Zan

Zan (Zanerith) Derlyn

Race: Half-Drow, Class: Sorcerer 4/Warlock 3 Background: Smuggler (Variant), Alignment: Chaotic Good Patron Deity: Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden Factions: Harpers Renown 6

Ability Scores

Strength 10 (+0), Dexterity 16 (+3), Constitution 12 (+1); Intelligence 10 (+0), Wisdom 10 (+0), Charisma 18 (+4)

Proficiencies

Bonus: x Saving Throws: Strength +1, Dexterity +4, Constitution +5 (proficiency), Intelligence +1, Wisdom +1, Charisma +8 (proficiency) Skills: Athletics +3, Deception +7, Perception +3 (with Advantage when holding Sentinel Shield), Performance +7, Persuasion +7, Stealth +6 Tools: Disguise Kit, Hand Drum, Pan flute, Vehicles (Water) Languages: Common, Drowic, Goblin, Orc, Undercommon Armor: Light, Medium, Shields Weapons: Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons

Traits

Darkvision (120ft), Fey Ancestry, Drow Magic, Sorcerous Origin: Divine Soul, Divine Magic: Chaos, Favored by the Gods, Font of Magic, Metamagic (Quickened Spell, Twinned Spell), Otherworldly Patron: The Hexblade, Pact Magic, Hexblade's Curse, Hex Warrior, Eldritch Invocations (Agonizing Blast, Devil's Sight), Pact Boon: Pact of the Blade

Feats

Elven Accuracy (+1 to Charisma, reroll one dice when rolling an attack at advantage)

Combat

Attacks: • Dagger: +6, 1d4+3,• Revenancer: +8, 1d8+5 (1d10+5)• Eldritch Blast: +7, 1d10+4 Armor Class: 16 (breastplate),+1 Cloak of Protection, +2 Sentinel Shield, Initiative: +5 (with Advantage when holding Sentinel Shield), Speed: 30 ft (+5 feet with Boots of Advanced Speed) Hit Points: 44, Hit Dice: 4d6, 3d8

Social

Personality Traits: I enjoy doing things others believe to be impossible. • I’m a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. Ideals: People. For all the ways I bend the rules and break the law, I place a high value on community and friendship. Bonds: I owe everything to my mentor — but I know he's not the saint everyone thinks he is. Flaws: I don't know who my warlock patron is... but I'm sure everything will work out for the best.

Character Relevant Links

Harpers: Faction Info • Harpers of Waterdeep • Dusken Glade Cell
People & Places: Local Neighborhood • Dusken Glade Inn • Rivals • Promenade-in-Exile • The Derlynn Estate
Campaign Info: House Rules • Group Treasury

Appearance

Age: 36
Gender: Cisgender Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair: White/Silver
Eyes: Amber
Skin: Slightly ashen

Zan appears outwardly as a handsome, charismatic man. Smooth slightly ashen skin covered in black tattoos. Silver white hair that is usually kept shoulder length and often pulled back in a pony tail. Amber, almost red eyes that sparkle with playfulness but somehow also hint at a deep well of anger laying just beneath the surface. He often wears a black breastplate, leather breeches, and a black cloak of protection.

Traits

Racial Traits

• Ability Score Increase Charisma +2, Dexterity +1, Constitution +1
• Languages Common, Drowic, Goblin, Orc, Undercommon
• Darkvision See in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light (Due to Warlock Eldritch Invocation Devil's Sight can see see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.)
• Fey Ancestry Advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
• Drow Magic You know the Moonfire cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Darkness spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Sorcerer Features

• Proficiencies:
  • Armor: None
  • Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
  • Tools: None
  • Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
  • Skills: Insight, Persuasion
• Sorcerous Origin: Divine Soul Sometimes the spark of magic that fuels a sorcerer comes from a divine source that glimmers within the soul. Having such a blessed soul is a sign that your innate magic might come from a distant but powerful familial connection to a divine being.
  • Divine Magic:
    • Your link to the divine allows you to learn spells from the cleric class. When your Spellcasting feature lets you learn or replace a sorcerer cantrip or a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose the new spell from the cleric spell list or the sorcerer spell list. You must otherwise obey all the restrictions for selecting the spell, and it becomes a sorcerer spell for you.
    • In addition, you learn the Cure Wounds spell, based on the Good affinity that is the source of your divine power. It is a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count against your number of sorcerer spells known. If you later replace this spell, you must replace it with a spell from the cleric spell list.
  • Favored by the Gods: Divine power guards your destiny. If you fail a saving throw or miss with an attack roll, you can roll 2d4 and add it to the total, possibly changing the outcome. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Font of Magic:
  • You have 4 sorcery points that you regain when you finish a long rest.
  • Creating Spell Slots: You can transform unexpended sorcery points into one spell slot as a bonus action on your turn. 1st Level = 2 points, 2nd Level = 3 points. Any spell slot you create with this feature vanishes when you finish a long rest.
  • Converting a Spell Slot to Sorcery Points:As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend one spell slot and gain a number of sorcery points equal to the slot’s level.
  • Empowering Reserves:When you make an ability check on your turn, you can spend 2 sorcery points to gain advantage on the check
  • Inbuing Touch:As an action, you can touch one nonmagical weapon and spend 2 sorcery points to imbue it with magic for 1 minute. For the duration, the weapon is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks.
  • Sorcerous Fortitude:As an action, you can spend any number of sorcery points to roll a d4 for each point expended. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the total rolled.
• Metamagic:
  • Quickened Spell: When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can spend 2 sorcery points to change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting.
  • Twinned Spell: When you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level to target a second creature in range with the same spell (1 sorcery point if the spell is a cantrip).

Warlock Features

• Proficiencies:
  • Armor:Light
  • Weapons: Simple
• Otherworldy Patron: The Hexblade You have made your pact with a mysterious entity from the Shadowfell — a force that manifests in sentient magic weapons carved from the stuff of shadow. The shadowy force behind these weapons can offer power to warlocks who form pacts with it. Many hexblade warlocks create weapons that emulate those formed in the Shadowfell. Others forgo such arms, content to weave the dark magic of that plane into their spellcasting. Because the Raven Queen is known to have forged the first of these weapons, many sages speculate that she and the force are one and that the weapons, along with hexblade warlocks, are tools she uses to manipulate events on the Material Plane to her inscrutable ends.
  • Hexblade's Curse: You have the ability to place a baleful curse on someone. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target is cursed for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.
    • You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.
    • Any attack roll you make against the cursed target is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
    • If the cursed target dies, you regain hit points equal to your warlock level + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).
  • Hex Warrior:
    • You have acquired the training necessary to effectively arm yourself for battle. You gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
    • The influence of your patron also allows you to mystically channel your will through a particular weapon. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property. When you attack with that weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest. If you later gain the Pact of the Blade feature, this benefit extends to every pact weapon you conjure with that feature, no matter the weapon’s type.
  • Eldritch Invocations: In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability.
    • Improved Pact Weapon: Your pact weapon can be your spellcasting focus, gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls (unless it already has a magic bonus), and can be a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.
    • Devil's Sight:You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.
  • Pact Boon: Your otherworldly patron has bestowed a gift upon you for your loyal service.
    • Pact of the Blade: As an action, you can create a pact weapon in your hand (you choose the form, you're proficient with it, and it counts as magical). You can also transform a magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual.

Smuggler Background Traits

On a rickety barge, you carried a hundred longswords in fish barrels right past the dock master’s oblivious lackeys. You have paddled a riverboat filled with stolen elven wine under the gaze of the moon and sold it for twice its value in the morning. In your more charitable times, you have transported innocents out of war zones or helped guide herd animals to safety on the banks of a burning river.

• Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Stealth
• Tools: Vehicles (Water)
• Languages: Goblin
• Shady Contact:
  • You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other smugglers and criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you.

Harper Faction Traits

Harper Pins

Wondrous Item, rare (attunement)

Wrought by certain finesmiths and enchanted by Harper magicians, the Harper pin provides a number of benefits to the attuned wearer based on their standing within the Harpers as a faction. Pins manifest power based on their attunement to Harper bearers. An un-attuned pin is referred to as being dormant.

• Basic Abilities: No rank. Harper pins, even those which are dormant, are themselves immune to divination magics. They never register as magical to spells or spell-like abilities.
• Rank 1. The Harper attuned to the pin may, as a bonus action and mere act of will requiring neither speech nor gesture, command the pin to change its shape into another piece of jewelry. It never appears to be worth more than 5gp, although this value can be for a piece that is obviously costume jewelry. If the wearer is in any way targeted by a dispel magic, even if the pin is not the target of that spell, it automatically reverts to its normal harp-and-moon shape.
• Rank 2. In addition to the above abilities, the pin functions as a ring of mind shielding, without the soul-retention property of that ring. Harpers with some experience can learn to invest their pins with a fragment of personality. Instead of causing mind-reading to simply fail (which is suspicious), they can cause the pin to "loop" a set of thoughts of their choice, usually setting a cycle of thoughts appropriate to their current cover story. A pin's thought loop can be reset during a short rest.
  • Renown 5. The pin is capable of playing a counter-tune when the attuned Harper encounters spells that would charm them, granting the bearer advantage on all saves against such spells and abilities. The pin also drinks in the power behind magic missiles, rendering the bearer immune to them. Either of these effects cause a shapechanged pin to revert to its normal, harp-and-moon shape.
  • Renown 6. The pin protects the bearer from electrical attacks, granting resistance to lightning damage. This effect causes a shapechanged pin to revert to its normal, harp-and-moon shape.
• Rank 3. A shapechanged pin is now immune from reverting to its normal shape by any means.

Harpers in good standing might receive the following benefits:

Apprentice (Rank 1)

Prerequisite: Harper renown 1+

• Sponsor: You have a senior Harper who has not only brought you into the Harpers, but helps to train you. The time it takes to learn one of the mentor's proficiencies by the Training downtime activity is reduced in half. They can also arrange training with other Harpers for proficiencies outside of their own baliwick. This benefit applies until the Harper achieves Rank 2. Zan's mentor is Zavelinda
• Signs at Twilight: All Harpers learn the methods for contacting and getting information to the Harpers. The use of certain songs, signs to look for, identifying phrases - all the techniques that Harpers use to find one another in a cold and dangerous world. Harpers also learn the meaning, placement, and discovery of the specific Harper sigils.
• Magic Access: Harpers can get access to Common potions and scrolls at the cost it takes to create those items, and have them within 1d4 days.

Harper (Rank 2)

Prerequisite: Rank 1 and Harper renown 3+

• Song Training: By the time a Harper has spent some time as part of the organization, training in music is an inevitability. Harpers use music for a great many things - to subtly identify themselves to one another, to pass coded messages back and forth, and even the use of musical metaphor in their interactions. The Harper of this Rank may choose proficiency in a musical instrument or the Performance Skill for singing. A proficient Harper may play music that communicates something to other Harpers who hear it in a coded fashion, as well. Proficiency - Performance
• Harper's Pin: Fully acknowledged agents of the Harpers receive a Harpers pin magic item (see sidebar).
• Harper Cell: Harper agents are frequently put into a cell structure, giving them the support of allies without endangering the entire organization should they be compromised.
• Harper Lore: Harpers gain access to repositories of arcane lore - spells known only to Harpers. These are taught by mentors or provided as spell-scrolls. These spells may be considered to be added to the spell-list of the character.
• Harper Trainers: Harpers make a point of providing access to training for its newer operatives. This includes tool proficiencies, languages, and Exploits; Harpers of this rank pay only half the normal cost for that training.
• Magic Access: Harpers can get access to Common potions and scrolls at half the cost it takes to create those items, and have them within one day. They can get access to Uncommon potions and scrolls at the cost it takes to create those items, and have them within 1d6 days.
• Mentor: Full Harpers can bring others into the Harpers by acting as their sponsors. They are considered entirely responsible for their apprentices until such time as those apprentices are considered full Harpers themselves.
• Continuing Training: Renown 6+. Harpers of this degree of experience within the group have continued their training in music, choosing another musical instrument to be proficient in. They may also choose proficiency in a disguise kit, herbalism kit, or poisoner's kit. (Pan Flute and Disguise Kit)

Faction Role: Harpblade

Warriors and tacticians, harpblades are front-line fighters ready to come to the defense of Those Who Harp. Despite the name, anyone who is ready to defend their own - whether they use sword or spell - can operate as a harpblade.

• Harpblade (Rank 2): A newly-made harpblade is expected to focus on their fighting skills, for you will be expected to put your life on the line for Harper goals almost immediately. Choose one Exploit from among the following 1st rank Exploits: Battlefront Shift or Heroic Effort.

Exploits

• Heroic Effort: On the brink of exhaustion, you still manage to rally your allies.
  • As a bonus action, while you are below half hit points, each ally within 50 feet of you who can see or hear you gains a +1d4 bonus on damage rolls until you are above half hit points. Additionally, you gain 2d10 temporary hit points. This exploit can be used once per long rest.

Feats

• Elven Accuracy:
  • +1 to Charisma
  • Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll using Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, you can reroll one of the dice once.

Resources

• Coins: 769 cp • 12,822 sp • 0 ep • 1,116 gp • 0 pp • Other coins: x
• Gems: x

Magic Items

• Cloak of Protection (w/Guardian Quirk): You gain a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws while you wear this cloak and it whispers warnings to its bearer, granting a +2 bonus to initiative if the bearer isn't incapacitated.
• Sentinel Shield: While holding this shield, you have advantage on initiative rolls and Perception checks. The shield is emblazoned with a symbol of an eye. Wielding a shield increases your Armor Class by 2.
• Winged Boots: While you wear these boots, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can use the boots to fly for up to 4 hours, all at once or in several shorter flights, each one using a minimum of 1 minute from the duration. If you are flying when the duration expires, you descend at a rate of 30 feet per round until you land. The boots regain 2 hours of flying capability for every 12 hours they aren't in use.
• Potion of Healing: (x3) 2d4+2 hp
• Revenancer: +1 Longsword, finesse property, see side bar

Equipment

Carried Equipment

• In Hand: Revenancer, Sentinel Shield, daggers (2)
• Worn: Cloak of Protection, a Harper pin, breastplate, Winged Boots
• Belt: component bag
• Backpack: crowbar, hand drum, hammer, mess kit, pitons (10), playing card set, potion of healing (3), rations (10 days), rope - hempen (50ft), tinderbox, torch (10), waterskin,

Stored Equipment

• clothes - common, traveler's, fine
• Boots of Advanced Speed

Lifestyle

• Modest: (1 gp/day).

Downtime Actions

Downtime: 10/80 days

• Religious Service (Promenade-in-Exile): 10 days Gain one Favor; gain one Hero Point. Complication? No.
• Harper Cell Development (Build Cell Security): 10gp + 10 days Intelligence check plus proficiency bonus due to proficiency in Deception and Stealth. 14 + 3 = 17 Complication? Yes/No.
• Harper Cell Development (Build Cell Allies): 10gp + 10 days Charisma (Persuasion) check. 16 + 7 = 23 Complication? Yes/No.
• Exploit Training (with Darkflame Sanolu Fezeera of the Promenade-in-Exile): 50gp + 10 days Learn the Begin the Hunt Exploit Complication? No.
• Carousing (among lower class in the Dock Ward): 10gp + 10 days Charisma (Persuasion) check. 7 + 7 = 14 Complication? Yes/No.

Backstory

Zanerith has never been entirely sure of how he came to be in custody of Arddeth Derlyn, the Half-Elf Harper who went on to raise him. Arddeth has been, and remains, tight lipped about that mission into the Underdark that saw him emerge with a Half-Drow infant. Zan has also never been sure why Arddeth didn’t hand him over to the Drow in the Ardeep Forest, where Arddeth’s estate rests beside. The gods know that Arddeth wasn’t afraid to place the infants and children that he was known for “rescuing” in unconventional situations, like he did with that bugbear infant he placed with the Dwarven Mountainflowers in Waterdeep, so placing Zan with the Drow in the Ardeep would have seemed like a good fit. However, some of the children Arddeth came into possession of he ended up raising himself on his estate. The reasons why Arddeth placed some children with others to raise, but raised some himself remained a mystery to Zan.

While Arddeth was gruff and a demanding disciplinarian, he was also not without love for his adopted charges. Zan spent his childhood and adolescence being well provided for. He enjoyed the company of his adopted brothers and sisters, of all races. But Arddeth also made sure his charges paid close attention to their studies and to their training in fighting and combat. For Zan that meant training in using his chosen weapon, the rapier, and that he was trained in the use of magic as it developed.

Arddeth had always assumed that natural magic in Zan was due to the Drow side of his heritage. However, that perception changed when Zan was 17. During that 17th year Arddeth decided it would be beneficial for Zan to experience some of his Drow cultural heritage and brought Zan, along with some of his other charges, into the Ardeep to participate in one of the festivals of the goddess Eilistraee hosted by her Drow followers living in that forest. At that festival, Zan was introduced to one of Eilistraee’s priestesses who was also known for her proficiency for seership. She proclaimed Zan as one who has been directly touched by Eilistraee with the potential to become a powerful defender and advocate of her faith. But there was more. The priestess also saw the touch of another. She gave Zan the strange title of “the Doubly Chosen” and told him that it was unclear if his path would lie with the light or the dark. She advised him that his path through this uncertainty would lie in his ability to balance both these energies and find his own way.

Zan didn’t know what to make of these proclamations. They just sounded weird. The future can’t be fixed. He was in control of his own destiny and he wasn’t going to let some old Drow woman he just met dictate his life to him. At the same time, he felt a strange pull to this new faith. He had never heard of Eilistraee before, and he had never encountered Drow before despite himself being Half-Drow. Meeting these Drow and seeing their joyous festival made him feel like he had a place to belong. And he wanted to learn more about Eilistraee.

For Arddeth’s part, he took the seer’s words in a way that Zan wasn’t expecting. Instead of embracing those words, Arddeth advised Zan that they would not be paying anymore visits to the Ardeep Drow, and he doubled down on Zan’s combat training, almost as if Zan might be able to fight off the outcome of the seer’s words.

The relationship between Zan and Arddeth started to become strained. Zan started to see his adopted guardian as a controlling taskmaster. There were many arguments. Zan also failed to heed Arddeth’s command not to associate with the Drow in the Ardeep. He regularly snuck away from the estate to meet up with the Drow and began learning about Eilistraee and her faith, participating in as many festivals as he could. He also began supplementing his combat training from Arddeth with training from Eilistraee’s followers. In particular, the Drow wizard named Dalnyon Ki'ntriel began training him in the sorcerous magic that was blossoming in him. He found in Dalnyon a mentor, a friend, and sometimes a lover.

As Zan’s training with Arddeth and the Ardeep Drow continued, He was brought into the Harpers. Arddeth started taking Zan on some missions, but never on any that involved rescuing and placing infants. Arddeth kept Zan off those missions. Zan knew they happened, but he assumed he was not yet high enough in the Harper organization to be trusted with that work.

One night, Zan overheard Arddeth and the Harper agent Zavalinda arguing. Zavalinda was chastising Arddeth, criticizing his methods, accusing him of manipulating the situations in which he was rescuing children from.

“I love all the children I save. Sometimes they need me to move their situations along so that I’m able to rescue them. The outcome is never in question. We know these children will need saving eventually. It’s better that I hasten their situations so I can put them in a better place.” Arddeth declared.

“Hasten?” Zavalinda replied. “There is a big difference between saving children and creating the situation from which they need saving.”

Arddeth was indignant. “I have provided some of the best Harper agents we have to this organization, as you well know!”

Zan had heard enough. Had Arddeth “hastened” Zan’s need for saving also? How different would his life had been if he were allowed to experience the love of his mother and father and raised among his own kind? This was the last straw. The final proof of how controlling Arddeth had been in so many ways. Zan decided that he wanted no part of Arddeth’s manipulations. Zan quickly and secretly gathered his things, left a brief note, and left that night.

The next several months were difficult. Zan made his way to several different cities, getting by as a he could. He soon found that the most effective way for him to make coin was by selling his skill with the rapier. Sometimes this meant taking on the title of an “adventurer” and sometimes it meant something a little less savory.

Eventually he met Akshay, a Half-Orc who headed up a small crew of smugglers. Zan found that it wasn’t his skill with the sword that made him useful, although that did come in handy from time to time, but he found that he was quite skilled with deception and stealth, and had a certain talent for persuading others to his point of view. All these skills combined, along with the fact that he and Akshay got along rather well in each other’s beds, made him an excellent addition to Akshay’s crew.

He picked up additional skills from Akshay, and soon found himself with a growing reputation as someone who was able to move items quickly, efficiently, and secretly, from one location to another. This did mean that at times he was working with criminals and moving things that were quite illegal, but just as often he found he was able to help people too by moving them out of dangerous places or by smuggling weapons to those who are oppressed. This helped justify the times he took on other, less noble jobs. And the coin didn’t hurt either.

On one such job, the crew was tasked with sneaking a small group of people out of Thay. The group consisted of a young noblewoman, her guard, her much older maidservant, and several others. After they had successfully completed the job, Zan found a rapier with a jet black handle left in the compartment where the people had been hiding. He assumed it had belonged to one of those they had just transported. When he touched the blade, it whispered to him. “Chosen.” It whispered to Zan in his dreams all that night. In fact, it almost felt as if Zan had made some sort of agreement, or had bargained with those whispers in his dreams. When he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t quite recall the details of those dreams, and the blade was gone. But he knew something had changed. He felt that he had new power that he had not had previously.

Several months ago, Akshay’s crew took on a job that involved smuggling a woman into Luskan. It soon became apparent that Zan and the woman knew each other. Much to his surprise, their client was the Harper agent Zavalinda. After her successful mission, she reached out to Zan. “Come back to us,” she requested. “I know how angry you are with Arddeth. Some of that is not without merit. But you’ve grown into a man of some skill. The Harpers can put those skills to good use. Do something important with those skills. Change our world for the better with those skills. You are in control of your own destiny and the Harpers truly want to help you shape that destiny... apart from the influence of Arddeth. We have a place for you if you want it.”

Important Individuals

	Zavelinda Harper • Current Mentor Zavelinda is a monk of some skill
	Arddeth Derlynn Foster Parent/Guardian • Former Mentor
	Chumley Loyal Companion • Mastiff Knows the guard trick
	Akshay Govind Smuggler • Former Employer
	Dalnyon Ki'ntriel Hand of the Protectors • Friend/Lover/Magical Mentor
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