Kriv Kerrhylon

Kriv is a dray (dragonborn) ranger and de facto leader of the Heroes of Kled.

Kriv wields a large greatsword and often creates additional weapons from the bones of fallen foes. He speaks basic, draconic, and understands kreen, though he cannot speak it.

## History

Kriv rescued the dying Thri-kreen Xa'oc and nursed him back to health. From that time, the pair have traveled together. Xa'oc gives Kriv any money he finds as thri-kreen do not perceive the value of money.

Eventually the pair found themselves embroiled in an assault by Juraida elves outside the city-state of Urik. During the battle they were subdued and awoke to find themselves captured by slavers. It was during this temporary imprisonment, they met Aruna, Tenneth, and Vex. An elf named Montivagus was also one of the prisoners.

When the caravan is attacked by another contingent of Juridia elves, one of the guards gives the group their weapons and promises them their freedom if they will help fight the elves. When the group learns that they were prisoners of slavers and that the slavers are surrounded by over thirty angry elves, they elect to abandon the slavers to their fate and strike off on their own.

After several hours of walking and an unfortunate encounter with some wandering soldiers, the group elects Kriv to be their leader. Kriv instates two rules: "We communicate before attacking anything" and "we make a deal, we keep the deal."

When the group is caught in a massive sandstorm, Kriv uses *Mold Earth* to create a berm in which he and Vex to take shelter. Later, he uses *Mold Earth* again to excavate a well. Later, the group discovers some dwarf children who seem to know the whereabouts of a water supply. Kriv negotiates a contract with the children to help their village if they share the location of the water. The water turns out to be in a wezer hive. Kriv uses *Mold Earth* to burrow into the hive.

After dealing with the wezers and securing the water, the group traveled to the childrens' village of Kled. Throughout their travels, Kriv would salvage hides, teeth, and claws from animals the group killed. In Kled, he had Llir hides tanned to be made into cloaks and fashioned the teeth of a silk wyrm into arrowheads. Barunas, the village elder in Kled, beseeches the group help discover why their local oasis has become poisoned.

The party journeys to the oasis where Kriv is pulled into the mud by a kluzd where he is rescued by Xa'oc. After tracking and capturing the elf, Fana, from the oasis, Kriv negotiates the recovery of a thri-kreen druid from her village in exchange for sparing her and her partner, Jengi. Kriv uses Mold Earth to create a pit to hold Jengi while everyone else goes to the Juridiah elf village to free the druid.

Kriv uses *Mold Earth* to burrow a tunnel under the elf encampment and, along with Aruna and Xa'oc, moves in to breach the druid's cell from beneath. The stone walls of the cell extend below the ground so the tunnel was stopped short. As Xa'oc leaps out of the tunnel to free the druid from above, Kriv battles the elves on the ground who had been alerted by a Vex and Tenneth created diversion. Once the druid is free, the trio heads back through the tunnel.

Upon the return of the druid to the oasis, the water contamination is cleared. The village of Kled celebrates their heroes with a feast. During the feast, Kriv leaves the festivities to create a weapon, which he later presents to the dwarf children as the party leaves for the city-state of Tyr.

Upon arriving in Tyr, Kriv does some research on the Dragon-King. He learns that thousands of years ago the Dread Lord ruled a city, but he was betrayed and killed, but he came back and the stories say he's building a new city underground, and exiled all the dragonborn.

Kriv then helps negotiate a contract to help a local farmer with the theft of his silk worms. He rigs a trip wire with wooden bells on the entrances to the gate and rakes and covers it with dust to act as a trap. That night, Kriv notices that several houses down, one of the neighbors, a dwarf, is standing outside suspiciously trying to get a good look at the farmer's houses. The party successfully apprehends the thief. When the farmer asks who he should reference if others need help, the group adapts the name: The Heroes of Kled.

The group next takes a job from the mysterious Ramas to help a settlement located in the Ringing Mountains. On the way to the settlement, the heroes are attacked by a wyvern. After slaying the wyvern, Kriv harvests the hide and as much bone as possible.

After seeking out a cave for resting, the heroes encounter a trio of feral yowlers chasing a baby wyvern. The yowlers are dealt with and Kriv adopts the baby wyvern, naming him Akra.

At the settlement, the party encounters the Gray Halfling. The Gray Halfling points to Mist Song, the sword being carried by Xa'oc, and claims it was meant for Kriv. When Xa'oc refuses to hand over the sword, Kriv expresses his concern that Xa'oc may have some kind of mystical hold on the thri-kreen.

Kriv follows the tracks of members of the settlement who have gone missing and determines that they are being ambushed by halflings. After setting their own trap for the halfings, Vex kills the halfling leader, Risi. Kriv immediately resurrects the halfling so she can be questioned. Risi's interrogation reveals the presence of the Pit and the need for Xa'oc and Mist Song to be cast into the pit. Kriv again expresses his grave concerns over Xa'oc's attachment to the weapon.

His fears prove true when Xa'oc is missing the next morning. Kriv tracks his path to a large pool where the footprints end. Kriv wades into the water and is attacked by something that spears him in the leg and drags him under. While Vex and Aruna attempt to save him, Kriv uses his lightning breath on whatever has hold of him. Aruna and Tenneth drag Kriv out of the water after Kriv breaks the spear. Kriv and Aruna team up to destroy the creature. Under the water they discover a tunnel that leads them to the halfling's cave and the pit.

After realizing that Xa'oc had already entered the pit, the heroes are assaulted by halflings trying to push them into the pit as well. Kriv uses *Psychic Hammer* to systematically rescue his companions and drop the halflings into the pit. Eventually, Xa'oc emerges from the pit and drops Mist Song at Kriv's feet. He apologizes directly to Kriv and walks away, leaving the sword. Kriv rolls up Mist Song in a hide, without touching it and the party returns to the settlement.

On the way back to Tyr, the heroes are attacked by a pack of Tembo. Kriv cuts the heads off the tembo corpses to mount as warnings and skins one to turn its head and hide into a banner.

In Tyr, the heroes attempt to ambush Ramas, believing he sent them on the mission to the Ringing Mountains to die allowing him to collect Mist Song for himself. When they see him in the street, Kriv uses *Psychic Hammer* to pull him to a nearby rooftop. Kriv starts to ask Ramas what his plans for the party were when Ramas casts a spell at Kriv. The rest of the party begin fighting Ramas eventually resulting in Kriv being banished to another plane. He is finally returned thanks in part to Tenneth. Fearful that Kriv might be sent away again, Xa'oc stops the fight. Kriv confronts Ramas again about why he felt it was okay to have his entire team thrown into the pit. Ramas responded that only the sword needed to go into the pit, but his attempts to attain the sword through payment were rejected. Realizing Xa'oc had already attuned to the sword he believed the only way to get Mist Song into the pit was to get Xa'oc closer to the pit, which he would only do if the whole group went. He then goes on to explain that he also needed to get the Book of Kemalok from the pit in order to stop someone, possibly Nibenay, from resetting the world. Kriv attempts to point out the flaws in his plan and tries to point out how being open in the beginning could have made everyone's lives easier. Once he realizes that Ramas doesn't "get it" he gives up and heads to the Simple Squirrel for a drink.

The rest of the party joins him shortly and Xa'oc confides in him that Navarro, his old master and trainer, was talking to him through Mist Song. Kriv immediately informs the rest of the heroes. Kriv uses *Primeval Awareness* to detect undead but while he senses some within a mile or so, he does not sense anything coming from within the sword.

While preparing to embark back to the pit to retrieve the Book of Kemalok, Kriv helps the heroes track a young girl who had been following them. The girl leads them back to Ramas, who wanted to ensure the party did what he needed them to. Later, Kriv helps Xa'oc determine if there are any lingering effects from Mist Song and whether or not he could wield the sword without succumbing to its influence. He uses Mold Earth to bury Xa'oc up to the waist and allows him to hold the sword. After Xa'oc does not show any ill effects, he is satisfied and releases Xa'oc.

Kriv purchases five crodlu for the heroes to ride on their way back to the pit. The journey is uneventful compared to others. He and the rest of the heroes step into the pit.

## Personality and Traits

Kriv believes that honor and one's word are key to surviving Athas.