The Shorespirit is an entity well-known to the residents of Blackbed in Delvaroth. It resides in the River of Ash, sometimes hunting for boats, and always ready to offer a deal to willing mortals. Most of the time, these bargains are about specific wishes, and the mortal has to accomplish some task in return. But occasionally, the Shorespirit offers a pact that goes... a little deeper.
In exchange for their soul and a lifetime of service, the mysterious entity offers power and knowledge. The mortal becomes a warlock, and is infused with knowledge about the patron. The information is locked inside the mortal's mind, and it's impossible to communicate about it. The little that is known by sages comes from warlocks that were held captive, their minds being read by their abductor. These people tend to mysteriously disappear, though...
The Shorespirit's real name, or at least what it tells its warlocks, is
Azvrius. Before the apocalypse, it was a powerful demon. The creature was hellbent to topple the nation of Dvarys, bringing ruin to this land of light and knowledge. Azvrius survived the apocalypse, but it ended up at the border to Delvaroth, just where the
Drift came into existence.
The fiend couldn't escape the maelstrom, and was torn apart by it - not just physically, but its very soul was ripped to pieces. Just like everything else, it was pushed into the Blackriver, where its essence slowly merged into a complete entity again. But it got more: Azvrius fused with the essence of the Blackriver, being bound to it forever. It became a new, unique entity, no more a planar creature. It retained its demonic mindset, and its powers grew even more.
Motivations and Goals
The Shorespirit considers not only knowledge, but any kind of culture as the greatest source of power. In other words, to dominate others, taking their knowledge and culture away is a great way of rendering them powerless. At the same time, stolen knowledge gives more power to Azvrius.
The former demon envisions a world under his control, fallen to utter chaos. Helpless individuals with no bonds to each other would serve their great master, with only a small group of chosen souls as his "second in command".
Azvrius doesn't reveal these plans right away, but if he believes he can trust a warlock, he might share his vision.
Typical pacts
The Shorespirit demands always the same thing from his warlocks: Eternal servitude. This includes selling your soul, of course. In return, it offers not only the supernatural powers that a warlock gains. Azvrius often sends his servants to retrieve treasures, and he will usually allow a successful minion to keep a part of it. In most cases, he's after books, scrolls and other items of knowledge. It might also happen that he's after a very particular item, and lets the warlock keep the rest of a treasure hoard.
Many warlocks are either treasure hunters or seekers of knowledge themselves. Some, though, are desperate souls, turning to Azvrius because they search for a specific item or piece of information. Such a person might look for a loved one they lost during the apocalypse. And after years of searching, they turned to the one being that is known to grant wishes...
Despite its chaotic nature, Azvrius always holds up his end of a deal - as long as the warlock does the same. Breaking a pact is something he doesn't forgive. And while he can't leave the Blackriver himself, he will either send other warlocks after the traitor, or he will make deals with mortals where he demands the deserter's death.
Expanded Spell List
The Shorespirit offers an expanded list of spells to choose from when you learn a warlock
spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
| Spell Level |
Spells |
| 1 |
Identify, Floating Disk |
| 2 |
Detect Thoughts, Silence |
| 3 |
Clairvoyance, Glyph of Warding |
| 4 |
Locate Creature, Freedom of Movement |
| 5 |
Legend Lore, Arcane Hand |
Silver Tongue
Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to persuade others. You don't even have to think about it, the right words just come out of your mouth. Whenever making a skill check for Persuasion, you roll with advantage. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus. After that, you need a long rest before you can use it again.
Snap and Steal
At 6th level, you gain the ability to steal magical items. The item has to be in the possession of a creature or person you can see within 60 feet, and it has to be either a
Common or
Uncommon item. At 10th level and beyond, you can also steal
Rare items. To steal the object, as an action, you point at it, and then snap with your finger. The target (the person possessing the item) has to succeed on a Dexterity Saving Throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failure, the item teleports into your hand. Once used (whether successful or not), you can't use this ability again until you've had a long rest.
Mental Defense
At 10th level, you become so valuable that the Shorespirit protects your mind. You become immune to being charmed, and you roll any saving throws against mind-reading magic, such as
Detect Thoughts, with advantage.
Servant's servant
Starting at 14th level, the Shorespirit grants you the power to create a servant for yourself. You can cast the
Simulacrum spell, without need for material components. Once cast, you need a long rest before you can cast it again. A stream of ash comes into existence, shaping the illusory creature or person. When the creature's figure is shaped, the ash turns into flesh and skin.
You cannot have more than one Simulacrum servant at a time. You can dispel an existing servant at any moment with a snap of a finger. It dissolves into ash, and the ash then simply vanishes.
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