Naerai

Art by Unknown

Naerai is an harrow elf druid/sorcerer in the Dissolution campaign, played by Liz.

Personality

Lake many harrow elves, Naerai feels the darkness within him, but has spent most of his life as a loner, often living in the forest, battling confusion and temptation. The forest was often his only companion and source of comfort, his growing connection to the earth keeping him grounded and keeping him from straying toward evil intentions. He came to the city to learn more sorcery in the hope of getting a better handle on himself. He may join an adventuring team simply to reaffirm to himself that he can remain in control of any evil temptations.

Appearance

Naerai's yellowish skin is less scarred than many of his race. He has red eyes and black hair.

Affiliations

Spending most of his life alone, Naerai's closest connection is to his animal companion, a poisonous viper named ???. This animal is both his familar and companion animal.

Out of necessity, Naerai is a guildsman in the Delver's Guild, giving him access to guild information, library, maproom and waystations. He also gains a 10% discount at Ebbert's Outfitters.

Naerai has paid the 10gp membership fee to join Finelle's Pleasant Diversions, a Rivergate club for games of intellect and skill, such as board games (like Dragonscales, Ten Bobbers, and Horseman) and card games (like Gempot, Seven Thrones, Sword and Helm, Riverside, and Kutch).

Religiously speaking, Naerai feels the strongest connection to Myliesha, Mistress of the Wind’s Path. This elementally based elven goddess, popular with displaced elves living among humans, offers an ideal to strive for when fighting his darker urges.

Associations

• Merchael Finetooth, a male gnome, runs Finelle's Pleasant Diversions. Naerai originally went there hoping to see Zalisartaram, a female harrow elf (and, incidentally, one of the world's best Dragonscale players), but she has never been there while he was. Merchael, however, has taught Naerai a number of the games.
• Karetsan leads one of the only communities of harrow elves in Ptolus, a small collection of buildings in North Market called the Zar'at, in which nearly all of the city's harrow elves dwell. She is wise, but quick to anger. As a strong wizard, she taught Naerai all he knows about arcane magic, and often tries to convince Naerai to come live in Zar'at.
• Ladris owns a store in the Narred section of Midtown called Ladris' Fine Foods. A centaur, Ladris is known mostly as being a compatriot of one of the most famous harrow elf adventurers, Kargas the Bold. Kargas himself often hangs around Ladris' store, which is what drew Naerai there, but he turned out to be a bitter, mean-spirited shell of a man, who Naerai disliked almost immediately. Ladris, on the other hand, was quite sociable. After a number of cordial meetings, the two ended up discussing the lurking "evil" inside harrow elves in general, and Naerai and Kargas in particular. Since then Ladris has been a good ally to have around, keeping him on the straight and narrow.
• Lakimos, a friend of Karetsan and harrow elf, runs an unmarked pub called Lackie's in the the slums of the Warrens. He is staunchly opposed to chaos cults and chaositech. Naerai and Lackie have only conversed a few times, but Naerai sometimes patronizes his pub.
• Ketir Levihaos is a harrow elf guard in Iridithil's Home, an elves-only retreat/resort/temple in Emerald Hill. This place contains the only shrine to Myliesha in the city, so Naerai just wandered in one day. While Naerai was not particularly welcomed, Ketir saw to it that he wasn't thrown out either, once he determined what Naerai was up to.
• Myraeth Tuneweaver, a male shoal elf runs Myraeth's Oddities Delver Square, the place to buy and sell second hand magic items in Ptolus (although not weapons and armor, nor any newly created items). He is extremely popular with adventurers and knows most of them by name. His inventory changes constantly.
• Wynthaes lives on the Docks. A cherubim elf, his wings match those of his four pet eagles. It is slightly crazy, and obsessed with preventing the docks from being used by slave traders (though it is unclear is this threat is real or imagined). He is a druid, and though often unapproachable, on good days has taught Naerai his skills in the class. Naerai accompanied him once on a "mission", which resulted in the sinking of a docked ship.

Rumors

• The monastic Brotherhood of Redemption offers a bounty of gold for any living evil creatures handed over to them, who they claim to "redeem" into useful members of society. Rumor is that their process uses alchemy, magical light, music and other procedures to turn them good against their will. They do not take humans, elves and the like, but that has not stopped some from trying. Naerai knows of two incidents where overzealous citizens captured an "evil" harrow elf from Zar'at and turned them over to the Brotherhood. In both cases, the Brotherhood immediately released them.
• Naerai has met most of the harrow elves in Ptolus, but continues to hear rumors of one he hasn't met. Tuea Silverwing is said to be a paladin in an organization that no one has really heard of called the Knights of the Golden Cross. Allegedly altruistic, they are supposedly based somewhere in Oldtown.
• An old, powerful druid named Andach is said to have retired to an island in a park in the middle of the Necropolis. Since the Necropolis is known to be infested with undead, it's not clear why anyone would want to live there.
• Though some claim the Dreaming Apothecary is a myth, Naerai fairly sure it is a real organization. It is said to completely monopolize all aspects of the the market for newly created magic items in Ptolus, except for potions and scrolls. Naerai was once told that Myraeth Tuneweaver is allowed to operate through a deal with the Dreaming Apothecary, which is why he refuses to sell or create new magic items.
• The area surrounding Ptolus was once a vast wilderness guarded by a group of powerful druids called the Circle of Green. Over a thousand years ago, Ghul the Half God poisoned their reputation to isolate them, then slaughtered them all and took over the region. While intact, though, the Circle of Green was served by the Viridian Lords a group of nature warriors who can bond living plants into their skin. While the Circle is no more, the Viridian Lords still exist, largely responsible for keeping the roads around the city safe. The Lords enjoy a high status within Ptolus, which seems to Naerai be disproportionate to their only occasional presence within the city itself.
• Naerai has not been back to Zar'at in a while, but has heard that the community has disavowed Karee, one of Karestan's closest friends, and now considers Karee a betrayer and hated foe.
• Many people speak of the Beggar King, a mysterious, possible mythical figure who supposedly lords over all beggars. Rumors about him are elaborate and contradictory.
• Wynthaes is convinced that somewhere in Midtown is a Dark Market, where slaves and illegal goods are bought and sold.

Future Advancement

Current: Harrow elf 1/Druid 3/Sorcerer 4
Most Recent Level: Druid

Next effective character level (ECL) is 9. Some possibilities for your next level choice:

• Arcane Hierophant 1: +1 Will save, d6 hit points, 7 skill points. Gain spells as if you went up a level in both Druid and Sorcerer. Ignore arcane spell failure. Add your level in Arcane Hierophant to your Druid level to determine your Wild Shaping ability. Add your level in Arcane Hierophant to your Druid level to determine the abilities of your elemental companion.
• Sorcerer 5: d6 hit points, 5 skill points. Bloodline spell. Learn one 1st level spell, learn one 2nd level spell, more spells per day.
• Druid 4: d8 hit points, 7 skill points. Wild Shape once per day. Balanced Essence (+4 to saves vs. disease).
• Something else

All characters gain a feat every two levels. His next such feat will come at CL 9. Some feats you might be interested in:

• Natural Spell cast spells while in Wild Shape.
• Reach Spell: Cast spells that require touch attacks as rays from up to 30 ft. away.
• Rapid Reload: Reload a light crossbow with a free action, or a heavy crossbow with a move action. You still need both hands free to do this and reloading still provokes an attack of opportunity.
• Fast Wild Shape: (requires Wild Shape) Take Wild Shape form with a movement action.
• Elemental Essence: (requires Wild Shape, another Wild feat) When you select this, choose an element. You can spend one use of Wild Shape to instead surround limbs with that element for one minute, dealing 1d6 extra damage, and gaining resistance 5 against that element.
• Scribe Scroll: Make your own magical scrolls.
• Brew Potion: Make your own potions.

To get better at games at Finelle's Pleasant Diversions, he'd want Profession (gambler).

Naerai will now have a bit of money. Some possibilities:

• A headband of alluring charisma would increase Charisma modifier by 1, making it harder to save against your arcane spells.
• Defensive items like rings of protection or an amulet of natural armor or a dusty rose ioun stone.
• Something to buff saving throws, such as a cloak of resistance.
• Once you get Wild Shape, you'll want armor with the Wild ability.
• Naerai is the only one in the party that can use both divine and arcane magic, so can pretty much use any wand or scroll.
• A bag of holding, for all the scrolls, wands, etc.

Data

• Character sheet