Heroes

It was Earl Deckard's belief that the universe rewarded the deserving. As a professional gambler he saw plenty of evidence that it favored him: he never lost at games of chance. But there were some things he couldn't win at the table; time, and youth, were slowly slipping away. So Deckard sought out the Mistress of Fate herself, and played for the ultimate stakes. His lifelong luck held, and he walked away with everlasting youth, as well as the Mistress' own mystical Fate deck.

Deckard thought he had won. But though he no longer aged, he only had a lifetime's worth of luck, and 20 years later it ran out. Too late, he learned that his life was now forfeit to the Mistress. He fled his home in Louisiana, hiding in the far corners of the world, to no avail. Fate soon found him.

In his final moments, Deckard convinced her to play for one last prize: a second chance. Then, for the first and last time in his life, he cheated to win. He returned from death, wearing a strange and demonic form. The Mistress was furious at losing her catch.

Since then, Deckard has wandered the world, trying to thwart Fate's machinations and rebalance the scales of his own life in preparation for his next, and final, trip beyond it.

Ace of Sorrows promo: The deck of Fate was a powerful magical artifact, whose cards could manipulate energy and probability. During his initial encounter with the Mistress of Fate, Deckard stole the deck, employing it as a tool and weapon. The suit of Sorrows was particularly effective for trickery and illusion; Deckard could send its cards flying about with his mind or link them with other suits for complicated spells. His use of Sorrows cards, and the subtle tactics they allowed, increased greatly after Deckard lost most of his right arm during a botched expedition to the frozen wastes of Northspar...

Ace of Swords promo: The Fate deck's most dangerous weapons were the cards of the suit of Swords. Capable of conjuring blades of pure magic, or serving as explosive projectiles, Deckard relied on them heavily whenever direct confrontation was called for. His century of experience and mystical knowledge brought many heroes and organizations seeking his help, and Deckard found comfort in always having such potent weapons close to hand...

1929 promo: Deckard was almost 50 years old in 1929, but his appearance hadn't changed for the past 19 years. Ever since he had won his bet with Fate, life had been good. Occasionally, he even let his altruistic side get the better of him; on those nights he would take to the streets as a vigilante, protecting citizens from the mob by slinging his magical cards with perfect and deadly accuracy. When he heard rumors of other supernatural do-gooders appearing in neighboring cities, it only inspired him further. Unfortunately for Deckard, his luck finally ran out soon after, and he fled to China wishing he had had the chance to meet those strange heroes...