Artemis Veth

*A balding human that is clean shaven, although there are hints of a growing stubble. He has hazel eyes and pointed facial features. He is wearing a mustard tunic with a small satchel hanging by his side, the sound of coins audible from within. In addition, he is also wearing a pair of navy-blue trousers and long cedar leather boots.*

*In his draconic form, Artemis' body shimmers with radiant energy and brimming with life. The scales that encase his form are seemingly made of transparent crystal, and shards of that crystal can be seen hovering along his massive body.*

## Summary

The party first encountered Artemis when they first arrived at Vendermunde on the 13th of Hisimer 1953, coming across as a rather pleasant individual, he took an immediate interest in Chulz and as the two discussed amidst a few games of dragonchess it quickly became apparent that he knew more than he was letting on.

The following day as the party prepared to head off towards the kobold outpost, Artemis and Chulz once more engaged in a game of dragonchess, where he offered to help Chulz with his lycanthropy in exchange for his help. He was willing to reveal more if Chulz would meet him alone the following evening. The party was understandably suspicious, however, desperate for help Chulz proceeded with the meeting whilst Reyna and Rojer watched from atop the tavern. Using his divine sense, Chulz recognised that Artemis was in fact a celestial being. This fact became all too clear when Artemis seemed to stop time for a moment and the two of them were taken to a realm that Artemis referred to as the Black Emporium. Here, he made Chulz a proposition, giving him two options, he could either lead Chulz towards a group of vigilants that dealt in lycanthropy or he could instantly help him with the issue himself. Depending on which one Chulz chose, Artemis expected something in return, with him either recovering an artifact from the Midlands or dethroning the sorceress back at Chichren Maran.

At the end, Chulz asked Artemis to give him more time, and the merchant was more than happy to oblige. Cautioning Chulz however, to make his decision quickly, lest he succumb to the beast and lose himself forever. Artemis would later approach Chulz whilst the latter had left the party in order to transform in isolation. He asked Chulz about whether he had come to a decision, with the paladin claiming that he had given it quite a bit of thought and had chosen to take him up on his offer.  Chulz would recover whatever artifact Artemis required, and in exchange Artemis would guide him to someone that could teach him how to control his transformation. Chulz was tasked with recovering a dragonslayer longsword that had been lost in a temple dedicated to the Undying King, until he succeeded in this venture, Artemis gave him a boon that granted him control over his transformation, warning that this was a temporary measure.

Artemis would later approach Reyna in the aftermath of Ievres' death, here Artemis would offer her the ability to resurrect Ievres' spirit, in exchange however he would require her help in purging the evil that he claimed was encircling Parascent. Reyna accepted his terms and was gifted with a variation of the *Find Familiar* spell which allowed her to call upon her fallen comrade's spirit.

The party's would later encounter Artemis after their return from the Feywild, during their brief stay at the refugees' hidden encampment. Artemis would approach Chulz during the night, and express disappointment at how things had panned out for the night, noting that he had chosen to fully indulge his inner beast's desires. He exclaimed that Chulz had proven himself unworthy of the sword and that he would have to seek atonement at the Draconic Cathedral in the ruins of Azeir. Their discussion would be interrupted by Sienna however, with Fenlaros urging her to kill him, claiming that he needed to, although he refused to elaborate as to why. Artemis seemed to be aware of Fenlaros' presence, and eluded to a shared history between the two. In the end, Artemis turned to leave, but not before revealing that he had in fact been a Crystal Dragon all along.

The party's final encounter with Artemis would be shortly after their return from Infernus, where the dragon was under assault from a host of demons. They moved to save the dragon who had taken up a defensive position atop a chapel, and successfully defeated the aggressors. In the aftermath of the battle, he revealed that he had delved into the Dread Abyss to save Chulz himself, and while he had successfully retrieved his body he was unable to save him. Seeing that Artemis was mortally wounded Sienna moved to cast *Death Ward* on him, and for a moment considered consuming him as she did Asura. However, she chose to instead help the dragon, however, despite their best efforts the party could do little but delay his death.

In the end, Artemis chose to stay behind and buy the party some time to escape the quickly approaching Aluvias. Before they left he gave Sienna one final warning, telling her to be careful as while Fenlaros did care for her, his aspirations were far more important to him. The last the party saw of him, he sat at the entrance of the chapel ready to face Aluvias, his final roar echoing outwards behind them.