Ezhmaar Sul

Sul and the spirit of his wife, Ilzheven

**Ezhmaar Sul**, known only as Sul to those he meets, is a male drow warrior from the Queendom of Webberast. Once a misguided member of a Cult of Nathair alongside his wife Ilzheven, Sul is now dedicated to the destruction of Nathair and his followers ever since they betrayed him and sacrificed his wife for their cause. He travels across Aigora searching for Nathair cults and putting them to the sword. Due to certain magics that he does not fully understand, Sul is haunted by the spirit of his wife, which he believes is the source of his holy power.

## History

Sul was born a commoner in the Queendom of Webberast, a matriarchal society of drow ruled with an iron grip by its queen. He was trained from youth to be a soldier for the Queendom, and it was during this time that he met Ilzheven, who was being trained in the ways of a cleric. As they grew older they grew closer, culminating in a marriage when they were in their 50s (it was considered foolish for elves to marry so young, but Sul and Ilzheven paid no mind to the whispers). As the years went on, the couple became increasingly frustrated by the oppression of the Queendom, and when they were approached by someone offering a chance at freedom, they leapt at the opportunity.

They were invited to join a Cult of Nathair. Neither Sul or Ilzheven had ever heard of this mysterious entity, but members of the cult described him as a patron of freedom who could help them topple the monarchy and give equal rights to all in Webberast. They quickly rose through the ranks in the cult until they were entrusted with a secret project; an artifact was to be made that would drain the power of the Webberast Matrons. Working with the leader of the cult, Tel'rann, they successfully made an artifact capable of this, but there was one drawback; it required souls to fuel its power. It was during this project that Tel'rann confessed his love for Ilzheven, but she did not reciprocate and remained with Sul.

The decision was made that only the souls of criminals sentenced to death would be used, and so it began. Eventually, Tel'rann realized that certain souls were capable of powering the artifact for much longer than other souls, so he began using even criminals who weren't sentenced to death in an attempt to find more of these potent souls. Sul and Ilzheven began to object, worrying that they would soon be crossing a dangerous line, but Tel'rann swore that everything they were doing was for the greater good. Ilzheven began to look deeper into the cult and Nathair, eventually learning the truth about the lying "god" and confronting Tel'rann. Tel'rann revealed that the artifact was actually being using in an attempt to bring Nathair fully into Aigora, and before Ilzheven could tell Sul she was captured and set to be used to fuel the artifact.

While Tel'rann claimed that Ilzheven's soul was a prime candidate to fuel the artifact, Sul believed that the real reason she was being used was either because she had rejected Tel'rann or because she had discovered something about that cult that was being hidden. Either way, Sul refused to sacrifice his wife and attacked Tel'rann while he was performing the ritual to consume Ilzheven's soul. Using his greatsword, Sul struck the artifact, which shattered and released a powerful blast of magic. The blast destroyed the artifact and killed Tel'rann, but Sul was spared. He was, however, too late to save his wife. He felt a new power coursing through him and watched as his shattered blade reformed with magical energy, and the spirit of his wife appeared before him to explain the truth about Nathair. Armed with this new knowledge and power, Sul swore to hunt down and destroy any cults of Nathair across Aigora. With his devotion to his wife and her spirit granting him the powers of a paladin, and the primordial power of the shattered artifact turning him into a hexblade, Sul became a formidable opponent against the Deceiver and his followers.

## Personality

While Sul is haunted by his wife's death, in honor of her he tries to not let that define his life. At first glance he's very stoic, taciturn, and intimidating, but once he warms up to someone he can show that he still enjoys life and laughter. Sul is slow to trust, but once you've earned that trust he'll put his life on the line for you. On the opposite end, once you've made an enemy of him he will stop at almost nothing to bring you down. Though he is dedicated to defeating Nathair, his time in the cult has given him an extreme distaste for the "greater good" mentality, and believes that anyone who sacrifices or hurts people in order to further a cause is a lazy coward and instantly taints said cause. He has a code of honor that he can be unyielding on.

## Relationships

* The Weastern Pirates: Although having only recently met the Weastern Pirates, Sul has heard much of their adventures and of their dedication to halting Nathair's plans. He believes that they are fated to defeat Nathair and is ready to fight alongside them when the time comes.
* Desmond Blannis: When he first met Desmond, Sul thought that he would be a strong ally against Nathair, but he quickly learned that the dragonborn was rather inept, especially compared to the Weasterners. When he learned that Desmond killed his own wife for what he claimed was the greater good, Sul lost any last shred of respect for him.