Oliver Arkwright

Appearing in the short story Tales of Ravenloft:The Rigor of the Game, Oliver Arkwight was a cardsharp and gambler who was manipulated into taking possession of the Iron Warden in Sithicus, unaware that included with the title of property was that of the Warden of the Iron Hills. He was subsequently cursed by Lord Soth such that when throwing death's-head dice, he can only roll death's-heads. He is presumed to have perished in the execution of his role as Warden of the Iron Hills.

Biography

Oliver Arkwright was a wandering cardsharp and gambler for approximately twenty years, his need for thrills prompting him to make various outlandishly risky ventures. If needed he used his trust falchion to fell foes in his way, though his wit may have been keener. Over the years, he'd played against the grifter Dorlon and the ruthless Richemuloise murderer, Tisiphone. He won a large score upon La Demoiselle du Musarde, and he even won a pair of diamond cuff links from none other than the dreaded Duke Gundar himself.

After some time in Gundarak, the temptation of a high stakes, one-afternoon-only game in Sithicus at the Iron Warden lured Oliver over the boarder into that cursed land on a three day journey. At the Iron Warden, Oliver Arkwright encountered the violent and bellicose bouncer, Unthar. He matched wits with both Dorlon and Tisiphone and beat them both. From the latter, he won the deed of the Iron Warden, unknowning of his impending conscription Sithicus' military that came with it. When Unthar and Tisiphone suddenly gathered their belongings to rush out onto an elf bandit plagued road at night, Oliver drew his sword demanding explanations. Lord Soth provided it for him: play a game with him to see if Oliver could forestall the fate of an almost certainly fatal military appointment.

Oliver managed to temporarily escape his fate through the exploit of a loophole, but the action enraged the feral Azrael Dak. Soth intervened, preventing Azrael from cutting Oliver down. By Soth's account, he had paid back any wager to Oliver by saving him from Azrael. As such, Soth demanded that Oliver stay and run the inn. Unthar and Tisiphone were sent as the Wardens of the Iron Hill in his place, but Soth said it would be undoubtedly be only a matter of weeks before he returned with the need for a new Warden. To top it off, Soth cursed Oliver as above to prevent him from successfully gambling the inn away.

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Tales of Ravenloft:The Rigor of the Game
		Tales of Ravenloft:The Rigor of the Game - pp175-188