Mercy - Characters

Merc Firewater was born Human parents in a modest fishing village on the outskirts of Cliffsunder. A deep blue Devilborn child whose appearance unsettled the household from the start, his childhood was marked by suspicion and cruelty. His siblings bullied him openly, and his father never fully trusted that Merc was truly his own. Despite this, Merc grew observant and resilient, learning early how easily fear and misunderstanding could shape a person’s life.

As he grew older, Merc began to explore the strange gifts of his devil blood. He discovered an instinctive talent for thaumaturgy and minor Spellcraft, which he first used for pranks and intimidation. He learned to alter his eyes, rumble the ground, and unsettle others without ever truly harming them. In time, he realized that while his magic came easily, control did not. The power felt instinctive and emotional rather than deliberate, surging in response to his mood. Acknowledging both his capacity for harm and his deliberate restraint, he adopted the virtue name "Mercy", a quiet assertion of who he chose to be that also played to his given name.

In early adulthood, Mercy worked alongside his father as a fisherman and seller at the Middlecliff Market. He used illusions and cantrips to draw customers, disguise flaws in the day’s catch, and occasionally manipulate competition to offload inferior fish. These talents brought prosperity, and his family’s opinion of him slowly improved. Recognizing that his abilities extended beyond the docks, his parents gathered their savings and sent him to the Whiteharbour Academy on his twentieth birthday.

At the academy, Mercy found himself out of place. The structured, intellectual approach to magic clashed with how Wild Magic manifested within him. The harder he tried to impose discipline, the more volatile his magic became. One storm-lashed night, burdened by guilt and frustration, he climbed to the academy roof and abandoned formal spellwork entirely. By surrendering to the chaos rather than resisting it, he unleashed a devastating thunderous blast that destroyed his spellbook and confirmed what he already suspected. The academy could teach him nothing.

Mercy left the school soon after, unable to return home, but by chance met Nessa Nina Quickpick Rumbauld Pennyluck, a former master Rogue. She convinced the budding Sorcerer to join the Whistledrop Crew, where he learned to help fence goods for them with his merchant skills; however, his lack of control over Wild Magic did mean he was not always chosen for more precise missions. Nonetheless, the young tiefling made friends with the various and diverse Crew members, and saw a future with them for a time.

He was not present for the Ambush At The Whistledrop Hideout, and after the attack, Nessa Nina decided to disband the Crew, leaving Mercy in limbo. In the year after the ambush, the devilborn had gained some control over his abilities, largely due to the presence of a mentor named Stratus. The Windborn was himself an experienced user of wild magic, and though the source of his power was different, he helped Mercy learn to invoke some of his abilities to cause desired effects.

In Break-In At Bleak End, Merc Firewater was still figuring things out; his training with Stratus was hitting some rough barriers, and he literally killed himself after throwing himself off a ledge, only to be brought back by wild magic. Agreeing to re-meet in a week, he returned to his stall near-dead. He didn't have much time before Nessa and Elle approached him: Merben Ordri Fizzlehide Pennyluck had gotten himself into trouble with the Glitterati. Realizing that his old boss needed help, Mercy agreed to help when Poons suddenly appeared in his stall, and all three went to the Pixis Palace before the guards chasing her found them.

Don Coriander Thorn requested that the former Crew steal a key from Bleak End, in exchange for Merben's life and a small percent of the take. During negotiation, Elle noticed sympathy from Snapdragon Poplarchop, and learned from him to contact Captain Jolly of the Jolly Dodger. At a cut rate, they boarded and sailed to Farrozandmar, seeking out the Plot and Hook. They learned from Hollyhock Barrowes that only Prisoner 13 knew of the key's location, and were given Bleak End Magical Maps that acted as arcane lockbreakers. To enter the prison, they decided to knock out incoming staff and pose as new employees, keeping their targets in the hull of the Dodger in the meantime - Merc posed as cook Mica Langelo, not realizing that the charlatan had been boasting he was a world-class chef.

The former Crew successfully entered Bleak End, learned how to moved around the prison without arousing suspicion while adopting work, and Mercy somehow made a good impression on his boss Tiny Tulvrak, lying that his hands were too broken to cook. The sorcerer had to use magic to pin the blame of an escape attempt on Prisoner 76, but save for that close call, they integrated flawlessly. Elle was able to pass as a fantastic chef on Merc's behalf, ingratiating them to staff and inmates and opening up social avenues. They managed a perfect plan, contacting Prisoner 13 with the intent to break her out. However, the dwarf wanted to remain in the prison, but was willing to trade the key's location for the Bleak End Records of Imprisonment.

With magic and guile, Poons and Nessa stole the ledgers in the surveillance tower, as well as gold and a Wand of Binding belonging to Warden Ramos Stormforged. They learned the dwarf was also named "Voice", taken in due to their association with the Fold, as well as some dirt indicating the Hollyhock was an informant on the Glitterati. After intentional poisoning themselves with medicine in their food, they were able to get to the hospital bay and trade the records to Prisoner 13. The Dwarf-Door Tattoo Key was located on her body, which Elle was able to trace with her forging skills.

Their plan failed right at the end when Nessa, who had set the surveillance tower to become a beacon, had no legitimate way to rejoin the rest of the Crew in the prison's hospital. She descended the tower, panicked, and ultimately had to dash for the doors. Though she was able to lock out those chasing her and Mercy was able to light a beacon to signal to their ship, the Sorcerer nearly killed himself with a wild magic surge. Warden Ramos put Bleak End on lockdown, allowing archers to magically see through their Dust of Disappearance, and they had to endure a near-deadly storm of arrows as they slowly drifted away in a rowboat.

Through illusions, healing, and Mercy's Wind Fan, they were able to board the Jolly Dodger just barely alive. With no other ships on Aone Island to chase them, the Crew managed to sail off, once again as successful thieves.