Nôx

A mysterious exile from the Twilight Realm, Nôx joined the party with the promise of helping them infiltrate the Naydra Archives. A former Whispers Bard and warlock of Majora, he has recently left both of these sources of power behind to retrain himself as a wizard. Specifically a member of the Order of Scribes.
He made a vow to use his talents to make the world a better place and help his friends however he can, for they've given him a second chance at life.

Physical Description

Specialized Equipment

• Artificial hand, which was handcrafted by him!
• Antiphony, a legendary Twili ocarina with great power.
• Magical barrier tattoo

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Backstory

Nôx was born in the Twilight Realm (also known as the Shadowfell) to the Twili people. While the majority of Twili society has moved on from the rivalries of ancient history and now seek peaceful cooperation with the people of Verden, Nôx was raised in the underground faction that preferred retribution. They wanted to invade Verden and bring the continent crumbling to its knees. The people of Verden were weak, cowardly, and corrupt.
This organization is called the Zal'saar -- The Long Shadow -- and they recruited agents from zealous bloodlines and Twili orphans. Trained from a young age to infiltrate foreign societies and assassinate key targets. All to sow the most discord and conflict between Verden's civilizations.
Nôx was one such recruit. After his training was complete, he left the Twilight Realm to begin covert operations in the material plane.

Leaving the Zal'saar

On his early travels, however, Nôx realized that he had been lied to. The people of Verden were not inherently terrible. Society was not inherently corrupt. In fact, most people seemed fairly nice and otherwise harmless. Society had its troubles, but nothing out of the ordinary.
His breaking point came when his handlers ordered him to kill Tiras, his only friend in Uradiel. Tiras was the diplomatic younger brother of Divine Guardian Ishaak VI, and if he were ever to become the new leader of the nation, he'd make peace with the Gerudo and stop conflict wherever he could. Nôx anonymously warned Tiras to leave town or else he'd be assassinated. Tiras disappeared, but his fate is unknown.
He grew more disillusioned with the Zal'saar and eventually decided to leave them behind completely.
They would eventually track him down and torture him for his dereliction of duty, even going so far as to cut off one of his hands, but he managed to escape from their grasp. Bleeding and near death, he nearly met his end in the hours following his escape. Until a mysterious entity appeared before him and offered power and a new chance at life. Nôx agreed to this bond despite not knowing the full nature of this being.
And so his wounds closed, and he woke up with an artificial enchanted hand to replace the one he had lost. He had fleeting visions of laughter and yellow eyes.

Meeting the Party

Nôx says that he desires to gather resources and allies for his fight against his former organization. On his travels, he met an Eladrin named Farvis, who was attacked by bandits and left for dead. Nôx spent enough time with him (and Farvis really would not shut up) to learn about Biscus and his new party of allies. They wanted into Naydra. So did Nôx. But Glenien was a danger because the town was hunting for warlocks. Too dangerous to go in there as himself.
After Farvis passed away, Nôx assumed her personality and appearance. He arrived at Biscus's chateau as Farvis had promised, and united with the party as they prepared to leave for Naydra. Promising that he had a contact who could help get them in.
All that was true, though he maintained the Farvis disguise for safety. It was not until the party's overnight stay in Saravoss that his true identity was discovered. Ironically, because Kira was suspicious that "Farvis" had a mustache that was too unreal to be believable and wanted to use the Lens of Truth to see if it was fake.
Well, it sure was. And so was the persona of Farvis.
Nôx revealed his true self to the party and apologized for the ruse. He wasn't sure if he could trust any of them, or that they would accept his aid. He promised he could still be of use, though.

Infiltrating Naydra

After being thoroughly interrogated by the party, they decided to give Nôx a chance, and he put his best foot forward to assist with the infiltration of the Naydra Archives. Nôx, Kira, and Talitha snuck into the Archives while the rest of the party remained in the underground lair in case a fight broke out. The alarm broke as both halves of the group broke into the central vault. Nôx asked Kira to help him break into the case housing the Gerudo's Thunder Helm for Talitha's sake, all while enemies were closing in, which eliminated her sense of distrust.
After raiding the vault, Nôx was able to counterspell the "curator" when he attempted to prevent their escape via Farore's Wind. The curator then shifted into his real form: that of a massive blue dragon.
Nôx attuned to Antiphony, the Twili relic he sought in Naydra, which turned out to be an ocarina with the power to teleport to various fixed locations. An agonizing and tense hour passed as he attuned to the instrument inside Abbit's dome on the seafloor as the dragon desperately hunted for them. Upon attuning, he immediately played the Song of Soaring and returned to Glenien -- landing the party at the teleportation circle shown to them by Queen Theodora.

Revelations

Back in Glenien, the party returned to the Brandywine Chateau, where he revealed the truth about Farvis to Biscus, per the party's demands. Biscus was naturally very upset. But he seemed to let it go upon making Nôx swear never to use Farvis's likeness as a disguise ever again. This was quickly pushed aside as Sarael arrived to kill Kira, ultimately resulting in Sarael falling from grace due to her wrath and fleeing in shame.
Abbit then decided to Hallow the Chateau. During this period of downtime, Nôx became briefly mentored by Rhiannon, who taught him how to copy ritual spells out of her own personal spellbook, granting him access to several new abilities. Later that evening, he and Kira bonded over being burdened by mysterious curses and wanting to use the abilities to help the group -- and then chose to pursue a physical relationship.
Once the Hallowing process was complete, the group then departed to the Lost Woods to free Hoo'Ax'Dyuu from the forces of Jericho, with Nôx playing the Minuet of Forest on Antiphony to warp directly to the Forest Temple.

The Lost Woods

Nôx found himself in a world of green skyscaper-sized trees. The party found itself warping into the site of an imminent battle as undead Hall of Heroes legionnaires, accompanied by a horrible zombie clot abomination, stormed the Forest Temple. They allied with Leo Crimson, Perseus Ransom, Wan Chimaera, and Mato Aryn to defend the Forest Temple and distract the horde from the less defensible village to the south.
Nôx provided ranged attacks from the center of the Temple's main hall, briefly finding himself in the clutches of a horrific Boneclaw creature, and the party won the day. They then negotiated with Showsni, the Archdruid in charge, to be paid for defeating Jericho. Their journey would take them north along the river until they reached the Grand Hall. He also got to meet the Deku Tree, who was quite charmed by his manners!
Leaving the Village came with some emotional complications after Kira spent an evening with Mato, causing him to have an emotional chat with Talitha the following evening in which he expressed his confusion, embarrassment, and anger about it -- Talitha then urged him to stop moping and do something productive. After surviving a battle with some wayward Redcaps, Nôx and Kira made amends and agreed to start over with better communication about intent.
The group was pulled into a confrontation with Lady Sunniva, a powerful fey who seemed to have some sort of bond with Piers during his time growing up in the Woods. he received a dire warning from his patron the night before the meeting, the first time Nôx had been contacted since the pact was formed. His patron said that Sunniva was a bad person, not to be trusted, and that it was important for Nôx to kill her.
They were subjected to an intense illusion of "things that could be," in which Nôx was reunited with his old friend Tiras, the younger brother of Ishaak VI. And Nôx's final assassination target -- the one he walked away from. The illusion presented that Tiras has made peace between Uradiel and the Gerudo with Nôx's assistance. This left him more confused than angered, though the more emotionally taxing illusions and truthful revelations given to others in the party cemented Nôx's decision to kill Sunniva.
Piers, however, made the choice to spare her. And Nôx chose to allow this since it was primarily his emotional conflict, but with great trepidation about what his patron would think.
Later, Nôx's artificial hand began to hurt as they continued north, a warning from his patron. Who later confronted him in another vision about how "friends are supposed to do things for each other!" The patron appeared quite childlike in nature, with childish senses of obligation and duty, and Nôx was finally able to ask its name. It stared him down with those big yellow eyes and said: "Majora."

The Hall of Heroes

After making it out of the Lost Woods, the party infiltrated the Hall of Heroes. Nôx assisted with the silent takedowns of several lesser patrols before heading up to confront Jericho, Chrono Magus, and Gabe -- the man who had accidentally freed Jericho from his prison. Nôx was hit with the spell Time Ravage after it was cast by Chrono Magus, which turned him into an old man 30 days from death. Nôx was still able to cast spells and do his part, Blinding the mage and then using Heat Metal to prevent Gabe from using his enchanted gauntlets in battle.
After a harrowing fight, Hoo'Ax'Dyuu ascended to godhood and departed for the upper planes -- but in a final burst of unshackled divine energy was able to grant Nôx a Wish at Talitha's request. The newborn god used this Wish to mimic Greater Restoration at its highest level, undoing the effects of Time Ravage and restoring Nôx to his former self. The first miracle of Hoo'Ax'Dyuu!

Vanadiel Missions

The group then decided that their top priority was saving Nali Goldenclaws from captivity in Van'Duras. The leader of the alliance enclave there, Eliana, provided them with additional assignments. Nôx would relive his past by murdering-for-money, but at least this was a good cause. An evil wizard named Aurylon Dawnkeep was putting elite students through lethal duels at his home, with the survivors earning direct mentoring from powerful archmages. The situation grew worse after it was discovered than an Elder Oblex was Dawnkeep's companion. Nôx was attacked by a charmed Krud, and if anything can make your life flash before your eyes, it's Krud running at you with an axe.
On the return home, Nôx was nearly assassinated in kind -- a Gerudo Shadow Huntress ambushed him with a bow on the streets of Van'Duras. Piers was able to heal him and pull him to temporary safety while his other dear friends intercepted the huntress. As it turns out, it was Talitha's mother, Masika. She was in the city hunting for agents of the Zal'saar, and was convinced that Nôx was still working for them. She loudly declared that Nôx had killed Talitha's father. A man named... Tiras. Oh shit.
Nôx can explain! They go to their private beach house and Nôx tells her the story of what really happened. Masika is not quick to trust, but is at least reassured by the others saying that he's a good person. Friends to the rescue once more.

The Ring of Fire Incident

The party decided to participate in a team battle at the Van'Duras arena. They faced off against the Hell's Belles, an all-female tiefling party. During this match, Nôx aimed his bow at a weakened cleric and fired using the magic gifted to him by Majora-- but channeled far too much of that power into his strike. The opposing cleric was killed on the spot, and the match completely shut down as healers on all sides rushed in to revive her. The group was subsequently banned from the arena, at least for team matches, and Hart was furious.
Nôx developed a newfound fear of his combat abilities after this incident, distrusting Majora and its power. He began to question his path forward in life. He had grown fond of spellcasting. Maybe it was better to learn how to do it properly, and on his own...? He began consulting the other members of the party for advice and guidance.

Estuvaris

The mission to infiltrate Estuvaris and rescue Krud's lost mentor, Nali Goldenclaws, hit a snag on the upper floor. While searching for a way to free Nali, the party's "inside man" revealed himself to be an agent of the Zal'saar -- Sev Coretann. While he technically honored his deal with the group, he also released one of the giants of Clocktown from its prison. Dripping with malice, the giant abomination was poised to escape and harm Van'Duras.
The party defeated it, but not before Nôx, Piers, and Eliana were knocked unconscious by its powerful acid spray and psychic attacks. Kira then landed the final blow on the abomination and the three were quickly healed.
The trek down Estuvaris quickly proved to be a drain on the party's now limited resources, and Abbit led an emergency escape by using magic to burrow through the tower's walls. Nôx and Hart then teleported the party to safety before Guardians could fall upon them.

Severing His Pact

The party retreated to the Lost Woods to lay low after the rescue of Nali. While she recovered, Nôx decided it was time to properly break his bond with Majora. He asked Piers and Showsni for assistance. By invoking the aid of another deity, it would be possible to sever Majora's hold on him. In a sacred grove of Farore, Piers guided him through meditation. He had a vision of a great tidal wave that snapped Majora's tethers over him. The Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru, had answered his plea. She asked what he would do with his own power going forward -- and Nôx declared that he wanted to help the world and his friends.
With that, Majora's hold over Nôx ended. When he woke again, the artificial hand that Majora had given him had fall off his arm, with tentacles whipping wildly from its base. Piers destroyed it immediately.
Nôx then resolved to study wizadry, and Showsni arranged for this to occur at the Chamber of Sage. Everyone would take time off from adventuring to train themselves for the difficult tasks ahead.

Chamber of Sages -- Wizard Training

Over the next four months, Nôx studied arcane magic from a group of private tutors: Rhiannon, Delphi, Feanen, and Violet Aryn. His tuition was paid in full by the Labyrinth, who had sent the party's old friend Kassan to buy Nôx's magical longbow, Venator. Almost all of his waking hours were devoted to intense study. He effectively underwent a multi-year program in a very short span of time. His final test was using his new powers to defeat a purple worm with the help of the party.
Near the end of his training, he was approached by a strange woman who cautioned him about Kira -- telling him that she was inherently out for herself and their opposing morals would ultimately drive the two apart. Especially once she was back in the Labyrinth. But she could see how dear she was to Nôx, and suggested that her life would be spared if they offered her Selena. It was Sarael in disguise. Nôx used his magic to cast Wall of Force to keep her at bay, but she merely disappeared. An astral projection.

Kira

Kira later approached him with an idea: Finally use those Clone scrolls to make a new body for her. Resurrect the real Meera Caithel. Transmogrify the new body to look like Chikara, her original self. Embrace her true identity. He would be given the most important and harrowing role in the ritual, as Clone would only activate upon the death of the primary body. She knew that memories of her deaths were very strong, and should she reincarnate into a new body later on, she hoped that him being there would at least make that memory a pleasant one.
The ritual involved everyone's help, but the most critical part was strictly between Nôx and Kira. He used a dagger to cut her throat, and while waiting for blood loss to take effect, he told her that he loved her.
Afterwards, Kira's spirit jumped into the waiting cloned body and they were escorted away to being the Transmogrify ritual. The real Meera Cairthel was subsequently resurrected and returned to her family. Transmogrify involved a demanding hour long ritual outside the Chamber's walls, but her body was reshaped to match Chikara Nadir's. She subsequently took the name "Kira" as her new personal name.
With all of these tasks done, they left to reunite with Abbit and Krud in Hatena and set out for the Labyrinth. Abbit did not arrive at the meeting, having left the party in secret to continue his quest to resurrect Lady Cassia. The party warped to the Labyrinth without their trusty cleric.

Labyrinth

Ongoing.

Social

Contacts & Relations

• Tiras (old friend)
• Kira (girlfriend)

Current Status

Active; With Party

Species

Twili

Date of Birth

69th of Autumn

Year of Birth

697 PC 36 Years old

Birthplace

The Twilight Realm

Gender

Male

Eyes

Yellow

Hair

Bright neon orange

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Light blue

Height

6'8"

Weight

200 lbs