Nyrathos, the Shrouded One

Nyrathos, the Shrouded One

Overview:
Nyrathos, the Shrouded One, is an ancient and mysterious entity, revered as the harbinger of darkness and secrets. Born from the void’s depths, Nyrathos ascended by unraveling reality’s fabric. Whispered to dwell in an ethereal shadow realm, they manipulate perception, weaving illusions and deceit. Their followers, the Veiled Disciples, seek Nyrathos’s forbidden truths, driven by a hunger for esoteric knowledge. Legends attribute vast cosmic wisdom to Nyrathos, with the power to peer into mortal minds, whispering secrets that chill the soul. In Ravensgate, their arrival blurs reality, making truth and illusion tenuous, threatening the lockdown’s stability.

Description:
Nyrathos manifests as a nebulous silhouette veiled in an ever-shifting cloak of shadows, melting into darkness. Glimmering eyes, glowing with ethereal light, peer from the cloak, captivating onlookers. The air crackles with mystique, pulsing with hidden truths. Whispers of forgotten knowledge and fleeting illusions dance on the wind, hinting at Nyrathos’s immense power. Their enigmatic aura blends intrigue and trepidation, drawing mortals to forbidden truths while evoking fear of the shadowed depths.

History:
Nyrathos’s influence on Ecliptica predates the Aetherian Empire, with ancient Nocturne scrolls naming them the “Weaver of Secrets,” whose whispers toppled early kingdoms by revealing forbidden truths. In the Aetherian era, Nyrathos’s Veiled Disciples infiltrated archives, stealing cosmic knowledge that fueled the empire’s arcane dominance but sowed paranoia, leading to the “Shadowveil Purge,” where scholars vanished into illusory voids. This weakened the empire, priming it for the Calamity of the Void (300 years ago).

During the Calamity, Nyrathos’s whispers guided Nocturne arcanists to open rifts, seeking knowledge but unleashing horrors that fractured Ecliptica. In Sylvaris, their illusions turned druids’ visions into “Shadowplagues,” maddening forests with false realities. Valthorne’s spies, swayed by Nyrathos, betrayed their generals, losing key fortresses to shadow-realms. Ironreach’s alchemists crafted “Veilshards” under their influence, artifacts that spread psychic plagues.

In Ravensgate’s lockdown, Nyrathos’s presence intensifies. Veiled Disciples in the District of Secrets perform rituals at the Veilcrypt, using shadow-shards to weaken anchors, spawning rifts that blur reality. Refugees report visions of hidden plague sources, suggesting Nyrathos holds answers or manipulates the crisis for cryptic ends, challenging Plague Doctors to discern truth from deception.

Characters:

  1. Archon Vaelis Duskscribe

    • Description: Nocturne scholar, shadow-cloaked robes, glowing quill.

    • Backstory: Secrets District sage, seeks Nyrathos’s truths, deciphers tomes for plague origins. Offers players shadow-maps (Arcana DC 16).

  2. Captain Myron Shadeblade

    • Description: City Watch veteran, shadowed helm, flickering gaze.

    • Backstory: Order District guard, heard Nyrathos’s whispers, doubts reality. Tasks players to seal shadow-rifts (Religion DC 14).

  3. Lyssra Thornveil

    • Description: Verdant Covenant mystic, shadow-wreathed staff, calm.

    • Backstory: Mists druid, resists Nyrathos’s illusions, purifies Mistspire. Trades anti-shadow herbs (Nature DC 12).

  4. Zorath Nightveil

    • Description: Ebon Star cultist, shadowed tattoos, whispering voice.

    • Backstory: Desolation zealot, serves Nyrathos, opens rifts to spread secrets. Fights players (CR 2) to guard shadow-altars.

  5. Talia Gloomwhisper

    • Description: Syndicate seer, shadow-veiled eyes, sly smile.

    • Backstory: Shadows District oracle, uses Nyrathos’s visions to scam refugees, trades plague secrets (Deception DC 14).

  6. Dr. Elara Voidsight

    • Description: Science District alchemist, shadowed goggles, trembling.

    • Backstory: Crafts anti-plague serums under Nyrathos’s whispers, doubts her work. Offers tainted samples (Investigation DC 15).

  7. Lord Sylas Darkquill

    • Description: Iron Quill noble, shadow-etched cane, cold stare.

    • Backstory: Spires schemer, pacts with Nyrathos for knowledge, hoards shadow-relics. Tasks players to retrieve them (Persuasion DC 15).

  8. Rhea Mistshadow

    • Description: Skyrunners’ Guild pilot, shadowed leathers, wary eyes.

    • Backstory: Mists smuggler, saw Nyrathos in a rift, avoids shadows. Trades reagents, fears deception (Insight DC 14).

  9. Toren Blackveil

    • Description: Ironreach smith, shadow-scarred hands, grim face.

    • Backstory: Iron District forger, crafted Nyrathos’s Veilshards, seeks atonement aiding Plague Doctors with lockdown tech (Arcana DC 15).

  10. Sister Vionna Shadowborn

    • Description: Saffron Veil healer, shadowed veil, soft glow.

    • Backstory: Shadows medic, resists Nyrathos’s whispers, seeks their realm to stop plague visions. Tasks players with rift-sealing (Religion DC 14).

Past Interactions with Denizens:
Nyrathos’s interactions with Ecliptica’s denizens are defined by cryptic knowledge and illusionary manipulation. In the Aetherian Empire, their Veiled Disciples sowed paranoia, leading to purges that weakened the empire. During the Calamity, Nocturne arcanists, lured by Nyrathos’s secrets, opened rifts, fracturing Ecliptica. Sylvaris druids, touched by their illusions, created Shadowplagues, turning forests into psychic traps. Valthorne spies, swayed by false truths, betrayed their nation, losing strongholds. Ironreach alchemists crafted Veilshards, spreading psychic plagues. In pre-lockdown Ravensgate, Nyrathos’s whispers drove Spires nobles to madness, creating “Shadowcourts” where illusory betrayals sparked riots. The Veiled Disciples now weaken lockdown anchors with shadow-rituals, blurring reality. Survivors like Sister Vionna resist, while others, like Zorath, embrace Nyrathos’s truths, believing they’ll unravel reality to reveal a hidden order. Plague Doctors must navigate these illusions to uncover the plague’s source.