Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

This is mostly just a basic Biography and Background of this character I created. Any significant events, DM or not, that occur with no faction involvement will be posted here. However, this is mostly just an outline of his character for use by DMs if they would like to use him for a plot, or others are OOC curious as to why he is the way he is.

Name: Ist'aonar Barri'urden, translation: (language drow, masculine case) First name: Immortal Guardian, Surname: Spawn of the Darkeness (this is to mean he is a follower of Shar)

Race/Gender: Drow/male
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Profession: Currently First Sergeant of the School of Necromancy (a higher up trainer of meat shields)
Deity: Shar
Background Trait: Bully

Height: 66 inch (168cm), Upper limit tall for Drow
Weight: 180lbs (81.8kg)
Body Build: Wide, muscular, and bulky (for a Drow)
Hair: White
Skin Tone: Black
Eye color: Ice Blue
General Appearance: Wears the full plate armor of a Blackguard in the School of Necromancy and a black helmet covering the head and face, but the eyes are seen and maintain full view and peripheral vision. Weapons include a large blunt hammer for dealing with unruly undead, and a large great sword for those who may wish to steal, control undead, or practice Necromancy without the Schools sanction. He also has a nasty looking battle-axe to remove the heads of those that annoy him.


He came to Sshamath as a young child with his mother, Vierarra, and sister, an infant at the time, Vierriina. They were religious refugees, worshipers of Shar, from Ched Nassad, or so that is what Vierarra told others. His father is unknown to him. Upon the death of his mother, the exact causes still unknown, he was forced into the streets of the ghetto of Sshamath, The Dark Woods, while Vierriina was "taken in" by the faern of The Tower of The Masked Mage. He grew up in the Ghetto of Sshamath, but with his large size, and a strange natural talent for a dark magic, he could get what he wanted, when he wanted, via brute force if need be, from the other denizens of the Dark Woods. Eventually his methods got out of hand, noticed, and consequentially he was apprehended by the city guard, he of course being unable to resist such a powerful hand of force, and charged with racketeering.

He was publicly given 50 lashes and given the choice of servitude under one of the Schools, or be used by one of the schools for experimental purposes until termination. Not at all ready to be taken in by the darkness he choose the former and given his size and strength was taken by the School of Necromancy into one of their blackguard brigades as an Initiate.

As such one of his primary duties was to collect bodies of drow or others, who may become undead from the tunnels, for internment; a back breaking and dangerous duty. He grudgingly went duty, using what pathetically little authority he had to profit from them, only doing the minimal amount to not end up an experiment for the Anatomy Instructor.

Over time his performance, and the fact that he has survived, has earned him a place in the higher ranks of the Blackguard. His strength has also increased greatly during his time carrying all the bodies from the tunnels. While he is still required to see to it that the tunnels are kept clean of the dead and undead, he can hire out others now to do most of the back breaking lifting. These cycles his duties are removing the undead, purging the area of undead, exterminating rogue necromancers, all the while listening to the whispers in the darkness.

Not very devout in his faith before his enlistment into servitude, be more or less an inherited faith, he has become more so in seeing the death and darkness take so many as he stands invisible waiting over them to breath their last. He prays to Shar for guidance during meditations, having no goals or distinct path to walk in his earlier days.

In the depths of the darkest tunnels he hears voices and whispers, and does his best to understand them thinking them to be the voice of Shar. All the while the strange dark magic he had weld as a youth has been becoming more focused, powerful, and dark; flowing through him as he ventures deeper into the darkness.

His time not spent in the tunnels is usually spent in the Gloura's Wings, getting drunk drinking bitter black. At times he falls into a drunken stupor and dreams, or experiences nightmares depending on your perspective, of the darkness and mysteries yet to be explained.


His Familiar:

Name: Daos
Creature: Bat
Alignment: True Neutral
Likes: Anything bloody for food, and funny creatures
Hates: Anything that attacks him, watching funny creatures die.

Background: Servant of Ist'aonar, he serves the useful function of finding corpses for him, and is very effective at it. However, he occasionally causes Ist'aonar much grief when he helps others in the cave survive as that doesn't help Ist'aonar much in meeting his quota. His screechy voice can also become very annoying. For this reason Ist'aonar keeps him muffled in a little bag most of the time.

Cleaning the caves surrounding Sshamath is a dangerous duty. Most initiates only last about 30 cycles before they become a body to be recovered as well. Ist'aonar knew this quite well when he accepted his punishment, but he has persevered and through his wits and natural magical prowess survived an entire year.

During this foray into tunnels there was something far more dangerous than simple goblins, kobolds, or displacer beasts watching him from the shadows. Something that would change his life and destiny.

Another Jaluk had convinced him to allow him to tag along, Padril. Perhaps he initially thought the Jaluk could be more capable at disarming the goblin traps, but what he found out was that the Jaluk was incredibly annoying. However, he did do a well enough job disarming the traps, and his technique for doing so was very amusing as well, by setting them off on himself. The roguish companion was woefully clumsy, but at least it was he and not Ist'aonar being splashed in the face with acid.

The goblins put up a little fight, but ran off into the deeper tunnels as soon as they realized they were outmatched. Ist'aonar would walk along the tunnels, letting Padril... "disarm" the traps, all the while looking for .."viable" bodies. Then suddenly the silence of the cave was broken by an eerie laugh. They were not alone.

Blade drawn and looking all around them Ist'aonar saw nothing. Then she began to taunt them. She demanded they kneel and submit to Lolth. "A Lolthite Assassin, just my luck" Ist'aonar thought to himself. He refused, pride getting in the way of judgement, most unwise, and the Assassin struck.

The fight was short lived. Ist'aonar could only get off a spell that may have hurt the Assassin, but was not enough. The assassin first hit got up in a chink of his armor, right into his lower spine, and his legs buckled, paralyzed from the waste down. Then another strike to his left arm, now useless. He was done for. Padril fell much more quickly.

While they toyed with Padril Ist'aonar slowly dragged himself back the way he came, Padril's screams of pain to his rear. Suddenly Ist'aonar was surrounded in grease, but he was able to dig his mailed and clawed hand deep into the rock, dragging himself through. The Assassin's laughs, and what he thought was another of her cohorts, and Padril's screams slowly faded into the distance.

When he finally arrived back into the end tunnel of Varalla's Passage, back to the camp where Vaszyne was located, he was barely clinging to life. He dragged himself to her feet and he heard her chuckle,

"Place him on top of the rest of the bodies. Whether he survives or naut ustann am sure High Necromancer Mel'ana can make him useful again."

And with that Ilztafein tossed him on top of the pile, and the Death Knight began to take the cart back to the school. He would now start to lose consciousness, fading in and out of his mind.....

Place Holder for (Dreams of Shadows)

Place holder for (Duties in the Darkness)

Place holder for "Adequate Performance"

Place holder for "Sightseeing"

Blue Fire (place holder)

Githyanki Raids (place holder)

The Parchment (place holder)

Psionic Orbs (place holder)

A sea of thoughts (place holder)

During a routine patrol of the crypt for non-Drow outside of Sshamath Ist'aonar came across what appeared to be some faern. Obviously, at least so Ist'aonar thought, he was looting the crypts and had to be removed. Warnings were given to leave and Ist'aonar drew his blade and readied himself. The faern, who called himself Sammaster, showed no fear. This worried Ist'aonar a bit, and he warned him one last time to leave, unsure of this faern's abilities as wizard can be far more powerful than they seem.

Ist'aonar wanted to know more about this Jaluk so he attempted to disable him, but his spells had no effect. They hit true, but did nothing. This was no ordinary faern. He stopped his assault immediately and a conversation ensued,

Sammaster
Ist'aonar

Do dos seek Death?

*cocks head to the side* Who are dos?

I am Sammaster

That is your name, who are DOS?!

I am one who is dead and have communed with the world of the dead. What else would you wish to know?

That says little about who dos are, more like what dos are. What is your purose?

I want to employ dos as a.... hmmmm... an associate.

*looking more interested, putting away his weapon* What's the pay?

You wil receive much power, wealth, and magic for being one who serves me. Know that if ye serves evil, you will be rewarded by your lords.

*crosses arm* Dos really don't like being specific huh.

I was not sure if you would accept me. Do you have influence with your peers? I know there are powerful necromancers here.

Hmmmm... Dos must naut be from around here.

I am not from here.

Ustann am First Sergeant Ist'aonar... ustann have... some influence.

I imagined you do, as your power is great.

Though ustann can't say to know any of the High Necromancers. Ustann answer to Associate Necromancer Val'feng.

I can tell you more of what I wish from you.

*nods* Fine, out with it then.

I wish you to assemble a team willing to assist me, for pay, in creating an undead dragon, but I want you as the leader, that is why I have come to you.

*gives this look with his eyes* O.o ,an undead dragon...and why would dos want something like that?

We wish to destroy the surface realms, and have the dark powers rule the surface. We wish to turn the surface world over to the undead dragons to rule. We, of course, would be their principals. I am sure you hold no love for the surface world.

The surface world *shrugs* can't say ustann know much of it.... Sammaster was it? All ustann know is that those from there stink, and that there is a big globe of light that is blinding. Doesn't really sound like my kind of place.

I'll give you something to signify your first payment. All I want from you is to assemble the group down here.

A gift eh... hmmmm and this group... what type of group do dos need?

Your peers who are skilled in the necromantic arts.. at least one high ranked necromancer, and perhaps a sneaky one, and a fighter.

Hmmmm, perhaps Val'feng may be interested... but he ain't nau high necromancer.. just an associate, not even a full Necromancer, and well... ustann ain't suppose to bother the higher ups.. ustann hear they ain't the nicest jaluks to bother. So a sneaky one and a fighter also. *thinking to himself*

The exact group is up to you, but know ye will be talking with very powerful evil dragons, and must be capable to subdue them, or at least defend yourselves in cast it turns against ye... take this. *handing him a pair of enchanted boots* I will contact you after you have had some time to gather allies.

Ustann, *looking at the boots*.. *a bit distracted*.. will see what ustann ... can do.

This is but a taste of the magic you will be wielding.

Well then, a pleasure doing business with dos thus far.. may the darkness protect dos, and...ah.. no offense about the Enfeeblement Ray... just doing my job.

Aye, ye as well. Soon we will have powerful undead dragons as our war beasts. They can not be slain by normal means.. only temporarily destroyed.

*nods* yea yea... *looking at the boots still* undead dragons... sounds great.

Ye will know more in time, now I must leave.

*puts the boots over his shoulder* Aluve

Aluve

And all of a sudden Sammaster would disapear into a strange looking portal. Ist'aonar glances at the boots once more, and thinks to himself, "well, it looks like ustann have a group to make". With that he finished his patrol of the crypt and went outside to find his sister Vierriina. He found her sleeping in a the corner deep in shadow.

*kicks her* wake up.. time to train

Oowww, dos don't have to be so mean about it. Sheesh... *yaaaawn, stretches*. What took dos so long? What's with the boots?

Ahhh had to make dead some undead, found some interesting boots while I was in there. Let's go.

Ist'aonar has been training Vierriina in how to better use her powers... or rather he has been holding the monsters at bay while she tries to figure out how to release her innate power. Training had gone on as usual for this cycle until....

"*sighs* Can we rest now Dalninuk.... can we go back to the city and rest at an Inn this cycle?"

"Nau... the city is too bright, it will betray us!" *He worries as he knows the two orbs he holds can be tracked while he remains in the city*

"*pouts and kicks a rock* Dalnanuk... what is ..."

A portal rips open in front of them.

"QUIET!, Ready yourself... they come"

"Huh?!"

6 Githyanki swordman spring forth from the portal followed by a spell caster of sorts. Ist'aonar immediately cleaves one in half as the others surround him. Vierriina fading into the shadows reapears and shoots forth from her hand many arrows of shadows and orbs of pure magic at the Githyanki Sorcereress felling her very quickly then fading back into the shadows. Ist'aonar holds his own, with his heavy armor and magics protecting him from the many attacks sent at him, and lops of the head of a Githyanki. Vierriina then reappears and blasts the remaining group surrounding Ist'aonar with massive sound waves, Ist'aonar unaffected by such weak magic, but the Githyanki unable to resist fall; their internal organs crushed from the magics.

A a quickly as it all began it ended.

*drops to her knees and sits down, breath heavy* Whew... *breathing* what are those things?! *Clearly exhausted now*

"Ustann have been told they are Githyanki, extra-planar beings"

"And what the hell are they doing on THIS plane, is it those orbs?"

*shrugs* "Perhaps" *looking through the dead's things*

He happens upon some coins, with a intricate carving of some female with blades surrounding her face.

"hmmmm, *Thinking if he knows this face* (rolls a 20) "The Lady of Pain"

"Huh... what dos looking at there" *gets up to look at the coin* "ahhh The Lady of Pain?"

"Xas.... a goddess... of sorts... she resides in sigil.. an outer plane"

"outer plane?"

*sighs* "Nevermind, gather any valuables... we make camp"

They both head to a strip of land separating two small ponds, and just as Vierriina was about to lay down they struck. Many Illithids... they focused all their mind blasts at once... and Vierriina lay dead while Ist'oanar was unaffected, possibly due to the stones power. Seeing himself obviously out matched he grabbed Vierriina's body and quickly cast an incantation... keeping them save from all harm.

The Illithid continue to search for them, but Ist'aonar was gone with his sister Vierriina. He would take her back to the School of Necromancy... and hope and pray to Shar for her to be brought back. Surely it wasn't her time yet. The school would be safe enough, dark enough, Ist'aonar reasoned.

Once at the school, he placed her in the summoning circle, immersed her in darkness and prayed to Shar. It was sometime before he received his answer, and when it came it was painful, there was a price for her life to be restored, a bit of his own.