestimate his aptitude for wizardry, but he abandons conventional spell study after recognizing his difficulties 27 29.

He enjoys sword practice, hot meals, and small comforts even when money is scarce. His confidence in combat also makes a potentially skilled opponent something to anticipate rather than merely fear 11 12 43.

Sword fighting becomes a central part of his identity. He regards it as one of the few choices not forced upon him by the compromises of survival, and later describes testing his limits with a sword as an anchor affirming his existence. This attachment drives him to continue training rather than accept a comfortable life that would let his skills deteriorate 66 437.

His experiences make him increasingly cold toward killing, but he continues to distinguish survival and personal advancement from religious devotion. He explicitly rejects worshipping Dakoul despite being the deity’s favored one. His stated code is to raise his sword against those who threaten his life or obstruct his path, not indiscriminately kill uninvolved people; he therefore spares Raven when she is caught between opposing interests 316 369.

He prefers a clean death in combat to prolonged torture or the manipulation of another person’s will. He persuades Tristana to allow him to duel Rodi rather than torture her, and later expresses revulsion toward securing loyalty through forced hypnosis 327 434.

Renato does not seek control for its own sake. He is willing to leave Captain De Leon in command when his own interests are unaffected, and often finds people with clear, practical desires easier to work with than those whose motives he cannot understand. His dealings with Raven emphasize mutual profit rather than unquestioning devotion 285 292 464.

By White Harbor, he has developed what he considers the mindset of the strong: unknown dangers no longer automatically make him flee or abandon a quest. He still investigates and weighs information, but believes his strength and the Guide allow him to decide when to act rather than submit to unconfirmed fears 508.

His Earth upbringing and later experiences also distance him from local racial and status prejudices. He admires Selina’s warrior spirit without sharing the Thousand Islanders’ inherited hatred of Sea Elves, although that admiration does not make him willing to surrender a dangerous ancient relic or ignore the consequences of her ritual 541 549.

Abilities & Skills

Adventurer’s Guide

A mysterious book that appears before Renato and disappears when he closes his eyes. Its character and quest functions allow him to convert completed commissions into class experience 1 2.

• Character panel: Displays classes, experience, HP, attributes, feats, and skills 2.
• Class advancement: Offers specialization choices when he advances beyond warrior level 3 6.
• Quest rewards: Supplies experience for guild work and private commissions, including guiding Perly and participating in the mansion operation 16 50.
• Equipment descriptions: Reveals magical item properties and requirements. This section first appears when he wears the Crown of Intellect 28.
• Uncertain mechanics: Renato suspects wearing his first magic item unlocked the equipment section, but does not establish this conclusively 28.
• Spell-related expansion: Mastering Shadow Shield causes another new section to open 40.
• Adaptive records: Feats and skills can change to reflect bodily alterations, learning, and training; Renato consequently sees improvement outside quest-based leveling as possible 218.
• Information advantage: He trusts quest wording enough to conclude that Rafada will not turn against him before their “Help Rafada” quest is completed. He cannot explain this basis for trust to Klauthsura 387.
• Continuing private commissions: Records tasks involving the Duwa Family, Rodi’s escorts, and Selena Darktide, extending its usefulness beyond ordinary guild work 278 314 464.

Swordsmanship and Close Combat

Renato combines inherited noble training with continued practice and practical battlefield experience 1 25.

• Uses guards, feints, precise thrusts, and blade leverage to exploit an opponent’s technique; defeats the final Wereboar by striking the weak of its blade with the strong of his own 17.
• Employs half-swording, pommel strikes, crossguard disarms, grappling, and chokeholds when ordinary sword swings are unsuitable 24 35 38.
• Defeats three Iron Fist Gang fighters and Malik in training bouts 22.
• Targets softer anatomy or armor gaps rather than repeatedly striking hardened surfaces 5 6 49.
• Is less skilled with a military chopping blade than with his preferred longsword, and can struggle when enemies close inside his two-handed sword’s effective reach 24.
• Also uses javelins and lead-tipped throwing darts to attack at range or create openings 17 24 49.
• Defeats Walter in a single round during the Fried City swordsmanship competition, then reaches a final against “Red Hair” Bastu, whose experience and ability to control the fight force Renato to reconsider his approach 73 79.
• Receives extensive instruction from Aknath in evasion, distance control, timing, and instinctive response. The Legendary Warrior identifies his distinctive techniques, bold judgment against spellcasters, and “Mind’s Eye” as foundations for becoming a powerful swordsman 286 287 313.
• Can wield his greatsword in one hand through Titan’s Grip. During an armored battle, uses a captured halberd as his main weapon and his sword in the other hand because a polearm is better suited to piercing adamantine scale plate 52 339.
• Disarms the Death Knight Novak through crossguard leverage, recognizing that the knight’s thousand-year-old school lacks later generations’ technical refinements 367.
• Integrates techniques from different races and schools rather than rigidly following a single manual. Selina’s Deep-Sea Sword Art inspires further development, but he rejects opening stances that sacrifice the ability to change attacks or defend 499.
• Overwhelms the Necromancy Mage in close combat, striking plate-armor seams from successive directions and finally knocking away the enemy’s enchanted longsword 526.

Darkvision

A feat acquired at warrior level 1 6.

• Allows him to see within 120 feet in darkness as clearly as in daylight, including in completely lightless caves 11.
• His darkvision and alert meditation lead Tristana to suspect Elven or Drow ancestry, which he denies 158.
• Does not penetrate the magical veil created by Darkness. His later Dragonkind Senses provide a separate means of perceiving within it 276.

Mind Over Body

A feat that uses Resolve to improve physical endurance 6.

• At his documented 15 Resolve, grants additional fatigue resistance; he remains energetic after three days of travel and repeated danger 6 11.
• The feat description lists an additional exemption from Constitution checks at 18 Resolve and resistance to all listed energy types at 20 Resolve. Neither threshold is reached in the early panels; his latest panel reaches Resolve 18, satisfying the first threshold but not the second 6 40 529.

Titan’s Grip

Acquired upon reaching Champion Warrior level 7, this feat gives him exceptional control over large weapons and visibly changes his forearm anatomy 52.

• Can crush a copper pipe flat with his grip immediately after acquiring it 52.
• His latest documented Strength of 17 meets the first two thresholds, but not the Strength-18 effect 529.

Inevitable Conquest

A feat that compares Renato’s Resolve with that of his opponent 160.

• When he deals damage with a melee attack and his Resolve exceeds the target’s, adds one damage per point of difference 160.
• While he is routing, enemy attacks gain corresponding bonus damage if the attacker’s Resolve exceeds his 160.
• Its acquisition brings an increased sense of composure and fighting spirit. Renato regards the negative condition as restrictive enough not to be a major concern 160.

Dragonkind Senses

A feat acquired following a dragon’s death, providing heightened senses and thirty feet of blindsight 218.

• Renato believes he absorbed energy from the shattered dragon soul along with true dragon blood drained through Touch of Dakoul 218.
• Gives him all-around awareness within its blindsight range, allowing him to fight effectively inside magical Darkness even when darkvision fails 276.
• His later supernatural hearing lets him clearly overhear dockworkers’ quiet conversation despite surrounding noise 469.
• Appears in place of the separate Darkvision entry in his latest feat list; he continues to demonstrate darkness-related perception, but the supplied panel does not separately explain that listing change 529.

Armor and Weapon Proficiency

His early listed feats include heavy armor proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, and swordsmanship specialization. Heavy Armor Proficiency later develops into Heavy Armor Specialization 2 40 218 529.

• Trains in newly acquired armor before missions so unfamiliar weight or restricted movement will not surprise him in combat 25.
• Retains enough mobility in heavy armor to run, leap, and evade attacks 38 48.
• Initially avoids helmets because they obstruct hearing and vision; he also declines armored boots out of concern for his footwork 24 34 48.
• Later wears a helmet during tournament fighting, where its restricted field of vision remains an acknowledged disadvantage 73 79.
• Refuses to replace his own enchanted weapons and armor with standard Nightwind Family equipment merely to strengthen his Drow disguise 230.
• Recognizes that heavy Mountain’s Embrace armor and his comparatively modest agility make Oil of Speed a useful supplement 241.
• Aknath’s specialized training reveals that his apparently nimble evasions rely substantially on anticipation and muscle memory rather than purely instinctive reactions 286.

Knowledge and Languages

• Possesses good handwriting and inherited knowledge suitable for scribal work 1.
• Studies magical creatures and Draconic at the guild library, then reviews vocabulary from memory 13.
• Speaks Elvish 34.
• Has systematically studied Deep Speech, enabling him to read the forbidden writing in the Skin of the Nameless One 39.
• Teaches Perly plant identification, supply preparation, local conduct, and precautions when looting cursed creatures 16 17 18.
• Speaks Common and conversational Dwarven, although Balin’s rapid Dwarven speech exceeds his comprehension when they first meet 109.
• Uses inherited noble etiquette and a deliberately restrained speaking style to present a convincing fabricated family history at the Niter Kingdom’s court 372.
• Familiarity with religious writings and bards’ accounts gives him knowledge of devils’ contractual traps and methods of tempting mortals 401.

Meditation

Lailas teaches him ranger meditation as a way to remain alert and relieve fatigue 35.

• Enters a meditative state by the day after his first proper lesson, impressing Lailas, who needed three months under her own mentor 36.
• Experiences a momentary expansion of perception, sensing the earth and wind beyond his body 36.
• Expresses interest in becoming a ranger, but no ranger class advancement is documented in the supplied panels 35 40 529.
• Uses meditation to control murderous impulses and to pass time while waiting in the Nightwind Fortress 60 228.
• Retains alertness while meditating, contributing to Tristana’s mistaken suspicion of Elven ancestry 158.

Shadow Shield

A protective spell learned from the Skin of the Nameless One after conventional mage lessons fail 29 40.

• Casts through intent without an incantation or ritual, gathering shadows into a translucent spherical membrane around himself 40.
• Learns to use the power intuitively rather than understanding the forbidden diagram intellectually 40.
• Stops reading the grimoire for a week to watch for harmful effects 40.
• Initially conceals the spell from Perly because he does not want her to discover his forbidden knowledge 46.
• First uses it in actual combat during the cultist battle. It catches a two-handed cleaver, then bursts into a shadow pulse that blasts surrounding enemies away and withers their skin 99.
• Blocks summoned tentacles and injures them with its released pulse 100.
• Temporarily cannot summon it during the fight with Benjamin because the surrounding energy no longer answers him 101.
• Later combines it with Dakoul’s Blessing to sustain an aggressive exchange of blows against Sahuagin without relying on ordinary parries or evasions 458.

Dakoul-Related Powers and Shadow Perception

Renato gains increasingly direct access to shadow power and abilities associated with Dakoul, despite rejecting religious devotion to the deity 124 262 316.

• Touch of Dakoul: Uses it to kill the Duergar bandit Kevora and later Rodi. Can drain true dragon blood through this power; Balin warns him against publicly draining people dry 115 218 327.
• Dakoul’s Glimpse: Under Dakoul’s influence, chants in an unknown tongue, strips Benjamin’s flesh with the resulting power, and drives him mad before finishing him physically 101.
• Dakoul’s Blessing: Surrounds him in increasingly dense black mist and makes shadow energy respond as naturally as his limbs. Later uses its protection alongside Shadow Shield 262 458.
• Apocalypse Prophecy: Learns it from the Skin of the Nameless One. Plans to use it to curse Aknath during their first encounter, and later uses the point it reveals to strike Sinnaphyx fatally 262 276 425.
• Emotional perception: Shadows convey other people’s emotions, including fear, greed, prejudice, and malice. This helps him assess Raven, White Harbor residents, and the Sea Elf spy Shahualin 124 267 285 469 546.
• Limits of shadow perception: Considers that Morlock may possess a spell concealing his emotions or the extraordinary discipline needed to suppress them 399.
• Resistance to magical compulsion: The shadow power surrounding him dissolves Novak’s attempt to force him into a duel 367.
• Fleshweaving: Listed as a feat by the time he reaches Chosen of Dakoul level 3 and remains in his latest panel; the supplied passages do not provide its full rules description 124 529.

Aberrant Reconstruction and Physical Resilience

Aberrant Reconstruction substantially alters Renato’s musculature, bones, and internal structure while he continues to regard himself as human 433 434 496.

• Treats his carrying, pushing, pulling, and lifting capacity as that of a creature one size larger 496.
• Together with Strength 17 and Titan’s Grip, lets him lift a carriage with one hand and knead steel with his fingertips 433 496.
• Improves coordination and reaction speed; Klauthsura’s psionic scans reveal far more extensive internal changes than his outward appearance suggests 433.
• His strengthened constitution supports adaptation to harsh environments, substantially increased toxin metabolism, and greatly reduced susceptibility to ordinary intoxication 529.
• His skin becomes difficult to cut even with a knife, and minor wounds close visibly within minutes 529.
• Survives Sinnaphyx’s Power Word Kill and kills her afterward, but then collapses in a critically unstable condition requiring Klauthsura’s treatment. This event does not establish blanket immunity to the spell or to fatal injury 425.

Item-Based Mobility and Ranged Combat

• Uses a Feather Fall scroll during the collapse of the Mind Flayer fortress, allowing him, Balin, and Tristana to descend into the darkness rather than fall unprotected 146.
• Uses Misty Step in combat against Dayette and later while pursuing the Necromancy Mage 259 518.
• Recognizes that Misty Step’s visible cloud of white mist can reveal where he will reappear to knowledgeable opponents 259.
• Tests a wheellock pistol but finds its accuracy disappointing; learns why sailors nevertheless value firearms aboard ships 486.
• After reaching the surface, identifies a greater need for long-range attacks. Losing the Ring of Spider Climbing and being unable to use the Gish Cloak during daylight reduce his available mobility 520.
• Rejects available enchanted bows and crossbows that cannot adequately exploit his strength or provide sufficient immediate damage against his current enemies 530.
• Attunes to the Thunder Cobalt Javelin and tests its return to his hand. Without its lightning transformation, its offensive power still depends principally on his own strength 536.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Silent Lady — An unfinished two-handed sword bought from Oliver for five gold coins. Made from adamantine, mithral, and steel, it initially cannot be melted down but has lost those metals’ distinctive advantages. Renato names it for its unassuming nature and appreciates its practical design and pale blue-green sheen. Balin later reforges it with star antimony and Negation Runes, giving it a cold, matte-black appearance and the ability to disrupt spell effects. “Pure White” subsequently adds a restorative blessing 10 11 133 413.
• Original decorated longsword — A finely balanced steel weapon inherited with his belongings; lost during the owlbear encounter 1 10.
• Flaming longsword — Wielded against animated armor, guards, and assassins during the Crown Street operation and its aftermath 49 50.
• Petro’s sword — A 1.2-meter magical longsword made from steel and orichalcum, with a Reinforcement Rune. Renato appreciates its balance and practical design but finds it too short and slender for his preferred greatsword use. Its existing enchantment also prevents Perly’s Magic Weapon spell from affecting it 52.
• Bag of Holding — Stores money, spare equipment, captured goods, and readily accessible javelins 26 34 49.
• Space Ring / Klauthsura’s Ring — Later uses a Space Ring for equipment and consumables. Before his island journey, Klauthsura reforges a silver Space Ring, packs it with provisions, and names it Klauthsura’s Ring 286 390 442.
• Crown of Intellect — An uncommon Moon Elf-made, silver-plated crown set with an inscribed moonstone. Sets the wearer’s Intelligence to 14; requires Perception 14 and Resolve 12. Initially raises Renato’s Intelligence from 11 to 14 while worn. He puts it away after the Wisdom Refinement Elixir raises his innate Intelligence to 14 26 28 292.
• Armor — Progresses from cowhide to basilisk-scale armor, captured chainmail, plate limb protection, and finally full plate. Also commissions a reinforced, lightweight gambeson made from wool blended with water-resistant shadow moss 2 14 25 29 34 48.
• Mountain’s Embrace — His later heavy enchanted armor. Its runes can stabilize him, although that effect does not activate while he is moving of his own accord. Klauthsura later applies Psionics Enchantment using Mind Flayer technology, enabling the armor to adjust comfortably to his changing physique 156 231 276 529.
• Deep Dragonhide Armored Coat — A fitted protective garment worn by the time of his Champion Warrior level-9 advancement; becomes slightly tighter as his torso broadens 529.
• Metal half-mask — Provided for the Assassins’ Guild operation; conceals his face without obstructing the Crown of Intellect 46 48.
• Consort mask — Given by Tristana and enchanted with Darkness. Wearing a mask slightly interferes with his perception during high-level sword fighting 239 276.
• Ring of Protection — Produces a subtle deflection field. Renato removes it for Aknath’s evasion exercises and puts it back on afterward 156 286.
• Ring of Spider Climbing — A former mobility item; no longer available to him during the White Harbor pursuit 520.
• Gish Cloak — A mobility-related item whose inability to function during daylight limits its usefulness on the surface 520.
• Eldath’s Divine Water — Given by Elma Springwater for helping Bagg. Described as capable of healing grave injuries and reviving someone near death 13.
• Skin of the Nameless One — A human-skin-bound grimoire recovered from the old mansion. Supplies Shadow Shield and later Apocalypse Prophecy, but carries the dangers associated with forbidden knowledge 39 40 262.
• The Edict of Dakoul — The surviving loot he obtains from the battle with Benjamin; Benjamin’s Bone Dagger and Skull Candelabra are destroyed 105.
• Mind Flayer Cerebrospinal Fluid — Consumed despite warnings. Causes visions and a headache, reduces his psychic vulnerability, and weakens his fear and emotional responses 40.
• Primordial Soup Extract — Consumed in a secluded garden; temporarily mutates his flesh and permanently adds six HP to his recorded total 40.
• Amulet of Adaptation — An uncommon black iron amulet crafted by Master Echo. Grants advantage on saving throws to avoid or end poisoned or unconscious conditions; requires Resolve 12 and Constitution 8. Renato wraps it around his wrist because his fitted plate leaves no room at his neck 50.
• Battle Chef’s Cleaver — An uncommon magical kitchen knife reforged after a cleric attributed his survival to Dionysus. Its Flame Runes add 1d4 fire damage on a hit, and it requires Strength 8. Renato cannot independently control its runes as Balin controls those of his warhammer 87 123.
• Wisdom Refinement Elixir — Made by Klauthsura using knowledge taken from a Drow mage’s brain tissue. Injected into Renato, raising Intelligence to 14 and briefly causing chaotic memories and blue fluorescence in his facial veins 292.
• Consumables and scrolls — Carries healing potions, Oil of Speed, Manticore Poison, and accessible magic scrolls for difficult battles and escape attempts. Uses a Feather Fall scroll during the fortress collapse 146 241 390.
• Hellforged Multiverse Wanderer — An artifact he recharges using an otherwise unusable magic item recovered from the Necromancy Mage’s possessions 527.
• Travel provisions — Klauthsura supplies nutrient-dense energy bars, water, and a Seawater Distillation Device before his departure. Renato later shares the energy bars with Selena 442 464.
• Wheellock pistol — Obtained from De Leon and tested in High Tide’s courtyard; its poor precision prompts him to question its usefulness 486.
• Grave Sword — A rare magic weapon looted after defeating the Necromancy Mage. Deals necrotic damage and can exhaust its targets 527.
• Thunder Cobalt Javelin — An attuned ranged weapon with a lightning transformation and the ability to return to his hand. In its ordinary form, its damage relies heavily on Renato’s physical strength 536.
• Key of the Two-Breathers — An ancient relic linked to a gate into ruins. Renato concludes that Selina’s intended ritual would charge it with lives and souls, and refuses to simply hand it over because of its potential to destabilize White Harbor 538 541.

Silent Lady’s Documented Enchantments

Relationships

• Perly — Client turned adventuring companion. Renato teaches her survival skills, lends money for spell study, and relies on her magical support. Their bond becomes emotionally close, but he initially conceals his cultist history and Shadow Shield from her. During his Fried City public-service period, he still hopes to settle there with her 16 20 25 46 60.
• Lailas — Half-elf investigative partner, sparring companion, and meditation instructor. Renato respects her swordsmanship but remains suspicious of her resources and undisclosed organizational connections. Their relationship later becomes physically intimate; she also secretly watches over his meeting with Solas and checks the food and wine for poison 32 35 36 41 42 76.
• “Little Finger” Joe / Joe Laurent — Fellow Brekka Town adventurer and occasional contact. Recommends Renato to Perly, though Renato privately regards him as a swindler, gambler, and thief 3 16 20.
• “Big Guy” Bagg — Expedition companion. Renato opposes attempts to extort him and later prevents Joe from abandoning him after he is badly wounded 7 10.
• “Deserter” Marcus — Veteran expedition companion who supports the agreed division of spider-egg payments and helps Renato bring Bagg home 7 10.
• Malik — Iron Fist Gang boss and recurring employer. Provides commissions, payment, and underworld contacts; Renato maintains the business relationship while distrusting his claims of loyalty and refusing membership. Later uses official titles and the Speaker’s written orders to enlist Malik against the Wolf Gang 22 26 46 94.
• Elma Springwater — Cleric of Eldath who rewards his assistance to Bagg with Divine Water 13.
• Oliver — Magic-shop merchant who sells him Silent Lady. Oliver later discovers that his Suggestion spell failed to influence Renato 10.
• Edgar / Old Ed — Armorsmith with whom Renato negotiates purchases and equipment trade-ins, eventually obtaining full plate 30 34 48.
• Kira — Assassins’ Guild contact who recruits him for the mansion operation and supplies disguises. Later flirts with him and helps sell stolen goods 45 46 54 73.
• Petro — Assassins’ Guild Tongue who directs the cleaners during the mansion attack and later attacks Renato. Perly kills him with Magic Missiles while Renato keeps him engaged; Renato subsequently acquires his magical sword 49 50 52.
• Master Echo — Master assassin overseeing the operation. Takes the recovered multicolored potion, declares Petro a traitor, and directs Renato to collect his reward 50.
• Harpers — Pursuers associated with his former identity. A danger mark in the old mansion revives his fear of being tracked, and their threat helps motivate his pursuit of forbidden power and official protection 31 38 39 58.
• Dakoul — The deity tied to his body’s cultist past and secondary class. Recollections of Dakoul’s attention during sacrifice nearly overwhelm Renato’s reason. Dakoul later watches through his mind during the Benjamin battle and calls to him during a further bodily transformation, but Renato explicitly refuses to adopt the deity’s faith 39 40 101 316 428 433.
• Director Perez / Atwood Family — Perez oversees Renato’s public-service career and offers a position that binds him more openly to Atwood patronage. Renato recognizes the protection and prestige involved but also the political danger and difficulty of refusing his superior 76 80 82 94.
• Uta, Fang / Solas — Wolf Gang adversaries. Renato breaks Uta’s wrist and confiscates his axe during an investigation; later refuses to be intimidated by Solas’s veiled threats over the Gilded Dice case 64 76.
• Benjamin — Dakoul-associated opponent who fights him with illusions, dark healing, an armor-bypassing dagger, and a transformed bone-bladed body. Renato kills him after Dakoul’s influence changes the battle 101.
• Balin — Dwarf companion and runesmith met after Renato falls into the Underdark. Helps him reach New Rolling Stone City, reforges Silent Lady, and repeatedly fights beside him. Renato comes to trust him as the companion whose actions have earned the right to guard his back 109 115 133 146 188 195.
• Tristana — Drow priestess, Underdark ally, and later intimate partner whose guard and masked consort Renato becomes. Supports him with Lolth’s protection during the Mind Flayer battle, but grows increasingly controlling in Sammoril. Her attempts to restrict his commissions and contact with Klauthsura help drive his decision to escape 188 204 227 239 290 316 343.
• Klauthsura — Mind Flayer companion who can present a Dragonborn form. Initially regarded as an uncertain survival ally, she becomes a trusted partner through shared battles, alchemical enhancement, their escape from Sammoril, and his critical recovery. Renato vouches for her to Rafada, asks that she be freed before addressing his own departure, and later receives equipment and provisions from her 188 195 292 343 347 385 410 425 437 442.
• Matron Mother Quelyn — Nightwind Family leader who grants Renato the Martial Guard title and a permanent courtyard residence. Uses assignments, rewards, and tests to assess and bind him to the family. After he escapes, she admires his ambition but intends to kill him and claim his artifact for Lolth 260 276 289 314 427.
• Aknath — Legendary Weapon Master of the Nightwind Family. Initially ambushes Renato on Quelyn’s orders, then becomes his most important swordsmanship instructor. Recognizes his human-style techniques and ultimately helps him and Klauthsura escape. Renato trusts his character as a swordsman and invites him to the surface, but Aknath refuses to abandon Brichidi and his responsibilities 276 279 286 287 313 347.
• Raven / Iron Price — Mercenary commander and organization used for Gray Zone intelligence, commissions, supplies, and loot sales. Their relationship develops through mutual profit. Renato spares Raven when she is caught between him and Tristana, earning her declaration that he is more genuinely noble than the city’s aristocrats 246 260 285 316.
• Rodi — Nightwind daughter whom he repeatedly escorts on safe commissions. Later persuades Tristana to allow a duel rather than torture; kills Rodi after severing her arm, considering death against another sword wielder more dignified 314 327.
• Sir Novak — Knight encountered in the Nittel demiplane, including as a hostile Death Knight. Renato later meets him restored, returns his badge, and seeks his introduction to the Niter Kingdom’s court 352 367 372.
• Rafada / “Pure White” — Apparently youthful Royal Mage whom Renato initially manipulates for information and recruits as an ally. Rafada is later revealed as Pure White, the powerful mage responsible for the demiplane’s disasters. He blesses Silent Lady before Renato’s battle with the Yochlol 376 380 385 409 413.
• Morlock — Powerful devil who knows Renato’s identity and negotiates with him in the demiplane. Renato concludes that some restriction prevents Morlock from simply using force to obtain his objective 399 401.
• Sinnaphyx — Yochlol opponent who uses Power Word Kill against him. Renato survives long enough to kill her, then collapses from his injuries 425.
• Captain De Leon — Sea captain who recognizes Renato’s strength, entrusts Selena to him, and supplies the wheellock pistol Renato later tests. They meet again at the White Harbor banquet 464 486 550.
• Selena Darktide / Selina — Sea Elf swordswoman and escort client. Renato provides food, clothes, guidance, and assistance searching for her kin, while respecting her undisclosed motives enough not to press immediately. He admires her warrior spirit and learns from her swordsmanship, but refuses to surrender the Key of the Two-Breathers without considering the consequences of her ritual 464 486 499 508 541 549 550.
• Pye / Ironhook Gang — White Harbor underworld contacts who assist his search for Sea Elves and supply local information. Renato appreciates Pye’s cautious, straightforward manner 472 486 499 550.
• Barnaby — White Harbor commission intermediary. Renato rebukes his disparaging comments about Selina and later confronts him for leaving him waiting after the Necromancy Mage commission 499 527.
• Governor Alvaro de Sousa — White Harbor governor whose banquet Renato attends while investigating declining fish stocks, missing boats, and possible links between the Sea Elves’ ritual and Dead Three worshippers 550.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Becoming an Adventurer

• Joins the Fried City guild after paying two silver coins, leaving only three silver in his purse 1.
• Kills two Goblins during his first hunt and collects ten copper coins for their ears; the Adventurer’s Guide subsequently appears 1.

Phantom Forest Expeditions

• Joins a veteran party employed by a Mage, enters the Spider Nest, and earns both payment and his Champion Warrior advancement 3 6.
• Helps ambush Martha’s hostile party before they can attack his group. The survivors discard much of their loot to reduce the dangers of traveling overloaded 8.
• Helps return the wounded Bagg to Brekka Town and replaces his lost sword with Silent Lady 10 11.
• Accepts Perly’s guiding request, teaches her to gather Calming Flowers, and fights Wereboars with her magical support. Perly later credits him with saving her from both the creatures and a dragon 16 17 25.

Fried City and the Gang Conflict

• Returns to Fried City with Perly and receives promotion to adventurer rank 3 20 21.
• Investigates Red Iron’s smuggling, accepts Malik’s wagon-interception job, and captures weapons with Perly’s help 21 22 24.
• Receives guild payment, Malik’s money, and the Crown of Intellect. His growing power leads him to reject retirement and seek routes back to Earth 26 27.
• Partners with Lailas to investigate disappearances and distracts the Gilded Dice’s guards while she searches upstairs 32 41.
• Accepts the bounty on Grisel, the “Harlot Hangman,” and later collects its remaining payment and experience 43 46.
• Wins the guild’s selection tests for a commission offering a public-office reward, regarding official status as protection against pursuers 58.
• Patrols Shantytown with George and Burton. Takes a crippled mother’s accusation seriously, confronts the Wolf Gang, breaks Uta’s wrist, seizes his axe, and arrests a man claiming responsibility for her son’s murder 64.
• Competes in the swordsmanship tournament, defeating Walter and facing Bastu in the final. The resulting Atwood position further ties his fortunes to the ruling family 73 79 80.
• Meets Solas under Perez’s instructions over the Gilded Dice dispute; refuses intimidation and takes a toxin diluent despite Lailas’s reassurance that the meal is safe 76.
• Uses his titles as constable and Atwood swordsmanship instructor, together with the Speaker’s orders, to mobilize Malik against the Wolf Gang 94.

Forbidden Power and the Crown Street Operation

• Clears Number Seven Oak Street with Perly, discovering that its apparent animated armor contains putrid living flesh 38.
• Takes the Skin of the Nameless One, learns Shadow Shield, and experiments with dangerous enhancement potions 39 40.
• Accepts the Assassins’ Guild mansion commission while weighing the temptation of a legendary potion against the risk of fatal greed 45 46.
• Escapes the Reisingen mansion after an explosion and the rapid arrival of Atwood troops, suspecting the operation was a conspiracy 49.
• Survives the subsequent tunnel ambush with Perly, recovers Petro’s possessions, and receives the Amulet of Adaptation and 3,000 quest experience. No further class advancement is shown at the end of that operation 50.
• Subsequently examines Petro’s magical sword and advances to Champion Warrior level 7, acquiring Titan’s Grip 52.
• Uses Shadow Shield openly in combat against Dakoul cultists, discovering its retaliatory shadow pulse 99 100.
• Fights Benjamin in the cultists’ courtyard. Dead cultists’ flesh transforms and restores Renato as Dakoul watches through him; he uses Dakoul’s Glimpse and kills Benjamin 101.
• Recovers The Edict of Dakoul, but emerges with badly damaged plate armor and without Benjamin’s destroyed magical tools 105.

Underdark Survival and the Mind Flayer Conflict

• Meets Balin after falling from the surface and establishes a cautious initial contact using Dwarven and Common 109.
• Kills Kevora with Touch of Dakoul, gains the Duergar’s respect as a spellcaster, and enters New Rolling Stone City. Balin warns that reaching the surface could take nearly twenty years 115.
• Advances his Chosen of Dakoul class to level 3 while his warrior class is documented at level 8 124.
• Receives Silent Lady reforged by Balin with Negation Runes 133.
• Fights through the collapse of the Mind Flayer fortress with Balin and Tristana, then uses Feather Fall as District 1 breaks apart beneath them 146.
• Survives a cave-lizardfolk night raid and plans with his companions to investigate the condition of New Rolling Stone City 158.
• Joins Tristana, Klauthsura, and Balin in planning to destroy three psionic nodes, free the slaves, and attack the Elder Brain 188.
• Reaches the brain pool, identifies Gattholex, and rallies freed slaves against the Mind Flayer guards with Tristana’s protection and magical support 204 205.
• Later recalls the group’s killing of the Elder Brain Dragon and escape from the lower strata; gains Dragonkind Senses through the aftermath of a dragon’s death 218 290.

Nightwind Service and the Black Blade Identity

• Enters Drow society under a disguise and serves as Tristana’s guard while retaining his own weapons and armor 227 230 231.
• Receives an enchanted consort mask and becomes involved in the suppression of a Ghaunadaur uprising 239.
• Defeats Dayette during the altar operation and receives 2,000 experience and 1,000 gold coins 259 260.
• Learns that Quelyn has appointed him a Martial Guard and granted permanent ownership of his courtyard residence, but recognizes that the title gives him no actual troops or command authority 260.
• Learns Apocalypse Prophecy and experiments with Dakoul’s Blessing 262.
• Is tested by Aknath on Quelyn’s orders, then undertakes the destruction of the Duwa Family and begins training under the Weapon Master 276 278 285 286 289.
• Uses Raven and Iron Price to obtain materials, arrange commissions, and sell loot. Adopts the Gray Zone name Renato Black Blade after his defeat of Molantro earns the epithet 285.
• Receives Klauthsura’s Wisdom Refinement Elixir and retires the Crown of Intellect after his base Intelligence rises to 14 292.
• Kills Kaino in two sword strikes and becomes the Combat Tower Guardian, but finds the duel disappointing because his opponent relies on equipment rather than skill 306.
• Earns unusually safe experience through repeated escort assignments for Rodi 314.
• Spares Raven despite Tristana’s interference and reconsiders his future as the priestess becomes more controlling 316.
• Duels and kills Rodi rather than allow Tristana to torture her 327.
• Decides to leave Sammoril with Klauthsura. Aknath reveals that he recognizes both Renato’s humanity and Klauthsura’s true nature, then provides an escape route and promises to delay discovery of their disappearance 343 347.

Nittel Demiplane and the Pursuit of the Artifact

• Encounters Novak and the kingdom’s soldiers in a demiplane tied to a thousand-year-old era, discovering that the city’s inhabitants become undead at night 352 367 370 380.
• Defeats the Death Knight Novak’s attempt to compel a duel and disarms him using more modern swordsmanship 367.
• Meets Novak restored by day, returns his badge, and fabricates a neglected-noble-son story to seek entry into the Niter Kingdom’s court 372.
• Meets Rafada during identity verification and gains his confidence through a mixture of persuasion, pressure, and invented noble assurances 376 378 380.
• Vouches for Klauthsura and joins Rafada in preparing to infiltrate the Royal Palace and White Tower 385 387.
• Encounters Morlock at the strange revel and concludes that the devil’s negotiations indicate a restriction on direct action 396 399 401.
• Learns that Rafada is “Pure White.” His first request after the revelation is that the mage release Klauthsura from her spell 409 410.
• Receives Pure White’s blessing on Silent Lady 413.
• Survives Sinnaphyx’s Power Word Kill, kills the Yochlol using a point revealed by Apocalypse Prophecy, and collapses as Klauthsura arrives and begins emergency treatment 425.
• Experiences Dakoul’s call and emerges with improved Aberrant Reconstruction, a two-meter stature, and substantially altered bodily capabilities 428 433.
• Resolves not to let comfort weaken his swordsmanship and discusses his determination with Klauthsura before preparing for further travel 437.
• Departs toward a tropical island with supplies and Klauthsura’s Ring 442.

Sea of a Thousand Islands and White Harbor

• Battles sailors and later Sahuagin, combining his black sword, Shadow Shield, and Dakoul’s Blessing in increasingly overwhelming close combat 446 458.
• Accepts a quest to escort Selena Darktide to White Harbor. Provides food and clothes, encourages her to present herself as a warrior, and allows her to keep undisclosed motives private 464.
• Arrives with a reputation that inspires fear and awe; reflects on how strength has transformed his circumstances from poverty into respect, luxury, and freedom 469 480.
• Works with Pye and the Ironhook Gang to search for Selina’s kin and tests De Leon’s wheellock pistol 472 486 499.
• Discusses swordsmanship with Selina and develops the idea of synthesizing the strengths of different schools into his own path 499.
• Pursues and defeats a Necromancy Mage, using Misty Step during the chase and overwhelming the enemy in close combat 518 526.
• Clears the ruined Pickle Barrel with Selina, acquires the Grave Sword and other loot, recharges the Hellforged Multiverse Wanderer, and rebukes Barnaby for his handling of the commission 527.
• Advances to Champion Warrior level 9, reaching 180 HP and Constitution 17 529.
• Searches for a ranged weapon suited to his strength, then attunes to and tests the Thunder Cobalt Javelin 530 536.
• Deduces that the Key of the Two-Breathers and Selina’s planned ritual involve charging an ancient gate with lives and souls. Refuses to surrender the relic merely to collect a modest quest reward 538 541.
• Meets the Sea Elf spy Shahualin and continues evaluating Selina’s intentions without adopting local racial prejudices 546 549.
• Investigates dwindling fish stocks and missing fishing boats, considers possible links between the Sea Elves’ ritual and Dead Three worshippers, and attends Governor De Sousa’s banquet. Continues responding cautiously to aristocratic attempts to probe his background 550 555.

Notable Quotes

“But against a blade, a brave heart is just as fragile as a coward’s.” 20

“I can’t die yet. I’m still waiting for my money so I can enjoy myself.” 26

“In combat, even the slightest discomfort can be fatal.” 25

“Prove your worth to people. Don’t rely on charity. Only what you win through strength truly belongs to you. Otherwise, it’s nothing but a castle in the air...” 464