Nero Arctis

* Unmasked
* Masked

*For the Blood Crusade timeline version of Nero Arctis, see 'Punished' Nero*

> Good darkning!
>
> -Nero Arctis

Nero Arctis was a dark elf Ranger and a member of the Sanguine Saviors. He was played by Gage McMillin-Baur.

Nero was a noble of House Arctis, the ruling house of Faneatar, located in the greater region of Fhorggrevellem, a section of the Underdark that lies primarily below the Northern Desert of the Foregrish Empire. His upbringing was as good as it gets in the matriarchal society of Faneatar, which views men as utterly expendable and lesser than women in every way. His birth was viewed as a blemish upon his house, the first male born in a string of female births. Even still, Nero learned a large host of skills during his upbringing and made himself useful to his house as a warrior and scout.

Nero was a founding member of the group that would come to be known as the Sanguine Saviors. He began his journey alongside Festus Greybraid; meeting Hiccup, Wabum Kruodak, and Erven The Protector further down the line. He utilized his skills both during combat and travel to dispatch enemies and guide the party down the proper path. He was present for the first half of Act I, assisting the party in their adventures through Dellamy Monastery, Tord, Mormont's Watch, Greysparrow, and the Tourney of Granite. It was in the Tourney of Granite that he would perish, his throat ripped out by a Cerberus.

## Description

### Appearance

Nero possessed pale skin and red eyes, a unique trait of House Arctis drow elves. He had shoulder-length black hair, parted in the middle. He wore common clothes in muted colors beneath his leather armor, which possessed a fine yellowish trim that betrayed his noble origins. He wore a bug-eaten and faded purple cloak that bore the symbol of his house, so washed out that only a trained eye might recognize it. His weapons of choice were a shortsword at each side and a longbow slung over the back. He had a thin and lithe build, standing at a fairly average height of 5'4".

Shortly after Godrun's death, Nero acquired a Cloak of Elvenkind, which took on the appearance and color of its surroundings while the hood was up. In Greysparrow, Nero purchased a set of Bracers of Archery and a pair of Boots of Spider Climbing. These were both made of dark leather with grey trim.

### Personality

Nero was somewhat awkward and quiet, and often felt out of place due to his sheltered and spurned upbringing. His time spent with the Sanguine Saviors, and specifically Festus Greybraid, helped him come out of his shell and learn how to handle himself in everyday social situations. His life in Faneatar left its mark even so, as he occasionally felt moments of hesitation in taking the actions that he knew to be just.

Nero felt a deep connection with nature in its many forms, and enjoyed basking in the sun despite his sensitive eyes and skin from a life lived underground. He often spoke to animals, who sometimes spoke back. He never loathed taking a watch, because it meant that he could look out for his friends and appreciate nature's beauty at the same time.

Nero was fiercely loyal to his friends, and enjoyed trying new things with them. His main pursuits in his life after leaving the Underdark were to build relationships and see the world. He believed firmly in freedom, respect, and redemption. In a way, he strove to be the opposite of the ideas that his house held up.

## Biography

### Before The Final Days of The Fifth Age

Nero was born on the 36th of Wavering, 1028, within the city of Faneatar in the Fhorggrevellem Underdark. His mother was named Glastrea and she was a Priestess of the Goddess Trifth, Queen of Spiders, patron deity of around 90% of all Fhorggrevellem drow. As such, she commanded great authority within Faneatar, and she was renowned for her ability to birth many daughters. The drow of the Fhorggrevellem had a matriarchal society, in which female drow were seen as superior to male Drow in every way, and male Drow were expendable, useful only as tools for reproduction and often dangerous labor. As such, it was incredibly desirable to birth as many daughters as possible, especially as a high-ranking member of society, and Nero’s birth tarnished the reputation of House Arctis, who so far had 6 daughters and no sons. This affront to society was made up for when Glastrea sacrificed her consort, Nero’s father, whom he never learned the name of, to Trifth. This was not an uncommon way for a “relationship,” if it can be called that, to end between a male and a female in Drow culture. Nero was allowed to live, if only to be raised as fodder to further the advancement of his mother and his house. Nero’s relationship with his mother was almost nonexistent, being raised and taught by non-blood related tutors and caretakers, yet he constantly vied for her affections.

In one particular situation when Nero was but 7 years old, he was roaming the estate of House Arctis alone when he came upon one of their many slaves scrubbing the floor. In Faneatar, as well as most other Drow settlements in the Underdark, around one-half to two-thirds of the population were slaves, most often comprised of non-drow but occasionally the lowest among the male Drow would also enter enslavement. Nero typically paid these slaves no heed, but as he came upon this slave, Nero spied a rare glimpse of his mother in the courtyard through an arched stone window. Looking at the slave, an older human man with wispy white hair and a full beard, Nero saw an opportunity. He began to loudly mock the slave for anything he could think of; his station in society, his race, his appearance, his age, even his technique in scrubbing the floor, all the while stealing looks into the courtyard to see if his mother could see him acting like he had often seen others act before. She did not even spare him a glance, and was soon out of sight. Crestfallen, Nero cast his head down in shame and there he saw the face of the slave looking up at him from the floor with a peculiar grin on his face. Nero had never seen a slave with the bravery, or perhaps stupidity, to gaze into the face of his drow mistress or master, much less with such an expression on his face, and Nero’s mouth hung agape in shock. The two shared a brief conversation that was highly formative for Nero. The slave spoke to the young Nero very casually, commending him for his acting abilities. When Nero questioned him, the slave explained that he could tell that Nero had not really meant the mean things he had said. The slave believed that he and Nero were not so different in terms of their position in society, and that the heart of a child was incorruptible. In short, he believed that Nero was a good person unconditionally.

This interaction would stick with Nero for perhaps as long as he lived, as it was his first introduction to the world outside of the worship of Trifth, which was full of backstabbing, arrogance, selfishness, vanity, and a total lack of emotional connection. This slave, whom he never caught the name of, had planted the seeds of empathy in a young Nero which would germinate within him, always hidden from others, but ever present in the back of his mind. All through his upbringing, he began to feel more and more disgusted with himself and the world he lived in. All the morals and expectations which were thrust upon him were in conflict with the part of himself that wished to be free from the shackles of Trifth; to have a friend or a parent with a genuine connection, to serve and love his community and the people of the world with no concern for his own reputation or place in society.

As a noble, Nero received advanced education in various fields, but not so advanced as his sisters. When he was 12, he was tested in magic, and though he had an innate ability like all elves, it was clear that his talent did not lie here, and so he was taught martial combat primarily. Over the years of his adolescence he studied the blade and the bow, and he was trained to regularly venture from the city and scout for the dangerous beasts that roam the Underdark. On one such expedition, at the age of 14, he encountered a baby giant spider, and as such, it was as large as his face, but relatively docile and seemingly alone. He took pity on the creature, and since killing a spider is an offense punishable by death in Drow societies that worship Trifth, he relocated the spider to a cavern relatively close to Faneatar, which Nero believed was safer for the creature, lost and alone. Nero informed his teachers of his deed and they agreed that this spider could prove to be a tactical advantage when it was an adult, and that perhaps the spider was sent to Nero by Trifth’s guidance for this explicit purpose.

6 years passed, and Nero had grown into a ranger of the Underdark, still patrolling the caverns around Faneatar, though not seeing as much combat as he expected to. During one of his stops back at the estate, he witnessed the same elderly slave who had first shown him a glimpse of humanity being berated and abused by his eldest sister, Nastrea. The slave was groveling on the ground, unable to stand, now old and weak, too weak even to do the simplest of chores effectively. Apparently Nastrea had decided that he was no longer useful to House Arctis as a slave, and she intended to sacrifice him to Trifth in hopes of earning more favor with the Queen of Spiders. Spying Nero, she ordered him to guide her to the spider that Nero had inadvertently set in convenient defense of Faneatar 6 years prior. Out of fear of death, a real threat to those that disobey, even a nobleman, he guided Nastrea and the slave to the cavern which he had left the spider in years before. Nero remained hidden in the shadows while Nastrea performed some foul rite of Trifth, his consciousness eating away at him. Soon enough the spider emerged, now as large as a house, bristling with hair that glowed in the deep. Nero wrestled with everything that he had been taught by his society and the words of the slave that believed that Nero was a good person, that things could be different for him. His indecision stayed his hand as he watched the spider paralyze the old slave, wrap him in silk, and carry him off, but this sight was what finally spurred him into action. He charged his eldest sister with blades drawn. Her eyes widened as she began to form the shape of a word with her mouth. They were both fast, and Nero managed to land a wide cut across her torso before she leapt back and began preparing a spell. Recognizing that he was indeed outmatched by a drow far more experienced than he, and one who had the dark powers of Trifth on her side no less, Nero turned heel and ran. Taking glances back, he saw a massive, biting swarm of locusts summoned by Nastrea closing in on him, and he ran with all that he had in him. He hurtled through the passages of the Underdark for what felt like hours, letting instinct guide him more than logical thought, until the only sounds he could hear were his own heart and his breath.

Just up a slope he spied an opening with a darkness which was lighter than the deep he was accustomed to, and stepping out of it he gazed upon the starry sky of Vienrim for the first time.

### Prologue

After wandering the Northern Desert of Foregrim for around 2 hours, Nero saw a black shape in the distance that stuck out from the unfamiliar dirty white landscape. He approached until he could make out a tent and the remains of a campfire. He circled around behind a sand dune and ascended until he could peek over the dune upon the campsite, about 80 feet away. He saw an old human man eating a meal at the ember-strewn remains of the fire. Sensing no threat from him, Nero emerged from around the sand dune, making no attempt to be stealthy, in full sight of the man. The man looked at Nero and gave him a smile. Nero continued to approach until he was about 10 or 15 feet from the edge of the campfire. As he got closer, he could hear the old man mumbling to himself, as if thinking aloud. Nero gave a polite greeting, and the man, not responding to the greeting, went into a small tangent about the “world tree.” When Nero asked him what he meant, he looked up at Nero and stated that he could hear the world tree calling to him, that many make pilgrimage to the world tree to seek guidance, to receive enlightenment, and that Nero must have been living under a rock his whole life to not know of it. Nero agreed, and asked where they were. The old man told him that they were in the Northern Desert of the Foregrish Empire, far to the northwest of this world tree, which he called Jylldrasil. Before Nero could make much comment, the old man told him that he had a gift for him, and bade that he approach. Nero sensed no hostility from this old man and approached, seeing the old man fumble in his bag and remove a mask fashioned from what looked to be ivory, with an intrinsic golden pattern carved into the forehead. He placed it at Nero’s feet and informed him that drow were not accepted very warmly here, but perhaps further south that stigma could change. In any case, he suggested that Nero wear this mask for the time being, while in the presence of others. He then called Nero by name, although he had not introduced himself. Nero was taken aback and asked the old man how he knew his name, which the old man ignored, instead telling him that the nearest town was a place called Greyfall to the south, and about a 2 hours walk from there was a port that he could secure passage east from, if he intended to seek the tree. The old man also placed a bag of 50 silvers at Nero’s feet, to pay for his passage. As a final gift, the old man offered Nero food, as he had plenty to spare from his current meal. Nero asked the old man if he would be able to reach Greyfall soon if he set out immediately, as he did not want to tarry here. The old man said that he could probably reach Greyfall before sunrise, which sparked Nero’s memory of tales of a massive glowing orb in the sky, larger than the orb that currently hangs above them, which bathed the firmament in blue and is said to be harmful to drow, which was called the sun. Nero asked one final question, wanting to know the old man’s name. He replied, “hmm… what is my name?” Before expressing that they may meet again in the future. Seeing no alternative but to follow the advice of this mysterious but kind old man, Nero collected his gifts and bade the old man goodbye, until they meet once again, perhaps at the world tree. The old man also said goodbye, calling Nero by name once again, causing Nero to turn around and see the old man giving a toothy grin with teeth that were in impeccable health for a frail old man alone in a desert. With a quick nod, Nero traveled south with naught but the gifts and guidance from a humble old man.

From here, Nero did indeed secure passage by ship to the east, but mistakenly and unknowingly found himself on the continent of Wyrmscribe, at a port on the northwest coast. He wandered Wyrmscribe for a time and spent much of his time in forests at night. After some time he found all of his arrows lost or broken, and realized that he had to enter a town during the day to purchase more, as much as he may not want to. He met a dwarf named Festus at a smithy who was very friendly and talkative and asked Nero his business. Festus’s ears perked up when Nero mentioned Jylldrasil, and he explained that he was also seeking the world tree. Festus offered to guide Nero to Jylldrasil after he mentioned that he was not familiar with this land, and they adventured together for a month or two until they boarded the train that was bound for Jylldrasil Isle.

### The Final Days of The Fifth Age

#### Act I

##### Session #1

Nero and Festus had tea together aboard the train, and spoke in a paranoid manner about "them" poisoning the tea. This was one of the many examples of Nero learning social skills by example, simply going along with Festus's line of thought to fit in and humor him. Nero was unclear if Festus really was paranoid about "them." Nero also administered medical attention to Festus's leg, which was injured during the train derailment. Nero also met Hiccup and Wabum Kruodak for the first time during the train derailment. When a batallion of unfriendly orcs arrived on the scene and the party began to flee south, Nero took extra time to pick up Festus's Onyx Warhammer for him, not aware that Festus could simply manifest it in his hands whenever he wished to.

During the flight south towards Dellamy Monastery, Hiccup created a special elixir that would bestow temporary flight on its drinker. Festus drank the elixir and took Nero in his arms, flying into the sky for a better vantage point. Nero's keen vision allowed him to spot the monastery in the distance. It was during this journey that Nero used his skills and connection with nature to hunt and forage for the party and pick out a good path, which he continued doing in all of their wilderness adventures.

During this walk, Nero experienced a sudden vision. A golden field laid before him, before a black abyss opened in the center of it and a massive black serpent slithered out of it, towards Nero. The serpent swallowed Nero and he was shaken from his vision.

##### Session #2

Nero and Festus were both very nervous during this stretch of the journey to Dellamy Monastery, as it involved passing through a long tunnel through a hill. It was in this experience that they discovered that they had a shared aversion to the underground.

During this trip, Festus created one of the party's earliest strange inside jokes that they ran with: the idea that Nero was a god.

Nero attempted to teach Festus to hunt during this leg of the journey. They encountered 3 seperate groups of hares, only able to bag a single hare on the 3rd group. Festus had tossed his Onyx Warhammer wildly into the air and had miraculously crushed a hare, which Nero was impressed by.

Nero shared a conversation with a telepathic and intelligent owl during his watch, which he fed berries to.

Festus explained the Castian expression "take me to church" to Nero, and Nero was happy to have a new idiom in his repertoire.

In Dellamy Monastery, Nero learned from gazing at the ceiling mural and asking Brother Torgus that the image of a black serpent is often associated with the minor god Kerimos.

Nero was given a case of terrible brandy from a halfling merchant outside the monastery, and Nero's first drinking experience was with this horrible alcohol, taking swigs of it with Hiccup and Festus while Wabum babysat them.

## Character Information

You could literally just put an image of a character sheet here.

## Quotations

* "quote 1"
* "quote 2

## Trivia

* Nero had no discernible voice or accent for the first few sessions of play, he simply spoke in Gage's normal speaking voice. He would later take up a generic british accent in a soft tone inspired by Prince Lothric from Dark Souls 3.
* Nero's character art is a recolored piece of art of the character Gavin from Sword Daughter, not that anyone has a clue what the fuck that is, including Gage.
* The name "Arctis" comes from the character Zurin Arctus from the Elder Scrolls franchise. Gage picked this name out when he booted up Morrowind one day, which features a quote from Zurin Arctus in its opening cinematic. Of course, "Nero" comes from Italian, the word for black.
* Gage originally pronounced Nero like "narrow," but thought that the hard "e" that everyone else was saying sounded better, and switched his pronunciation during the first session.
* Nero is circumcised.