Nylanthir

Nylanthir the Flamebound
Bladewarden of the Twilight Patrol, Arcanist of Celene's Oath, War-Speaker of Fealefel

Few elves in the Gnarley Forest walk the boundary between mirth and menace as effortlessly as Nylanthir, a fiery and formidable wizard-warrior of Clan Fealefel. Born in 114 CY and now aged 462, Nylanthir took his place among the Carael Lon’Taari (Council of Chief Wizards) in 563 CY, after disturbing predictions from his seer-companion Elofaen prompted him to end his extraplanar wanderings and return home.

A master of summoning magic and battle-tested warrior, Nylanthir is a known combatant of cults, raiders, and planar threats. His scars bear silent testament to countless campaigns against Pomarjian slavers and the remnants of the Temple of Elemental Evil. He is both a brash protector and a roguish reveler, feared by his enemies and embraced by the younger generation of Fealefel mages.

"There are worse things than death out there, child. I’ve seen them dance in the eyes of bound fiends and the silence of broken stars. I’ll not see them take root here."

— Nylanthir, at the Circle of Ash

Appearance and Bearing

Nylanthir strikes a fearsome figure: tall for a wood elf, with close-cut black hair streaked with crimson from a magical accident in his youth. His armor, pieced together from stitched leather and arcane scales, brims with glyphs of conjuration and planar sealing. A jagged scar crosses his right cheek—a remnant of a battle in the Elemental Chaos—and his golden eyes burn with kinetic fervor.

• Wears a hybrid battlemage outfit of enchanted leathers and light mail.
• Often accompanied by minor planar familiars or bound spirits.
• Sports magical tattoos on his hands, used to control summoned entities.
• Speaks quickly, often interrupting, with a biting sense of humor.

Role and Reputation

As a Council Mage, Nylanthir is both protector and aggressor. He patrols the Wild Road, the shadowed borders of Bad Deep, and the secret ways through the Fading Lands, all while training new spellblades in Durvanai.

His extraplanar expertise and readiness for war make him one of the most active defenders of the Gnarley. Though often blunt or volatile, his presence has secured the goodwill of allied clans and the respect of Feywild emissaries.

• Trains young Fealefel spellcasters in tactical spellcasting and summoning.
• Routinely engages in proactive border defense.
• Favors binding elementals and celestial warriors in open battle.
• Commands elite squads of conjurer-warriors on high-risk missions.

Personality and Relationships

Impulsive, loud, fiercely loyal and unpredictable, Nylanthir is a complex balance of martial determination and elven joy. His laugh is often the loudest in a feast hall, and his fury the hottest in a skirmish. Beneath the bravado lies a deep-seated fear: that the Gnarley will fall if its guardians hesitate.

• Galaedor: Shares a strong bond of camaraderie and battlefield respect. The two often patrol together and mentor apprentices.
• Elofaen: Old allies with mutual respect. Though her cold calm contrasts his fiery zeal, he listens when she speaks.
• Mithloriann: Mutual tolerance. Nylanthir admires the elder's power, but fears his paranoia may lead to inaction.
• Sylowyn: Political rival. She distrusts his hawkishness, while he sees her moderation as a liability in the face of rising threats.
• Clan Enlanefel: Trusted allies. Nylanthir often aids their rangers when cross-border threats appear, and supports military unity between the clans.
• Kingdom of Celene: Fierce proponent of reunification with the Fey Kingdom. Seeks to rekindle an oathbound alliance.

Residence and Duties

Though constantly on the move across Gnarley territory, Nylanthir returns frequently to his fortified training circle and summoning grounds near Durvanai. Here he crafts spells, teaches combat techniques, and prepares defensive rituals with young elven battlemages.

• Operates a planar research sanctum warded against scrying and extraplanar breach.
• Commands a specialist warband known as The Bound Flame.
• Maintains teleportation access to multiple forest strongholds.
• Trains scouts in recognizing and combating extraplanar threats.

Importance to the Campaign

Nylanthir is a powerful ally or rival for PCs engaged in combat, extraplanar exploration, or military action in the Gnarley. He may recruit PCs to investigate strange incursions near Nulb, the Wailing Halls, or the Wild Road. Alternatively, his aggressive stance could draw political intrigue and tension with pacifist elves.

Potential Plot Hooks:

• Requests aid in containing a rogue planar portal near Bad Deep.
• Asks PCs to scout rumors of slaver caravans traveling under cultic protection.
• Seeks relics from the ruins of the Temple of Elemental Evil that pulse with conjurative energy.
• May be drawn into conflict if summoned entities are misused by enemy agents.

Plot Hook 1: Chains in the Trees

Theme: Slaver traffic on the Wild Road | Nulb resurgence

Reports from elven scouts reveal that slaver bands—once thought scattered after the fall of the First Temple—have reemerged along the Wild Road, kidnapping travelers and vanishing into the deeper woods near Nulb. Nylanthir suspects these raids are part of a coordinated resurgence involving mercenary bands and cult agents. He tasks the PCs with ambushing a known caravan route and tracing their origin, offering conjured weapons or planar tokens as aid.

Complications:

• The slavers are guarded by summoned elementals—indicating magical support.
• Captives bear glyphs tied to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
• Nylanthir's plans may conflict with the diplomacy-minded Galaedor, inviting political tension.

Plot Hook 2: Runes in the Root

Theme: Temple ley lines | Conjuration corruption

Nylanthir has received word from the Loremasters of Oakvein that converging ley lines near Bad Deep and the ruins of the First Temple show spikes of conjurative magic, possibly reactivated by cultists or a fragment of the old node magic. He believes this may be the birthplace of a planar breach and asks the PCs to investigate with a specialized summoning anchor.

Leads and Perils:

• Strange creatures have been appearing along the forest edges, seemingly summoned.
• The party may uncover a rogue conjurer once trained under Nylanthir himself.
• A ritual in progress may threaten to bind a major extraplanar force within the Gnarley.