Nitsuj Allsop & Halestorm

## Backstory

Nitsuj Allsop is a Quai-Lir from the Green Isles. Nitsuj is a Wizard with a love of knowledge and his curious nature often gets him into trouble. He claims that his friends call him "Whiskers" because he is so curious. His heartbeast is Halestorm, a half Horse, half Dragon. He studied magic under the Aurel Masters in the gnome kingdom of Aurel in the mountains of Lothlen's Attempt. A soothsayer warned Nitsuj that doom was about to befall Raufel, but he arrived to late to prevent the death and destruction caused by the fireball and tidal wave. On the way into town, he passed Bubo with a tied up Kord on his back, who told him to meet up with a specific minotaur and gnome.

## Raufel

At the memorial to the fallen in Raufel, Nitsuj meet Tenoch and Starheart. Arden Barlow hires the three to help save Governor Urit Syle's lafe by finding the alchemist Jerrot Valmir. They are able to find him and agree to gather medicinal supplies from the crypt and ocean, as well as Jerrot's red crate, which was lost onboard the Eel's Jelly in the harbor. They are able to find the items after several run-ins with local wildlife and return to the governor's mansion to witness the healing of the governor.

After being asked by Governor Syle to investigate the identity of the mystery healer of Raufel, Nitsuj runs into a human woman named Ophelia who wants to tag along. After they discover that the healer is Jerrot Valmir, Ophelia reveals her true identity as Captain Ora Stone of the Eel's Jelly and demands payment for the goods on her ship. Later, sworn to secrecy by Jerrot, Nitsuj lies to the governor about the healer's identity, but agrees to travel north to Copperforge to seek a loan from Queen Sleekrun to help rebuild the city.

## Copperforge

Before leaving the city, Nitsuj is given enchanted darts by Parn Hill, who as asked him to find his son, Gaff. During his journey north, Nitsuj encounters a cabin beside the road inhabited by Orithel. Orithel is an odd man with mysterious powers, but grants Nitsuj the ability to call on his name to ignite hands with fire. Further north, the party find the remains of a ruin caravan that was attacked by Kurluk's orc clan. They rescue Gaff and take him back to Orithel's cabin, sending word to Parn to meet them there. At the cabin, they defeat a group of raiding orcs.

Waking the next morning, Nitsuj finds Bubo and Orethil both gone. He and the party travel north and encounter Doro Tott, a Canikin. They agree to enter Thornbrush Forest to help find his two lost pups. Following the tracks and a spore-like mist, they reach a cave and do battle with a cloaked figure and his summed horrors. Many friends also join the battle and eventually they are victorious and return the two pups to Doro.

Entering Copperforge, Nitsuj takes in a robot match in the Bowl and buys several potions, needing one to help him with "the spins" he has from Copperforge's rotating levels. Meeting with the Queen, Nitsuj tries to convince her that the meteorite was not natural, but she does not believe it. Later, Nitsuj and the party are able to rescue the queen's daughter from rogue battlebots.

Nitsuj spends the next few days trying to enter the Peak level to investigate the Royal Library. Spying Tenoch, Bubo, and Sylence, he joins them as they restore Kord in the Peak and then meet with the Queen to get a reward for saving Iris. Nitsuj us granted access to the restricted section of the library and meets with Elder Cabe Erta. There he encounters a smoke monster in a purple leather book which is dispatched. He can then communicate with the book, which has a name that Nitsuj does not understand. As the decide what to do next, he and Bubo agree to a protection job with the mercenary guild.

Ora, now acting as the Queen's hand, investigates the sabotage of the weapons in the dungeon. Finding out it was Tenoch and Bubo, she tries to hire Hush and the assassin's guild to take out scapegoats. While there, she, along with Nitsuj and Starheart, overhear the sounds of battle stemming from the revolt of the Forgotten. Starheart convinces Meno, their leader, to trust her and they get Fizz Binkle, master tinkerer, to remove the prisoner's bracers. Ora order the guards and Klaxxon to stand down. However, after the battle, the Queen orders Ora to execute Meno. Reluctantly, she does.

Notsuj rejoins Ora and Starheart in the Tequila Mockingbird. After traveling to the assassin's guild and meeting Hush, they overhear the sounds of battle stemming from the revolt of the Forgotten. Starheart convinces Meno, their leader, to trust her and they get Fizz Binkle, master tinkerer, to remove the prisoner's bracers. After the battle is resolved peaceably by Ora, Nitsuj watches helplessly as the Queen orders Ora to execute Meno.

Wanting to learn more about the purple leather book he found in the library, Nitsuj touches a page and meets the demon Kelrek. The demon offers him a deal, the power of resurrection in exchange for six souls. Nitsuj agrees and is given a black dagger wrapped in the skin of Kelrek, which embeds itself in his arm. Later that night, Nitsuj sneaks into the home a guard and murders him. Feeling conflicted, he flees back to the house he shares with Bubo.

The next day, Nitsuj reveals his actions to Ora and Starheart who try to comfort him. Starheart leaves to give the guard a proper burial, but gets into trouble with more guards and the Companions Guild. A huge battle ensues in which Nitsuj takes his second soul, that of one of Elb Gabber's men. Later that night, Thaul Alhoon visits him in a dream; Kelrek is impatient and gives Nitsuj only three more days to complete the deal.

As Wisp Walker's caravan departs Copperforge, it is almost immediately attacked by an orc raiding party. Nitsuj tries and fails to kill anything. The night, as the party makes camp, he murders a young boy, his third soul. After another battle with orcs in which he fails to kill anything, be enlists Bubo to help him kill his final three targets, but has a falling out with Starheart.

After returning to Copperfoge, Nitsuj receives his reward from Snips Cutlass for completing the mission. At the assassin's guild, he receives two contracts from Hush: Carrib Black and Snips Cutlass. With the help of the others, he is able to kill Black and present his head to Hush: soul four.

Nitsuj attends the war council and helps plan the defense of Copperforge, suggesting that should their defense fail, that the mountain could be destroyed. Later that night, assisted by Eldin and Ora, he is able to kill Snips Cutlass, who was a member of the cult of Kloht: soul five. On his body they find a scroll with the location of the severed arm of the Copperforge Sahlite.

On the last day of his contract, Kelrek posses Nitsuj and forces him into the Dungeon. There he is forced to kill one of Elb Gabber's men to gather the final soul. After the battle, he releases Kelrek from the book. As he manifests, Kelrek says that he will own Nitsuj and then bursts free from Copperforge. Nitsuj tries out his new resurrection powers, but find they only grant undeath. Distraught, he joins the others at the Tequila Mockingbird and then on their mission to get the silverblood ore for Jerrot Valmir.

As they return to Copperforge, the orc army approaches. Ora rejects their demands for surrender and battle begins. Nitsuj reluctantly joins the battle from the outcropping above the Main Gate. He recognizes that the demon Thaul Alhoon is riding next to Kurluk. When the odds appear dire, Nitsuj casts his new resurrection spell on Kab the cyclops, who seemingly rises from the dead and rejoin the battle. He also raises many of the fallen gnome soldiers, but half of whom maintain the glassy-eyed expression. He collapses from the effort.

Having been roused by the others and been overrun by wraiths, orcs, and elementals, Nitsuj casts invisibility on himself and the others. He flees into the mountain, but, having been alerted to Starheart's location at the Flintborne's home, goes to get her.

After a brief battle with Thaul Alhoon, Nitsuj and the party flee out the Peak Gate. Nitsuj wants to continue investigating the falling meteor. Arguing about which way to go, the group agrees to travel north to rest. Along the way they discover the bodies dead gnomes, drained of blood by the vampires. Nitsuj is exhausted and passes out mid journey. In the night, Greyflower and Iron Horn bandits attempt to rob the party, but cease when they recognize Starheart. There is a happy reunion as both groups agree to travel north together.

## Traveling North

After resting and bathing in a mountain lake, the party investigates a cave full of treasure. Nitsuj and Ora explores further, revealing the Tomb of the First Quai-Lem. At that moment, Eldin and the vampires attack but are defeated with the help of an angel of Gurnal. After swiftly defeating a mist dragon with the help of the dwarves, the party rests for the night.

The next day, the party returns to the tomb and witnesses Nitsuj reanimate one of the dead Quai, Ulnas, "The Willing." Ulnas explains that the Quai-Lem were banished from the Green Isles and are compelled to travel north to the Glasslands to their death, but he discovered a way for them to sacrifice another soul to gain extra life and resist the deadly cold. He will travel north once again to help his people and rally them against the recently freed Kelrek.

As the party travels north again, they are meet by Klaxxon Carbal and Fizz Binkle, who inform them of the fall of Copperforge. They travel to Thatchweed to attend a dwarven festival of the moon. Nitsuj and Starheart share a dance, but he clumsily rips her dress and they run away from each other, both crying.

The festival is interrupted by an attack by cultists and the theft of the town's central crystal that provides it with its power for the year. The cultists are quickly dealt with and the party learns that they have captured the Sahlite on their black ship and are sailing west with her. The party also recovers the mooncatch stone. It had been stolen by Jerrot Valmir to heal the injured gnomes. Straheart is able to recharge the gem. The festival resumes and Nitsuj shares a dance with Starheart but then leaves when she also dances with Gilbur Mudminer and Paragon Tinytoes. He goes back to the inn and uses a cultist amulet to contact Kelrek, letting him now that he is going to find and kill him.

After the festival, Nitsuj receives a book about mooncatch ore and a bag of holding. Along with the party, the Iron Horn, Klaxxon, Fizz Binkle, Klack Flintborne, the Tinytoes, three dwarves, and the injured gnomes, he travel north toward the Steamfang Mountains. Along the way, the party is attacked by two giant salamanders and survives an avalanche. Realizing the Copperforge in lost, Ora finally decides to blow it up, but not before Kurluk and Thaul Alhoon merge into a singe demonic form.

## The Steamfangs

After another day of travel, the party arrives at Gilborn, but are attacked by a massive dire troll. It is killed with considerable effort, but the party retreats inside the city as more trolls approach. Nitsuj sends Halestorm to investigate, but the heartbeast is captured by a massive troll. Nitsuj is able to cast dimension door out of city and free Halestorm. The two then head east into the forest.