Ambar's Files
Pippa of the Hive
By all accounts we have found, Pippa grew up a street urchin on Sigil's streets. She took up stealing, both as a means of survival and a way to pass the time, and quickly developed into one of the Harmonium's most wanted - not because of what she stole, but how. Somehow Pippa was able to evade most locks and wards and would frequently be found in the private homes and offices of Sigil's high-ups, not to steal any of their jink but out of sheer curiosity and a desire to eat their food stores.
Naturally, this behaviour drew the attention of the Harmonium, and after being caught in the Barracks eating a factor's donuts she was swiftly restrained and sent to their experimental "rehabilitation camps" on Arcadia. What happened or whether she encountered Valrin Mithir is unclear, but when the camps were taken down Pippa returned to Sigil.
I must admit, we were lucky. Pippa grew curious about the Godsmen, and somehow found her way into my office to ask me about it. After a long conversation I discovered Pippa had developed several telltale signs of a power-to-be - aside from a resistance to magic, she possesses legs which appear to defy known limits on how far and fast a human can jump, run and kick. Most magical wards and locks become useless in her presence, though she expresses surprise and remorse if someone points this out to her.
Pippa expressed interest in joining the Godsmen, and I don't see any reason why not. However, though she is very charming, Pippa is clearly barmy and does not appear capable of functioning in society except by accident. For now, she remains in our care, though happily she is one of our most promising patients - I believe she could be cured and released before adulthood.
Trolan the Mad
Trolan of Ecstasy came to Sigil following a dream most consider to be evidence of an addle-coved mind. I agree, but it also shows Trolan's place as a power-to-be. He grew up in the Outland's town of Ecstasy, where as a young planetouched he developed the skills of a bard. Early on, he also showed signs of powerhood, for he developed inate abilities not commonly available to mortal cutters. When the young bard first heard the tales of the Lady of Pain, his future course became apparent - he wanted to win the Lady's heart.
As anyone who spent even a little time in the cage knows, the Lady doesn't permit devotion or worship. The rules are clear-cut: Worship her and earn a fast, painful trip to the dead-book. The warnings didn't slow Trolan, however, and he arrived in Sigil six years ago to offer the Lady his heart. He sang his love in taverns and on street corners, hoping to prove his worth. Those who heard him fled in terror of the Lady's impeding wrath, and many bashers tried to silence him before the Lady did it herself.
Days passed, but Trolan remained alive and unflayed. The Cagers around him still kept a fair distance, afraid that when the Lady's shadow fell upon the bard, they'd be caught by it's edges. Eventually, the Mercykillers decided to punish Trolan for his flagrant disregard of Sigil's customs. But when they found him, they discovered that a group of Dabus had surrounded the bard. The Dabus carried him away, apparently ending the threat to Sigil's order. For me, it was only the beginning.
The Dabus brought Trolan to Harbinger House. We took him in, for it was rare indeed for the Lady's servants to bring anyone to us, let alone a barmy who seemed destined to be trapped in the Lady's mazes or flayed by the Lady's blades. Intrigued by Trolan's case, I listened to his ballads, heard the love in his voice. and discovered innate abilities that marked him as a power-to-be. He can use several magical abilities without the need for gestures and words of power, most of them related to causing emotions and charming others and, like many other powers-in-the-making, he has great resistance to magic. He is also a friendly, good soul who will make a splendid power when he finally ascends the ladder of existence.
If not for his fatal attraction to the Lady of Pain, he wouldn't be in our care. To profess such feelings with obvious, sincere devotion, and not meet instant destruction shows me that even the Lady recognizes how special Trolan is. Still, we can't have him disturbing the cage, so he remains our guest at Harbinger House until he finds a way to curb his feeling and desires. After all, he won't achieve his place as a power if he forces the object of his affections to put him in the dead-book.
Sougad Lawshredder
This Power-in-the-making came to my attention almost a decade ago, when he committed a series of of grisly murders here in the Cage. For seven days, Sougad stalked, terrorized and killed members of factions who had a lawful outlook on the multiverse. The only clues in the method of death-dealing pertained to the peculiar method of death-dealing.
Each of the victims was terrified at the time of his death. Each of the murders was committed using the same weapon, a large metal blade believed to be a longsword. Sougad inflicted a number of slashes equal to the number of the victims. The first victim was killed with a single slash of the sword, while the eleventh victim was received 11 slashes. He always left a note written with the victim's blood on the finest grade of parchment, reading: "Chaos is the only law, washed clean in the blood of order."
Incidental evidence alerted me to the fact that we weren't dealing with an ordinary barmy. Some victims had been burned by a discharge of magical energy, and the few times that the Harmonium or the Mercykillers closed in on the stalker, they were frightened off by supernatural means. I ordered a special team of Believers to track down the murderer. I wanted him for Harbinger House - even evil powers need a place to develop before they ascend. The team got lucky, I must admit, and stumbled across Sougad as he was about to enter a twelfth name in the dead-book.
During my work to bring him the knowledge of ascension, I learned some important information about Sougad Lawshredder. He came from the prime world of Toril, where he was the ward of an evil wizard. He came to Sigil with for a definite purpose - to become a power of chaos and murder. Sougad has powerful innate abilities that identify him as a power to be. His victims are paralyzed by powerful fear, he always knows alignments of his opponents and can slay them with powerful magical discharges. He is near-immune to magic himself and his sword becomes an enchated law-slayer the moment he touches it. His murders follow a definite pattern and are part of an elaborate ritual that that he believes will elevate him to godhood. He refuses to provide details, but it appears the ritual did unlock additional abilities in Sougad, even though it went unfinished (he claims to need 13 murders to completete it).
In the decade since I started working with him, Sougad's innate abilities have grown stronger. His hatred for law and order has not abated, however. I fear that he'll never develop into a good being, but that isn't our concern. When he reaches the full state of powerhood, we'll release him to find his place in the multiverse.
My greatest worry is Sougad's constant threats against myself and those who follow the ways of law. He believes that something monumental will occur after he's spilled the lifeblood of 13 lawful beings. He can't wait to return to that task, so he'll have to remain in Harbinger House. Of course, I may be hindering a potential power by preventing him from making his kills, but that's not something I want to contemplate right now.
