-----
Half-elf Wizard (Bladesinger)
Faction Agent (Zhentarim)
Avouz on Athas. (Early life)
HistoryEarly Life (1340-1355)
Avouz (Ah-vooz) was born around the Faerun year of 1340 in the City-State of Tyr on Athas. His mother was an elven concubine to a powerful and corrupt defiler wizard. This wizard frequently forced Avouz’s mother into congress with his genie slaves in hopes that she would produce a genasi for his fighting pits. Avouz was the product of one such liaison, proving a disappointment when his elven heritage proved more dominant than his elemental.
Regardless, from a young age, Avouz was trained for combat in the gladiatorial arena. Early in life, he was sold to a new master who had him trained in a combination of arcane and martial skills similar to the elven bladesingers on Faerun.
Darkhold on Athas (1355-1356)
Meanwhile, on Faerun, the Zhentarim archmage Haplo had made some powerful enemies, both among his fellow Zhentarim (Fzoul and his Banite followers) and among the gods (Tiamat). His divinations had stumbled upon a far-away world where he might seek refuge from both, so he and many of his allies and followers gated across the stars to this new world: Athas. He was joined there by two of his most stalwart allies: his son, Nilsiar (NILZ-ee-ar), and his bodyguard, Simon.
Haplo’s followers immediately began the construction of a fortress and a city in a hidden valley north of the city-state of Tyr. They named their fortress city Darkhold after their home on Faerun. Immediately, Haplo began to send out scouting parties to get the lay of the land and when they found only primitive tribes and poorly defended trade caravans from the city-states of Tyr and Urik, he began launching raids to dominate the region.
Avouz, meanwhile, was en route to gladiatorial combats in Urik with several companions: a thri-kreen named Qqikuutquew (Kih-Kit-Q), a mul named Uog (OO-og), and two preserver wizards, one named Baub and another Alandar. Their trade caravan was set upon by Darkhold raiders and the slaves were liberated.
Haplo saw an opportunity in these freed slaves, using them as advisors and allies. Freed from slavery, they took up homes in Darkhold and began a life of adventuring, each growing stronger and wealthier as the months passed.
In the early years of Athas' Darkhold, the biggest opposition to the city came from illithid invaders, lead by one known as the "Overmind." In an effort to root out the Overmind's minions, Haplo sent Uog, Baub, Qqikuutquew, and a few others into the ruins below Darkhold. After battling many Yuan-ti allies of the illithid, they chanced upon a religious chamber and inadvertently released a powerful demon, one named Khershidion, from his prison. In return for his freedom, the demon rewarded each with powerful, but corrupting, gifts.
Shortly thereafter, Avouz came upon a group of Githyanki traders. He attacked the githyanki in a false flag attacking, hoping to trick them into thinking the yuan-ti and the illithid were behind the attack. The ruse was successful. Avouz acquired two items of note on this raid: his trademark githyanki katana and his mace of disruption.
Ravenloft (1363)
Some years later, Avouz vanished from Darkhold, being drawn into a strange realm of darkness and evil by an unusual fog that enveloped his home. He found himself in a land called Barovia with a number of companions from other worlds: Mardigillian, an eldritch warrior from the world of Krynn, Falafel, a wild sorcerer from Faerun, Suna, a Sunite paladin also from Faerun, and Mikail, a cleric of Heironeous from Oerth. They combined their efforts to find a way to escape this land and focused their efforts on the castle of the land’s ruler, Strahd von Zarovich.
For his part, Strahd paid the adventurers little heed. His energies were focused on another new arrival to the Land of Mists: the powerful Oerth demigod known as Vecna. When Avouz and his companions attacked Strahd at his divinations of Vecna, they inadvertently fulfilled the requirements of a powerful ritual that could open the borders of the previously closed realm. Strahd, Vecna, and the adventurers were hurled across the Astral plane, escaping from Ravenloft.
The adventurers found their footing on a Githyanki controlled island in the astral plane. It was here that Avouz lay claim to two pieces of his iconic equipment: his katana of quickness and his red dragonscale armor. Here also, Avouz and Suna began a passionate romance. With the group free of the Realm of Mist's obfuscations, Alandar was able to detect his missing ally with his divinations and made a gate for them to return to Athas.
Avouz’s return was none too soon. For years, Baub and Uog had been conspiring to overthrow Haplo in the name of their cornugon master and, with Avouz gone, they saw their chance to strike. A great battle erupted across Darkhold between those loyal to Haplo (Avouz, Alandar) and those who had turned on him (Uog, Qqikuutquew, Baub, Simon, and Nilsiar). With the addition of Avouz’s new allies from his time in Ravenloft, the traitors were defeated. Uog, Qqikuutquew, and Simon were killed, Baub fled into exile, and Nilsiar was taken prisoner.
But not all was well. On Mikail’s homeworld of Oerth, Strahd and Vecna had appeared anew and were threatening to dominate the entire world. Alandar discovered this soon after the end of the rebellion when he set to work returning the Avouz’s allies to their homes. The four agreed to make amends for what they’d unleashed upon Oerth by journeying there and confronting their enemies.
After gating to Oerth, Avouz and company pursued Vecna and Strahd into the Vast Swamp south of the kingdom of Sunndi. The dark swamp helped to shade Strahd from the sunlight, making him a formidable opponent. Vecna forced his weaker ally to strike at the adventurers while he escaped and a mighty battle ensued. Mikail and Suna were slain but the other three overcame Strahd. As the killing blow was struck, the mists rose anew and reclaimed Strahd once again for his prison in Barovia. Vecna vanished and was later defeated by other adventurers.
Heartbroken at the death of his lover, Avouz returned to Athas and resumed his duties in Darkhold.
Apotheosis of Haplo and Falafel (1365-1372)
Recognizing that the rebellion left him in a weakened position in terms of his rivals among the Athasian dragon-kings, Haplo began making preparations to return to Faerun. Over the next two years after the revolt, Haplo made ready and reopened the gates that connected Darkhold on Athas with its namesake on Faerun. He launched an attack through the gate, with Avouz and Alandar leading the charge.
Forged in the hellish reality that is Athas, Haplo's new army quickly overwhelmed the Zhentarim defenders. Avouz and Alandar together defeated and slew the Pereghost on the pinnacle of the tower, claiming the fortress once and for all for Haplo and his allies.
Haplo settled in as the ruler of Darkhold. He appointed Avouz as the new Pereghost, granting the former gladiator the pinnacle of his personal power. Alandar began a school of magic to teach young Faerun wizards the ways of Athasian magic.
The new Darkhold soon drew a great deal of attention from the surrounding countryside. A number of adventurers soon began using the fortress as a base of operations, including Falafel (Avouz's fickle ally in Ravenloft), Haaman Khalten (a spy sent by the Lord's Alliance to keep an eye on Haplo), Stofnar (a vengeful dwarf determined to inflict genocide on the orcs), and Moric (a powerful dark wizard who would soon become a rival to Alandar). But foremost among these was Allichia Limos, a tiefling wizard, with whom Avouz, now recovered from the loss of Suna, fell in love and married.
Meanwhile, another eye cast its view on Haplo and his fortress, that of the goddess Shar.
Haplo had been conducting further experiments on the newly created Shadow Weave, a form of magic counter to that of Mystra and under the control of Shar. Eager to entice the necromancer, Shar made an offer Haplo could not resist; if he could achieve godhood, she would make him the god of the Shadow Weave.
Fortunately for Haplo, this offer was made during the midst of the Bhaalspawn crisis. Recognizing that he could steal the essence of a god from a Bhaalspawn, Haplo set in motion a plan. It began with the destruction of Alandar's wizard school, slaying nearly all the students within. Believing the Bhaalspawn responsible, Avouz signed on to avenge his friend's loss. Moric and several others joined in the chase, a chase which led to the very Throne of Bhaal itself.
Just as the Bhaalspawn was about to shed his divine essence and rebirth Bhaal anew, Haplo and his allies intervened. Haaman intervened and attempted to stop Haplo by assassinating him, but failed as the divine power flowed into Haplo and he was made a demigod. The necromancer vanished from their sight, off to join Shar in her dark realm.
Stunned at what they had been a part of, Avouz, Alandar, and Haaman returned to Darkhold. Alandar soon discovered through his divinations that Moric had been the one to destroy his school. Alandar confronted his rival and imprisoned him for eternity with the spell of the same name. He then rebuilt his school on top of the land in which he'd trapped Moric forever.
Meanwhile, Falafel had grown envious of Haplo's new found divinity. He reasoned that if Haplo could become the god of shadow magic, then Falafel should be the god of wild magic. He recruited Stofnar and several other adventurers to find a long lost artifact left behind by the dead god Amaunator. Using the divine spark hidden within the item, he too ascended to divinity.
Modern Times (1373 to 1492)
Almost immediately after the apotheosis of Haplo and Falafel, the Zhentarim moved to reclaim Darkhold, ejecting all who claimed any manner of loyalty to the new demigods. While most (Alandar, Hamaan, etc.) resettled in other areas and settled down into semi-retirement, Avouz took up adventuring once more as a freelance mercenary.
Freedom, at first, proved very beneficial to Avouz. He had grown comfortable and content on Faerun, a world far less harsh than his homeworld of Athas. Allichia gave birth to their son, Anaelar, and all seemed well. But it was not to last.
When the Spellplague ravaged across Faerun, Avouz fell into madness. He spent much of the decade of the Spellplague being nursed back to sanity by Alandar at his newest magic school (Alandar had discovered several means to avoid the worst effects of the plague and his school had become a refuge for arcane casters fleeing it.)
Once the worst effects of the Spellplague abated, Avouz returned to his family, content now to be retired from adventuring. But things were not to last. Falafel had grown bored as a deity and “missed his friends,” so he spontaneously abducted nearly all his friends and enemies (and a few others to boot), teleported them to a remote village near Darkhold, and threw them “a party.” During the festivities (which the participants were not allowed to leave), Falafel’s wild magic got away from him and he detonated a powerful epic-level time stop spell that froze time over the village for nearly a century.
When the spell finally wore off, the confused participants tried to restart their lives in a much changed Realms. Avouz decided to rejoin the Zhentarim in Darkhold. With the Zhentarim having undergone their own turmoil and transformation over the decades, he found the organization again to his liking. He also found his family had gained great influence in the fortress city over the decades. His son Anaelar is an elder of the city and leader of a powerful mercantile guild. His children and grandchildren are heavily involved throughout the Zhentarim, Darkhold society, and Alandar's wizard school.
With aid from his family, Avouz moved swiftly through the ranks and has regained some measure of authority and power in the faction. But he maintains a degree of secrecy, using the name Athasen to avoid being associated with his former life. Some of his family members are in on the ruse, but all others are kept in the dark about his true identity.
Athasen knows that Falafel and Haplo are both still out there. He is uncertain what role his old mentor played in the cataclysmic events surrounding the death of magic (although he does know Haplo's boss, Shar, was intimately involved.) He is not eager for a confrontation, not knowing how much Haplo has changed over the last century. Athasen prefers to think of the demigod as the man who rescued him from slavery all those years before, knowing that there was, at least once, a spark of good within him.
Chult and the Tomb of Annihilation (1492 to present)
The Zhentarim assigned Athasen to investigate the Death Curse and travel to Chult. He did this with two companions, Saiah the Paladin and Lortessa the Sunite priestess. Lortessa and Athasen had begun a passionate relationship.
While in Port Nyanzaru, Athasen met and formed an adventuring company with Langley the bounty hunter, Zangdrax the kobold paladin, Hoggle the goblin barbarian, and a dwarven cleric nicknamed "Whoops." While Lortessa and Saiah were asked to stay in Port Nyanzaru to tend to the sick and injured, the others braved into the jungles of Chult to investigate possible sites for field bases for the factions.
Upon returning from this mission, Athasen was summoned by Alandar to a ramshackle home in Port Nyanzaru. It was a ruse and the wizard who met him was not his friend Alandar, but Haplo the demigod. Haplo commissioned "Avouz" (using his old name and identity) to seek out the Tomb where the evil lich Acererak had hidden a powerful artifact, a Soulmonger, that Haplo wished to possess. Athasen reluctantly agreed.
This created a fundamental rift between Athasen and his Sunite companions. In addition to being disturbed by learning Athasen's true identity as "Avouz" (who they saw as a servant of Shar and the old corrupt Zhentarim), Lortessa and Saiah both found it distasteful that Athasen would agree to any arrangement with a being as foul as Haplo (who was blamed, not inaccurately, for the Spellplague). Together, the two women made plans to depart Chult. They kept these plans hidden from Athasen until after he had set out with his adventuring company to reach the monastery at Kir Sabal.
After traveling overland from the harbor, the adventurers reached Kir Sabal and were introduced to Mwaxanare, Princess of Omu and the last heir to the throne of that lost kingdom. Mwaxanare was immediately smitten with Athasen, despite the disparity in their ages (Athasen looks 50. Mwaxanare is 17). Athasen was flattered, but largely ignored her efforts at seduction, claiming fidelity to Lortessa. However, he did promise to find for her a lost relic of her kingdom, the fabled skull chalice of Omu.
The abbot of the monestary agreed to cast a travel ritual on the adventurers that would take them to Omu, where the Tomb Haplo had spoken of was said to reside. It would require an expedition to Nangalore, the fabled gardens of the royal house of Omu, to fetch a rare flower.
This was done and the Abbot cast the ritual, allowing the party to make their way to Omu. After fetching the the nine cubes from the trickster gods of Omu, they were captured by the yuan-ti of Omu under Ras Nsi. When Athasen defeated Ras' champion in single combat in the arena, the yuan-ti leader decided these adventurers were too much trouble and allowed them to depart unmolested.
The adventurers then plunged into the Tomb of the Nine Gods, braving all manner of fiendish traps and monsters to reach the Soulmonger. Along the way, Athasen found the chalice Mwaxanare had asked him to find. When they entered the chamber of the Soulmonger, they were all overcome with such loathing that they knew the only course of action was to destroy it, despite the desires of Haplo for them to take possession of the artifact .They attacked and destroyed the Soulmonger after slaying its guardians. This summoned forth an angry Acererak and, after an epic battle, the adventurers emerged victorious.
With the magical knowledge he had gained in the Tomb, Athasen teleported with his companions to Port Nyanzaru. There, he learned that Lortessa and Saiah had abandoned him. Bound by his sense of duty, he teleported to Kir Sabal to return the chalice to Mwaxanare. Heartbroken by Lortessa's abandonment, Athasen succumbed to Mwaxanare's charms and the princess found her way into his bed that night.
After this, Athasen returned to Darkhold to resume his adventures. Within a few months, word had reached him that Mwaxanare was with child. Recognizing an unique opportunity, Athasen has returned to Chult and pledged himself to restoring the Princess's kingdom. The Princess has now declared Athasen her royal consort and the two have returned together to Darkhold to begin plotting the restoration of Omu.
Description
Avouz/Athasen cuts a striking figure. He stands six-and-a-half feet tall, far taller than most “half-elves.” His skin is the color of fertile soil and his eyes are the same sharp blue as sapphires. His hair is a ruby red color (with hints of grey as he is around 50 years old now) and his ears are pointed as befits his elven ancestry. Much of his odd coloration comes from his dao father and his unusual height is indicative of his Athasian elf mother's influence.
During his time as a Zhentarim soldier, he wore leather armor under a green and gold robe (the colors of the Zhentarim organization). Now, he often wears plainer ornamentation in Northern climates, although he decks out in Chultan royal finery when at work in that land.
Avouz’s personality and outlook has changed from the days of his youth. His fall from power, temporary insanity, and awakening from a mad-deity-triggered magical mishap to a vastly different world had colored his demeanor greatly. Gone were his idealism and his “good” alignment. He was often quite jaded.
Lortessa changed much of that, brightening his demeanor. Despite their later parting, Athasen has since found new purpose and love with Mwaxanare. His goal to restore Omu to its glory days has relit his passion and he is a force to be reckoned with.
Athasen's Character Sheet (pdf)
Fortunately for Haplo, this offer was made during the midst of the Bhaalspawn crisis. Recognizing that he could steal the essence of a god from a Bhaalspawn, Haplo set in motion a plan. It began with the destruction of Alandar's wizard school, slaying nearly all the students within. Believing the Bhaalspawn responsible, Avouz signed on to avenge his friend's loss. Moric and several others joined in the chase, a chase which led to the very Throne of Bhaal itself.
Just as the Bhaalspawn was about to shed his divine essence and rebirth Bhaal anew, Haplo and his allies intervened. Haaman intervened and attempted to stop Haplo by assassinating him, but failed as the divine power flowed into Haplo and he was made a demigod. The necromancer vanished from their sight, off to join Shar in her dark realm.
Stunned at what they had been a part of, Avouz, Alandar, and Haaman returned to Darkhold. Alandar soon discovered through his divinations that Moric had been the one to destroy his school. Alandar confronted his rival and imprisoned him for eternity with the spell of the same name. He then rebuilt his school on top of the land in which he'd trapped Moric forever.
Meanwhile, Falafel had grown envious of Haplo's new found divinity. He reasoned that if Haplo could become the god of shadow magic, then Falafel should be the god of wild magic. He recruited Stofnar and several other adventurers to find a long lost artifact left behind by the dead god Amaunator. Using the divine spark hidden within the item, he too ascended to divinity.
Modern Times (1373 to 1492)
Athasen, Captain of the Zhentarim
Almost immediately after the apotheosis of Haplo and Falafel, the Zhentarim moved to reclaim Darkhold, ejecting all who claimed any manner of loyalty to the new demigods. While most (Alandar, Hamaan, etc.) resettled in other areas and settled down into semi-retirement, Avouz took up adventuring once more as a freelance mercenary.
Freedom, at first, proved very beneficial to Avouz. He had grown comfortable and content on Faerun, a world far less harsh than his homeworld of Athas. Allichia gave birth to their son, Anaelar, and all seemed well. But it was not to last.
When the Spellplague ravaged across Faerun, Avouz fell into madness. He spent much of the decade of the Spellplague being nursed back to sanity by Alandar at his newest magic school (Alandar had discovered several means to avoid the worst effects of the plague and his school had become a refuge for arcane casters fleeing it.)
Once the worst effects of the Spellplague abated, Avouz returned to his family, content now to be retired from adventuring. But things were not to last. Falafel had grown bored as a deity and “missed his friends,” so he spontaneously abducted nearly all his friends and enemies (and a few others to boot), teleported them to a remote village near Darkhold, and threw them “a party.” During the festivities (which the participants were not allowed to leave), Falafel’s wild magic got away from him and he detonated a powerful epic-level time stop spell that froze time over the village for nearly a century.
When the spell finally wore off, the confused participants tried to restart their lives in a much changed Realms. Avouz decided to rejoin the Zhentarim in Darkhold. With the Zhentarim having undergone their own turmoil and transformation over the decades, he found the organization again to his liking. He also found his family had gained great influence in the fortress city over the decades. His son Anaelar is an elder of the city and leader of a powerful mercantile guild. His children and grandchildren are heavily involved throughout the Zhentarim, Darkhold society, and Alandar's wizard school.
With aid from his family, Avouz moved swiftly through the ranks and has regained some measure of authority and power in the faction. But he maintains a degree of secrecy, using the name Athasen to avoid being associated with his former life. Some of his family members are in on the ruse, but all others are kept in the dark about his true identity.
Athasen knows that Falafel and Haplo are both still out there. He is uncertain what role his old mentor played in the cataclysmic events surrounding the death of magic (although he does know Haplo's boss, Shar, was intimately involved.) He is not eager for a confrontation, not knowing how much Haplo has changed over the last century. Athasen prefers to think of the demigod as the man who rescued him from slavery all those years before, knowing that there was, at least once, a spark of good within him.
Chult and the Tomb of Annihilation (1492 to present)
The Zhentarim assigned Athasen to investigate the Death Curse and travel to Chult. He did this with two companions, Saiah the Paladin and Lortessa the Sunite priestess. Lortessa and Athasen had begun a passionate relationship.
While in Port Nyanzaru, Athasen met and formed an adventuring company with Langley the bounty hunter, Zangdrax the kobold paladin, Hoggle the goblin barbarian, and a dwarven cleric nicknamed "Whoops." While Lortessa and Saiah were asked to stay in Port Nyanzaru to tend to the sick and injured, the others braved into the jungles of Chult to investigate possible sites for field bases for the factions.
Upon returning from this mission, Athasen was summoned by Alandar to a ramshackle home in Port Nyanzaru. It was a ruse and the wizard who met him was not his friend Alandar, but Haplo the demigod. Haplo commissioned "Avouz" (using his old name and identity) to seek out the Tomb where the evil lich Acererak had hidden a powerful artifact, a Soulmonger, that Haplo wished to possess. Athasen reluctantly agreed.
This created a fundamental rift between Athasen and his Sunite companions. In addition to being disturbed by learning Athasen's true identity as "Avouz" (who they saw as a servant of Shar and the old corrupt Zhentarim), Lortessa and Saiah both found it distasteful that Athasen would agree to any arrangement with a being as foul as Haplo (who was blamed, not inaccurately, for the Spellplague). Together, the two women made plans to depart Chult. They kept these plans hidden from Athasen until after he had set out with his adventuring company to reach the monastery at Kir Sabal.
After traveling overland from the harbor, the adventurers reached Kir Sabal and were introduced to Mwaxanare, Princess of Omu and the last heir to the throne of that lost kingdom. Mwaxanare was immediately smitten with Athasen, despite the disparity in their ages (Athasen looks 50. Mwaxanare is 17). Athasen was flattered, but largely ignored her efforts at seduction, claiming fidelity to Lortessa. However, he did promise to find for her a lost relic of her kingdom, the fabled skull chalice of Omu.
The abbot of the monestary agreed to cast a travel ritual on the adventurers that would take them to Omu, where the Tomb Haplo had spoken of was said to reside. It would require an expedition to Nangalore, the fabled gardens of the royal house of Omu, to fetch a rare flower.
This was done and the Abbot cast the ritual, allowing the party to make their way to Omu. After fetching the the nine cubes from the trickster gods of Omu, they were captured by the yuan-ti of Omu under Ras Nsi. When Athasen defeated Ras' champion in single combat in the arena, the yuan-ti leader decided these adventurers were too much trouble and allowed them to depart unmolested.
The adventurers then plunged into the Tomb of the Nine Gods, braving all manner of fiendish traps and monsters to reach the Soulmonger. Along the way, Athasen found the chalice Mwaxanare had asked him to find. When they entered the chamber of the Soulmonger, they were all overcome with such loathing that they knew the only course of action was to destroy it, despite the desires of Haplo for them to take possession of the artifact .They attacked and destroyed the Soulmonger after slaying its guardians. This summoned forth an angry Acererak and, after an epic battle, the adventurers emerged victorious.
With the magical knowledge he had gained in the Tomb, Athasen teleported with his companions to Port Nyanzaru. There, he learned that Lortessa and Saiah had abandoned him. Bound by his sense of duty, he teleported to Kir Sabal to return the chalice to Mwaxanare. Heartbroken by Lortessa's abandonment, Athasen succumbed to Mwaxanare's charms and the princess found her way into his bed that night.
After this, Athasen returned to Darkhold to resume his adventures. Within a few months, word had reached him that Mwaxanare was with child. Recognizing an unique opportunity, Athasen has returned to Chult and pledged himself to restoring the Princess's kingdom. The Princess has now declared Athasen her royal consort and the two have returned together to Darkhold to begin plotting the restoration of Omu.
Prince Athasen, Royal Consort of Omu
Description
Avouz/Athasen cuts a striking figure. He stands six-and-a-half feet tall, far taller than most “half-elves.” His skin is the color of fertile soil and his eyes are the same sharp blue as sapphires. His hair is a ruby red color (with hints of grey as he is around 50 years old now) and his ears are pointed as befits his elven ancestry. Much of his odd coloration comes from his dao father and his unusual height is indicative of his Athasian elf mother's influence.
During his time as a Zhentarim soldier, he wore leather armor under a green and gold robe (the colors of the Zhentarim organization). Now, he often wears plainer ornamentation in Northern climates, although he decks out in Chultan royal finery when at work in that land.
Avouz’s personality and outlook has changed from the days of his youth. His fall from power, temporary insanity, and awakening from a mad-deity-triggered magical mishap to a vastly different world had colored his demeanor greatly. Gone were his idealism and his “good” alignment. He was often quite jaded.
Lortessa changed much of that, brightening his demeanor. Despite their later parting, Athasen has since found new purpose and love with Mwaxanare. His goal to restore Omu to its glory days has relit his passion and he is a force to be reckoned with.
Athasen's Character Sheet (pdf)
No comments:
Post a Comment