Cassidious "Cassidy" Naïlo

Cassidious Naïlo, more commonly known as Cassidy was an Elven adventurer, and member of the Otha's Rest Adventurer's Guild. He is originally from the Elven village of Fymdell but proceeded to be a student at the The Diamond Thought Mage School of Cheyenne before becoming a treasure hunter and then adventurer. In doing this he has attained great power, though is noted for being somewhat of a schemer and manipulator.

## Biography

### **Early Years**

Cassidious had a boring upbringing insofar as nothing much of interest happened within the village of Fymdell. As with most elves he showed an aptitude for magic. The Naïlo family, being quite well to do and having a number of traditions they adhere to; one of which being a Naïlo studying in Cheyenne. As such, Cassidious was sent to the Diamond Thought Mage school, though he'd rather have stayed home with friends and family.

Cassidious studies for a few decades, growing in his power but would rather do more practical things with his magic, rather than reading theory and history. Finding the stories interesting but wanting to live them somewhat.

Cassidious falls out of studying in the school, having met and taken up with a gang of human thieves and con artists on the streets of Cheyenne. He hides his elvish nature from those not in the gang, and they accept him as a member, calling him the more human name of "Cassidy" rather than his child elven name of Cassidious.

During a problematic caper, a member of the gang, Tristan is killed. Cassidy had grown close to this man and his death affects him greatly. He descends into depression and distances himself from the gang, more so as they age so much faster.

As he turns one hundred years old, his family visit, wanting to having a traditional Elven naming for him to take an adult name. Rejecting his desire to use "Cassidy" as a name, he in turns rejects his family and walks away. Living solitary on the streets of Cheyenne making quick money using card tricks couples with his illusion magic.

This continues until he cons the wrong man, a dwarf he should have recognised from the Diamond Thought school, Alrikk Ironlance. Alrikk sees through his magic, dispels it and manages to convince the elf to return to school, Alrikk being of a similar mindset of books are tiresome and would rather be out looking for magical artefacts. Cassidy, intrigued, returns to the school.

Cassidy resumes his studies within the school, whilst learning from Alrikk and journeying with him. Alrikk himself is somewhat of an outcast within the faculty given their preference for books over field work. Cassidy also maintains his skills for cons and manipulation, keeping most people at a distance.

### **Joining The Adventurer's Guild**

Alrikk goes missing whilst looking for something when Cassidy is in his hundred and thirty fifth year. Given the long lived nature of both races, Cassidy stays behind, but eventually sets out to find his mentor, spending a few years travelling and eventually turning up in Otha's Rest, having heard a rumour of his teacher passing through. Finding the trail to have grown cold, he signs up to the adventuring guild, wanting to test his powers and abilities whilst hoping to find a clue as to what happened to Alrikk.

### **Adventures with the Guild**

Cassidy spends a great deal of time putting his efforts into increasing his standing with the guild, quickly rising to become one of the more powerful members. He forms a bond with a number of the members, most notably Dorah the Dracokin. His first initial assessment of her strength making her a powerful ally and guard for himself.

As time goes on, Cassidy eventually finds rumour of Alrikk, following the trail to a Mirror within the West Riding town of Glimmergate. Obtaining the mirror from the vampire Henrhys, returning it to the Copperguards. Cassidy is able to free his teacher from the mirror, and finding it full of imprisoned vampires of the von Valentine family.

The Tiefling sorcerer Raphael the Betrayer frees some of the vampires and turns on the Guild. Cassidy and Dorah lead the charge in repelling the vampires, managing to destroy them all and turning the now vampiric sorcerer to dust. Following this, Cassidy opts to leave the guild, using a Teleport Circle address that he did not know the location to, other than the advice of Mercer saying it "would be fun". Dorah joined Cassidy and Mercer on this adventure.

### **Adventures away from the Guild and the Astral Sea**

Cassidy, Dorah and Mercer journeyed around the material plane for a few months, looking for a way to right the wrong that had been done to Mercer and return him to his full strength. Having no luck the trio decided to journey into the home plane of the Carbuncle, the Astral Sea. The trio continued to adventure aboard the ships there for what would be years for them.

Eventually they came across a cult of Gith who worshipped the dragon Efestus, whom Dorah had sent to the Astral sea and shamed by trapping in a Bag of Holding. The trio fought their best with Dorah assuming her draconic form to battle Efestus whilst Cassidy and Mercer held back the Gith. Dorah was triumphant but the fight took its toll and she succumbed to her wounds. Cassidy returned with her body to the Guild, sixty years having passed for them, but only months for the Guild and he warned the Gith would be coming.

### **Resuming Work with the Guild**

After grieving, Cassidy resumed his work with the Guild. Adventuring with both old and new faces. One big driver for his work being wanting to deal with the Gith and make things safe. In his travels assisting the half elf Rain and her quest to undo the death of her girlfriend at the hands of Henrhys, Cassidy found himself de-aged to his early thirties appearance. This somewhat frustrated him, and whilst mentally he has the life experience of over two hundred years, he now looks barely older than a child. He has made peace with it somewhat in that it has extended his own lifespan.

### **Mage Masher**

The Mage Masher is the legendary sword carried by Cassidy. Previously held in component form by a conclave of wizards to prevent its formation, Cassidy has spent a large portion of his time with the Adventurers Guild gathering the parts together in order to wield it.

Now at full strength it offers a number of benefits, from a bonus to his armour and fighting, casting a few defensive spells. It also is a formidable weapon for fighting other casters; allowing the wizard to cast Silence, roll with advantage on spell saves or instantly end the concentration of another spell caster. It's final and most powerful use enables Cassidy to make himself immune to any spells he desires of sixth level or lower for a minute.

### **Mercer**

During the acquisition of the first of the Mage Masher gems from the wizard Swolarei, Cassidy found a small creature encased in ice. Freeing it, it introduced itself as a Carbuncle. A mysterious creature that makes its home within the Astral Sea, having great magical power stored within the crystal housed in its head.

Unfortunately for this particular Carbuncle, Swolarei had damaged its gem as punishment for reading his Tome of Clear Thought. Cassidy offered to be a more supportive partner to the creature, seeing the wealth of knowledge it possessed as an asset he brought it back with him from the Tower and the two have adventured since.

Finding out that he had no name, Cassidy offered up the name Mercer after a knowledgeable sage he knew and Mercer happily accepted the moniker. Mercer spends his time assisting with magical theory, history and sarcastic wit, seeing the adventurers as children compared to his age.

Cassidy has spent time trying to restore the gem and thus Mercers power, even traversing the Astral Sea (alongside Dorah) for sixty years to no success. However, both he and Mercer hold out hope of a solution being found.

### **[Retirement / Death]**

[Once the PC moves on from the rest, either through retirement or death, add some information surrounding it. Describe their life post-guild, or their funeral and circumstances in which they found themselves full of arrows, and empty of blood.]

## Personality and Appearance

Cassidy is a strategist. He's cold and calculating, often only giving things if he sees an upside, even if that is just being thought of as helpful and with a view to a favour being owed by someone later down the line. In his youth his was warmer, kinder and more caring but losing Tristan and the remainder of the humans he spent his youth with has left him cold.

In joining the Guild he made friends with Dorah, seeing her as the "strongest kid on the playground" and therefore a good team mate to make up for his lack in physical strength. Over time with her he did start to return to his warmer ways, caring for the Dracokin and wanting to help her be more open to the worlds shades of grey.

Eschewing typical wizard robes, Cassidy wears a long duster coat that can hold a number of items. He carries a Bag of Holding, worn beneath the coat to hide it, along with well worn trousers and boots. He has his component pouch on his belt, though has a number of other items and small trinkets that are required for spells hidden on his personage, one example being a braided ring of fleece on one finger at all times, given his reliance on Illusion magic.

Cassidy himself was of decent height for an elf, being almost six feet tall with long blonde hair and blue eyes. In recent times due to his de-aging he is somewhat smaller, being around five foot four. He has had his clothes altered to fit his new form, usually wearing dark colours, blacks, blues and purples. Usually seen with Mercer sat on his shoulder, his tail curled around his neck.

## **Cassidy's Spellcasting**

### **Spells**

**1st Level Spell**

* Charm Person
* Comprehend Languages(R)
* Detect Magic(R)
* Disguise Self
* Feather Fall
* Ice Knife
* Identify(R)
* Mage Armour
* Magic Missile
* Protection From Evil and Good
* Shanyu's Thunderous Wave
* Shield
* Silent Image

**2nd Level Spells**

* Aganazzar's Scorcher
* Arcane Lock
* Enlarge/Reduce
* Flaming Sphere
* Flock of Familiars
* Hold Person
* Invisibility
* Knock
* Levitate
* Magic Mouth(R)
* Melf's Acid Arrow
* Mirror Image
* Misty Step
* Phantasmal Force
* Scorching Ray
* Shockwave - [HB]
* Suggestion
* Wrist Pocket(R)

**3rd Level Spells**

* Arcane Barrier (HB)
* Blink
* Counterspell
* Feign Death(R)
* Fireball
* Fly
* Galder's Tower
* Haste
* Hypnotic Pattern
* Leomund's Tiny Hut(R)
* Lightning Bolt
* Major Image
* Phantom Steed(R)
* Remove Curse
* Sending
* Slow
* Speak With Dead
* Thunder Step
* Vampiric Touch
* Water Breathing(R)

**4th Level Spells**

* Banishment
* Blight
* Dimension Door
* Empower Mercer - (Summon Aberration)
* Fire Shield
* Greater Invisibility
* Lightning Mirage [HB]
* Polymorph
* Storm Sphere

**5th Level Spells**

* Bigby's Hand
* Cone of Cold
* Far Step
* Mislead
* Scrying
* Spell Absorption (HB)
* Spell Deflection (HB)
* Steel Wind Strike
* Synaptic Static
* Telekinesis
* Telepathic Bond(R)
* Teleportation Circle
* Wall of Force

**6th Level Spells**

* Chain Lightning
* Disintegrate
* Fizban's Platinum Shield
* Globe of Invulnerability
* Mental Prison
* Mercer-Merge (Tasha's Otherworldly Guise)
* Soul Cage
* Sunbeam

**7th Level Spells**

* Crown of Stars
* Finger of Death
* Magnificent Mansion
* Prismatic Spray
* Simulacrum
* Teleport

**8th Level Spells**

* Antipathy/Sympathy
* Feeblemind
* Illusory Dragon
* Maddening Darkness

**9th Level Spells**

* Foresight
* Shapechange
* Wish

## Cassidy's Mission Log

* Operation 'Hunter or Hunted' - 15/6/20
* Operation 'Vs the Giants!' - 6/5/21
* Operation 'Eye Spy With My Beholder's Eye' - 30/6/21
* Operation 'Tharg's War: The Dark Crag' - 6/7/21
* Operation 'All That is Adamant Does Not Glitter' - /7/21
* Operation 'Tharg's War: Smoke on the Water' - 3/8/21
* Operation 'Tharg's War: The Final Countdown' - 10/9/21
* Operation 'It's All About the Ears' - 3/12/21
* Operation 'Wizard Tower 5: The End Is Nigh' - 29/4/23

## Trivia

* Cassidy was the first character to reach levels 6-15, and is the highest level character that started from level 1 at time of writing.
* His age is a complicated matter, looking in his early thirties, by paperwork he is little over one hundred and forty, but due to time in Astral Sea has lived to over two hundred.
* Has a number of cards that make up a Deck of Many Things, as he often likes to attempt to collect things, the Mage Masher as an example.