Sarith Kzekarit

**Sarith Kzekarit** is a drow warrior and scout that once served House Mizzrym of Menzoberranzan. During a scouting mission to Neverlight Grove and its environs, he was infected with demonic spores that sent him into a slow descent into demonic madness. After being imprisoned by his former masters at Velkynvelve for murder, Sarith joined a party of slaves in escaping from the drow. The infected drow continued to travel with these ex-slaves following their escape, encouraging them to travel to Neverlight Grove due to a calling from Zuggtmoy. Through the efforts of this adventuring party, Sarith was eventually cured of his infection before it fully consumed him.

Sarith Kzekarit is a sidekick NPC in the currently ongoing *Out of the Abyss* adventure.

## Description

Sarith is a male drow with dark gray skin and bone-white hair. He stands tall at about 5 feet and 4 inches (1.6 meters) and weighs about 140 pounds (63.5 kilograms). Prior to being infected with demonic spores, Sarith had the blood red eyes common to his race. After his infection, this eye color would become orange and his pupils became impossible to see under the infection. Sarith's infection would go on to visibly manifest as small growths on under his eyes, on his forehead and his left cheek, as well as large patches on his neck and left shoulder.

Upon being cured of his demonic infection, all of the tissue that had undergone fungal growth or scarring took on a bone-white and dead color similar to that of his hair. His eyes did not return to their original color, instead becoming a very pale red color with difficult to see pupils that gave off the false appearance of blindness.

## Personality

Sarith's personality has been shaped by his life as a drow male in Lolth-Sworn Menzoberranzan, his early experiences with demons, and his later infection by madness-inducing spores. He has the same tendencies of self-preservation, prejudice, and superiority seen in most other drow elves, along with the 'male' and lowborn quality of seeking leadership in others- even when those others are neither drow nor female. What set him apart from others of his society and station initially was the bond he formed a priestess in his youth, his sister Elerra Mizzrym. Though she was his elder, she was born a commoner like him and was protective- though a bit domineering over him. Her skills led to her adoption by the Matron of House Mizzrym, and Sarith advanced more than others of his caste due to both his own skill and his relation to her.

Ultimately, her skills marked as the greatest priestess of her graduation year from Menzoberranzan, leading her to be chosen to mate with a glabrezu demon at their shared graduation ceremony. Elerra never recovered from the ceremony, though it was 'successful'. Her death while giving birth to a draegloth child led Sarith to have a bitter and antagonistic relationship with her half-fiend son, and it drove him to have a distaste for all things abyssal for the rest of his life. If it had not been for later events destroying any chance for him to continue living in Menzoberranzan, this festering hate for demons would have likely led to blasphemy against Lolth, and likely his death.

Unfortunately, this aversion to the Abyss did not save Sarith from demonic infection, which drove him mad with an obsession of answering the call of the Demon Queen Zuggtmoy and bringing his infection to the myconids of Neverlight Grove. The infection made Sarith obsessive and occasionally euphoric, but a majority of the time the infection forced Sarith into a state that made him relive old memories and traumas that shaped him in his youth. During the duration of the infection he remained mostly in denial of his own sickness, with his aversion to demons twisted by the infection to make him severely paranoid of people around him being tainted by fiends. As a result of the infection forcing him into a vulnerable state many times during his travels with the party, Sarith was forced to slowly adapt to working alongside a group that he would've considered himself better than only months before.

After being cured through the efforts of the party, Sarith's obsessive and euphoric behavior came to an end. Though he remains forgetful and occasionally lethargic following the cure, the experience has humbled the drow warrior enough to make him start treating his surfacer allies with some begrudging respect.

## History

### Early Life

Sarith was born in the year 1243 DR to Zilvra Kzekarit, a commoner and soldier whose lowborn house had served House Mizzrym for generations. He never knew his father, though neither did his mother, for she lacked a proper consort and had conceived Sarith by complete accident. Just twenty years prior to Sarith being born, Zilvra had also given birth to a healthy and capable girl named Elerra, who in drow tradition, would be tasked with properly taking care of Sarith in his younger years. Elerra was both kind and harsh to her younger brother in his early childhood, serving both as the primary caretaker as well as the cold teacher who taught the young drow his place in the world. This, however, lasted only five years.

At the age of twenty-five, Zilvra was called upon by the First Priestess of House Mizzrym, who saw clerical potential in the young woman in reported this potential to Matron Mother Miz'ri Mizzrym. Matron Mizzrym put Elerra through her own tests, and it was decided that Lolth had favored the young woman, so she would be a good addition to Noble House. Elerra was adopted into House Mizzrym then, bringing both her mother and brother into a higher station as a result. Zilvra, though she remained a commoner, was given higher honors than before for bringing Elerra into the world, even if she'd lost the right to call herself Elerra's mother. Sarith, though he was too young at the time to realize the huge shift in lifestyle, was also given a bit more privilege, for now he was destined for schooling at the Academy of Tier Breche.

### Time at Melee-Magthere

Sarith spent the next twenty years under the tutelage of his mother and other honored warriors of House Mizzrym, until he was ready to join the ranks of Melee-Magthere at the age of twenty-five. By then, Elerra had managed to be brought into the Academy at the early age of thirty, meaning she'd had fifteen years of clerical education before her younger brother was once again within reach. Although it was forbidden for her leave Arach-Tinileth, Sarith was reunited with his sister many times during his schooling, for she always seemed to find a way to sneak out and question her younger brother on his new life. While Sarith initially found it grating to have a sibling he barely knew constantly visiting, he came to actually love his sister- though he disguised this familial affection as an ambition to improve through his familial connections.

Unbeknownst to Sarith, Elerra's many visits were in fact known to the teachers of Arach-Tinileth, but only allowed because she had exceeded expectations for a student of her age, and was rapidly climbing the ranks of the academy at a previously unprecedented rate. Ambitious Elerra was something of a protege of the Matron Mistress of Arach-Tinileth, Triel Baenre, and it was this connection that allowed her to form a bond with her younger brother. It was also this connection that eventually spelled Elerra's doom.

In 1278 DR, when Sarith reached thirty-five years of age and Elerra had reached fifty-five, the two were slated to graduate at the same time. For Sarith, this graduation was normal. Not only had he completed ten years of education, but he had been one of the more capable students in his class- clearly meant for a job as a scout or spy to House Mizzrym. Elerra's graduation, however, was abnormal. Not only had she entered Arach-Tinileth early, but now her schooling was coming to a close around twenty-five years earlier than most students. Her skill, the favor of the Spider Queen, and more importantly being the pawn of Mistress Triel Baenree, put Elerra at top of her graduation class- making her the focus of the academy's debased graduation ceremony. Elerra Mizzrym was given the 'privilege' of mating with a summoned glabrezu demon, an act she barely survived. Sarith, being present at said ceremony, was understandably horrified.

Once graduated and returned to their House, Elerra was welcomed as a victorious and honored daughter, while Sarith was quickly incorporated into the House Army with no extra thought. Elerra recovered briefly and visited him frequently in the next few months, but this recovery didn't last. Nine months after graduation, Elerra died bringing a draegloth child into the world- stripping Sarith of the only loving familial connection he had, as well as all his prospects for advancement. Sarith mourned her loss, as much a drow like him could mourn, and from that experience he gained an intense distaste for all-things Abyssal. In his mind, the favor of Lolth, and the half-fiend it had spawned, had killed his sister.

### Service to House Mizzrym

In the two centuries that followed the loss of Elerra and his graduation from Melee-Magthere, Sarith Kzekarit served House Mizzyrm dutifully, even if a distaste for the Spider Queen and the drow tendency to accept demonic influences was only growing within him. In 1371 DR he served in the armies that destroyed Blingdenstone in retaliation for them aiding the defenders of Mithral Hall. Though he was not within the walls of Menzoberranzan a year later when the Prophet Syrzan led a slave revolt while the priesthood was in disarray, Sarith would be recalled to the city in the revolt's aftermath. From there he become a member of the Army of the Spider Queen, who had been gathered to defend Menzoberranzan during the Silence of Lolth. During his service to this gathered host, he survived the defeat at the Pillars of Woe, and would continue to serve throughout the siege of Menzoberranzan by the forces of Gracklstugh and the Scoured Legion. The siege of Menzoberranzan, and Sarith's service to the Army of the Spider Queen, would end in 1373 DR, after the Silence of Lolth came to an end.

After the conclusion of the crisis, Sarith was part of the joint forces of Houses Mizzrym, Vandree, and Duskryn sent to establish the outpost of Velkynvelve in the Middledark. He came to prefer life at the slaver outpost, for there, he'd never have to deal with the priestesses of his house, barring the Mistress Ilvara Mizzrym. At Velkynvelve, his memory regarding maps, waymarkers, and navigation were put to good use, allowing him to spend long periods of time traveling with only a few other scouts, far away from Ilvara or her junior Asha. With all hope of advancement being crushed early on, he learned how to feel fulfilled as just a loyal follower- at least until his life was turned upside down by the Rage of Demons...

## Relationships

### Arius

One of the former prisoners of Velkynvelve, Arius took part in the same escape from Velkynvelve that would mark a turning point in Sarith's life. The two scarcely spoke at first due to their inability to communicate through a shared language, meaning that they need to rely on either Stool's rapport spores and translation by their party members. As a result of this lack of communication, as well as Sarith's abyssal madness and sour personality, their relationship was purely adversarial for many months. After he was cured of his madness, Sarith was grateful enough to the party to treat them with some respect, which allowed the relationship between he and Arius to improve. Though they are far from close and are still limited in their communication, now Arius pretends Sarith is a great friend while Sarith tolerates his weird suggestions. Sarith allowed himself to be marked as a member of Arius' tribe, as he cared enough about not disrespecting the Aasimar to accept the offer.

### Balok Mizzrym

Sarith's nephew by blood, Balok was born from the union of Elerra Mizzrym and the glabrezu Bizmatec. His strenuous birth resulted in Elerra's early death, something Sarith blamed him for. Due to Sarith's status as a commoner he was never present in Balok's first few years, though as the draegloth matured, the two were made to fight in the same battles. Both Sarith and Balok fought in the Army of the Black Spider, and both took part in the sacking of Blingdenstone in the year 1372 DR. Sarith made his enmity for the half-fiend clear, and Balok returned this hatred back on to his uncle- though the draegloth never acknowledged the blood connection between the two of them. As far as the draegloth is concerned, his mother is Matron Mother Miz'ri- and Sarith is nothing more than a disrespectful scout in his Matron's retinue. On the other hand, Sarith finds it difficult to even be around the half-fiend, seeing many of sister's traits in her demonic scion. The enmity between the two of them came close to being a bloodbath after the Sacking of Blingdenstone, but commands by the priestesses of House Mizzrym prevented the draegloth from harming the scout. Since leaving Menzoberranzan to serve Ilvara Mizzrym, Sarith has not seen his nephew.

## Gallery

Sarith Kzekarit at an early stage of his infection.Sarith Kzekarit after being cured of his infection. Art by @goodboybonesyClose-up of Sarith, by @goodboybonesySarith's Token during *Out of the Abyss*.