Nazzod

Old Elf / Priest of the God of the Grave

Submitted character story

There is no stat block for what Nazzod is. He is not a combat encounter. He is not a quest giver. He is the oldest living being most mortals will ever meet, and all he does is remember.

He serves Calara, the God of the Grave, Remembrance and Memory. He knows every name carved into every headstone in the Funeral City of Last Rites. Thousands upon thousands of names, some older than the gods themselves. He tends graves. He comforts mourners. He makes sure no one is forgotten. That is his entire purpose.
But what the world sees is a lie. An old half elf in plain grey robes. A gentle smile. A silver ring on his finger. That ring holds the illusion together. The moment he removes it, everything changes.

His true form is something else entirely. Skin without a single wrinkle. Impossibly smooth. Eyes like full moons set in black sky. Limbs too long. Ears too large. A smile that shows teeth too sharp. He is beautiful and wrong at the same time. One of the first generation of beings to walk the mortal realms, old enough to remember a time before dragons could fly.

And across every part of his true body, chains. Golden divine chains. Black infernal ones with barbed spikes that still burn. Wooden chains laced with thorns and small flowers. Glass chains that shimmer like fairy light. Nordic runes stitched into his robes for the Titans. Mayan script bleeding across his cheeks for the Fleshshapers. Draconic runes glowing in every colour of dragonkind across the backs of his hands. Each one is a promise. Each one is a weight he chose to carry.

I have been building this world for four years now, and Nazzod is the character my players talk about the most. Not because he is powerful. Because the first time he removed that ring at the table, nobody said anything for about ten seconds. Then our rogue just whispered 'what the hell are you.' And Nazzod smiled and said 'I am the one who remembers.'