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Bektari Sarrow

NPCs
Half-elf · Warlock, Undead patron, Pact of the Tome · Level 10

Bektari Sarrow

Ritual officer, survivor, and reluctant field commander
AC14
HP75/75
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

At the table

Voice

Her voice has a dry, pressed rasp, as if smoke and ash still catch in her throat. She shapes ritual phrases with careful consonants learned through years of formal recitation, then slips into clipped, practical language when danger becomes immediate. Before difficult answers she draws one shallow breath through her nose. Anger makes her diction harder and more direct, not softer.

Her voice has a dry, pressed rasp, as if smoke and ash still catch in her throat. She shapes ritual phrases with careful consonants learned through years of formal recitation, then slips into clipped, practical language when danger becomes immediate. Before difficult answers she draws one shallow breath through her nose. Anger makes her diction harder and more direct, not softer.

Speech patterns

Uses precise ritual language when explaining plans, even when she is improvising.
Calls fallen followers by their names rather than referring to them as sacrifices.
When her faith is challenged, answers with doctrine first and a personal question afterward.
Under pressure, repeats the last few words of a sentence before forcing herself to continue.

How to play them

Elys responds best to practical help offered without demands for a confession of faith. Treat her followers as people and she becomes protective; threaten or dismiss them and she turns hostile. Players who point out contradictions in the cult's doctrine can unsettle her, but humiliation will make her defensive. A private, credible offer of safe passage or a chance to protect her devotees may persuade her to surrender or share information.

Goal

Keep the surviving devotees alive while discovering whether the Ashen Watch still has a viable plan, and whether she can believe in it without lying to herself.

Motivation

Protect the people who escaped with her and find a reason to believe that their survival meant something.

Secret · GM only

Appearance

Elys is lean, hollow-eyed, and held together by stubborn posture rather than strength. Her pale olive skin looks sallow beneath the soot ground into it, and a fresh, uneven burn scars one side of her face and neck, the skin shiny and tight where it pulls when she turns. Her dark hair is chopped raggedly above one ear, burned short on one side and hacked away on the other. Green-gray eyes watch people with an exhausted, measuring intensity. She moves in abrupt, economical shifts, as if every doorway might be a breach and every pause a chance to be surrounded. The unexpected detail: despite her ruined ceremonial clothes, she keeps a tiny, painstakingly repaired paper bird tucked into the chest of her robe, its wings folded with absurd care.

Clothing

Torn black ritual cloth is wrapped around her forearms and waist, faded Nerull symbols showing where the soot has rubbed away. Scavenged leather and a mismatched metal shoulder guard cover the worst gaps. A travel cloak has been patched with coarse gray thread, but the little paper bird inside her chest is kept dry and uncrumpled.

Body language

She keeps her staff close to her ribs and turns her unburned side toward unfamiliar people. Her shoulders remain lifted as if bracing for falling debris. When challenged, she squares herself and fixes the speaker with a stare; when frightened, her thumb finds the paper bird beneath her robe.

Height
5 feet 7 inches
Build
Lean, wiry, and visibly exhausted, with the taut posture of someone who refuses to sit where she cannot see the door.
Eyes
Green-gray, shadowed by sleeplessness
Hair
Dark brown-black, singed and unevenly chopped
Skin
Pale olive, sallow beneath soot and marked by a fresh burn along one side of her face and neck
Age
Appears to be in her early 30s; actually 67, still young by half-elf standards.
Gender
Female
Size
Medium

Distinguishing features

A fresh burn runs along one side of her face and neck, left by the destruction of her spire.
Her dark hair is unevenly chopped and burned short on one side.
Small tokens taken from dead cultists hang from separate cords at her belt and click softly against her staff.
A carefully repaired paper bird is hidden inside her robe, an unexpectedly tender possession for a feared ritual officer.

Personality

12 traits and drives

Elys is fiercely protective of her followers yet resents being made responsible for their hope. She can be composed and exacting while planning a rite, but becomes blunt and volatile when someone dismisses the dead as expendable. In private she is unexpectedly patient with small, fragile things; in public she hides that tenderness behind ritual authority. Her certainty is practiced, not secure.

Alignment
Lawful evil, though terror and disillusionment are steadily undermining her certainty.

Quirks

Counts doorways by touching each finger to her thumb, then starts over if interrupted.
Turns each funerary token to face inward before sleeping, as though its dead owner should not have to watch.
Mends her cloak with small, perfectly spaced stitches but refuses to repair its torn hem.
When a plan changes, taps the staff twice against the ground and once against her boot.
Keeps the paper bird dry even in rain, hiding it under her collar without acknowledging the gesture.

Habits

Counts exits and living people whenever she enters a room, then counts again if anyone moves.
When allies are injured, she becomes more aggressive and less tactically careful.
After a disturbing revelation, she repeats a line of doctrine as if testing whether it still holds.
When alone, she repairs small tears in her clothing with neat, meticulous stitches.

Traits · 3

She can organize a desperate retreat with crisp authority, then privately replay every name she failed to save.
She speaks of sacrifice as sacred when addressing followers, but grows furious if another officer spends their lives casually.
She distrusts comfort, yet instinctively offers practical care to anyone visibly injured.

Flaws · 3

She mistakes obedience for loyalty and can pressure frightened followers into dangerous choices.
When a devotee falls, she prioritizes vengeance over survival or the mission.
She clings to ritual explanations even when evidence calls for a change of course.

Fears · 3

That the spire's destruction was proof that Nerull's promised victory was a lie.
That her surviving devotees will discover how badly her certainty has fractured.
That she will survive another disaster by leaving someone else behind.

Wants and needs · 3

Keep her surviving devotees safe without demanding that they share her waning certainty.
Find a credible explanation for the spire's collapse.
A chance to make a choice that does not require sacrificing someone else.

Combat

AC 14 · HP 75 · 30 ft.

She opens from cover with eldritch blast, using Repelling Blast to separate enemies or push them from objectives. She uses fear and shadow magic to break a group's formation, then attacks whoever threatens her devotees. If surrounded, she spends a Pact Magic slot on armor of Agathys or uses misty step to escape. When allies fall, she may abandon good positioning to punish the attacker. At low hit points she is likely to bargain, flee, or turn on a cultist whose certainty seems stronger than her own.

Bektari Sarrow

Medium humanoid (half-elf), lawful evil, though terror and disillusionment are steadily undermining her certainty.
Armor Class14
Hit Points75
Speed30 ft.
Level10
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsWisdomCharisma
SkillsDeceptionIntimidationReligionArcanaInvestigation
SensesDarkvision 60 ft.; passive Perception 10
Languages
Common,
Elvish,
Infernal
Half-elf. darkvision 60 feet; advantage on saving throws against being charmed; magic cannot put her to sleep.
Warlock spellcasting. Charisma is her spellcasting ability, spell save , spell attack bonus +8. She has two 5th-level Pact Magic slots, regained on a short or long rest.
Eldritch Invocations. Agonizing Blast adds +4 damage to each eldritch blast beam; Repelling Blast can push a creature hit by a beam up to 10 feet away; Devil's Sight lets her see normally in magical and nonmagical darkness out to 120 feet.
Undead patron, custom expanded feature. Form of Dread, three uses per long rest. As a bonus action, she manifests a deathly aspect for 1 minute, gains 10 temporary hit points, and can force one creature she hits with an attack each turn to make a Wisdom save or become frightened of her until the end of her next turn.
Pact Boon. Pact of the Tome, containing the cantrips chill touch, mage hand, and spare the dying.
Custom feature, Ashen Remnant. Once per long rest, when reduced to 0 hit points, she can drop to 1 hit point instead and immediately move up to half her speed without provoking opportunity attacks. The first time an ally she can see falls unconscious, she has disadvantage on her next ability check or attack roll before the end of her next turn.

Spells

Eldritch blast (cantrip, evocation). A cantrip; ranged spell attack +8, range 120 feet. Elys fires two beams at 10th level, each dealing force damage on a hit. She describes the beams as necrotic force.
Chill touch (cantrip, necromancy). A cantrip; melee spell attack +8, reach 5 feet. On a hit, the target takes necrotic damage and cannot regain hit points until the start of Elys's next turn.
Toll the dead (cantrip, necromancy). A cantrip; a creature within 120 feet makes a Constitution saving throw or takes necrotic damage. If it fails, it also has disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of Elys's next turn.
Spare the dying (cantrip, necromancy). A cantrip; Elys touches a creature at 0 hit points, which becomes stable.
Chill touch, pact-tome variant (cantrip, necromancy). A cantrip; creates a spectral skeletal hand at a point within 120 feet. A creature whose space the hand occupies takes cold damage. The hand lasts up to 1 minute with concentration.
Mage hand (cantrip, conjuration). A cantrip; creates a spectral hand that can manipulate objects within 30 feet. It cannot attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
Spare the dying, pact-tome variant (cantrip, necromancy). A cantrip; touches a creature to restore 1 hit point if it has 0 hit points. It has no effect on undead or constructs.
Armor of Agathys (level 1, abjuration). A 1st-level spell; Elys surrounds herself with a spectral ward granting 5 temporary hit points. A creature that hits her with a melee attack while these remain takes 5 cold damage.
Cause fear (level 1, necromancy). A 1st-level spell; one creature within 60 feet that can see her makes a Wisdom saving throw or becomes frightened for up to 1 minute. The creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Misty step (level 2, conjuration). A 2nd-level spell; Elys teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space she can see, leaving a swirl of funeral-black smoke.
Wither and bloom (level 2, necromancy). A 2nd-level spell; a creature Elys can see within 90 feet makes a Wisdom saving throw or takes necrotic damage and cannot regain hit points until the start of Elys's next turn. On a successful save it takes half damage.
Protection from energy, custom patron-flavored option (level 3, abjuration). A 3rd-level spell; Elys touches a willing creature to grant it resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons. Requires concentration, up to 1 hour.
Hunger of Hadar, necrotic reskin (level 3, conjuration). A 3rd-level spell; shadowy tendrils fill a 20-foot-radius sphere within 120 feet. Creatures in the area make a Dexterity saving throw, taking necrotic damage on a failure or half on a success. The area is heavily obscured until the spell ends. Requires concentration, up to 1 minute.
Mark of the damned (level 4, necromancy). A 4th-level spell; Elys touches a creature and places a curse on it for up to 1 minute, requiring concentration. The target makes a Wisdom saving throw or takes necrotic damage whenever Elys hits it with an attack. This is a custom necromantic curse based on the mark of the damned.
Enervation (level 5, necromancy). A 5th-level spell; a creature within 60 feet makes a Wisdom saving throw or takes psychic damage and becomes frightened for up to 1 minute. On a success it takes half damage and is not frightened. Requires concentration.
Shadow of moil (level 5, necromancy). A 5th-level spell; Elys touches a willing creature and grants it resistance to all damage except force and psychic damage. Requires concentration, up to 10 minutes.
Spiritual weapon, custom warlock spell (level 2, evocation). A 5th-level spell; Elys conjures a spiritual weapon shaped like a hooked funerary blade. It makes a melee spell attack at +8, dealing force damage on a hit, and can be moved and used again as a bonus action while the spell lasts. It requires no concentration.

Actions

Eldritch Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: to hit, range 120 feet, one or two targets. Hit: force damage per beam. At 10th level, she fires two beams. The impact looks like a knot of ink-black force veined with corpse-blue light.
Grave-Touched Chill Touch. Melee Spell Attack: to hit, reach 5 feet, one creature. Hit: necrotic damage, and the target cannot regain hit points until the start of Elys's next turn.
Spellcasting. Elys casts one of her available spells, using a 5th-level Pact Magic slot when applicable. Her spell save DC is 16 and spell attack bonus is +8.
Borrowed Hands. Custom action, once per long rest. Elys tears a funerary token from her belt and calls up a grasping corpse-shadow in an unoccupied space she can see within 30 feet. One creature within 5 feet of it must make a Strength saving throw or take necrotic damage and be restrained until the end of Elys's next turn. The manifestation then crumbles. This is an effect, not a summoned creature.

Reactions

Grave-Cold Reprisal. When a creature Elys can see hits her with a melee attack, she releases a burst of grave-cold shadow. The attacker takes necrotic damage. This is a custom reaction and does not require concentration.
Hellish Rebuke. When a creature she can see moves within 5 feet of her, Elys may cast hellish rebuke at 2nd level, using her reaction and one available Pact Magic slot. The target makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking fire damage on a failure or half as much on a success. The flames resemble blackened funeral fire.

Services they sell

Can identify common necromantic rites and cult insignia.
Can exchange information about the Ashen Watch and the escape routes used by the surviving devotees.
If trust is established, can arrange a meeting with one of her followers or help conceal a fugitive.

Rewards they can give

The scorched fragment of the ritual inscription, evidence that the spire's leaders may have ignored a warning.
A route to surviving devotees or an introduction to a cautious Ashen Watch officer, if Elys is treated with compassion.
The locations of abandoned stores and minor cult caches known to the surviving followers.

Equipment

  • Scorched ritual staff (arcane focus)A crooked rod of scorched wood lashed to a length of bone. It serves as a focus and walking staff, but is not inherently magical.
  • Scavenged armor (armor)Mismatched leather, a single salvaged metal shoulder guard, and layered cloth. The armor is represented in her Armor Class.
  • Funerary tokens (keepsakes)Several small personal tokens taken from devotees who died during the escape. Elys remembers the owner of each.
  • Paper bird (keepsake)A tiny folded paper bird, creased and repaired but kept carefully protected.
  • Road kit (adventuring gear)A travel cloak, waterskin, tinderbox, and a small roll of coarse thread and needles.

Possessions

Crooked scorched-wood and bone staff
Several tokens belonging to dead devotees
Hidden, carefully repaired paper bird
Scavenged armor and patched travel cloak
Fragment of a scorched ritual inscription

Background

Elys Sarrow served as a ritual officer in a Nerull spire, an appointed keeper of rites and the person who made doctrine legible to the frightened and newly initiated. She believed the spire's plan to call death into the world was not merely possible, but inevitable. When the stronghold began to collapse, she stayed to finish an evacuation rite while the upper sanctum burned. The rite failed to save most of those inside; a falling beam and a wave of necrotic fire left her with the fresh burns on her face and neck. She escaped with a handful of devotees and the names, tokens, and debts of those who did not. She reached the Ashen Watch expecting its senior officers to explain the disaster as a temporary setback. Instead, she learned that Garran Veyl had fallen too. The news has shaken the foundations of her faith: she still recites Nerull's doctrine, but now listens for cracks in it. Her surviving followers look to her for certainty she no longer possesses. She protects them with fierce devotion, then privately resents them for needing her. The paper bird was folded by a young acolyte who died during the escape; Elys tells no one why she has kept it.

Role in the story

A dangerous, emotionally fraying antagonist who can become an informant, a defector, or a desperate last obstacle. Her choices can reveal the human cost of the cult's collapse and expose whether its leaders knowingly risked the spire.

“She believed the spire's plan to call death into the world was not merely possible, but inevitable.”
From their background
Faction
A senior surviving ritual officer of the Nerull spire; currently sheltering among the Ashen Watch, whose leadership she both serves and doubts.

Known connections

Garran Veyl was a senior figure in the Ashen Watch whose fall has made Elys question whether Nerull's promised victory is real.
A handful of devotees escaped the destroyed spire with her; they depend on her leadership, though she conceals how uncertain she has become.
A dead young acolyte folded the paper bird she keeps hidden against her chest.
The surviving officers of the Ashen Watch tolerate Elys's rank but distrust the instability they see in her.
Major secret · GM only
Minor secrets · GM only

Connections

Mentioned in their text, not linked yet

  • Garran Veyl was a senior figure in the Ashen Watch whose fall has made Elys question whether Nerull's promised victory is real.
  • A handful of devotees escaped the destroyed spire with her; they depend on her leadership, though she conceals how uncertain she has become.
  • A dead young acolyte folded the paper bird she keeps hidden against her chest.
  • The surviving officers of the Ashen Watch tolerate Elys's rank but distrust the instability they see in her.

Species

Half-elf

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