![[DariusDuskdancerPathfinder-v2.webp]]
# Darius Duskdancer
_Elf Cleric of Tymora | [[Cindersworn]] | [[Harpers]]_
## Summary
Charismatic elf cleric who transformed from roguish gambler to divine champion of [[Tymora]]. Led the legendary [[Cindersworn]] fellowship and served as a prominent [[Harpers|Harper]] agent, commanding the climactic battle against the [[Red Wizards]] at [[Gauntlgrym]]. Years later, while mentoring [[Garaele]], he was assassinated by [[Nathaly Kormallis]] seeking to prove her loyalty to [[Valindra Shadowmantle]]. His soul remains trapped within [[Nathaly Kormallis]]. His sister [[Fae Duskdancer]] serves as Court Bard in [[Gauntlgrym]]; his protégé [[Garaele]] continues spreading [[Tymora]]'s faith.
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## Now
_Deceased — assassinated by Nathaly Kormallis; his soul remains trapped within her._
## Personality
Daring to the point of fearless, and kind with it — he collected people the way other men collect debts. A compulsive gambler who treated [[Tymora]] as a partner rather than a deity: he placed the bet first and expected her to cover it, and counted surviving as vindication when she didn't. Charm was his first tool for every problem, and he had a weakness for beautiful women that his friends still bring up. Under all of it he believed in the [[Harpers]] completely, and he could not bear to win off someone he loved.
## Quote
_"Sit down. I'm about to do something stupid and I'd like a witness."_
## Connections
**[[Nathaly Kormallis]]** — assassinated him; his soul remains trapped within her.
**[[Valindra Shadowmantle]]** — his death was staged to prove loyalty to her.
**[[Garaele]]** — protégé, whom he was mentoring at the time of his death.
**[[Fae Duskdancer]]** — sister, Court Bard in [[Gauntlgrym]], and the person he loved most.
**[[Artus Cimber]]** — co-founded the [[Cindersworn]] with him.
**[[Arkos Xandros]]** — [[Cindersworn]] comrade from the [[Gauntlgrym]] campaign.
## Background
**He came to [[Phandalin]] to stop.** After [[Gauntlgrym]] and the fellowship's end he meant to settle there for good, and he was mentoring [[Garaele]] when [[Nathaly Kormallis]] killed him. The one time the gambler tried to cash out.
## Stories Told About Him
Table-ready lines for [[Artus Cimber]] and [[Arkos Xandros]]. Two more are in play in Prep SKT 90's **Stories About Darius**.
- **[[Artus Cimber]]:** "He recruited [[Garaele]] for the [[Harpers]]. He also recruited a mule outside [[Baldur's Gate]]. He was two bottles in and insisted the animal had the look."
- **[[Artus Cimber]]:** "He used to say the [[Cindersworn]] needed a better name. He picked the name."
- **[[Artus Cimber]]:** "During the second day fighting [[Cinderathar]], Darius wagered the dragon fifty gold that it couldn't hit him twice. [[Tymora]] helped him win. She did nothing about the first hit."
- **[[Artus Cimber]]:** "He was the only cleric I ever saw prepare Create Water before entering a primordial fire chamber, then use it to cool his wine."
- **[[Arkos Xandros]]:** "[[Ashara]], our druid, set him on fire twice. Only the first one was an accident."
- **[[Arkos Xandros]]:** "He won [[Mountaincleaver]], a sacred dwarven axe, from [[Grimna Blackaxe]] in a card game. He spent the next hour trying to convince her he had cheated so she would take it back."
- **[[Arkos Xandros]]:** "He named every skeleton I summoned. Then he demanded they receive equal shares of the treasure. This is why I stopped raising more than three around him."