Asher "Whiffle-Tongue"

Asher, whose name translates to "Whiffle-Tongue" in Common, is a Lizardfolk man from Ilsum. He recently became a mercenary with the Whispering Cutlass. Relenam Heavyfeet is his patron.
==Appearance==
Asher is tall and muscular, his scales holding a blue gradient from cobalt chest to icy back spines. His irises are yellow. He is quite handsome to those who enjoy a Lizardfolk aesthetic.
Asher tends to go around shirtless, wearing only loose harem pants tied to his waist with a silver chain.
==Personality==
On first impression, Asher is cold, blunt, and unfeeling. Beyond that impression, he is one of the most sensitive people anyone could meet, feeling things in a way that is hard to express beyond pure thought concepts. He is extremely self-aware and well-versed in intuiting people, but he finds it difficult to translate his awareness into words. He still tries, but he can never seem to say things as nuanced as his thoughts demand, so he keeps his sentences as curt as possible. He has a bad habit of using "Encode Thoughts" to pull a concept out of his head, as if to offer the thought strand to others so they can understand him. 
Because people often misunderstand him, he has become jaded and assumes that most people will make snap-judgements based on his appearance, demeanor, and inability to express himself. To his great consternation, he also finds himself in turn making snap judgements about others, doing the exact thing he despises. 
Though Asher communicates in a manner that most would deem cold or blunt, affection can be seen in the nuance of communication: He may bow to a warm relation; give an ally a nickname (usually a physical interpretation of an abstract trait, such as "Fire-Eye," "Quiver," or "Riddle-Fist"); and with a trusted friend, he may engage in an extended conversation. 
As a babe, Asher would talk incessantly, always asking questions and trying to understand new concepts. He has since learned to curb his tongue. 
==Ideals==
In general, Asher believes in the ambiguity of multiple viewpoints. No single perspective should be the absolute, as each view adds complexity to the puzzle that is the world. However, just because he values ambiguity doesn't mean he thinks all perspectives are "right." Merely, he believes that viewpoints should be given expression; analyzed; and either accepted as they are or, if necessary, challenged and critiqued. But refusing a perspective its proper due is a grave insult. As such, inquisitive diplomacy is his first choice when faced with a conflict, though if he feels cornered, he will work to even the odds between himself and his opposition.
Asher prefers peace to combat. He values life, and in honor of his friendship with Relenam, he strives to spare his opponents rather than kill them. He would rather open his mouth and talk an opponent into submission than incapacitate them by force. Unfortunately, his words often do little to convey his viewpoint, so situations often reach conflict in spite of his hope for peace.
Asher believes that kindness should be reflected with equal kindness. He takes good deeds done to and for him seriously and tries his best to repay them, feeling inadequate if he can't. Really, however, this sense of indebtedness stems from a deep-seated self-loathing due to past weakness and his inability to prevent a massacre. He realizes that he should forgive himself and daily reads a thought-strand containing the event that built his initial hatred, coating it with overtones of acceptance and grace. Each day, he confirms that those overtones are lies.
==Abilities==
===Sturdy Thread===
Asher is Threadtouched, with his talent emerging in a way his mentors dubbed "Sturdy." This Sturdy Thread revolves around crystallization and affects him in myriad ways:
*It grants him a talent for learning and controlling arcane magics;
*It has somewhat crystallized his blood, slowing the decay of oxygen so that he can hold his breath for long periods;
*It forms a subcutaneous layer of crystal skin that provides physical protection on-par with steel;
* It can manifest as a shell that encases him, leaving him paralyzed, but also making his skin near-impervious to conventional attacks.
=== Combat and Tactics===
Asher makes use of his natural armor in combat and prefers ranged combat to melee bouts. He heavily relies on his magic, but will use his claws or sling in a pinch.
While Asher doesn't like to kill people, he understands the psychological advantage of discomforting opponents. Because a chill is a most dangerous feeling, his offensive magic focuses on ice. He personally does not enjoy the cold and prefers warmer climates.
=== Miscellaneous Skills ===
Asher can play the bagpipes.
==Possessions==
Asher's only possession of note is a long silver chain with an intricate charm attached. The whole thing is a religious symbol from his homeland, especially precious due to the rarity of such metals in Ilsum. He wears it as a belt so that he always feels close to his homeland and to the Gods.
==History==
===The Early Years===
Asher was born in a small village in Ilsum. His Thread began to manifest as physical toughness and a penchant for the arcane after he reached his tenth year. Thankfully, a cluster of arcane users met regularly in a village nearby, so Asher’s family brought him to the cluster for training. He excelled, especially through the use of the “Encode Thoughts” spell. His teachers would pull thoughts from their minds and let him read them, and he would pull his own thoughts and let them critique his conclusions and attempts at duplication. Such a close method of analyzing thought processes helped him develop not only intellectually, but emotionally, so that he grew to feel with a clarity that few besides his teachers could fathom.
While such clarity was a personal blessing, it also became difficult for Asher to articulate himself to those who couldn't read his thought strands. Verbal sentences were left clipped or half-finished since they couldn't contain his ideas. His general peer group would heckle him because of his stunted speech, and some adults treated him as if he were mentally deficient. Though they spoke kind words, Asher could intuit the intentions behind their body language and tones. He became alienated from most other people and only spoke the minimum necessary, relying on his intuition to understand what others wanted from him. He began to "see" people less as they actually presented themselves, and more as how he assumed they would act.
During his eleventh year, Asher's Thread manifested in a new, stronger way: His body occasionally became encased in a minute layer of cold, glowing crystal. The crystal proved near-impenetrable, but he was immobile when encased. It could last for a second, a day, even a week, without any seeming pattern to the length. He never starved or suffocated, as the manifestation reduced his need for such means of survival, but he spent days on end trapped within himself while the world moved on. Neither he nor his teachers knew what caused the emergence of his shell. It could happen while training, reading, using the latrine—even when dreaming, he might awaken to discover himself paralyzed.
===Chasing a Dream to Tragedy===
At the age of thirteen, Asher grew sick of the limbo. He decided that he could no longer learn or live a full life with such a handicap. Ilsum's thinkers had proven useless to him, offering no aid or means of control. He thought perhaps the Gods could better aid him.
In spite of his young age, Asher journeyed to an ancient temple to Aja and prayed for a message, a sign, something to help him understand his power. The Gods answered. In a vision, Asher found himself walking through the jungle, then in a meadow, through a mountain, over the ocean, and across a desert. He walked for what seemed like eternity, until finally he reached a white-hot brazier. The brazier was full of coals, but all of them were dark. The only burning coal sat in the sand to the northwest of the brazier. Asher picked up the hot coal, but it didn't burn him—his shell emerged, protecting him from harm. The warmth of the coal filled him with great pleasure, relaxing him, and to his surprise, he sat in the sand, even as his crystal shell continued to coat his body.
That is when the vision ended. Asher didn't know what it meant, but his mentors proposed that perhaps it was calling him to a quest, telling him to find the coal. Discovering whatever the coal represented could lead to Asher mastering control of his shell, rather than being trapped in it.
With that his prayer, Asher enlisted the aid of a caravan and spurred a journey to go beyond the jungles. Before even reaching the edge of Ilsum, however, his caravan was attacked by brigands, and his shell emerged unbidden. Instead of fending off their enemies, he watched his allies scatter or die around him. The leader of the brigands then spent ten minutes taunting and trying to kill Asher before finally tiring. She left him among the corpses of his allies.
Asher remained trapped in his shell for over a week. The event and subsequent imprisonment built in him a hatred for himself and reinforced a distrust for others that had been growing in him since his initial speech issues.
===Self-Exile and Freedom through Debt===
When Asher emerged from his shell, instead of heading home or moving to other civilized lands, he went north aimlessly, past Hahler, and into the Quiet Lands. He ignored anyone he passed (usually Vanguard hunters), unless they were attacked by Dread Hounds. He would go to their aid if his Thread would let him, then move on with few words. That said, he did gain great respect for the Vanguard and what they went through to protect people.
In the Quiet Lands, he came across Relenam, who appeared to be a little Elf heading south. Mere minutes after they crossed paths, Asher heard distant Dread Hounds. He chased after Relenam and found the Elf cowering in a crevice. Out of time, Asher grabbed Relenam, wedged himself in, and begged his shell to emerge.
It came without delay. With his back to the beasts, he absorbed their blows. Eventually, a Vanguard traveller passed by and caught the Dread Hounds’ attention, saving them.
When all was quiet, Relenam thanked Asher, but Asher didn’t move. The Elf, chilled and cramped, but no worse for wear, squeezed around the Lizardfolk, set up camp, and cooked them dinner.
When Asher’s guard dropped, Relenam reiterated his thanks, and Asher berated the weak little thing for travelling in this dangerous area alone. While Relenam insisted that he would be fine, Asher refused to leave him to die, so he proposed to escort him to the nearest town. In turn, Relenam made sure Asher had adequate food, good music, and someone with which he could talk, should he choose. An escort to the nearest town became a travelling companion for many months.
Those months became a great treasure to Asher. Relenam could not read thought strands, but he tried. He encouraged Asher to express himself as well as he could, and in turn did the same. When Asher's sentences cut off midway, Relenam waited patiently for their completion, or else supplied metaphors that attempted to bridge the gap between words and thought. When Asher assumed things about the people around him, Relenam called him out on it. When Asher gave in to his self-loathing, Relenam chastised him. Relenam shared stories with Asher and helped Asher put his own issues in perspective, moving him onto a path of healing.
Relenam also noticed Asher’s Thread difficulties. In time, Asher confided in him the truth about how he couldn't control his shell. But Relenam was surprised. He’d been watching Asher closely and, for reasons of his own, had seen a pattern that apparently none other had: Asher’s Thread resonated with his emotions. When he felt something strongly, it surged. His shell could potentially activate at anything that brought a sudden spike in feeling, whether joy or sorrow, anger or fear.
In this instance, understanding a problem was the bulk of the battle. Once Asher realized that he needed to calm himself and let his emotions flow smoothly, he gained significantly more control over his shell, never trapped for more than an hour. Buoyed by this sudden freedom, he regained his hopes of study, of perhaps even joining the Vanguard when he came of age, if he could gather enough money in time.
Relenam saw this spark in Asher and was moved. He led Asher to Zachalas, where Relenam kept most of his possessions. After a quick exchange with his storage-keeper, Marlon, he handed Asher a 10-oz gold bar. Should the day come for the trials, Asher could use that.
Asher hesitated to accept such an amount of precious metal, but hope outweighed fear. He took the loan under the expectation that he would repay Relenam after joining the Vanguard. He immediately looked for work so he could begin a nest egg. Relenam left to continue his journey, and Asher ended up being recruited by Marlon as a courier.
===The Whispering Cutlass===
In 1214 A.S., Asher left to participate in the Trials of the Vanguard. He did not pass them, in a most embarrassing way: The truth of his age came out. He was only 17, and 18 was the minimum age for participating in the Trials. Asher's impatience led to his failure. To make matters worse, the shame of being discovered caused Asher's shell to emerge, revealing that he truly was not ready to be a Vanguard. Those in charge of the trials dismissed him without a second thought.
Devastated, Asher returned to his courier job. Soon after, Marlon received a letter from Relenam in Abishot asking for an old tome about spirits. Asher delivered it and learned that Relenam had recently become a noble. The Lizardfolk, however, could not bring himself to meet with the Elf, dropping off the book and leaving immediately. Then came a call for instruments (another quick delivery), and finally for a rosewood box. That was when Asher, nearly a year after his trial debut, built up the courage to remain. He left the box at the Stefarni monastery and went to a tavern Relenam frequented. There, he awaited judgement.
Relenam did not judge Asher for his failure. Asher, however, still believed that he had let himself and his friend down. The best he could do was repay his debt to Relenam, whether Relenam wanted repayment or not. Unfortunately, Asher still had the bulk of the gold left to earn, and a courier's salary would not make it simple.
But Relenam had an idea. Though Asher could not be part of the Vanguard, he could still help people with his talents by joining the Whispering Cutlass mercenary company. With Relenam his sponsor, Asher could earn money faster and continue to push himself to improve through challenging missions.
Asher refused without hesitation. Going further into debt to Relenam was no way to repay a debt. Nevertheless, days of thought let him realize what redemption such an opportunity presented. Begrudging though it was, Asher had to admit the efficacy of the idea and agreed to the sponsorship.
===Current Events===
Soon after agreeing to join the Whispering Cutlass, Koppodrazi Sjach Ueshima and Contessa Meridian Selvaggia confronted Asher at the shrine of Aja in Abishot's Temple District. After misunderstandings about intentions and Asher revealing why his debt to Relenam was so great, Koppodrazi welcomed Asher to Abishot. Asher and Contessa also shared a sweet moment when Contessa tried to interpret Asher's thought strands. Then Rex Septimus Octus Duo appeared and got kicked in the face by Contessa and had the edge of his toe cold-blasted by Asher.
It was a good, memorable day.
==Relationships==
===Relenam, "Riddle-Fist"===
Asher's sponsor, who is also "one of the most revered bards in all of Western Alune."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qBG-avlWsc
===Marlon Hume===
Asher's former employer, owner of Sea Breeze Storage in Zachalas.
==Trivia==
The word "asher" is from a dead language. It can be translated literally to Common as "whiffling tongue." (It could also translate as "air-puff voice," or even "chatterbox," but Asher doesn't mention those.) He received his name after birth due to his soft-spoken, inquisitive nature (read as: incessant muttered questions). He prefers to be called Asher, but doesn't mind the Common variant. If a local culture expects two names, Asher will present himself as "Asher Whiffle-Tongue," using the Common variant as his faux surname. If he has a real surname, he has kept it hidden from all others.
Asher gave Relenam the nickname "Riddle-Fist" due to the childlike Elf's insistence that fables and tales be his only method of revealing his past to Asher. Relenam later used the nickname as a faux surname.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===Appearances===
===Other===
===Adventures===
* The Arena - Grand Opening
* Sailing of the Coral Breaker
* The Wedding
* The Fourgon Sail - Episode Two
* The Fourgon Sail - Episode Three
===Character Page===
View Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" on DnD Beyond.https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/Relenam/characters/36244923
==References==
Category:Inhabitants
Category:Whispering Cutlass Mercenaries