Nix

* Nix
* Nix without his mask

### Aliases

Great White; Admiral Stonewall; Private Yee Haw; Reaper (to the King's Court); Cassian O'Daire (stolen identity)

### Affiliation

Shark Head (member), Whitecliff University (ally)

### Occupation

Assassin, Enforcer, Shark Head lieutenant, Adventurer

## Biographical information

### Date of death

circa 404 P.A. (1st death); 14th of Merend, 406 P.A. (2nd death, immediate revival)

### Place of death

Somewhere in the Markavian Ocean (1st death); Red Wake, Port Dairwane (2nd death)

## Physical description

### Eye color

White

**Nix** is a changeling warlock (born circa 380 P.A.) from Port Dairwane, in the Republic of Luxengrand. Growing up with the Shark Head criminal syndicate from a young age, he was trained in subterfuge and martial combat, making him well-suited for enforcement and assassination. After his death at sea brought him into contact with an otherworldly being named Nedeker, Nix became a warlock under this being's service, using his skills and the powers granted to him by his patron to collect the souls of sinners.

## History

### Childhood

Before he was known as Nix, the young half-elf Valeer grew up in the Shallows District of Port Dairwane, near the city's harbor. Never knowing his mother and believing his father dead, he had to rely on the rare goodwill of strangers and his own nimble fingers to survive on the streets. Valeer snatched fruits and bread from market stalls, picked loose pockets from inattentive buyers, and grabbed loose coins from the plates of other, more mean-spirited beggars. He barely made enough to get a decent meal, and while he got better over time, there were moments where he would come up short for days at a time.

One day, after nearly a week of failed attempts, Valeer saw a golden opportunity in the form of a large coin purse hanging from the belt loop of a large man. While the man spoke with a dockmaster in front of his door, the boy rushed from behind a stack of crates and grabbed the purse - only to find it attached to a short chain tied to the man's pants. In a flash, the man grabbed Valeer's arm, his one, massive hand covering the boy's rail-thin arms and lifting him in the air. Valeer looked in the face of a hammer-head shark bearing a furious expression, before it softened into bemused curiosity.

The man gave Valeer an offer: he could let the urchin go and let him starve on the streets, or he could take Valeer in and give him a new home with his outfit. Seeing no better options, the boy accepted the man's invitation, and was accepted into the rising Shark Head gang.

### Shark Head

By the time Valeer joined Shark Head, the gang had barely gained a foothold in Port Dairwane. The man, introducing himself as a sekolin named Bovark, had set up a base of operations under one of Dairwane's docks, after he killed another gang leader for the territory. A damp, dark sewer was hardly a place for a child to sleep in, but it was better than being exposed to the elements.

Bovark's decision to take in Valeer was met with some objections. Some members argued that they couldn't afford to spend resources supporting a child, and that he would prove a liability if he led any authorities back to them. These objections were quickly shut down by Bovark, and no one dared to raise a finger against the boy for fear of retaliation.

This was not to say that Bovark gave Valeer an easy life. Not long after giving the boy room and board, Bovark set him to work scouting out locations and delivering messages. Valeer wouldn't be picking pockets anymore, at least not as a living. As a small street kid, he could pass among folks innocuously, and he could sneak into spaces most adults would struggle to fit through. Over the following years, Valeer became a swift, stealthy courier for Shark Head.

After Valeer proved his mettle, Bovark had two of his men help train the boy to fight. Training was harsh and brutal, with Valeer sparring with men twice his size and fighting in unusual terrain. He suffered countless bruises from wooden swords, sucker punches, and falls down slippery stairs or thin railings, but he persisted in every battle. Eventually, he was able to go toe-to-toe with some of Bovark's best at the age of 13.

Valeer can't remember the first time he killed someone, only that he was fairly young when he did. Whatever the case, his success seemed to impress Bovark enough to earn him a position as an enforcer and assassin for the gang, and he became a favored candidate for such assignments. Some members claimed Bovark held some sort of favoritism towards Valeer, but none of them ever mentioned it to his face. Perhaps there was some truth to their gossip, or perhaps they were just the grumblings of jealous peers.

When Valeer became an adult, he elected to take a stint as an escort for Shark Head. This decision sparked some confusion with Bovark, but he allowed the young man to do so. Thus, between knocking skulls and stabbing backs, Valeer would earn his keep in the backrooms of the Red Wake, discovering that most clients actually paid the escorts for a drink and a nice conversation, instead of the more salacious activities he was expecting to perform.

### Moira

One day, while taking a personal day out in Dairwane, Valeer heard a group of women calling for help, and found a woman drowning in the harbor holding a dog in her arms. Without hesitation, he dove into the water and pulled her out, freeing her leg trapped between a couple of rocks. The young woman introduced herself as Moira, and thanked the young man for saving her life. Before he left to the Red Wake, Moira asked him if he would join her at a nearby cafe later that day. Impressed and slightly taken aback by her assertive request, Valeer agreed to meet her there.

### The Wavebreaker Incident

Around 404 P.A., Valeer was assigned to assassinate Captain Jirakh Stormblood, captain of the Wavebreaker and supposedly a veteran of Luxengrand's navy. Joining him were a small group of specialized members of Shark Head, each one given a particular task to complete the job. Among this group were included Lonzo Grimjaw, Obed Artani, and Visha Shoreseeker. The client, Jin Alastair, asked the group to kill Captain Stormblood aboard his vessel while at sea, and to retrieve an item from the captain's store.

Valeer remembers little of that fateful day, only that in the middle of a raging storm, he was stabbed in the back and dropped into the sea. As the cold, dark water surrounded Valeer, the sounds of the roaring storm quieted, and the life faded from him.

### Nedeker

Instead of the misty fields of Asphodel, however, he found himself in a black void, surrounded by wavering, ghostly shapes. From this cloud of spirits emerged a great, spectral shark, whose body emitted a haunting, green glow, and from which a chill mist poured out in its wake. The now-nameless half-elf, barely lucid in this strange limbo of life and death, had little time to comprehend the sight before him before the great shark spoke to him.

This entity, introducing itself as Nedeker, revealed that the half-elf had perished at sea, having been stabbed in the back and tossed to the sharks. Just as Bovark did for him all those years ago, Nedeker gave the half-elf two choices: serve him by gathering the souls of those who "did not deserve the lives they had taken for themselves," or surrender himself to the Grey, where his sinful soul would surely find damnation. Fearful of what death had in store for him, the half-elf formed a pact with Nedeker.

When he next woke, the nameless soul found himself lying face-up on a beach due north of Port Dairwane, in the middle of an old, small shipwreck. Most of his memories were lost to him, and the few that remained were dark and unpleasant. He looked at his reflection in a filthy, broken mirror, and did not recognize the face that looked back at him. In accordance with his new identity, the soul named himself Nix.

Armed with a magical list and a weapon indicating the pact he had forged with his patron, Nix set out to complete his work for Nedeker. Over the following two years, word spread of a vigilante slaughtering wanted criminals, but no one could agree on what the killer looked like. Some said it was a filthy-looking human vagrant with a scruff beard and a lazy eye; others claimed it was an alluring, red-haired elf with a scar across her cheek shaped like a star; still others claimed it was a half-orc with bright, yellow eyes that could steal a soul with a glare. Whatever the case, the witnesses described a few details in common between these strange killers: each of them carried a weapon made of a deep, green metal, and carried the scent of blood and seawater with them.

### Joining the Party

Before Nix started his gruesome task, he successfully applied for a license with the Luxengrand Adventurer's Guild, allowing him a way to make a living while looking for targets from town-to-town. Nix traveled with multiple groups over the following years, typically leaving before any of them suspected him for the cause of the gruesome murders that seemed to follow them wherever they went. Eventually, thanks to the guild's resources, he was joined with Alix, Elendar, and Ginny, working with them for some months on a handful of odd jobs. In between finding lost cats in haunted houses and keeping old ladies company, Nix crossed more and more names off his list, hoping that his new party wouldn't grow suspicious. Luckily for him, Alix was too focused on his inventions and infusions to care, and Ginny was too distracted by the new sights to notice in the first place. Only Elendar seemed concerned about Nix's disappearances, but apparently respected his privacy enough not to press his activities.

## Description

**Race:** Changeling

**Class:** Warlock, The Fathomless

### Appearance

*(From Nix's Physical Description)*

"Nix is a 6 foot 2 pale male with completely white eyes and hair, which he wears in a ponytail. His eyes are sunken, and he has a mask over his mouth and nose. He wears a worn blue overcoat with a shirt underneath and dark grey boots. On his left hand, he as a gauntlet with a crossbow mounted on the underside. On his side, he carries a blade made of seemingly whale bones and a strange green metal. Underneath his mask, he has a wider, almost cut open mouth, with jagged and uneven shark like teeth inside. His nose lacks normal nostrils, instead being flatter and having slits."

Nix can summon spectral sharks that attack and hinder foes, bearing a slight resemblance to Nedeker himself. However, each shark has a distinct appearance and personality, inspiring Nix to give each one a name. Below are a few sharks that have been revealed so far:

* Big Slammu
* Jabberjaw
* Banshee

### Equipment

#### Pact Weapon

Nix wields a weapon made of what appear to whale bones and an unidentified green metal, which he can conjure and dismiss with a quick motion. This weapon can take any form Nix desires, so long as it can function as a known weapon, but he typically summons it in the form of a curved greatsword or cutlass/sabre. The weapon itself is magical and invested with a measure of Nedeker's power, which manifests whenever Nix slices or punctures a creature with the blade. If Nix kills a creature with the weapon, or touches it upon a creature that has died within the past 24 hours, the weapon absorbs the victim's soul if they were an evil creature, sending it to Nedeker's formless domain.

#### The List

Nix also carries a magical list that manifests the names of creatures whose souls Nedeker wants. The name of an evil creature whose sins were particularly heinous may appear on Nix's list, in which case Nix often receives some reward or accolade for successfully collecting that creature's soul. For each name crossed off the list, Nix's supernatural abilities are further bolstered, manifesting as new spells and invocations, as well as special abilities known only to Nedeker that allow Nix greater success in his missions.

The list is a 10-inch wide parchment that rolls up like a scroll, and unfurls to a length of a little over six feet (slightly longer than Nix's height). Attempts to write on the parchment result in the ink disappearing, seeming to sink into the parchment like stones in water. Additionally, if parchment is torn from the list, the ripped piece disappears, and the list retains its original shape. Despite its immutable form, the list isn't impenetrable, and can be stabbed or burned; however, there doesn't seem to be any means of destroying the list.

The nature of the list is not fully understood; while it does communicate Nedeker's desired souls to Nix, it doesn't list a soul until Nix has either heard the creature's name, or until the soul has been collected. This may indicate that the list is not Nedeker itself, but some manifestation of his power that enacts his will mechanically, recording information on the souls Nix collects or seeking information on an uttered name. It likely has the ability to detect whether a creature by that name remains on the Material Plane, as it displays the names of lost or "irretrievable" souls in different fonts or colors.

The list even considers two aliases of the same creature as distinct names, as seen with Vekel Finespindle and The Prowler. Before Nix pieced together that the watchman of the Laughing Skulls and Veltear's infamous kidnapper were one and the same, the list divided the two, combining them only after Nix figured it out.

#### Wrist-Mounted Crossbow

Equipped on one of Nix's arms is a small, wrist-mounted crossbow attached to an armguard, which he can hide under his sleeve when not in use. Nix created this device as Valeer, which was initially an ineffective weapon that needed fine-tuning from an artificer at Shark Head. After being reforged at Krom and Sons Smithing, the armguard now offers additional benefits, including a hidden compartment under the wrist for hiding small objects, as well as a heavier crossbow for more deadly shots. Nix uses the crossbow to fire more silent shots, and has specialized bolts that can briefly disable foes.

#### Other Items

Besides these remarkable tools, Nix also wears a *cloak of displacement*, a magical cloak crafted from the hide of a displacer beast that gives him a measure of the creature's illusory powers. This cloak creates a faint duplicate of Nix, not convincing enough to trick a viewer, but distracting enough to obscure his movements in battle, sometimes causing attackers to miss an already nimble target.

Whenever he needs additional magic power, Nix pulls out a *coin of the pact keeper*, a token of Nedeker's favor which augments his spells and lets him recover an expended spell slot when he flips it. He likes to speak to the coin as if talking directly to Nedeker, in a gesture that rarely yields a response.

### Abilities

As a result of his pact with Nedeker, Nix was transformed into a pale-skinned humanoid with shark-like features, whose anatomy shares several properties with that of a changeling. While not technically a traditional changeling, he shares a changeling's talent for subterfuge and its shapechanging ability, allowing him to take on the form of a humanoid creature of roughly the same size and with the same basic arrangement of limbs. Unlike most changelings, however, Nix's teeth remain unchanged, and often cause small lacerations in his gums and cheeks while transformed. Nix can adjust his jaw slightly and rearrange his teeth in such a way that they don't immediately spark suspicion when a creature sees them, but it causes greater discomfort the longer he is transformed. Whenever he reverts to his original form, he typically has to spit out blood, causing him to favor his original form rather than taking on a different one.

Nix's pact with his patron also grants him various supernatural abilities. In addition to his pact weapon and list, Nedeker grants him several spells, abilities, and invocations to assist in his tasks.

#### Spells

Nix rarely expends spell slots outside of combat, preferring his other abilities to help sneak around and distract targets. In battle, however, he has several options that make him well-suited for close quarters combat. His *shadow blade* serves as a reliable replacement to his pact weapon while in darkened areas, becoming more potent and accurate in dimly-lit conditions. On rare occasions where he needs to use artillery, he can conjure a *lightning bolt* in the form of an electric eel to incinerate foes gathered in a line. When facing distant or fleeing targets, his *dimension door* and *thunder step* can quickly close the distance, surprising his quarry and granting him access to otherwise hard-to-reach locations.

#### Magical Gifts

Nedeker fulfills the roles of various patrons, usually fitting the manner in which his followers met their ends. Nix, having fallen at sea, is granted the powers of the Fathomless. He can use these powers to summon shark spirits that harm and hinder foes, as well as protect nearby allies. Additionally, Nix can breathe underwater and swim as easily as a creature born to the water. He can even communicate with underwater creatures, as well as resist the effects of cold conditions.

Beyond the gifts of the Fathomless, Nix has two other abilities granted to him by Nedeker, both of which let him slay targets more quickly. One allows him to launch phantasmal harpoons at hostile creatures, making them more susceptible to his attacks. The other conjures the spirits of creatures whose names are marked on the list, manifesting either as servants that can follow simple, harmless commands, or as vengeful phantoms that harm victims attacked by Nix's sharks.

#### Invocations

Nedeker imparts ancient, magical secrets upon Nix for his successes in gathering souls, augmenting his senses and fighting ability. Nix possesses darkvision that allows him to see through magical darkness, similar to a devil. After focusing for a moment, Nix can also peer through solid objects and barriers as though they were transparent, letting him find hidden threats and targets. In combat, Nix can swing his pact weapon with uncanny speed and power, making quick slashes that harry foes. If he lands a solid hit, he can infuse the weapon with eldritch power that can knock a victim on its back, opening them up for a killing blow.

### Personality

Nix is often precise and professional, typically acting as a voice of reason alongside Elendar when the party is faced with a difficult situation. On a few occasions, he appears overly cautious and has no desire to take unnecessary risks that could endanger others. This caution, much more often than not, is well-warranted.

Having grown up in the criminal underworld, Nix is used to dealing with unsavory elements, and has no patience for bullies. He never escalates a situation against a hostile element, but isn't afraid to rise to meet a challenge, usually cowing troublemakers with his intimidating presence. On the other hand, life growing up in a gang of hardened criminals has also given Nix an appreciation for dark and crass humor. When faced with a serious situation, he likes to defuse tension with a grim joke or a suggestive remark, especially if Elendar is around to hear it. He is even subject to bouts of light humor, using his shapechanging abilities to turn into strangers and friends to mock them.

In battle, Nix mixes playful taunts with violent threats, using the former to upset dangerous foes, and the latter to demoralize terrified grunts. He dislikes prolonging fights, seeking to take out key targets quickly before he and the party can be worn down.

## Major Targets

Nix has a handful of important targets whose souls he has been instructed to take. The following are the names of major targets that Nedeker encourages Nix to kill, whether because of their responsibility for Nix's death, or because of some great trespass they have committed against Nedeker himself.

* Lonzo Grimjaw, deceased and collected
* Obed Artani, living
* Visha Shoreseeker, living
* Coal, living
* Zelek Umbyrne, living

## Inter-Party Relationships

### Alix

Nix respects Alix's intelligence, though he finds the artificer's recklessness amusing at best, and grating at worst. He and Alix share a disdain for authority, and the warlock likes to see the inventor hard at work on his tank project, even if it results in sleepless nights for him. However, Alix's detachment from the party on two occasions in the Wailing Waif Cavern resulted in Nix scolding him after completing their task, the first and only time he has directed any ire towards the artificer. This incident had no lasting impact on their relationship, and the two maintain, at minimum, a professional respect.

### Elendar

Nix appears to enjoy Elendar's company the most between the rest of the party, as the two often hold conversations with each other. The warlock takes particular enjoyment out of teasing the serious-minded sorcerer, sneaking innuendoes and soft mockeries in playful banter.

In private, the two are comfortable confiding in each other, with each party showing a genuine concern for the other's wellbeing. Nix is concerned for Elendar's anxiety, which spawns from him trying to keep the party safe as well as his fears of his past coming back to haunt him. While neither Nix nor Elendar have admitted to any romantic interest in the other, they show a deep affection for each other that reveals itself in actions more often than in words.

### Ginny

Nix shows a brotherly attitude towards Ginny, who often looks at situations with the wonder and curiosity of a child. He trusts Ginny can keep herself safe in whatever situation she finds herself in, but that doesn't stop him from trying to protect her from people who may threaten her. This protective instinct has shown up in two situations: the first was during her "meet-up" with Jerove, who Nix threatened to hurt if he did anything untowards against her, while the second was with Vekel Finespindle, who regarded Ginny with a disturbing look. In any case, Nix is less worried about Ginny hurting herself than he is about the paladin getting herself or others in trouble.

### Quinn

Nix knows little about the young gunslinger, who he refers to as "the kid," but he recognizes his fighting ability after seeing him in action defending Adelaide from the King's Court. He doesn't expect to get well-acquainted with Quinn, but Nix hopes that the party can keep him in good health, and that Quinn does the same for the party.

## Out-of-Party Relationships

Nix went out for dinner with Weaver and Liz, the tabaxi owners of a popular clothing shop in Port Dairwane known as the Dapper Den. The two seemed interested in Nix's adventuring career, though Liz seemed distracted with the fine food at the White Orchard restaurant. Nix feels awkward for apparently brushing off another meeting with Weaver, though the tabaxi either forgot the appointment or has already forgiven him for it.

Before leaving the Red Wake to run errands, Nix encountered a nervous halfling named Lindabelle, who was later revealed to be a secretary for Port Dairwane's Magister, Brigham Walfrey. A conversation with her at the Red Wake, in which she was able to relax and open up to Nix, revealed that she employs Shark Head for personal tasks as well as to assist the magister's office with deals under-the-table. A mischievous yet friendly sort, Lindabelle doesn't appear to have close friends at the Red Wake, but seems to enjoy Nix's company.

Nix showed some concern for a shifter named Noster Wormtail, one of the alchemists for the Laughing Skulls gang in Veltear. Noster seemed to be receiving less than his fair share for the work he put in for the gang, so Nix advocated for better treatment on his behalf before Saval dismissed his suggestions. Nix extended an invitation for Noster to work for Shark Head instead, which the shifter seems to be seriously considering.

## Achievements

* Collected the soul of Lonzo Grimjaw, enacting his revenge on one of the people who wronged him
* Convinced Bovark to spare Kenshi and Marco, two thieves who tried to steal from him as well as attacked him during their escape attempt from the Blood Pool, and instead hire them to make them pay off their debts.
* Slew three lieutenants of the King's Court and collected the souls of seven
* Discovered the identity of the infamous Prowler of Veltear
* Became captain of his own vessel on the Sea of Souls, one of the manifestations of Nedeker's plane

## Trivia

* Nix's design is inspired by the playable character Pyke from the Riot-developed MOBA League of Legends. The two characters share similarities in appearance, abilities, and story: both are masked men with a shark theme, both use blades and magic to slay and hinder enemies, and both use their deaths at the hands of traitorous compatriots as motives for revenge and murderous acts. They also bear lists that hold the name of sinners, though Pyke's list is not as picky about its targets as Nix's might be.
* Nix's origin is similar to the stories of revenants. While a revenant is sometimes a catch-all term for a person who returns from the dead after an extended period of time, several popular stories surrounding revenants, including across adventures in Dungeons & Dragons, describe them as people who rise after suffering violent deaths and who seek revenge against their wrongdoers.
* Nix makes appearances in other campaigns as a non-player character. Similar to his Kaldaran version, Nix collects the souls of "those who do not deserve the lives they live" on behalf of Nedeker, and possesses magical abilities and items that enhance his skirmishing skills.