History
the fool reversed
Keskil was born on the 27th of Ymiden in the year 694 near Scalvoris to unknown parents. He was given up when he was a small child - probably around seven or eight arcs old, if his memory serves correctly - and left to fend for himself. Even the thought of his parents caused Keskil distress; he can't remember them well, he doesn't know where they lived or why they left him. They just did one day. For roughly a cycle after they left him, he would sit in the same spot and wait. He had assumed they would return for him; that's what his mother had promised him. This continued each trial until he gave up, leaving his post to continue on his own.
eight of cups
After being abandoned, Keskil stole to survive. He was a charming child, often schmoozing people in wealthier areas. Rub a little dirt on his face, wear some rough clothes, and be as polite as possible. It was usually enough to get enough for the day or distract the person long enough for him to snatch something of theirs. The guilt was the worst part. In nature, Keskil was always gentle and giving; the idea of taking from someone else who had done nothing wrong to him always upset him. For a while, he avoided it, taking to rummaging through discarded items left strewn about or picking up things people had dropped and he hadn't been able to catch up with to return to, but it was sustainable. The constant influx of people coming to Scalvoris for the university and trade kept a steady flow of money ripe for the taking.
In terms of education, Keskil was lucky. He had started with a decent amount of knowledge from previous schooling while he was still with his parents and though he never got past what he had learned then in the traditional sense, he was clever enough to pick up most things on his own. His street smarts had increased rather than book smarts; learned to lie and act in front of different people to receive different things became more important than mathematics. It wasn't as if Keskil didn't have an interest in traditional school; he missed learning new things, but it simply became impractical, at least for a child trying to survive on their own. The ability to talk his way out of a fight was one of the most important things he needed to learn but it was one of the last things he wanted to learn. As he had grown older, he became the subject of more outrage by those who caught him stealing. A child stealing is one thing; it's easier to excuse an assumed 'innocent' child. An adolescent is less forgivable. Suddenly, Keskil needed a new source of income.
the moon
Scalvoris was always home to quite the superstitious types. Keskil capitalized on that. Everyone likes to hear good news, even if it's the most obvious lie. He had been quite the smooth talker and could read people easily, so why not turn it into a way to make money? At first, Keskil started by reading palms in taverns, mostly to drunken idiots barely paying any attention to what was being told to them. In truth, it was hardly mostly just 'say he was going to read their palm' and then rob them blind and make out before he got kicked out of the bar or worse. It was easy enough, mostly just blind robbery than a scam, but it worked. Eventually, Keskil moved onto tarot readings after seeing a woman read another woman's tarot. She charged far more than Keskil had been stealing and the 'customer' seemed much happier in the end. So Keskil spent some money on a tarot deck and set off.
At first, he was horrible at it.
His lies were weak and easy to disprove, making people distrust what he said. Anything he said that was specific was almost always incorrect and on the off chance it was right, it was always followed by a bright, shiny lie that got called out immediately. It cost him more than he had, and still is, willing to admit. It took more careful observation than Keskil had expected. But, as he always had, Keskil learned. Listen in on the same people for an hour, start learning about them from a distance. Start by asking vague questions most people fall into. People basically made the lies for him. Soon, it became easy, like second nature. Observation was the number one tool Keskil used to have with him. That and the faith people placed in a guy and some cards.
the star reversed
In a way, Keskil was envious of the people he tricked. They had faith in something that he didn't. Most believed that his fake ability to read fortunes was a talent gifted to him by gods. It wasn't that Keskil didn't believe in gods, he just didn't believe they had the incentive to involve themselves in the average person's life. Why would they? To Keskil, he didn't quite see the appeal of worshipping when there wasn't any guarantee of results. Gods always seemed like selfish creatures to him.
seven of pentacles
As he grew older, Keskil grew bolder in his choice of clientele. The wealthier, the better. He had grown more confident in his ability to trick others into believing his every word - though it wasn't exactly founded. The rich had the habit of throwing away money at anyone willing to tell them what they wanted to hear, regardless of if it was true or not. At this point, Keskil will take on anyone; pirates are currently his most common victims, though he has had a few close calls where a crew may know of him already and steer clear. Pirates were easy; get them drunk enough to listen to anything but not too drunk that they couldn't pay him. He currently keeps most of his work in Almund, which poses more danger. On more than one occasion Keskil has wondered if he's yet to fool the wrong person.
Starter Quest
A Special Deck:
During his street busking, reading peoples' fortunes, Keskil noticed one of the other buskers has a very valuable deck of cards, brilliantly illuminated. This rival appears to have much better success with his marks, but not because of his talents, which are on par with Keskil. They are often seeming to be distracted by the beauty of the cards.
Perhaps it's time for this deck to change hands? If you choose to go with this starter quest, you might be able to acquire the deck for yourself. (Masterwork Deck of cards may be claimed for loot on your starter quest if Keskil is successful in taking it.)
i. basics / ii. appearance & personality / iii. history / iv. skills & skills ledger / v. knowledges / vi. items & housing / vii. ledger / viii. threads
