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"Deadeye" Deegan and the Longshot Clan
A bow gone bad and his shootin' posse Deadeye Deegan and his three brothers are not actually a challenge, but rather a set of intelligent magical items. Appearance: Before you is a shortbow of obviously fine craftsmanship. It is bowed, dark red wood, sleek as satin and polished to a deep shine. There appears to be writing along one side of the bow, in blocky black letters. In a nearby quiver are three long black arrows, their fletchings of green, blue, and black visible. A low muttering is coming from the quiver, and the bow gives a long sigh. History: Deegan Longshot and his trio of loutish brothers were once the terror of the region. The descendents of four generations of bowyers, archery seemed to be in their blood. Morality, unfortunately, wasn't. Their father tried his best to instill some sense of ethics in the boys, cautioning them to always show kindness and mercy to others, but he couldn't compete with his boys' naturally selfish natures. Nor could he dismiss the harsh realities of the city they lived in, where only the strong survived. Their mother had died while bearing the two youngest boys. When their father later passed on of the plague, Deegan marshaled his small "gang" together and took to the streets. A life of crime was appealing to Deegan, but he found that, while he and his brothers were agile enough, they were too headstrong and insular to do well in a thieves' guild. And though he would never admit it to anyone but himself, Deegan knew his brothers weren't the sharpest arrows in the quiver. The politics and subtle machinations of a guild were far above their heads. They left the city together, heading for a smaller city several weeks away. Deegan hoped that gangs and guilds would be smaller and more manageable in such a place. Halfway there, the boys ran out of supplies, and rather thoughtlessly mugged some innocent travelers. It was then that Deegan got his brilliant idea. If there was one thing him and his brothers could do, it was shoot. If there were two things they could do, it was shoot and look intimidating. Deegan realized that the great outdoors gave them freedom from guilds and city life, and the wide trade road gave them a steady stream of wealthy travelers to rob. They became bandits, taking what they needed from the land and the "visitors" passing through their "territory". Their fame soon grew to legendary proportions. Their skill at archery allowed them to make intimidating trick shots to scare their targets without killing them, and their gruff nature caused most people to hand over their money without a quibble. The few who fought back were later found dead by the side of the road, shot to pincushion proportions by a dozen arrows. Soon, tales of Deadeye Deegan and the Longshot Clan were being told far and wide. It was at the height of their fame and wealth when Deegan and his brothers spotted an elderly man walking down the trade road, carrying a large and heavy-looking purse. Deegan gave the signal and a few arrows whistled by the old man. He stopped in alarm, and the bandits leaped out of hiding. "Your money or your life!" Deegan demanded. "Have pity," the old man begged, "This money is going to a priest, so he can heal my dying son." The bandits merely sneered and laughed at the man. "No it ain't," Deegan said, "It's going to fill our coffers, now hand it over." The old man shook his head sadly. "I didn't want to believe it," he whispered, "That my boys had come so low as to rob innocent old men. You're a disgrace." When he raised his head, the Longshot boys were stunned to see the face of their dead father. "A disgrace," he repeated firmly, "great enough to anger your poor old father. I couldn't control you then, but I can now, by the grace of the gods. You'll pay for your crimes, and do good, my boys, whether you like it or not. When you make me proud -- then you can rest." The brothers stood, dumb and paralyzed, while their father chastised them. And then he was gone. Thoroughly unsettled, the brothers returned to camp. On the very next day, they were set upon by a group of adventurers hired to exterminate the Longshot menace. After a brief and bloody battle, all four brothers were all slain. But when the adventurers went to gather up the bodies for the bounties, all they found were piles of empty clothes. Hidden in the clothes were a fine shortbow and three exceptionally well-made arrows, powerful magic items now inhabited by the spirits of the bandits. Thus began the new legend of Deadeye Deegan and the Longshot Clan.
Personalities: Deegan and his brothers are low-life scum. They are selfish, petty, and often rude (though Deegan has some civility about him). Left to their own devices, they would never redeem themselves, and that may be why they always seem to fall into the hands of goody-goody adventurers. The brothers resent their curse greatly, and aren't favorably disposed to those who would use them to noble ends either. They do know that this is the best way to get rid of their curse, though, so they allow themselves to get used in one honorable venture after another, waiting for the day when their good deeds-by-proxy outweigh their sins. Deegan is the undisputed leader of the gang. His orders are always obeyed by his brothers, and though they sometimes grumble, they all idolize their older brother. Deegan is the brains of the group, and while he likely scoffs at any altruistic motivations of his current wielder, he often comes up with sound ideas to aid them nonetheless. He prefers stealth and ambush, and his suggested tactics lean in those directions. Tormod, the middle brother, is the slow thinker of the group. While he loves his brothers, he often resents their superior intellect and sulks if he thinks they're deliberately "talking over his head". He envies Deegan's seniority and his younger brothers' favored "baby" status, and often complains bitterly about how hard it is to be the middle child. If he is fired first into combat, he grumbles that he's being picked on. If he's fired last, he whines that no one likes him. Even when fired, his constant griping can be heard fading away into the distance. Jerid and Jiles, the twin younger brothers, are closer to each other than to their other brothers. They have a shorthand way of talking that they understand perfectly, but is often confusing to outsiders--they tend to leave out important nouns and verbs in their sentences. Jerid has a sharp wit, and is the master of the well-placed insult (too often at Tormod's expense). Jiles is quieter, but is easily the most bloodthirsty of all the brothers. His plans involve attacking first and hitting hard, and he pushes for combat whenever possible.
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