Nyixendrosh Cavayla (Naɪ-icks-ɪn-drosh)
"Azurecrest" Nyixendrosh Cavayla (a.k.a. Nyx)
Nyixendrosh is a socialite, bon vivant, semi-celebrity Dragonborn stage dancer in his public life, while in private life a coordinator of a fencing operation in Waterdeep associated with the Sea Wolves. Also known as 'Nyx' to those in his circle who have trouble trouble with the subtle intonations of the proper Draconic pronounciation, he is more commonly known as 'Azurecrest' to those who only know him from his stage name and painted image on advertisement flyers and other media.
Physical Description
Body Features
Nyixendrosh is of a different build than most dragonborn one may see walking the roads of the Sword Coast, which is already admittedly a fairly small representation of a wide variety of dragonborn ethnicities; his tail is thinner (and tipped by a floof of white fur at the end) his legs are longer, distance from toes to heel longer, his waist thinner, torso and arms longer. This lithe and toned physique has served him well as a dancer, but also as a fencer in his earlier days; not to mention in the courts and bedchambers of Waterdeeps' finest.
Identifying Characteristics
Like many of the other members of his dance troupe, Nix's scales feature several points along his body where piercings have been pressed into them, set with bright gemstones shimmering with their own internal light. One such point is set at the base of his throat, while two others are on his collar. Two more are on his breasts--or at least, where breasts would be on a dragonborn if they had such things--one at the center of his stomach, and two more on his lower abdomen, while in addition the front and back of every joint bear one as well, plus the wrists and ankles. These function both as decoration in their own right, a troupe tradition that gave the Starlight Procession its name, as well as being anchor points for semi-transparent silks that sometimes are his only clothing.
Specialized Equipment
Nix's instrument is a artificer-wrought infused violin whose music can charm the hardest souls even without the involvement of his particular bardic talents. It can be used to produce a Mass Charm Person effect once per day. He also commonly carries a Pole of Collapsing stored in its arm which he can expand while in-place and uses for dancing purposes.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
As an egg, Nyixendrosh was abducted from his parents' residents when their town was taken and pillaged and during the tumult of the Spellplauge. His egg -- its surface having lightly scorched with smoldering embers by his parents to form slightly blackened draconic script that spelled out what would eventually become his first name -- was collected alongside everything else of value that the invading armies could pick up to take home.
Due to the eggs diminuitive size, he was noted in records as a magical material component, and ended up packaged together with a lot of such goods for sale to raise money for the army's leaders. Nyixendrosh would spend most of the remainder of his incubation time being bought and sold in this fashion, trading hands from one reseller to another until he eventually ended up in the cargo hold of the Neptune's Galley. It was here that his egg would hatch and bring him forth into a very alien world, where he was eventually happened upon by a ship's officer inspecting the hold. The ship's captain, one Fleming Cavayla, a rougish privateer working in the employ of the Sea Wolves, wasn't thrilled to find out that a valuable asset had suddenly become an expensive liability. But, as a decent-hearted man of honor, he wasn't about to dump the poor boy at some orphanage left to the winds of the world. Instead he and his crew brought up Nyixendrosh, who would later take Fleming's surname in gratitude.
A natural performer and actor, he quickly took to using such talents in pursuit of his goals and objectives, learning to weave magic into performative art from the ship's bard. As a young adult, he would often serve as an exotic, friendly and charismatic "face" for the ship's crew when dealing with outsiders or negotiating with the crews of captured ships.
Once, after the Neptune's crew came across a particularly profitable prize, Nyixendrosh took his share and combined it with his savings up to that point to buy outright an expansive full-floor apartment in an expensive part of Waterdeep with a beautiful view out over the harbor. He spent more and more time here, getting into the waterdeep arts scene and finding buyers for some of the more esoteric items picked up by his adoptive father's ship, until eventually this became a full-time occupation for him and he stopped going out to sea on a regular basis altogether.
Sexuality
Nyixendrosh is bisexual, leaning slightly toward attraction to males.
Education
As much as it might surprise those who meet the refined, cultured and silver-tongued dragonborn in the modern day, Nyixendrosh's formative upbringing and education took place aboard a rowdy crew of rogues, swashbucklers and privateers. These early years are where his proficiency in sailcraft and swordsmanship comes from.
Nyixendrosh learned to weave magic into his performances in the way of a bard from another member of the Neptune'screw; though his preferred medium for this has usually been dance, he is also an adept violinist. On occassion when showing off, he'll incorporate both of these at the same time.
Employment
Coryphée Of The Starlight Procession (Public)
Non-criminals are likely familiar with Nyx as part of the dance troupe under which he performs as one of its two leads. The locations of their performances vary frequently -- sometimes they are set up in Waterdeeps' bazaar and perform to the throngs of common passerby to the music of panhandling bards and street musicians. Other occassions have the troupe entire performing a show out on the Field of Triumph, using the huge arena as a grand stage for acrobratic stunts incorporated as part of their routine. Still other nights, they may be booked in smaller numbers to individual taverns throughout the city or any of the noble villas that dot its Sea Ward.Sea Wolves Fence and Public Relations (Private)
Nyixendrosh got his start in this role organically as part the circles he ran in once becoming a member of a dance troupe of some renown. As it turns out, being at the intersection of cheap smuggled goods and rich people looking for smuggled goods was a profitable position to be in. Nobles engaged in conversation over their desire for certain difficult-to-obtain goods while Nyx mesmerizingly spun himself around a pole atop their table might find their desires suddenly met with a delivery from a burly sailor. His operations have grown in scope since then and his connections grown in number, but the core idea remains the same today -- what the Sea Wolves capture on the high seas finds its way back to Waterdeep and out into the greater world through his network of connections. He's moved everything from from prize ships themselves to art, religious and magical artifacts, more mudane everyday magical items, arms and armor, commodities, narcotics, etc. and is readily able to deal in any form of several of these at any given point in time; the only thing he won't deal in is people, but this doesn't generally come up as the Sea Wolves don't take prisoners as slaves.Morality & Philosophy
A softy at heart, Nyixendrosh tends to keep his distance from operations that unavoidably involve fatal harm to other sentient humanoids, leaving such distasteful work to the Xanathar and its' side of the Thieves' Guild in the Waterdeep scene. He's well aware from his interactions with street level operatives that those who would stop his charges from carrying out their tasks are themselves seldom better off, and also prides himself on his relatively low profile compared to the size of his operations.
For these reasons he prefers to work in the shadows, directly stealing only goods where possible rather than lives. In accordance with this aspect of his moral code, Nyixendrosh will immediately put a stop to anyone seeking the services of his cell of the guild for assasinations, shakedowns or other such violent or visible operations. However, his psuedo-pacifism only extends so far as others reciprocate; when his organization, position, and charges fall under threat and other methods prove ineffective or unavailable, he doesn't hesitate to take the necessary steps to protect his interest simply out of principle.
He sees himself more as an arbitrage commodities trader than an outright criminal. After all, the goods in his warehouse on the docks would have gotten taken and sold with or without his involvement (or even that of the Neptune's Galley, which was only one in a fleet of twenty-five or so similarly outfitted naval vessels operating throughout the Sword Sea.
Taboos
Nyixendrosh has only two major taboos.
The first is no trade in sentient beings. Slavery is certainly a thing in the Realms, and despite laws to the contrary, even Waterdeep has problems with sentient trafficking. Nix would have no part in such activities, having himself liberated several enslaved persons as part of the Neptune's crew.
The other is no murder, a principle he sticks to for similar reasons, finding the practice disasteful, provocative to the competition, and more often than not an unnecessary lead for the authorities.
Personality Characteristics
Personality Quirks
Nyx often conducts his business while practicing for an upcoming performance, or lounging across a couch in semi-transparent silks while an artist commissioned by one fan or another paints the dragonborn's figure onto a canvas. Doing his negotiations this way serves a dual purpose; apart from the hedonistic satisfaction of showing off, such scenery is often a very ...different ... environment and atmosphere than what most rugged pirates of the Sword Sea are accustomed to and thus puts all but the most prepared and metropolitan of commanders on the back foot during any talks of prices for new acquisitions.
Relationships
Nyixendrosh Cavayla
Thieve's guild contact one level up (Important)Towards Mischief Yabis
3
5
Honest
Wealth & Financial state
A luxury consumer to a fault, Nyixendrosh's penthouse apartments overlooking the harbor are among some of the most expensive real estate available in Waterdeep's walls without a title. Spellmarble (an exotic marble with veins of magically active minerals running throughout that glow with an otherwordly light) statues of bodies in motion or high energy poses are a common theme. Full-size murals of endless ocean waves have been painted on every interior wall, enchanted with artistic magic that creates the illusion of rolling waves and rippling water.
Much of his personal wealth originates via his fencing and laundering operation, though his celebrity proile as a performer in Waterdeep lends enough credibility that no one really questions his obvious wealth. Besides, his smooth operating, pereference for nonviolence, generosity with bribes, and personal charisma all help to keep any rivals or would-be enemies considering him a minimal priority if one at all.
Publicly an artist, dancer and musician, secretly a mid-level powerbroker, socialite, thieves' guild social operative and enthusiast of all the finer things in life.
Current Location
Waterdeep
Vital Information
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Current Status
Dancing / operating
Current Location
Species
Date of Birth
9th of Assuran
Year of Birth
112 PR
29 Years old
Birthplace
Baldur's Gate
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Harborwatch Luxury Apartments
Pronouns
He/him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Magenta scelera with yellow irises
Hair
Nope
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pastel blues
Height
6'2"
Weight
159 lb
Quotes & Catchphrases
"To master the art of dance is to master life."
Aligned Organization
Comments