Nethaniel Wren

## Nethaniel

*"Don't pretend to know me. I have done things that would make your guts clench and accomplished feats you wouldn't believe. I now spend my time following Endee around... not because I am some needy hanger on... but because I need someone to act as my moral compass. Mine is broken. I am broken. But with Endee to cover that deficiency for me, I can function as a whole person. As a person, and not some biological machine."* -Nethaniel Wren

## Background

Nethaniel was born as a love child, but a hybrid. His father was a Drow with pale enough skin and the tenacity to live on the surface without being outright killed by those too intolerant or afraid to not kill a Drow on sight. His mother was a surface Elf that became an adventuring priestess. The two happened to join the same adventuring party, fell in love, and retired when she began showing. Nethaniel was born of that union.

Having his mother's fair skin, it wasn't usually a problem for him to pass as just another normal Elf. However, he has his father's eyes. Eyes that are hazel under sunlight and low light conditions, but that glow amber in the dark. A mutant, with eyes able to see normally in all light levels, blended sight. Most of his childhood was normal, he just had an earlier curfew than other children and didn't talk about his dad to strangers or other children.

But he was eventually found out. Elves have long lives after all, and making friends with Humans that age from childhood to adulthood to old age while their elven friend is still just a young person never has a happy ending. Gerard had been Nethaniel's friend when they were both children, but Gerard grew up, joined an assassin guild, and eventually recalled old memories of how good his childhood friend Nethaniel was at getting into and out of places. Of how he could sneak around so very well in the dark, even though he was a child.

Nethaniel was kidnapped, broken, and trained as an assassin. For the rest of Gerard's life, Nethaniel was the property of the group, as well as a member. By the time he out-lived his captors and had enough of the loyalty of his peers to again take his freedom back into his own hands, he was no longer the child that had been taken from his parents. He found his parents again, but especially his mother was horrified of the young man he had become. Even his father, who understood in his own way, now saw him as a killer instead of a son.

For years afterward, he made his own way. He does send his parents letters from time to time, but he stays well clear of his young sister. Mutual arrangement, as neither he nor his parents want her to be influenced by the man he is now. While he is still a man of violence, as that is mostly all he knows, he had mostly forsaken the path of the assassin. For years he meditated and pilgrimaged to temples of Nethys, a god made from a man with incredible personal will and power, and was eventually granted a divine spark from the god. Power to heal as well as harm, to support as well as tear asunder, to bring hope as well as despair.

He had come to Skyholme to do mercenary work, but met Endee there. A man that built a place for people to be safe and connected wherever he went, and that didn't shy away from violence but that worked to find the moral balance in helping communities to be diverse and healthy. The sort of man that bridged the ideology of Nethaniel's parents and the sort of man he was trying to become. So, he entered a contract of service. Not as an employee, but more of a pact of mutual benefit. Endee is Nethaniel's moral compass and explains his own thought processes in how he makes judgement calls, and Nethaniel protects Endee both on dangerous missions and as a general bodyguard.

## Capabilities

   Nethaniel is fast, very fast when he wants to be. When the need calls for it, he can cover distances unlike most could ever dream without the aid of magic. When magic is involved, he can seem to teleport around a battlefield by how much ground he can cover in mere seconds.

A relic of his time as an assassin, Mr Wren is a professional when it comes to poisons. He handles and applies them like only a specialist or professional can. He never fears infecting himself with his own poisons, even when having a clumsy moment.

As a vow to Nethys, he does not put faith in armor or shields. His faith in Nethys protects him. This extreme faith aids in his supernatural ability to instinctively judge where an enemy strike will pass, making his ability to dodge strikes and hits or evade spells otherworldly. However, when something does land a hit on him there isn't any equipment he wears between outside harm and his body.

While not a true master of weapons, Nethaniel has mastered a subset of weapons appropriate for his calling. He favors fist weapons, a quarterstaff, daggers, or throwing blades, but can make use of some other types of weapons if necessary.

Nethys grants him divine magic and powers to heal and protect allies. While he lacks the studied devotion of temple clerics or valiant paladins, it is an edge that can make his touch bring debilitating woe to foes or healing and hope to allies as he zips around the battlefield.

 Wondrous Attunements

## Xenoalchemy Attachments

Acid, 60ft, Cone, 8d6