Nizzix

Nizzix is a Kobold hailing from Golarian in the plains south of Quain on Tian Xia. With self taught magic from their former masters spellbook, Nizzix utilizes ‘shortcuts’ to alter ‘the strings along the weave’ so he calls them, to perform wizardry in a different manner than most. After war threatened to destroy the peace surrounding their home on Reloria, the Kobold found themselves meeting the Ferryman who lead him and those he held close to Dreamers Respite.

Physical Description
Despite his experience and developed prowess in the arcane arts, Nizzix is a younger Kobold having just reached their full height at three feet tall within the past couple years. Their scales are surprisingly sturdy, colored a youthful pristine blue. Nizzix has two short aged dark blue horns sweeping back behind their head, with a much newer ivory colored horn protruding between their eyes going upwards, small fractures stemming from the tip with a discolored yellow between the cracks. Their eyes are a dull yellow with round pupils, shifting in tone and shape to a bright amber with draconic slits when under duress. Two large wings sprout from their back, often wrapping around them like a makeshift cloak when not aloft. Their claws sit a bit longer than most others of their kind, more resembling a Dragons than a Kobolds.

Nizzix’ attire tends to change depending on his duties for each given day, preferring more casual clothing with blander colors when walking around cityscapes, only wearing formal and colorful robes when acting as the Guildmaster in the Leyline Sanctuary. Regardless of his outfit, he is always seen with three things: a faded purple satchel at his side, a thick tome with a metallic silver strapped to the opposite side, and a carved and dyed black and grey staff looking like two entwined asps. When without of of these items, Nizzix appears incredibly nervous.

Typically, the kobold is not seen as such, as they tend to assume the form of an Elf using polymorphic spells, with short brown hair and a similar posture, but with eyes reminiscent of their true form.

Rather timid, the kobold tends to keep their head lowered, their shoulders hunched and their tail and wings close to them when nervous, taking a lower stance with a hand on their book when threatened.

Early Years
Born as Nizzix Tah’Khar in the arid plains south of Quain under their dragon Tah’Khar, the Kobold was more adventurous than their brethren, exploring out into the fields for resources to tinker with back at home. He was noted as reckless and carefree at a young age, though their aptitude to provide the tribe to inventive new insights into trapmaking and contraptions showed promise for a high position as they grew older. At around the age of 9, Nizzix was captured by a wondering band of Gnoll slavers while out gather resources, and spend four years of their life working their talents for their new crueler masters.

Over these years, Nizzix personality dramatically shifted, becoming apprehensive and nervous at any given moment, notably around larger creatures or groups. Scarred from years of abuse, they continued on in fear of becoming one of the Gnoll leader’s risen undead, with hope that their tribes great defender would eventually come to save them. One stormy night, a stray bolt of lighting struck one of the Slavers on watch, and damaging their cage enough to escape through. Grabbing what they could before fleeing into the plains with the weather as cover, they snatched a small bag of supplies and the leading Gnoll’s spellbook.

Nizzix spent another year and a half treading carefully through the Nagajor nation and living in the outskirts of a settlement in the Valashmai Jungle south. During this time, they learned to replicate basic spells and rituals from the filched tome, but could recognize the dark necromancy that was written further in. After this time, feeling that the trail their escape may have left was cold they snuck aboard a boat to the unexplored region of Reloria, believing the ship was traveling along the coast for them to attempt to return home. Along the journey they heard rumors from the local sailors singing praises of a band of heroes having slain a blue dragon in the region, causing them to feel a lingering despair at returning home fade.

Relorian History
The first ray of sunshine on the days since being taken captive, Nizzix found themselves in the town of Lanarus, almost immediately accepted as a citizen despite their status as a monstrous race. One of the first jobs they had taken for the community to claim shelter at the local boarding house was to investigate a ruined tower miles from town where other Kobolds had taken residence and shown hostilities to locals in the area. Able to talk their way past an ambush for themselves and their party, they were brought within the tower to the Kobold’s leader, whose scales were blacked by dark energies, declaring their sacrifice on the top floor of the tower where eldritch spirals scrawled upon every inward facing wall. Once the leader was struck down, the other Kobolds fell unconscious, who were then brought back to Lanarus for trial. Nizzix, brimming with hope stayed behind to ensure the tower could remain their home to return to once they were released. He scrubbed the symbols from the walls and began clearing the debris, but to their dismay, the lizards taken prisoner were brought into the townhall alongside the mayor, and were never seen again.

About a year later, Nizzix was invited on an expedition to find one of the lost Libraries said to be held on the continent weeks of travel away. During the expedition, the Kobolds speciality in the necromantic arts from their studies with their defiled scripture made quick work of a powerful undead entity at the libraries entrance, taking control of them and forcing it to let the expedition through. Nizzix never made it inside the library with the team however, as when the mayor and their other companions passed by he seemed to fall unconscious at the mouth of their journeys end. He awoke alone where he fell, only to find this grand ruin looted and plundered, with the team nowhere to be found, his previous owl familiar Hoot laying dead beside them.

Returning Home, the Beginning of Iphotel
Backtracking through the fetid swamps and fertile jungles, Nizzix walked on the verge of tears from isolation. A malevolent entity seemed to have follow them from the pilfered libraries, a small shadow drake by the name of Iphotel who made their presence known by declaring the Kobold as their new vassal, and forcing a bond to them as a Familiar as they traveled back. When they arrived, they found the tower they had previously inhabited laid claim by an official close to the mayor, only that the scrawled spirals had returned and spread to the outer walls, with the presence of the new tenant an unnerving one. Nizzix crushed with despair, with Iphotel full of rage the two began work gathering stone, wood and mortar to rebuild their former home on a plot a few miles north. Well, the Kobold gathered the supplies while the drake dug their claws into his shoulders when his work would slow to ‘motivate’ them.

Another half a year having passed, Nizzix completes his residence and begins to rest, leery of stepping foot into town with the mysterious presence and ambitions of the mayor looming overhead. Instead he learned to became more self sufficient, taking time to study and practice making magic items and enhancing existing ones, reducing his need to make stops in town for finished goods. His services became known though, and despite his separation he found himself visited by a large number of the town’s famed mercenaries and adventurers for equipment and gear upgrades. Most of the revenue was hoarded by their familiar, who had taken a more leisurely role once the tower was finished and officially named ‘The Leyline Sanctuary.’

Finding Apsu and Nar'Kai
During this time of rest, symbols of the god of Apsu began to draw more attention from the Kobold, and after delving into lore of this god and absorbing their virtues, they began to walk each day following their teaching of travel. As if fated, during the first walk a Wyvaran was found mortally wounded drifting down a nearby river that flowed from a mountain pass, and after being stabilized and brought back to the Sanctuary for further treatment, swore fealty to the Kobold until the Life debt was repaid. Nar’Kai, disgruntled from being pressed into service through their code of honor to a Kobold, often spoke in crude tones about their savior and new residence, but always stood stalwart nearby when their home was threatened.

Another half a year passed before the reason for Nar’Kai’s injuries were discussed, tasked by their previous chieftain to steal the egg of a powerful green dragon in the area, with themselves having been bit and tossed aside. This arose as a mysteriously similar egg became available in Lanarus by an merchant unaware of its origins. When it was made known that the town would not be spared the Dragon’s wrath should the egg be found here, a party was formed to deliver it back to the jungles past the mountain pass north of town. This journey took only a few days, barely succeeding with the dragon’s anger spared when their egg had finally been delivered home to the saddest dragon’s hoard. No wealth or jewelry present in their abode, only the bones of their young slain at the hands of the original egg thieves. Feeling empathy for the loss of great dragon, Nizzix spent their reward offered by the town for this quest and a little bit more, to work with a local cleric to create scrolls that would return the Dragon’s fallen children to life.

The Departure
The Kobold spent much of their time at the dragon’s den, learning their name as Nerish’Zara with their young being Vera’el, Tarkay and Jalisto. He would regularly offer tribute of livestock, his crafting services and even his own wealth, full of joy to have found a new dragon who was appreciate of their service, making them feel a sense of safety he had long been without. This new found joy seemed to irritate and worry the familiar Iphotel, who felt their position of power over them was being threatened. To regain control and ensure the familiar bond that was empowering them remained, the drake urged the Kobold to study a certain incarnation that would help them become a dragon while obfuscating its result. When this new spell was eagerly cast, Nizzix found themselves in great pain as the piece of their soul that bound the two together as Familiar and Master was severed and transferred into Iphotel, empowering them and changing their shape into that of a dragon akin to Nizzix' own desires. This missing piece of their soul was mended with the latent transmutative energies from the ritual, which destabilized the kobold's own physical form and empowered transmutation spells upon them.

Satisfied with this change, Iphotel resumed their rule over the Sanctuary until their influence of power eventually threatened Lanarus whose own mayor came to investigate this rising power. During the stress of the situation, wanting nothing more than a home to feel safe in the Ferryman brought Nizzix to Dreamer's Respite before the conflict could tear their third home asunder.

A Home not Lost
Upon arrival to the docks of Charon, Nizzix hopes of avoiding the loss of his home once more caused a curious event to occur. The Sanctuary’s placement on the Leylines of Golarian combined with the Kobolds desperate desire to avoid suffering this loss once more caused the building itself to move along the connection onto Reveries’ own Leylines, placing the residence in the epicenter of the city where an old school once sat.

This desire brought along with him a number of individuals he was close to, though their arrival wasn’t necessarily at the docks. Nizzix spent his first month in Reverie freeing Nerish’Zara from a high security prison in the underwater reefs off of Fervain Island. This was done by exchanging prisoners, an older and more powerful black dragon that was captured and raised in exchange for her freedom, where the Kobold was willing to give their own life were this not enough. The dragon was freed and the pair returned to the sanctuary, only to find that her young did not make the transition into Reverie. Nizzix then made a solemn promise to find a way to return her home to be with her kids as soon as he was able, delving further into his studies and developing into more advanced magic’s to eventually keep his word.

The Sin of Wrath
His first experience with the Sins was the appearance of Wrath, where he was present at their unsealing in a shallow mountain tomb north of Charon. He spent the next few months pursuing information pertaining to them and to other sins, using his talents to enhance the gear of those who would fight Wrath. Three great behemoths surfaces and wrought havoc within the span of a year, one descending from the same mountain towards the Town of Cardinal, one sinking vessels on the edge of the Tranquil Sea, and the third ravaging Halcyon with a torrent of storms. Present to drive back all three with many other heroes from Charon, Wrath fell within the trade city and a short era of peace ensued. During this time, the Kobold felt a power swelling deep within as their crafting expertise and spellcasting began to match mythic heroes of legend.

Travel to the Mountain
During this respite, Nizzix was offered a chance to take a trip to and from, to one of the four outer planes. His faith in Apsu had developed, enough so that some of his own power was reliant on their teachings, which made the choice to visit Mount Celestia an easy one. He arrived on the base of the mountain, made the pilgrimage up the first layer and arrived on the mountains second layer, admiring the beauty and atmosphere present. Hoping to see Apsu’s silver pool, he instead saw something close to his faith; Bahamut’s jeweled palace, nestled nicely on the horizon. Accompanied by an Perceptor Arcon who advised them to attempt a visit, Nizzix was reluctant but eventually agreed to meet what was, in essence, a god close to his own. After a short wait in the palaces halls, he was granted an audience with not a massive dragon atop a mountain treasure, but an older man in a vast library, with seven golden canaries sitting atop one of the shelves.

The experience was both exhilarating and harrowing, Nizzix having learned a great deal about the Sins and how they could combat them, but also having been judged for their wrongdoings, especially related to the Necromantic spells learned and cast through their first spellbook. A judgement was placed that any undead they had would need to be destroyed, a truth learned that creating undead would trap a portion of the creatures souls in the animated body, and a ban on the Kobolds use of Necromancy for one year was set, with the clause to never raise the dead in this manner again. Though he agreed to this judgement, his enthusiasm had been snuffed out by the thought of destroying what he considered to be his oldest standing family, in the undead he had made with this book. An exchange was made, his old tome for a new one taken from Bahamut’s own library, similar in composition but lacking any forbidden or evil spells.

Ambitions End and Ambitions Anew
The loss of his creations at his own hands made him question his own mortality and his goals, what life would be like after death and whether he would end up in a similar manner to what had happened with his own risen undead. Almost without purpose, performing his obedience each day felt empty until an individual by the name of Farkhas began recruiting adventurers to explore a lost vault containing vast knowledge in the Perilous Sea, said to have been once owned by a long dead crystal dragon, Yul’Vihkar. Though the expedition was a success the dragon was still alive, watching the adventurers progress through as entertainment, and offering a reward once they had reached the vaults end.

Yul’Vikhar gave each of the adventurers a sum of treasure for their efforts, but offered a single wish to the group while producing a massive fist-sized diamond. The wish was given to Nizzix after much consideration from everyone who had participated, in hopes that they might use it to become a dragon, extend their life and become more confident in themselves. It was made known that the wish may not hold that much sway, only replicating a powerful spell for a short time if the wording was not careful and precise, causing Nizzix to hold onto the wish for a few days longer until they used it to help Farkhas find his lost brother Markus.

Less than a month later, Markus came back to Nizzix and offered them a ritual that may help them achieve their dream that they had given up their chance on to save them. A ritual which could change three aspects of a person, their blood, body and soul, allowing them to become a true dragon. While Nizzix searced high and low for a dragon who would give some of their blood willingly for this procedure, Farkhas and Markus found a surgeon on a nearby archepelligo who was willing to perform the operation. Nerish’Zara, thankful for their commitment offered her own, and when the procedure was complete, the Kobold could sense nearby movements and even access a breath weapon similar to that of the dragon who helped them.

About a year later, Nizzix was gifted with a trunk filled with black scales believed to belong to the Sin of Lust, and while enthusiastic to continue following their dream, Nizzix made the pilgrimage up Mount Celestia once more by use of plane shift intent on praying to Apsu for guidance. After a time of reflection, they destroyed the gift and prolonged attaining the body aspect until it was freely given by another dragon.

This time came quickly when the Fara Kingdom, ruled by a long-standing lineage of blue dragons, was threatened by a curse cast by a witch atop a sacred mountain nearby. At the fall of the witch, the king had passed away peacefully, and the would-be princess offered a set of freshly shed scales before leaving the kingdom on her own endeavors.

Nizzix enlisted the aid of the Ssereth and Zhepe to help them with the procedure to acquire this draconic aspect of Body, and upon success their skin was replaced with hardened scales, wings sprouted from their back, a blue dragon’s horn jutted out between their eyes and the scars that had once reminded them of their past life in slavery were no longer present.

The Isle of Zaelfa
Approached by Markus with a discovery of what could very well be the land of the first kobolds and first dragons, Nizzix gathered a team of his closest friends to aid in arriving on the island and investigating the unknown. The island could only be found with an archaic device attuned to a planar distortion within the Tranquil Sea, and after comprehending the workings the crew arrived to a large land mass whose largest mountain seemed to be a massive dragon asleep with a thick mist perpetually circling them. After landfall, the crew quickly met with a tribe of the islands natives, a tribe of blue kobolds extremely adept in surviving on an island teaming with dragons and large dinosaurs.

It was quickly learned that the first kobolds are rumored to have been born on this island even to the natives, with legends saying that the islands creation was due to the first meeting between Apsu and Tiamat. Their direct descendant became the native's god on the island, Zaelfa, the dragon with which sleeps atop the mountains highest point and allows those who complete a pilgrimage to the top of the peak to journey to the afterlife with their blessing, or to even ascend beyond. Further talk with the kobold's tribe also spoke of how the first dragons may have come from the peak, though this information was lost to the kobold's first city partway up the climb.

Nizzix gazed upon the mountains top at the shifting earth of the dragon mostly dormant, and desired nothing more than to make this climb and grow stronger and more confident. Many trials were faced, from difficult scrapes with protectors of the mountain to test of emotions when facing shadows from ones past. Eventually the mountain's peak was reached, the great dragon on high craned their head upwards and recognized the efforts of each who had climbed, offering their divine blessing for having completed the pilgrimage.

Nizzix's deepest desire was recognized by Zaelfa, and he was offered a chance to be reforged and remade within the primordial essence that had created the first dragons at the mountains highest point. A dark ripple in space opened, and after council with their party and a potential last goodbye, Nizzix climbed the last few feet and entered inside. Beyond the portal was a sea of red, with a sky the color of dried blood dotted with small clouds and a gentle wind. He fell within, embraced by a comforting warmth as if the waters that made up this ocean were alive. One final time Nizzix endured his trauma, reliving the moment of his capture, his work within the Gnoll Slaver's mines, the treatment by his familiar Iphotel- but in the end it was all washed away, healed, and forgotten.

What seemed like a second lifetime for what once was a kobold, was only a few hours for his companions outside. Emerging from the sea again, with all memory of trauma, of weakness, of everything that would make them less of a dragon taken away and forgotten was the new dragon Nizzix.

Most of his memory was either beyond recall or muddled in some way, the initial encounters of great beasts a blur but the victories thereafter with his friends clear as day. His time with his tribe was gone, the memories of the Gnolls vanished too, even his reasoning for having began worship for Apsu had been written away, though the comfort behind the prayer remained. When he re-emerged from the portal atop the peak again, he had become a true dragon, slightly larger than his former stature with turquoise scales, fierce claws, a shorter temper and supreme confidence.

Combat
When threatened, Nizzix prefers to use defensive magic conjuring walls to intercept attacks or use illusions to confuse his foes. He prefers to avoid dealing harm when possible, using an array of support spells to make his allies faster or more defensible. When aware of a fight, he will often engage while in the form of a green dragon using his expertise in transmutation magic to polymorph. When caught unaware, he tends to attempt to create distance between himself and the enemy by creating a small hole in space and traveling along the leylines, arriving a short distance away before changing forms. When backed against the wall, they invoke their strongest magics to stall times flow long enough for them to get cast the spells needed to escape or turn the tables.