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Current affiliation: Sons of Second Dawn
Current lodging: Baldur's Gate, Helm and Cloak Inn
-Appearance:
Race: Tiefling, she has a pair of small horns on her forehead and a spade-tipped tail.
Age: 25 when arriving to Baldur’s Gate
Height: 165cm/65inch
Weight: 65kg/10stones – combination of muscles and full curves
Eyes: Amethyst
Hair: crimson/shoulder length
Tattoos: Niyressa has two distinctive tattoos, those are made not of only ink, but enchanted precious metals and bear arcane runes to enhance her abilities. First is a golden crow surrounded by silver stars adorning her right temple, with each star being a magical rune. Second, a golden elf figurine with emerald eyes, armed by a rapier and showing a pair of purple gossamer wings, posing on the girl's left scapula.
-Personality Profile:
General Health: She is in peak physical condition, takes impeccable care of herself and her body
Deity: Sharess - follows the goddess’ teachings in a way that rather celebrates life, its pleasures and freedom, taking on new experiences and trying new things, doing whatever she finds interesting without feeling shame rather than being a devoted hedonist
Initial Alignment: Chaotic Good – cares about people’s freedom and to make the place where she lives a safe environs to practice magic as well as to enjoy whatever pleasures she finds exciting which means no tyranny, no slavery, but also no excessive laws especially those rooted in puritanism or blocking trade and cultural exchange
Profession: Mage, warrior, infiltrator, diplomat – Studied in Cloaktower and worked for 4 years directly under one of the senior members on arcane research while protecting the city and serving at Nasher's court
Base Class & Proposed Development: Central class is Wizard, her build is Wizard/Rogue/Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster. Trained in very different styles and skills, all tied up by her Transmutations and Polymorphing, makes her the real jack of all trades but also true master of none, except the arcane.
Habits/Hobbies: Most of the time she spends either on her research or looking for interesting experiences ranging from mind wrapping conversations to an epic adventure into unknown and mind-boggling places, in between would be her taste for luxurious wines, foods, clothing and anything that can make her life comfortable and her senses sing praises.
Languages: Common, Abyssal, Cant, Celestial, Elven, Dwarf, Draconic, Gnome, Netherese, Arcane, Orc, Halfling, Undercommon, Thayan, Illuskan – Most languages she learned as part of her Diplomacy training. Abyssal she learned to understand her heritage better, Arcane and Draconic are part of her Mystic studies. Elven she learned because she is fascinated by Elven culture, crafts and magic. Undercommon she learned for a big expedition into Undermountain while in Waterdeep and “perfected” it after being held there for several months. Thayan and Illuskan she learned for infiltration purposes.
Weapon of Choice: Arcane magic and Polymorphing - everything else, her weapons and gear, are chosen to fit situation and to either improve her magic, abilities or shapeshifting.
-Background:
Niyressa was born in the city of Neverwinter to Robert and Marjorie Dawncrow. Her father was a lower noble who has been granted his title from Lord Nasher after a heroic deed, common story in the city of Neverwinter where adventurers are still celebrated as were the founders of the city. The name Dawncrow was given to Robert with his title, in his earlier adventuring days he and his company The Crows have saved baroness of Conyberry while she was traveling towards the City of Neverwinter. Due to the baroness’ well-known fortune a group of brigands and bandits attacked her escort at dawn. Robert and the Crows happened to be returning from Conyberry as well after a tenday of enjoying the city’s frivolous entertainments. When the bandits attacked and outnumbered the convoy, Robert used a long-treasured artifact, he has once obtained during his ventures. A dagger, with a socketed Blue Diamond that through Gem magic has been imbued with a “Stonehold” spell, became their savior as a heavy fog settled on the area and encompassed all their adversaries in heavy stone, making them an easy target. Marjorie was on the other hand a simple city girl born to a merchant family, she was sweet and cheerful, smart and very interested in the city but otherwise not special from many other women in Neverwinter, she was interesting to Robert though and he made her fall for his worldly charms and adventuring stories.
While her father always loved Niyressa unconditionally, her mother changed ever since the little tiefling was born. She was no longer the warm and happy woman, her love for Robert was obscured by the blame she was giving her husband for the “unclean” child that was bestowed upon them, surely due to his unknown ancestry. And while her love for Robert only diminished, Marjorie has always outright hated her own child. Niyressa ended up neglected and later beaten and hated by her own mother and while her father loved and truly cared for her, he also never could stand up to his wife for his kind heart.
The situation was very bitter-sweet and strenuous on the whole family, so when Niyressa reached 9 years, Robert has used his limited influence to get the young tiefling admitted into Cloaktower where she studied the arcane and could live for the time being. Niyressa very much enjoyed her years in Cloaktower. She found love for the arcane and found her way to the teachings of Sharess to make the best of the life she had. She also created a strong bond with one of the teachers, Rebecca Brightlance, who ignited a love for transmutations in the girl. When Niyressa reached 18 years and was to finish her apprenticeship, Rebecca took the girl under her own wing so to say and let her continue study and work for the organization under her personal tutelage. The next four years Niyressa spent dutifully learning all the secrets of transmutations from her Mistress and she took on learning in many different skills wanting to please her mentor as her perfect protégé. She learned the basics of diplomacy, so she could escort her mistress to Lord Nasher’s court as her assistant. She learned the ways of combat and became an Eldritch Knight, so she could fight to protect the city in time of need, and she learned the subtle art of subterfuge and infiltration, becoming an Arcane Trickster, so she could prove helpful in curbing nefarious agents of Illuskan and other elements who wanted to bring fall to the city.
Niyressa was happy, she had the love of her mentor and her father, she had been exploring the pleasures of life as Sharessian and had the chance to do important work to protect her city. But that changed when she neared her twenty third year. At that time a string of murders started plaguing the city. It wasn’t a big event because, the victims were only those of extraplanar blood, but it was a horrific event none the less, as the bodies found were always mutilated, cut up and altered to look human. Their inhuman features were usually cut out or burned out and replaced by human parts, there were signs of healer’s practices as well as holy ceremonies, but one thing became clear, whoever did this was trying to “cleanse” the bodies of their planar taint. As it was discovered later this was an act of a newly forming cult of fallen paladins, misguided priests and fearful people. But more importantly it was discovered that the group was being supported by small few of people with coin and even nobility amongst which was Marjorie Dawncrow, Niyressa’s mother.
Marjorie was always using part of the family’s coin for charitable expenditures which her husband wholeheartedly approved of. However, in the last year she used those to hide her support for the cult. She even took part in most of their actions and ceremonies. When the despicable group’s hideout was discovered a strike was organized using all parts of city’s forces including Cloaktower. Niyressa by then knew of her mother’s involvement, as did her father, and she managed to squeeze herself into the assault group. Her father however, still with love for his wife, wanted to save Marjorie on his own because he believed she had been misled and forced into the cult's actions. He left before the city’s forces to try and lead his wife into safety and get her out of the influence of the cult, however he didn’t manage to persuade her and in the time he spent trying to, the asault force invaded the hideout. Robert died that day caught in the chaos between the warring groups. Niyressa’s mother however survived and was dragged out in cuffs by the grieving tiefling. Marjorie along with the surviving members of the cult has been put on trial and executed. As is common in Neverwinter, nobles are expected to be servants and protectors of the city-state and as such the Dawncrow family lost all its holdings and influence to pay reparations and Niyressa lost her family, it’s status and means in one fell swoop. She left the city a few days after, leaving only a short letter for her mentor, Rebecca Brightlance.
The young and pained tiefling spent her next two years traversing the coast. She was hurting and damaged but used her faith as a “shield” becoming a true pleasure seeker…maybe a bit too much. Her life turned from commendable and driven into one never ending party. Going from place to place, always spending only a few months to revel in the pleasures that locals could offer. She has visited Silverymoon and Waterdeep. In Waterdeep encroached on a big and exciting expedition into Undermountain where she ended up captured for three months before she managed to escape. She then continued by ship to Calimshan, ventured north from there into Athkatla and eventually found her way to Baldur’s Gate.
-Goals:
Niyressa’s goals when entering Baldur’s Gate were nonexistent, she never planned on spending more time in the city and its environs. However that changed, her goal becoming to make Baldur’s Gate her new home, to protect her home and to keep it a place where she can practice magic freely, pursue her research and enjoy the thriving trade and travel which brings in different cultures and pleasures she can enjoy.
She would one day like to create in and for Baldur's Gate an organization similar to Cloaktower and it's Many-starred Cloaks from Neverwinter, for that she first needs to make a name for herself and overcome the prejudice people have against tieflings, insert herself into the city's politics and make powerful allies.
Her last goal is to research an ancient Netheril transmutation spell “Ioulaum’s Longevity”, the epitome of transmutation school, as it ties together time manipulation and matter to energy conversion within a field. (As per previous DM team discussion, this is meant to be continual RP for Niy and possibly others, but any sort of conclusion can only happen after character's retirement as she is not able to create Epic Spell for OOC reasons)
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Possible plot hook ideas and misc. facts:
-Cloaktower and her mentor would always hold power over Niyressa’s life should they ever resurface somehow.
-The drow house and other elements from Undermountain could be looking for, or find out about, their escaped slave, she could only run away by making herself useful enough to not be sacrificed or locked up forever and earn some leniency. (if anyone would want to pursue RP around this, drop me a PM and we can figure out specifics - which house etc.)
-Almost anything that provides a unique experience or reward will attract the tiefling like a bait, even if the task is dangerous above measure, her hunger to experience things will take over wisdom and caution.
*Niyressa's personal seal / arcane mark*
Dm Approval