Bavan

Herald of Progress Bavan?

(elven, he/him?) A lean and stoic figure, this individual appeared to be an elf of some sort. They were somewhat tall, with pale skin and lighter blonde hair with some darker shades running through it. They didn't appear to look very old, appearing to be maybe in their 30s had they been human, but it is hard to tell with certain elves. They wore thin, finely crafted armor that carried with it ornate designs and decorations, reminiscent of the armor of nobility. Once Invictus FISH accepted payment, they appeared at their inn within minutes, and appeared to already be in the room once invited in. Despite the party's distaste and opposition to the organization, this Bavan individual seemed to maintain a calm and near polite attitude throughout their discussions, even willing to share advice and speak of price negotiations. When asked for a name, they described their current name as Bavan, possibly insinuating that this name was false or temporary or something else entirely. Most worrisome might have been their description as the Herald that others tended to turn to for advice, suggesting they might be one of the leaders or the leader of the Heralds of the New Dawn. Their specific title within the organization was the Herald of Progress

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

A lean and stoic figure, this individual appeared to be an elf of some sort. They were somewhat tall, with pale skin and lighter blonde hair with some darker shades running through it. They didn't appear to look very old, appearing to be maybe in their 30s had they been human, but it is hard to tell with certain elves. They wore thin, finely crafted armor that carried with it ornate designs and decorations, reminiscent of the armor of nobility.

Special abilities

Bavan has displayed the ability to track and travel with ease. This was first shown when he immediately made his way to Invictus FISH to give them their payment. There is a possibility that he always had their location, but that still leaves his ability to teleport to their location. The Heralds the party have encountered so far have all suggested that Bavan is stronger than them, which is notable considering they are already such powerful individuals. During the party's second visit to the Witch-King's vault, they witnessed far more of Bavan's abilities at play. He was able to cut through the grasp of the Wish spell, but only once he had arrived in the vault. He displayed magics related to space, specifically distorting and crushing a portion of space. Using his staff, he was able to influence time and fate, causing an action of Arista's to fail despite her apparent success. Arista noted that these magics were reminiscent of dunamancy, but that form of magic was only known in the Kryn Dynasty according to her knowledge. Even when Idalia arrived with celestials, Bavan only seemed to be annoyed and the words exchanged suggested that he had defeated angels before. Still, he is not all powerful as he was unable to prevent the party from escaping with the Will of the Talon, despite the use of powerful gravity magic.

Specialized Equipment

Thick book is bound in dark leather, crisscrossed with inlaid silver lines suggesting a map or chart. Cloak woven of feathers and leather, crafted from a flying creature. Jeweled amulet of silver. This smooth, polished staff is made from a pale gray metal, with a lattice work mesh woven of platinum threads and dodecahedral frame of silver atop it.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

The first time Invictus FISH met with Bavan was when they requested payment from Feravel for their services in acquiring the Will of the Talon. Despite their attempted mutiny against their employers, the party was still offered payment by Feravel. However, she stated that she would be unable to deliver the payment and another would in her stead. Within moments, there was knocking on the room door as Bavan had already identified the party's location and teleported to them. He provided the payment and attempted to convince the party of his group's goals, revealing that he was the leader of the Heralds.
Following their meeting, the party has attempted to research further into this individual's history, though there are even more questions than answers with each subsequent story. There were records from 525-535 PD describing a mercenary party of heroes, known as the Radiant Dawn, that were rising in popularity and fame. They helped defeat many monsters and remnants of the Calamity, allowing the societies of the Zemni Fields and Marrow Valley to grow to new heights. However, later investigations can not match the description of Bavan with any of the mages noted in the adventuring party. 
 A man resembling Bavan was recorded in 547-549 PD in the Marrow Valley, helping the region following the end of the Marrow War. He was named Lumenor and he slew many of the fiends that had been left in the wilds following the end of conflict. In this record, he was spotted with some sort of humanoid follower or apprentice, though their description was vague and unclear. Then, there was a record from 680 PD speaking of a similar individual, named Istarin, visiting the Cobalt Soul Archives in Vasselheim. Istarin worked alongside the archives and gathered many accolades by defeating dangerous creatures, recovering lost tomes, and discovering ancient ruins. However, the later information on Istarin and what he accessed from the archive's tomes has been noted as missing, having last been seen by an expositor named Khaldun.
It seems that many of the individuals within the Heralds were personally recruited by Bavan. He holds a grudge against the gods and their actions, seeking to find the forbidden knowledge regarding ascension to divinity and spreading it across the world. In this way, he does not seem to completely hate the gods, but instead has determined that they are a necessary evil to be removed as they prevent mortals from rising. To this purpose, he created the Heralds of the New Dawn and sent them to complete various objectives. Currently, the group is hunting ancient artifacts, including the Betrayer Arms and Vestiges of Divergence. 
Recently, Bavan broke through the barriers of the Witch-King's demiplane and subsequently entered the vault. During this time, he may have made some sort of pact or deal with the Witch-King and Taarberaax as he was confident he could prevent, through diplomatic means, from slaying the party. When Invictus FISH used the Wish spell to summon all items back to the Witch-King's vault, Bavan was brought back alongside the items he had taken, though he quickly managed to break the bonds of the magic. Alongside Taarberaax, he made quick work of the party before offering them a deal of service for their safety. However, he was interrupted by Idalia Hayden, who then helped the party escape with the Will of the Talon. Breaking his normally calm demeanor, Bavan was full of rage towards the actions of Invictus FISH and promised to no longer hold back his power.

Current Status

Working with the Witch-King's shade for unknown purposes

Species

Elf

Age

Unknown

Pronouns

He/Him

Gender

Man

Eyes

Pale Gray

Hair

Straight Light Blonde, Long

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale Fair

Height

6'2''

Aligned Organization

Heralds of the New Dawn