Vax the Vile

Vax the Vile
Appearance
Vax outwardly appears as a dashing, albeit heavily scarred, human pirate captain. He sports a flamboyant tricorn hat, a coat of crimson velvet trimmed with gold, and a meticulously groomed goatee. However, his true nature occasionally slips: his eyes may flash vertically slit and glowing yellow, or his hands might briefly reverse to show palms on the back. When he drops his disguise entirely, he is revealed as a Rakshasa—a bipedal, tiger-headed fiend with backwards-facing hands, dressed in the finery of a wealthy merchant-lord.
Personality
Suave, manipulative, and deeply sadistic. Vax enjoys playing the role of the charming rogue, delighting in earning the trust of adventurers only to betray them in the most agonizing way possible. He is a creature of immense patience and luxury, viewing mortals merely as playthings or stepping stones. He never loses his temper, maintaining a purring, cultured tone even in the midst of bloody combat.
Secret Motives
While he controls a massive smuggling fleet and rules a significant portion of the black market, piracy is just a hobby. Vax's true objective is to monopolize the "Shadow-Shunts"—unstable tears in reality used by smugglers to bypass blockades. By controlling these shunts, he intends to align them with the Lower Planes, creating a massive, stable portal to facilitate a full-scale fiendish invasion of Aethervale. He plans to be the ruling viceroy when the demon lords conquer the material plane.
Combat Tactics
- Magical Immunity: As a Rakshasa, Vax is immune to all spells of 6th level or lower unless he wishes to be affected. He relies heavily on this, calmly walking through fireballs and ignoring crowd-control effects.
- Deceptive Strikes: In melee, his claw attacks are surprisingly fast and deal necrotic damage in addition to physical. He uses his reversed hands to strike from unexpected angles, bypassing shields and parries.
- Domination and Confusion: He uses his innate spellcasting (Dominate Person, Suggest) to turn the party's strongest hitters against the casters, whom he views as the only real threats.
- The Long Con: If a battle turns against him, he will cast Invisibility or Plane Shift to escape. Vax holds grudges; if forced to flee, he will spend months dismantling the party's reputation, framing them for crimes, and assassinating their allies before ever confronting them directly again.