Catarlys Rhy'ka

(Temp Image)

 — Catarlys

## Appearance

Catarlys Rhy’ka is a 6ft tall elf with pale skin and dark reddish-brown hair. He has hetero-chromia with a green right eye and brown left eye. His skin, while pale can also be seen to move as if something were hiding and squirming beneath. Typically, Catarlys wears a dark leather chestpiece and leggings with a black hood and dark brown boots, though in a more casual setting, has been known to wear a simple black jerkin with a white poet shirt and grey leggings.

## Abilities

Catarlys is a ranger in the most obvious of ways, preferring ranged attacks over close range combat. With a keen sense for survival and a healthy dose of well-justified Paranoia, Catarlys does what he can to survive, though not without consequences. In one of his more recent close calls with death, he was cursed by a corrupted spirit within Lightwood and infested with voidworms, gifting him with a manaphage.

## Paraphernalia

* A corrupted teardrop soulstone – black with red vein-like cracks. When initially found on Fyremaw, this soulstone was milky white. It is unknown when exactly this stone was corrupted but it is most likely during Catarlys’ escapade through Lightwood.
* Steel Centaur Brooch – crossed hammer and spear over a leaf which marks the owner as a member of the centaur society, also serves as a pass to allow traversing through the mountains between the Desert of Blood and Lightwood.
* A note from the now deceased leader of the Red Sands, Sarkis
* ûävákte – also known as Whisper, is a shining mithril sword crafted by the master blacksmith, Skamos. Fitted with an adamantium hilt, imported amethysts and sapphires as decoration and a massive egg-shaped sapphire as its pommel, this longsword cuts cleanly through its target making little to no noise.
* Blackmane Greatbow - A masterwork greatbow with a gnoll tribe crest etched into the Hart antler it is made from. Catarlys and Blackmane, a gnoll from a tribe located on the border of lightwood, hunted a Great Hart and used it’s carcass to fashion Catarlys a new bow after his previous was lost. This bow is so finely crafted that artisans of the Academy were unable to improve it.
* Four 6 inch brass tubes of unknown function.
* Blessed Ironwood Dagger -This beautiful dagger was hand carved from an ironwood tree, blessed, and imbued with magic. It never needs to be maintained, as the wood is magically sealed and honed. However, due to Catarlys being cursed, he is unable to hold it and as such has to pass the dagger to others to carry.

## Backstory

### Early Life

After his mother and father abandoned him in Jewelsport, Catarlys spent his early years as a street urchin before getting himself involved in the dealings with the notorious Red Sand gang, led by Sarkis, through his oldest acquaintance, Gorrim, a man with serious burns, no hair and a hollow-like appearance equipped with a gleaming mithril sword with gold and jewel inlays. The gang offers new recruits warm beds and full bellies in exchange for total obedience. This usually means anything from delivering packages to extorting merchants and citizens. Members of rank encourage recruits not to ask questions by giving them hefty sums of gold in exchange for these favours.

### Mid Life

After working with the Red Sand for several years, during which he obtained a pet Pharaoh Hound named Coya, Catarlys rose through the ranks and had become well trusted enough for the Red Sand’s secrets. Catarlys was pulled into the inner sanctum where he discovered the true nature of the distasteful dealings the Red Sand go through; gratuitous murder, and slavery for labor or worse. Ultimately disgusted by the group's moral compass, Catarlys sought to leave them behind entirely. Hearing of a bodyguard job which Amir Al’ Aziz, the Sultan of Jewelsport, was offering, Catarlys immediately took the work, allowing him to flee Jewelsport for a time while working on Fyremaw Island.

During the trip, Catarlys met with several others who had also taken the offer of the Sultan:

Sylvanna, a elven monk with a mithril arm; Zalmon Tamar, a Vishkanya inquisitor; Atharn Wolfclaw, a half-elf ranger with an alcohol problem and a pet wolf named Smoke; Griffon Democ, a human arena champion; Styx, a goblin alchemist and Benedict Nichen, a human Cleric.

Not much is known as to what occurred on Fyremaw, however, Catarlys returned to Jewelsport a mere 7 months later accompanied by Sylvanna Zalmon, Atharn, Griffon, Paige Nikoshi (a Dhampir bardic gunslinger/pirate), Dyanszulunidah(a dragonborn) and a young displacer beast matron (Kenyigkóz).

Upon his return, Catarlys returned to jewelsport, met a Kitsune rogue named Sayuri. Catarlys later went to a marketplace whereupon he met Gorrim again and was forced into an ultimatum: Join the Red Sands once more, or; be hunted down by the Red Sands. Catarlys declined and fled the scene immediately, fearing for both his life and the life of his companions.

The Sultan, suspecting something was amiss and enraged by the group's failure to provide a full report on their time on Fyremaw, sent royal guards to collect Catarlys and his associates whereupon they fled the scene again. It is unknown where they fled to. But they were seen leaving Jewelsport the following week with the Bladefang, a clan led by Groll Bladefang with the Red Sands to soon follow.