Name: Nestro Lifebringer

Gender: Male
Pre-Mortem Name: Kael Thatcher
Pre-Mortem Race: Human
Age: 31 ((21 at death),( 10 postmortem))

Race: Lich (Lifebringer subset)

Appearance: Nestro stands at just under six feet tall, though he weighs marginally less than it appears he should. He maintains a relativity human appearance considering the circumstances, chiefly due to the expertise and recommendation of his mentor. His mentor convinced and aided in the embalming process, which should help him maintain a semblance of humanity. For at least a four or five decades, provided he takes care of himself. Being a relatively young lich, a few months past of his tenth year of unearth, he still sports virtually all of his skin and muscle tissue. He even has most of his hair. His features are themselves plain, but his look gives of the impression of someone that his probably undernourished and most likely sickly. Well, as long as you don’t notice that his eyes don’t move. Probably the best façade one in his situation could get away with.

His standard dress normally entails dark and hooded robes. Better to get use to it now as lighter colors don’t go very well with bleached bones. His traveling clothes are much more conservative and protective. They make sure to conceal virtually all of his skin and features. A metal helmet that covers his head and face, a dull and unimposing metal breastplate, gloves, and to top it off a black sleeved and hooded cloak. The only real “opening” in the outfit would be the two small slits in the helmet. The entirety of his clothes have a dirty and ragged look that might be synonymous with a mercenary that has fallen on hard times.

Hair color: Black (dyed)
Eye color: Brown (both glass, fixed and unmoving)

History: Born human as Kael Thatcher, Nestro spent his entire human life on a small farm in the northern hemisphere. It was a rural place on the outskirt of a small town. He was raised in his early life by his father, as his mother died in childbirth. He was his mothers only child and so it was just him and his father for a while. His father saw him as his only legacy and treated him great. He wanted the boy to be happy so he taught him to love life along with a strong work ethic. His father, despite the hard world they lived in, always tried to show his son an upbeat attitude and stressed the importance of recognizing the natural beauty of the world. However fleeting or hard to find it may be.. Though the work was often hard, the boy took his father’s words to heart and seemed always happy. He also was able to draw himself deep into thought during work, never letting his non-idle hands stifle his mind. Though this he was able to develop a strong sense of self and individuality.

Later when he was 13, his father got re-married and his new wife had twins. Kael soon came to love his new mother and his two little sisters just as much as his father. However the bliss of the family would only last until Kael was 21, when the farm was raided by a group of bandits. Kael was walking out to the field when he saw his father arguing with a large group of people. As his mother and sisters walked out to see what was going on, one of them pushed his father then pointed at the house and laughed. Then his father got very angry, and began shouting and socked the man in the face, knocking him to the ground. Kael watched in horror as they other men drew their swords and slew his father. Kael quickly turned around and yelled for his mother and sisters to get inside. When he turned back toward his father he felt something hit him in the chest and a sharp pain, he looked down to see an arrow embedded in his chest then everything went black.

Kael found himself floating in a void, and it was dark. He remembered what had happened, and began to yell in rage. “NO! I DON’T WANT….NO! I REFUSE TO DIE!” He roared as he thrashed as the void began to waver. “Heh, Heh, Heh.” A strange voice echoed. “WHO!? IS THAT ONE OF THE GODS?! YOU SEND ME BACK NOW! NOW DAMNIT! I WILL NOT DIE, LIFE IS TO GOOD!” The young man continued to yell. “Oh really? Is it good? What about what happened to you?” The voice mocked in a soft tone. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN WHAT HAPPENED! WHAT HAPPENED WAS I WAS ALIVE AND NOW I’M NOT! IF YOUR NOT GOING TO HELP ME THEN I’LL GO BACK MYSLEF!” he answered, beginning once again to thrash violently. “Heh, heh, heh. So you will…..” the trailed off as the void began to waver and break down with Kael’s thrashing.

Kael opened his eyes, to find a cloudy sky and a figure standing over him. Getting up quickly Kael put distance between him and the figure. “Who the hell are you!?” He questioned. “Calm yourself boy. You don’t realize what has happened. Look down.” The figure answered. Looking down Kael noticed the arrow protruding from his chest and the large bloodstain. “Wha…..” He asked in shock. “You died boy.” The figure answered. “Just like me.” He said, pulling his hood back to reveal a bleached skull.

The Lich that had assisted in Kael’s resurrection was named Neverick, and he explained what had happened to the boy. He explained what he had become, what it initialed. At first Kael reacted negatively, he had been brought up believing that all undead were a pure evil blight on the world. However, then Neverick explained about the creed that he belonged to, the Lifebringers.

A very small group of lich that utterly despised death and treasured life above all things. Created during the early days of the appearance of the Black Mist Plague, it was pioneered by one of the very first lich. Motivated by the realization that the Black Mist Plague and his own undeath had given him. That beings could live forever. No longer would he have to be haunted by his mortally, worrying about how much time he had left. To him it was sublime, the option to exist forever. To forever experience existence, gather information, and grow in complexity as a consciousness. The thought to him was sublime and he wanted to share it everyone he could. Taking on the mantle of Lifebringer, the lich had decided that he would make it his mission to deliver the world from their own mortality.

Though he drew inspiration from his undeath, he realized the problems inherent in it. Not everyone would see this state of decay, such in contrast with their previous form, as an acceptable alternative to death. He believed, or had to believe, that there was a “perfect immortality” hidden somewhere in the world that would not be as distasteful as undeath. He made it his mission to discover this “perfect immortality” which relied neither on chance of birth, such as magic ability, or sacrifice, like vampirism. Then deliver that “perfect immortality” to everyone on Lzopia.

Over time, He met very few kindred spirits among the undead. However whether it was his love of life, or his belief in the “perfect immortality“, very few of them shared his unique world view. However, he found that he could help create new lich among recently deceased souls, essentially willing them to life without the use of a phylactery. With a fair amount of vigilance, he could single out those who possessed a love of life and strength of will that was similar to his own. The new lich did not even have to posses any latent magic ability. Thus the Lifebringer philosophy grew…….slowly.

The philosophy greatly appealed to Kael, as Neverick knew that it would. Just as it had appealed to him when he had is Lifebringer predecessor. Despite this Kael at first wanted to avenge his father’s death and find his mother and sisters who who’s bodies were missing. However, Neverick convinced him there was nothing he could do at the moment. They had no way to track the bandits, and such an open search would likely end badly for a lich, not to mention a young one who’s flesh would soon be rotting. Neverick made a convincing argument, and the Kael had quickly come to respect the lich. Grudgingly Kael accepted Neverick’s offer to come with him and join the Lifebringers.

Neverick explained that most of the life bringers were constantly traveling, searching “perfect immortality”, but there was a sort of central home that they had created for themselves. It was a small isolated castle-like hermitage in the far north deep in a snowy mountain range.

When they arrived, Kael participated in a short joining ceremony. He took up a new name, Nestro, as nearly all of the Lifebringers do. He got himself embalmed, recommended by Neverick, who insisted that he should enjoy his “youthful appearance” while he could. Then he set about to learning the many skills that he would need on his journeys that his new creed sought.

Nestro soon learned that the Lifebringers were Lich that relied heavily on the willpower side of necromancy, rather than the ritualistic and mystical side of it. This meant that he could forgo slow rituals or incantations but this meant the vast majority them were less than proficient in any other magics. Razing dead entities more quickly and with more direct control, but it required more much more concentration. Which would also require much more time and training to learn. Neverick, a lich of more than three centuries could raise at most eight humanoid undead. Then again the Lifebringers were not specially known for their wanton of vast armies.

Above all the Lifebringers valued intellectual pursuits highly. Besides the basics of necromancy, all members were taught to read and write. They were taught to understand the world that they lived, so they could better appreciate life and aid in the pursuit of their goal. At first he was purely motivated by revenge and finding his what was left of his family. However, over time he found that he deeply believed in what they Lifebringers plan and ideology and the rage slowly slipped away. Only two Lifebringers that were meant to stay at the hermitage at any one time apart from any trainees or mentors, but they were meant to keep to themselves in meditation to grow willpower or focus on absorbing the knowledge of the library. So for the most part it was just Nestro and Neverick. Occasionally a traveling Lifebringer dropped by to contribute to the library or simply observe a small reprieve from travel, but those meetings were less than annual and only measured in days.

The near entirety of the Lifebringer education consisted of training with one’s mentor, or spending hours upon hours in the immense library among dusty tomes, scrolls, and magically lit lamps or soft candlelight. As the years went by Nestro learned that most Lifebringers decided to specialize in a certain intellectual field. At first Nestro considered alchemy, as that had been what his predecessor and mentor had focused on. Then after some discussion, particularly with a flattered but skeptical Neverick, Nestro settled on archeology. He began to learn how to study ancient writings and artifacts along with some of the discoveries previous Lifebringers had made.

A decade had passed, as was customary, Nestro was considered to have completed his training and was ready to set out on his own search for the “Perfect Immortality”. Neverick openly expressed his congratulations and gave Nestro his blessing. Neverick would, as was customary after completion of a first mastership, remain at the hermitage like the two who had been there since Nestro had first arrived.

So Nestro set out. He traveled for a while with the newly reprieved elder, but he soon expressed that he was meaning to pursue a lead in the west. The elder offered to take Nestro along if wanted to come, but Nestro politely refused. Nestro had other plans, though he didn’t exactly lay them out for the elder. The elder seemed to understand, he could still remember the profound sense of personal purpose that had led him off on his own also. He told Nestro that the question itself was more of a unwritten test than a true offer anyways.

The elder and Nestro split up the next day. The elder headed west. Nestro headed south with purpose, he come up with an ambitious plan. He had noticed that all of the archeological sites that were refrenced in the hermitage’s library had already been extensively studied, or were currently being studied by someone else. However, instead of skirting about the landscape and taking decades to find a new sight, he had decided to monopolize on the “freshness” of his undeath. The Black City lay just to the south, the greatest civil congregation among the living races.

Nestro was sure that he would be able to find information about many new sites there, he even felt confident that there could be hidden artifacts among the vast amount of goods that made their way through the capital of the living world. The Lightbringers would have obviously had little access to the information within The Black City. Nestro grinned under his helmet. He would find something new, that no Lightbringer had ever seen before. Perhaps, he would even find something that might shed light on the path to the ever illusive “perfect immortality”.

Personality: Nestro subscribes to the belief of the Lifebringers. They hold life in the highest regard. They never enjoy killing in any way shape or form and have a general distaste of violence. They would rather flee from a fight than run the risk of killing or being killed themselves. However, that does not mean they will flee from helping someone who is being threatened, as the tend to care about the condition of others. They all tend to be highly diplomatic in conflicts. Some respect life so much however, they would take the side which will lead to less dead individuals. Regardless of who is right or wrong, however Nestro doesn’t subscribe to this particular belief.

Nestro personally is a bit headstrong, having a bit of that “invincible” attitude that comes with youth especially young Lifebringers. He also tends to have a positive outlook on many situations, probably something that he picked up from his father. He enjoys viewing the natural beauty of the world, especially the more vibrant northern hemisphere. He is not one to try an deceive to gain a leg up, or to the detriment of others. He does fear whenever he interacts with someone of a living race that he will be discovered to be undead, so by trying to maintain his cover he can come off as distant or uninterested.

Also like most Lifebringers, he is fully interested in intellectual pursuits. He truly enjoys learning new information whatever the subject, specifically if it pertains to ancient writings or artifacts. Well, except perhaps method of killing humanoids. That being said in a situation of hostility coming from a humanoid, he would be most likely to try use diplomacy first. Second he would try and run away. Third he would try and use a undead thrall as a decoy while he ran away. If it finally came down to combat he would try to reduce their ability to fight or tire them out using his infinite stamina.

Likes:
-Full moons
-Green landscapes
-Lifebringer beliefs
-Sunsets
-Ruins

Dislikes:
-Being attacked
-Rats
-Damp environments
-Bandits
-Deities

Fears:
-Having his racial identity exposed to one of a living race
-Finding out what happened to his mother and sisters.



Equipment:

-Traveling clothes.

-Helmet and Breastplate have minor magic-defense enchantment

-A medium sized, single strap, satchel that contains all the bones of a wolf skeleton.

-A magically locked tome containing information on Lifebringer necromancy techniques and information about their order amongst a few of Nestro’s personal notes. The tome has a leather harness which it fits snugly in that is on the back of his breastplate and is hidden easily by his cloak. The outside of the book itself is simple, black leather bound with the only marking being a large circular indention on the front.

-A simple sword in a scabbard on his left hip.



Skills: First of all Nestro is undead, which means he does not get tired nor does he need nourishment to survive. He is at the basic level of Lifebringer based necromancy, though he is largely ineffective at any other forms of magic’s. He specializes in recognizing and studying ancient artifacts and ancient texts. He is also of rudimentary skill with single sword combat.


Lifebringer Necromancy (Basic Level)

-Constitution: Anything injury equal to or beyond decapitation is fatal, basic disassociation can be re-attached (IE. Severing of a limb, getting cut in half at the waist)

-Spells: Reanimate beast (up to 2 at one time), Reanimate humanoid (up to 1 at a time, assuming not controlling a beast)

Strength and Agility: Equal to that which the caster had at the moment of death. (IE. That of a 21 year old male human)


Weaknesses:
-Magic in general
-Holy and Fire elemental magic in particular


-------


Just for fun, here’s a pick of how I view Neverick (And Lifebringer Lich in general)
Neverick: Ah, Leopold, your quite the climber. Leopold: Meow!
Neverick: Excelsior? Yes, indeed.