Nockdus

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"These things DIDN'T taste like chicken." - Nockdus on eating a Cheshire Goblin

Nockdus

Nockdus

Languages	Common, Elvish, Infernal, Thieves Cant
Marital Status	Unmarried
Place of Birth	birthplace
Date of Death	N/A
Place of Death	N/A
Species	Dhamphir
Gender	Male
Height	6'1"
Weight	205lbs.
Eye Color	Blue

Nockdus is a 5th level Dhampir Arcane Trickster Rogue. He believes that being an Dhampir means that he is technically an Undead creature and can sometimes behave like one due to this false belief. He is the second character created by Just Knight for the Into the Greedy Green campaign.

Physical Appearance

Nockdus has the features of a Moon Elf (the race he started as before becoming a Dhampir), but do to his current condition he more closely resembles a paler than usual Drow rather than his original race. Upon close inspection an observant person can clearly see his eyes are blue with flecks of gold typical of a Moon Elf rather than the pale blue common to the Drow.

Personality

Nockdus is cursed with the constant desire to consume raw meat and has been known to occasionally lose control and fling himself at the bodies of recently fallen foes to feast upon their fresh flesh. Upon exiting this feral state, Nockdus feels immense shame for what he is and can fall into bouts of depression. For his own safety as well as those around him, he tends to avoid crowded areas and will often sneak off to find a quiet corner or elevated position in the shadows.

History

Nockdus was a simple warehouse worker in the city of Seglock where he was born. His primary role was to maintain and use the warehouse's elaborate rigging systems to help lift heavy crates from ship to storage to wagons and back again. It was during one work day when a rope snapped, bringing a medium sized crate crashing to the floor. Unknown to anyone at the time the crate was housing a weakened vampire on the run. The vampire attacked Nockdus before fleeing in the daylight. As Nockdus lay dying in the sunlight, the foreman came over with a medicine kit and stabilized him. The combination of the vampire's bite along with the direct sunlight and the unique (and somewhat outdated) herbal medicines in the medicine kit transformed Nockdus into a Dhampir.

Not knowing what was happening to him, Nockdus returned to work after a few days to his normal life. It wasn't until he and his work friends went to the tavern after the last shift of the week that his new status became apparent to him. While drinking ale's was no issue, the smell of the cooked stew that the people were eating at the next table was making him nauseous. He went outside to get some air and walked past the nearby fishmonger. The "Hunger" came over him and paid for a freshly caught salmon which he then began to energetically consume on the spot, skin and all. The fishmonger reached out with concern toward Nockdus to see if he was OK, and that was when Nockdus in his feral state bit the man's fingers breaking them with a wet crunch. The fishmonger stabbed Nockdus with a fillet knife knocking him out of of his feral state, and Nockdus ran away into the night.

After that night Nockdus began to understand his condition more and started a life as a hermit. He lived on the streets, eating out of the fly infested garbage bins behind butcher shops that were filled with the fatty scraps of raw meat that were left after trimming. He began to explore his new abilities and utilize them to make a living. He joined the local thieves guild and took on jobs that others were either unable or afraid to do. He would hide in barrels, underwater, or in bags of holding for hours or days because he doesn't need to breathe. He would complete complex climbs to get the goods with ease because of his ability to crawl along surfaces and ceilings with minimal effort. He did however make sure to take on smaller jobs only because the larger ones could attract the type of attention that he did not want.

Session 16: Drakkoths

In his first adventure in The Greedy Green, Nocktus came in contact with a party of adventurers when he was investigating rumors of recent refugees. To him the presence of refugees means opportunities for work as either a finder of forgotten (or stolen) items, aiding in the location and extraction of missing people, or enacting revenge upon invaders. Like his fellow adventurers he was drawn to the local library but needed to stay outside of it. The presence of injured refugees could trigger his Hunger and he felt it was best to let others do the talking. It was while he was outside that Nockdus struck a fast friendship with Vadath the Goliath Barbarian who was also outside to make sure Nockdus didn't do anything untoward. When Vadath went inside to encourage the other adventurers to action, Nockdus scurried to the rooftop of the building across the street to maintain lookout and distance himself from others.

When the party of adventurers learned of a number of Drakkoths were responsible for attacking the village of Hallasan and the reward for removing the threatening creatures from it, they quickly embarked to it's location. They were led to the village by a guide who was secretly a polymorphed dragon in disguise, where upon they stealthily positioned themselves for a counter-attack. Spurred into action by Arlin's casting of Guiding Bolt, the party rushed into action. Nockdus followed closely to his new compatriot Vadath and worked with him to strategically take down the Drakkoths.

The head of the Drakkoth invaders however quickly positioned itself behind Nockdus and used his magical staff to attack Nockdus and sap both his current health and his maximum heath dealing a damning double blow on each hit. Since he believed he was unable to be healed by Arlin's spells, Nockdus forgo any healing as his life continued to dwindle away. Soon Vadath fell to the Drakkoth chieftain and it turned its attention to Nockdus to deal a final blow to him as well. At that moment Arlin healed the fallen barbarian, who then stood back up and thereby distracted the Drakkoth chieftan for a fatal moment. Nockdus utilized that distraction to run up the wall beside the Drakkoth, got to eye level with it, and plunged his rapier through the open mouth of the creature and out the back of it's head.

(Side note: After numerous low rolls I bought a new set of dice on the spot and ended up rolling a Critical as the final blow with them. The damage was crazy. Booming Blade with a Rapier and adding Sneak Attack became [1d8+1d8+3d6 Maxed to 34 for the Critical] + 1d8{Rapier}+1d8{Cantrip}+1d8{Piercer Feat}+3d6{Sneak Attack}+4 for a total of 61 points of damage from a single attack.)

Upon resolution of the combat, Nockdus entered into a frenzy and began tearing into the flesh of the fallen Drakkoths to heal himself. The party watched in morbid curiosity at the almost animalistic nature of their companion. When he was done, Nockdus stood up and Prestidigitated the bloodstains and bits of flesh from his clothes. While he looked normal again, some of the party members would not regard Nockdus as "normal" the next time they saw him.

Session 19: Hunting Horatio

As the villagers from Hallasan rested for a few weeks, Nockdus heard of some troubles that a group of merchant caravans had been having with bands of odd goblins raiding them. Heading to the Order of the Watchful Eye he met up with a number of adventurers seeking to find the alchemist Horatio Cheshire who seemed to be creating these manipulated minions and put an end to their machinations. Nockdus and Dancer scouted ahead, and after Dancer located the hideout of the hideous Horatio, they both went looking for a supposed secret escape route that Horatio may take to evade capture. As the rest of the party prepared to make entry into the hideout, Violet was suddenly spotted and a pair of alchemically enhanced orcs exited the building do defend their creator. Nockdus ran up onto the roof and began to take longbow shots at the defenders. Nockdus was able to land consistently solid hits with his bow thanks to the aid of his familiar. As the defenders fell and combat began moving into the building, Nockdus followed it. After entering the building and seeing no sign of Horatio, Nockdus opened a nearby door and came face to face with a pair of the monstrous versions of the enhanced orcs. Seeing the uncontrollable rage of the creatures in front of him, Nockdus dropped his longbow and took out his rapier. Standing his ground he struck at one and deftly dodged its massive attacks in retaliation. With the aid of his companions the creatures fell and the hideout became silent. Unfortunately, any sign of Horatio had yet to be seen. Horatio had used his secret escape route but was unable to get away. Thanks to Dancer finding the end of the tunnel and her fast thinking to create a snare to catch Horatio should he attempt to use it, the alchemist found himself stuck in a metal tube of his own creation at the bottom of a rocky seaside cliff.

Session 20: Moon Touched

With Horatio secured and turned over to the Order of the Watchful Eye, Nockdus went with Dancer back to the Hallasan refugees and met of with some adventurers ready to escort the them back to their village. After a quiet journey with the said refugees back to their homes the party became aware of a mystical sage staying at nearby encampment who's location was protected from attacks by dragons. The party traveled to this encampment and met with the sage. After a short conversation the party then participated in a mystical ceremony where each member had the privilege to ask one question to be answered by the Moon God. During this ceremony as the magical energies flowed through the space, Nockdus suddenly felt alive again. He inhaled deeply since it suddenly became necessary to breathe once again. He asked for a piece of chocolate from Buho, ate it, and was once again able to savor the flavors that can only come from a dedicated confectioner. After the ceremony concluded, Nockdus was moved to tears from getting to experience the feeling of being alive once again and the heartbreak of it's subsequent loss.

Session 22: Goblins and Drakkoths and Edge...Oh My!

Answering the call to travel to Gammelgard, Nockdus met up with another group of adventurers quested to travel to the abandoned village of Graften for the Order of the Watchful Eye. Rumors were that the "Gooby Goblin Creatures" who took over the village are operating out of an underground bunker there. Nockdus quietly moved onto the rooftops looking for any signs of life, but there were none. The party then began a building by building search looking for any signs of the goblins or any signs of life at all. Locating none the party moved up to a small shed that they thought might be the hidden entrance to the bunker, and upon finding it locked, Nockdus sent down his invisible mage hand with some tools to pick the lock from a distance. Having successfully done that, he took up position to provide covering fire while the rest of the party prepares to make entry. As a number of goblins burst out from other buildings in an apparent ambush, Nockdus quickly shifted his aim and loosed and arrow striking one of the goblins. As the party began to engage the goblins, a small band of drakkoth arrived. As Nockdus warned the rest of the party of the new dangers they faced, all were suprised as the drakkoth began to attack both the party AND the goblins. The party was getting bloody facing two threats, but they were able to hold their own and fell their foes time and time again. Upon seeing the shifting tide the only remaining opponent, an elder drakkoth, started to flee the area. Nockdus drew his bow, steadied his aim, and while gauging the soft wind and direction the drakkoth was traveling loosed his shot. It sailed through the air in a high arc and found it's mark in the drakkoth's back. While the beast was injured from the shot, it was not enough to hinder it's escape. The party then found the true entrance to the bunker, collected the remains of the villagers being stored in it, and looted their slain foes.

Session 24: Fang Mounts

Nockdus once again found himself in the company of some familiar adventurers (like Vadath, Arlin, Buho, Dancer, and Spinel) as they all answered another call for aid from the Order of the Watchful Eye. Tasked with finding out more information about the new "Fanged Mounts" that were starting to appear in the region, the party made its way to an run down keep in distant marshy location. Dancer and Nockdus quietly moved into tall trees on opposing sides of the keep to spy on the creatures therein. After locating the targets of the raid, Vadath drank a potion of Haste, flew into the keep, and threw a bottle of Falgrim's fire at the huddled mass of goblins unaware of the party's presence. As combat ensued, Dancer and Nockdus fired down onto the goblins and orcs as the rest of the party engaged them from the ground. Always the creative combatant, Buho turned into an illusion of a flying backpack, casts a spell that caused a magical fart, and took down as many targets as Nockdus. After numerous foes fell to tossings of Falgrim's Fire, Nockdus perused the final remaining group of goblins making sure to keep them at longbow distance until they were all dispatched. Sadly, upon their return to Gammelguard they witnessed first hand the alchemist many of them had previously captured, Horatio Cheshire, escaping.

Session 25: Center Gate of Seglock

Nockdus was excited for a little down time and decided to attend the Gala of Protection that was going on in Seglock. He entered in two dishes into the cooking competition:

• Dish 1: Steak Tartare - Raw Ground "Beef" blended with diced onions and mushrooms, salt, pepper, and a pitch of paprika. Served with a raw egg yolk on top.
• Dish 2: Sushi Plate - A selection of Sashimi, Ebi, and Gunkan made from locally sourced fish, shellfish, and fish eggs respectively from the rivers in and around Seglock.

While the Steak Tartare was well made and won first place in the cooking competition, the "City River Sushi" was not of a high quality and did not win a ribbon having tied for 4th place. Before the ribbon could be awarded however, a might cacophony of chaos erupted to the south of the city. Some members of the various factions causing strife around Isonhound began a coordinated attack around the three southern gates of the city of Seglock. Nockdus and six other of the adventurers attending the Gala rushed toward the center of the commotion at the middle gate.

The center group initially encountered a significant cadre of alchemically enhanced goblins commonly known as “Cheshire Goblins.”  Nockdus moved to an elevated perch on a nearby rooftop as swords clashed and spells were slung at the goblins. A professor associated with the university exited a nearby building with a combat capable automaton by his side. The party watched in jubilant surprise as the automaton sprayed some of the injured goblins with a cone of alchemical fire that initially burned them but then caused the goblin’s blood to boil, their bodies begin to loose cohesion, and then ultimately burst into a pile of fetid goo.  When the goblins were all dispatched, a mighty roar was heard from above.  The professor urged the party to swiftly move into a nearby building, but before they could everyone was raked with a devastating poisonous attack breathed down on the area by a multiheaded dragon flying overhead.

The party scrambled into the nearby building that the professor had escaped into and pulled those who were lying unconscious on the ground into the safety of the structure.  Nockdus was the furthest away from the building due to his previous positioning and was the last person through the door. He barely made it inside, slamming the door behind him as the dragon began another aerial strafing. Taking but a moment to cast healing spells and drink potions to recover from the recent events, the party found themselves in an alchemical laboratory belonging to the university.  The professor aiding them was responsible for alchemical coursework for the university but was also studying some of the creations menacing the region. As the party looked toward an unconscious drakkoth secured to a converted pool table in the corner, the professor explained that he had recently discovered a reagent that when it comes in contact with the blood flowing through a Cheshire Creation causes a devastating chemical reaction that ultimately kills them.  The key to this reagent though is that the target must be injured enough for the chemical to cascade throughout the target’s body.  Nockdus declined the healing spells being cast by Reylendor and instead began to consume parts of the restrained drakkoth to restore his health. The professor then distributed some doses of the reagent to the party members, refilled his automaton with more of the reagent, and urged the party to progress toward the breach where the intruders were emerging from.

Charging into the next room on the way to the center gate the party encountered three of Cheshire’s most deadly creations, dual-bladed glaive wielding guardians.  Nockdus ran up the nearby wall to escape the reach of the guardians and began to fire his longbow at the creatures from the ceiling. The professor nearly died before the party were able to dispatch the monstrosities, but the reagent was proving to be effective on the hulking brutes as well.  The party pressed on and met up with another professor, a dryad responsible for druidic studies, and their own automaton companion as well.  The group soon approached the breach as a mass of goblins and guardians burst through the rubble. The magical members of party and the professors produced a devastating combination of spells to styme the intruders in their tracks allowing the “Hackers” and automatons to quickly dispatch them.

The Ribbon

With the rush of combat dissipating, the party worked with the professors to fortify the broken gate and plug the holes created in the initial moments of the invasion.  As the city guard came to relive them, the party members took only a moment to bind their wounds and catch their breath before dealing with the incredible aftermath from the day’s events. Nockdus returned to the festival grounds, and after sifting through the overturned remains of the judging table, slowly pulled a trampled, torn, and slightly burned blue ribbon up from the chaos.  With a soft grin he pinned it to his quiver's shoulder strap.  His feeling of pride for the award mixed with the general sorrow of the events of the day as he continued to clean.

(Story Continues)

Languages

Common, Elvish, Infernal, Thieves Cant

Powers and Abilities

Renfield

Nockdus is a Dhampir, and as such has powers that are similar to a vampire. First, he can climb along walls and ceiling using only his feet at his normal walking speed. This makes him very mobile and gives him the ability to get to advantageous positions easily. Secondly, he does not need to breathe which can make for interesting ways that he can ambush others. He also has a Vampiric Bite which can help restore a small amount of hit points during or immediately after a combat. These benefits however to come at a cost. Since he considers himself an Undead creature he believes that spells like Cure Wounds that cannot effect Undead will not effect him either, so he tells healers in the party to avoid "wasting their magic" on him. Also, Nockdus believes he can be effected by a friendly cleric's Turn Undead ability and will react as such.

Nockdus is also an Arcane Trickster Rogue, so beside the standard Rogue abilities like Cunning Action and Sneak Attack, he also has some minor spell casting abilities. His cantrips are Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, and Booming Blade (which works well paired with Cunning Action). His 1st level spells are Find Familiar, Charm Person, Silent Image, and Sleep.

Nockdus travels with his Familiar, a skeletal owl named Renfield, who provides tactical support for Nockdus as well as a general scout for the party.

Attacks and Weapons 

In a combat Nockdus will first try to get to an elevated position and attack at range. In order to maximize his ability to do damage, Nockdus will have Renfield distract a target and give the help action to Nockdus. This allows Nockdus to use his Sneak Attack ability on the target.

Sometimes attacking at range is not the best option, so he will engage in melee combat. In that case Nockdus will move half his movement to a target, either have Renfield help him or he helps an ally in order to trigger Sneak Attack, cast Booming Blade and make a melee attack, then use Cunning Action to Disengage and move he rest of his movement away from the target.

Finally, if doing damage is not the best option, Nockdus can either cast Charm Person or Sleep to disable a target. He can also attempt to distract a target with Silent Image and Prestidigitation if that seems to be the best option.