Anton

Basic Information

Name: Anton
Type: Dragon-Blooded Exalt
Age: 82
Player: NPC
Aspect: Fire
Concept: Grass-Spider
Motivation: Become immortal in name or body.
Political Affiliation: The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders
Anima: A natural, chaotic banner - quite simply, Anton's anima is flame of the purest sort. It is but a warm glow around him at lower levels, and grows to become a great conflagration as it elevates in strength. At its maximum levels, only then does shape spawn from the chaos - the burning objects around him manifest fleeting tongues of flame, shaped with vague faces, which cry out glossolalia in impassioned whispers and leave echoes in the smoke that remains when his anima banner moves on.
Likes: Fire, fighting multiple opponents, Shogunate era history - especially stories of heroes in that age, contact sports, cocaine
Dislikes: Politics, warm beverages, formal wear, insects

Background

Anton's background is somewhat unconventional in that he was recruited directly into the upper ranks of the Grass Spiders after making a name for himself elsewhere within Creation's underground circles. He Exalted in Chiaroscuro, born to a whore made pregnant by a Fire-Aspected Delzahn cavalry general. Spiteful of his mother's low status, he sought his father in his early teenage years, hoping to become a warrior in the Delzahn horde. When his father instead labeled him a misbegotten bastard child and slapped him to the ground, Anton Exalted, but, in what was later to become uncharacteristic of Anton, he did so quite coolly. Although his father almost immediately rescinded his condemnation, the damage was done - Anton swore to his father that he'd do everything he could to bring disgrace to his father's clan and, eventually, strike the old general down.

Anton left for the Realm, revenge in the back of his mind. Used to life in the desert and the streets of Chiaroscuro, he accepted the coin after presenting himself to the Deliberative and attended Pasiap's Stair, where he graduated near the bottom of his class. Although a superb duelist (some claim the best in Stair history - during his time there, he was never beaten by a peer or instructor, and nearly killed several of them), he had no regard for parliamentary procedure, never studied, and had severe disciplinary issues, even for the usual rough-around-the-edges crowd Pasiap's Stair attracted. He did not listen to superior officers and blatantly ignored teamwork exercises, preferring instead to outperform his classmates and complete any assigned task on his own. Deemed unfit for service in a civilized Legion, he was commissioned as a Scalelord in Red-Piss Legion. Although he remained an intolerable soldier (showing absolutely no deference to higher-ranked officers and severely injuring anyone who attempted to physically discipline him), he was invaluable on the battlefield. When an actual objective was at stake, Anton was focused and brutal, despite having a penchant for wild maneuvers - he appeared reckless, but all risks were calculated; Anton's unit had the highest kill count and lowest casualty rate of any in the Legion, to say nothing of the legends their often impossible-seeming stunts generated. The Vermillion Legion general at the time liked his style, and by the end of his four year tour of duty, he'd risen to the rank of Dragonlord. After departing from Legion service, he found Dynastic politics insufferable. He quickly got involved in Realm's underground, becoming a high-ranking lieutenant under Sesus Nagezzar. By the time he departed the Realm, Anton was one of the most influential figures in Deliberative appointment racketeering in the Western Isle, and as a result, many of Nagezzar's senior advisors hold influential positions in the governments there even today.

Still, Realm life grew boring, and there was the issue of revenge to consider. Having been trained by one of Creation's foremost schemers, Anton returned to Chiaroscuro and quickly made a name for himself in the Undercity. He instituted a tax racket in the Undermarket and provided security services to its purveyors in exchange. Having become the controlling figure in the people permitted to enter and exit the elusive Chiaroscuro Undercity, Anton effectively had a hand on the gateway to underground activities for the entire South with the notable exception of the pirate strongholds in the Southwest. Anton did eventually exact his revenge, killing his father and damaging the clan's reputation so deeply that it dissolved entirely, but at this point, Anton had grown so interested in his Undercity business that revenge was but an afterthought.

Meanwhile, the Grass-Spiders faced the reality of a changing Creation. The Scavenger Lands were growing, and even in the technologically defunct Second Age, the region was gradually becoming more connected, and it became necessary to co-exist with other organizations who skirted the edges of law and civilization. The decision was made to approach to Anton, the secret protector of the Chiaroscuro Undercity and former Dragonlord famed for his outlandish and aggressive battle tactics. Anton was recruited directly into the Lankhmar Harvestmen (he is their youngest member by age, but not by tenure; Tiamat was a Red Hood before becoming a Harvestman) and given the task of solidifying the Grass-Spiders' position in the Eastern underground.

Today, Anton handles issues of "foreign" policy for the Grass-Spiders - he acts as a liaison to other assassin clans and criminal organizations and looks out for the interests of the Grass-Spiders. He is also a skilled assassin - his taste for outlandish battlefield stunts carried over to the Grass-Spider's business well, and Anton's trademark remains putting himself in situations where a ridiculously large crowd of people must be defeated in combat. Unfortunately, he is also notorious for having one of the shortest tempers in the Order - he flies off the handle at the slightest provocation, and his strong inclinations toward violence make him a dangerous man to offend.