Maurice, also known as “The Joker”, is an immortal conductor who bound the Cantum cycle. He is a central figure in the campaign, seeking escape from his immortality. He wields the Knife of Transposition, a powerful dagger that can open portals between planes.
Description
- Changes faces and appearances
- Smokes and blows smoke rings (12 rings at midnight - an auspicious number)
- Loves “all things interesting” and himself most of all
- Only plays his music in the sun
- Wanted by city guard with “capture on sight” orders for unspecified “sins”
Abilities
- Can change his appearance by dying and taking possession of another Goblin’s body
- Wields the Knife of Transposition
- Powerful magic user (cast spells that make enemies double over laughing)
- Immortal, bound to the Cantum cycle
- Has been alive a long time and “bet on many parties before”
Goals
- Seeking escape from his immortality
- Wants the party to destroy the instruments to break the cycle
- Offered deal: “Kill the instruments, smash them, break them, free me from the cycle. You can go back to your own verses.”
Relationships
- Founded The Synth, but they have since separated in vision
- Knows about Drummer Boy and has been tracking the party
- Took a particular liking to Harloc, surprised he hasn’t been “claimed yet”
Chronology
Meeting the Party
- Met the party at a crossroads outside Lyric during Material Plane Riots
- Mentioned “You cannot hear the drums in your head? Why do you think the city is on fire!”
- Asked Harloc if he’s seen lots of rats recently
- Joined the party
- Quoted “All Along the Watchtower”: “There must be some way out of here, said the joker to the thief” (looking at Cory)
- Wanted to taste the Meenlock meat
- Cackled as party escaped through the rusted gate
Staged Death
- Morning after escaping Lyric, children found Maurice “dead” with his own dagger in his chest
- Left a note: “GOTTA BE ELSEWHERE. DON’T YOU WORRY, I’M RIGHT HERE AT HOME”
- This happened the same morning as the Transposition Event
- Party took his Knife of Transposition and lute
- Maurice later appeared alive on train to Paradise City
Feywild
- Party used Maurice’s knife (Knife of Transposition) to demonstrate portal creation to Queen of Hearts
- Hanzo wielded the knife, carved a tear in reality using a gem
- The gem magically fused with the hilt, feeding energy into the portal
- Portal accidentally sliced through a person on the other side, revealing Ev
- Time moves twice as fast in Feywild compared to Material Plane
- The inch-long gem was expended in about 2 minutes of keeping portal open
Paradise City
- Encountered party on train to Paradise City, wearing a different face
- Revealed he knows party has encountered Drummer Boy
- Cackled about being alive a long time and betting on many parties
- Mentioned “there’s a prophecy afoot”
- Quoted “The Gambler”: knowledge of when to hold ‘em, fold ‘em, walk away, and run
- Jumped out the train window
Revelations
- Very happy that Man of Strings had been captured
- Traded secrets with the party:
- Helia’s secret: “She knew that she was guilty when she plead not guilty”
- Maurice’s secret: “Speaking of that trial: do you ever wonder why you have so few memories of this place? Why you know so little? The war against hippity hops did happen!”
- Revealed party members are not from this verse
- Made his deal: destroy the instruments to break the cycle and return home
- Confirmed he is the conductor who bound the Cantum cycle
- Confirmed he founded The Synth but they’ve since diverged