Zash

> Which rule was that...?
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**Zashdusha "Zash" Kuznetsov** is the player-character portrayted by Matt. He is the party's artificer.

## History

### Early Life

For the most part, Zash is fairly private about his personal life, and his past with the party. However, it is known that he had a wife, Glayena, of whom he had a single daughter, Imaina with. Glayena had a peculiar illness akin to a cancer in her bones, that caused her bone structure to change unnaturally. Zash seems to have made attempts to mitigate this.

It is known that Glayena was some sort of fiend, possibly a succubus. It is unclear whether she passed away, or simply returned to her plane of existence.

Zash's daughter and him do not speak frequently anymore. This may be due to the two of them being busy, more than anything. He says, however, that she is doing well, is largely successful, and that he is very proud of her.

Zash has lived in Korstône for a very long time, enough so that he knows most of the notable NPCs in the city by name. He owns a shop in the city, and has earned some repute as the local artificer.

### Pre-Campaign

Just prior to the events of The First Loop, Zash was involved with aiding C.0.R.3 and the other soulforged. He largely did this through providing them with repairs as needed. He seems familiar with many of the soulforged around Korstône, as the two soulforged that C.0.R.3 brings to him for repairs know him by name, and have clearly visited him before. Zash also seems to have a vested interest in ensuring a safe and happy future for the soulforged, just as C.0.R.3 does.

It is clear that C.0.R.3 and Zash spent a good deal of time together prior to the campaign, as evidenced by their interactions. They have similar mannerisms, and C.0.R.3 is familiar with a good percentage of Zash's two-hundred self-set rules for life. They were the only two members of the party to arrive to Urson's house together.

### First Loop

In the first loop, C.0.R.3 and Zash seek employment through Urson - this may be related to C.O.R.3's task to test his capabilty's outside of Korstône. The two arrive at Urson's house and join up with the rest of the party. At this time, C.0.R.3 is disguised as "Adru," a human, to hide that he is a soulforged. Zash knows his true identity, and still keeps it a secret from the rest of the party throughout their first mission.

Zash quickly assumes the role of the party brain, managing organization of the party's items and finances. He also takes a major role in planning the party's course of action. These sharp wits are clearly something Zash values deeply- when he is confronted with his greatest fear in the second episode, he temporarily loses his memories.

When the group returns to Korstône, Zash is reluctant to allow them all over his home, but allows them to stay the night. There, he utilzes his workshop to help repair some of the soulforged C.0.R.3 is familiar with in the city. Though Zash's shop in the city comes in to mention several times, it is not visited, due to the party being in a rush imposed on them by Urson.

Throughout The First Loop, Zash is one of the chief negotiators on the party's plans of action. However, he is typically quick to yield to the whims of other party members, often with some dismay, when they express vested interest in their own ideas. For example, he will typically dip into party funds to help party members afford items they want, no matter how frivolous they may seem.

As the party's travels, NPCs' responses to Zash are largely varied. Some of them take well to him, and he is often one of the key negotiators for the party, along with Nim when they find themselves in tight situations. For example, in Jötenburg, he is able to secure the party a ride to Sealheart Isle by winning a drinking contest against Farengar, the captain of a boating vessel. However, others find his personality difficult to swallow. Ankholt is a prime example of this, often becoming irritated by Zash's lack of filter.

On Sealheart Isle, Zash's primary concern is getting the party safely across the fae-infested island to successfully deliver the pearl, despite heightening emotions. In the dense fae forests, he is faced with his own worst fears once again, as is the rest of the party. Here, he witnesses his daughter dying, as his own memories simultaneously begin to fade. He struggles to recall who she is as he witnesses her death. Like the rest of the party, he struggles to come to grips with this as the illusion fades.

In the temple, Zash helps to disarm the puzzles throughout, even when it is putting himself at risk. His willingness to throw himself at these puzzles head first leads him to put his arm into the apparatus to complete the last puzzle, even after seeing it injure Sparky. This earns him a cursed ring on his finger, of which he can't remove.

Zash is one of the party members who verbally agrees to give Ankholt the pearl, which ironically saves he and C.0.R.3 the guilt of attempting to use it to aid the soulforged.

## Personality

Much of Zash's personality is colored by his age- he has lived beyond the normal lifespan for a dwarf. First and foremost, this gives him a great deal of knowledge that proves useful to the party, and secures his position as a lead decision-maker amongst them. He is familiar with much of the country, and the things the group encounters throughout it. Most notably, he knows nearly everyone notable in Korstône by name, and often attempts to leverage his position as a longstanding city resident when speaking to them.

Conversely, his age has a great effect on his approach to life. Zash often takes risks, or otherwise behaves with a blasé attitude towards his own life, due to the fact that he is more than certain that he will die soon. This may be also why his motives are typically centered around helping others, such as aiding C.0.R.3 and the soulforged.

Zash's main concern for himself is remaining sharp-witted. He thrives on science, routine, and logic. The most notable example of this is the hundreds of rules he's created for himself by which to lead his life, of which comes up multiple times throughout the campaign. Likewise, he keeps a daily checklist that he goes over without fail whenever beginning the day. He passes on these things to C.0.R.3

## Relationships

* **Glayena -** Zash's deceased(?) wife. Zash has expressed on several occasions that he looks forward to seeing his wife again "in hell," meaning this quite literally. Zash still seems to still love his wife very dearly, and often makes fond remarks about her when things remind him of her.
* **Imaina -** Zash's daughter. He says that she is wildly successful, and that he is very proud of her. He seems to not want to "bother" her , and tTheo of them catch up mainly on a once-yearly basis. The party has yet to meet her.
* C.0.R.3 - Zash's protégé, of sorts. The two have spent a considerable amount of time together, seemingly, even pre-campaign. Throughout this time, and extended into the campaign, Zash has been teaching C.0.R.3 many of the tricks of his trade, along with his rules and routines. The two are very close, and often decide things as a pair.

## Trivia

* Zash has the feat *Telekinesis.* According to Matt, he has always been telekinectic in his backstory, though the exact reasoning is unknown. He mainly utilizes this ability to *Levitate* things, often himself.