Rue

Tiefling / Rogue

Submitted character story

Rue’s parents had no idea what to do with her when she was born. They’d promised their
eldest daughter’s hand in marriage to the prince, and were well-known. Yet when their first child was born, she came out looking like a demon. Rue’s mother wasn’t aware that further back in her ancestry, deals with Dispater were made, resulting in a cursed bloodline. So, when Rue was born as a Tiefling, her parents freaked out. The scandal would be enormous, and they could lose favor with the king. So, they did what they thought they had to do. Rue’s father, Ryder, decided they would abandon the child and tell everyone else that the baby had died. So, they rode out in secret in the middle of the night to a town on the very outskirts of  the kingdom, known for violence, gangs, and murder. (Great place to leave your child, right?) They left her with nothing but a ratty blanket, and a little piece of paper with the words, “Ruesseta, my greatest regret”. After Rue was left for dead in an alley, a member of a gang, known as Lolth’s Judgement, brought her back to their base. The man, Dorugal, was a half-orc and took pity on the child. She grew up playing with knives and lock-picks,
alongside deadly criminals. The leader of the gang, a dark elf named Akuma, saw the
benefits of raising a child with his criminals. From a young age she was trained to be a
deadly assassin, spy, and thief. When she was younger, she attempted to run away several
times, because she didn’t want to be a killer. However, after experiencing the racial prejudice of outsiders, being tormented by those who only saw her as evil, and being told her entire childhood by Akuma it was her nature to kill, she began to embrace her natural skills. She quickly became a feared assassin despite her young age, and many sought to hire her. By her 14th year, she had killed over 30 people, and robbed kings. By 17, she’d infiltrated other powerful gangs, armies, and noble courts. Her death toll has increased, but she’s stopped counting. She can’t even sleep at night anymore, and just lies awake to the sounds of screams and visions of blood. Her first kill still haunts her. She was 13 when Akuma called her to his
office. She’d had a hard day of training, and her knuckles were bleeding. Her first job was tokill a local merchant who had been refusing to pay the gang their ‘taxes’. She snuck away
later that night, armed with a few daggers and a short sword. She’d snuck into the office of  hhis home, but he hadn't been there. He’d been in his daughter’s room, reading her a story before bed. When he came back into his office, Rue killed him. Hearing all the commotion, his young daughter walked into the room, and saw Rue standing in horror over her dead father. With Rue wearing all black and a mask, her gold eyes and silvery horns gleamed in the dark. The child trembled, with fear because she saw what she thought was a demon. Rue ran away, and spent the night throwing up and sobbing in a dark alley. She’ll never let herself forget that night. Years later, Rue was asked to assassinate Dorugal, because he had been
disobeying direct orders. Rue refused to go through with it, because he’d been the one to take her in and raise her. He was her father-figure. Rue decided she was done with Akuma. She murdered him in front of the entire gang, daring anyone to attack her in return. No one moved, and Rue walked out with a bloody sword. She now advertises herself, and picks and chooses jobs without them going through Akuma. She’ll sometimes work as a mercenary or thief as well. She’s still trapped in her mental mindset that she is a monster and a killer, and feels that even if she were to stop killing, there is no redeeming the terrors she’s caused. She’s known as The Devil’s Hand, and many fear or seek to hire her. However, she has one rule, ever since her first kill: They must not have children, and she will not kill children. Her innocence was destroyed, so she will prevent that from happening to others.