Reides Laverath

Reides Aurelian Yon-Zinthos Kien-Khavas Laverath is a triton wizard and member of The Pog Champions. Having spent most of his life under the sea, Reides is relatively new to the surface world and, as such, many of its customs are largely lost on him. Luckily, he isn't entirely clueless, as he is extremely book-smart and knowledgeable about its history. Eccentric yet empathetic, he always tries to offer a helping hand to those who need it.

A dedicated scholar, Reides believes that everything is important and worthy of both appreciation and study. He values freedom immensely and thinks that everyone - regardless of their past - deserves to choose their own path in life. His boundless curiosity can land him in troublesome situations, however. Furthermore, many seemingly mundane objects of the surface world fascinate him endlessly, and so he tends to hoard them.

Appearance
Reides has blue skin and long green hair that is always out loose and in an unkempt state. As he is a triton, he has prominent gills on either side of his neck and visible scales on his shoulders. He has finned ears and his hands and feet are webbed. His eyes are golden-green in colour and have black sclera. Standing at roughly 5ft, he is of average height for a triton and has a small build.

Reides enjoys collecting random trinkets and occasionally incorporates them into his ensemble (making accessories out of them and the like). Currently, he wears a shark tooth choker and two necklaces - one made out of shells and, the other, a gold chain. He also wears shell earrings on both of his ears, an assortment of gold bracelets on one of his hands, and has a star navel piercing. Clothes-wise, Reides has a tendency to get hot very quickly, as his body is more accustomed to a cold undersea environment. To make up for this, he tends to wear loose clothes that allow him to stay cool while he travels around the surface world. His current main outfit features a blue blanket-turned-sash and brown pants, which he wears along with black boots. There is a piece of blue string tied around one of these boots. While Reides wears a few pieces of purple shell armor, they're mostly for cosmetic reasons rather than serving any protective function. After all, that's what Mage Armor's for!

As of Session 79, Reides also wears the Wreath of Persana. The Wreath is silvery-blue in colour and fashioned to look like coral. There are 15 faux-coral strands on this wreath, and each strand has a small blue gem inlaid at its end. Within each gem, the faint symbol of a shield emblazoned with a flame pulsates gently.

Disguises
Reides acquired a Hat of Disguise in Session 27. Whenever he wears this hat, he can use an action to cast the 'disguise self' spell from it. This spell allows Reides to make himself look different until the spell ends or until he dismisses it. He has used this hat to create a variety of personas.


 * Sabrina (Session 38): Reides disguised himself as Sabrina in order to bait bandits into attacking the party. She is a blonde noblewoman who loves fancy things and jewelry and is married to Jorah for the divorce money. Reides hates Sabrina.
 * Ragnar Stormborn (Session 50): Reides disguised himself as Ragnar when the party was wanted by the law in the Exeter. He is a tall dwarf with flaming red hair and jewels in his beard. He is married to Kilwin's disguise, Len. Ragni was Reides' fashion inspiration for this disguise.

Personality

 * Strengths: Empathetic, passionate, intelligent
 * Weaknesses: Gullible, naïve, impulsive

Reides is eccentric and somewhat ditzy, with a love of pretty much everything the world has to offer. He's all about the pursuit of knowledge and records extensive notes about everything that strikes his interest... and most things do. He tends to be fairly open about his emotions and wears his heart on his sleeve, though he certainly has his fair share of secrets.

Despite his quirks, Reides is highly intelligent and tenacious. He can’t turn a blind eye on other people’s suffering – regardless of who they are or what they’ve done – and strongly believes that everyone should be free to choose their own path in life.

Background
As a triton, Reides can breathe underwater and has spent most of his life in the sea. He kept his past as a fiercely guarded secret for a time, stating that he was simply from the ocean whenever anyone asked about his home. Over time, however, he formed a deep bond with the party and eventually trusted them enough to reveal his true identity. Namely, he confessed that his full name is Reides Aurelian Yon-Zinthos Kien-Khavas Laverath, that he is a prince of Laverathia, and that he is second in line to the throne. He also told them that he considered himself ill-suited to his status and viewed his relationship with his people as "not bad [...] but distant." His desire to escape from the crown and to be able to live as his own person resulted in a fixation on the surface world, which came to represent freedom to him.

Reides hatched on 16 Firstlight 569, during a terrible sea storm which wrought havoc on the Laverathian empire. The empire weathered this ordeal and Reides' birth came to symbolize hope and fortitude for its people. Reides was puzzled by this from an early age, particularly in regards to the royal bards' dramatized songs about how he didn't cry at all during the storm. Though he loved reading about triton history, he became quite disillusioned with his status as royal. He didn't take to sword lessons at all and struggled to embody the characteristics of an ideal triton warrior. He often skipped out on his princely duties in favor of going off on his own adventures beyond the Coralpeak Citadel. On one such excursion, he found a spellbook in a shipwreck, which he studied for months in order to teach himself how to cast spells.

Due to his disinterest in upholding triton traditions, Reides gained quite the turbulent reputation amongst the Laverathian court. Court nobles often referred to him "the Storm Prince" - a quip which seemingly only referenced the circumstances surrounding his birth. However, due to triton superstitions about storms, it was largely in reference to how many members of the court believed he would bring chaos to Laverathia if his antics remained unchecked. This was compounded by Reides' mother's status as a commoner who married into the royal family. Reides' older brother, Viglis, would defend Reides from the nobles' gossip - but he also wished that Reides would simply accept his duty and often tried to force him into doing such. This put a strain on their relationship and only served to encourage Reides to act out even more. Reides' younger sister, Lotlyn, loved Reides' eccentricities, however, and enjoyed hearing about his studies regarding the surface world. Reides' younger brother, Dhudus, didn't seem to care either way; the two had a distant relationship.

Eventually, Reides asked his father, the current Emperor of Laverathia, for permission to act as an ambassador of sorts between the undersea and surface worlds. This would serve to increase Laverathia's breadth of knowledge about the surface and possibly even reduce the highly isolationistic nature of the empire. Unfortunately for Reides, his father did not take kindly to this - accusing Reides of treason and locking him away in a tower for weeks upon weeks. Lotlyn managed to open the tower's locked doors one night and encouraged Reides to go to the surface world.

During his time on the run, Reides was able to gain passage to Port Valor with the help of a kind stranger who was working on a ship. While he did not learn the name of this surfacer at the time, Reides considers him as his first friend.

Reides lived in Port Valor for around a year before meeting the party. A lot of the customs of the surface world still fly right over his head, but he's very enthusiastic about attaining more and more knowledge about it. Reides truly loves the world - both its surface and its seas - and wants to play a role in protecting it.

Goals
At the start of his adventure, Reides simply wished to learn all he possibly could about the surface world. He wanted to keep a low profile and be thought of as nothing more than a drifting scholarly wizard. This meant keeping his status as triton royalty completely secret, as well as keeping a wary eye out for anyone who would challenge his anonymity.

During his travels, however, Reides realized that he wasn't living as his genuine self by running from his past. This realization was intensified by the party's first encounter with the Burning Knight, as Reides learnt that his home city of Aquos was being targeted in his plot to summon Alzrius. Out of a desire to ensure his home's safety, Reides committed himself to the task of securing the remaining Abyssal crests with his travelling companions. It also gave him a new perspective on what his royal title truly meant, as well as the importance of his duties.

Later on, Reides' fears were realized when he received word from Viglis that Aquos had fallen. The city was overtaken by a legion of sea spawn, led by a kraken and an aboleth. The two beasts were presumably working for the Burning Knight and sought to find Aquos' crest. With the help of Aske, Reides and his companions secured passage to Laverathian waters via the Desperado. They joined the Aquosian force which sought to re-take the city and were able to thwart the beasts. These events became known as the Siege of Coralpeak Citadel.

For the party's role in saving Laverathia, Emperor Khavas entrusted Reides with Aquos' crest: The Wreath of Persana. He also gave Reides a choice between staying in Aquos, thus leaving the surface world to sort out its own troubles, or continuing his journey as Laverathia's ambassador on the surface world. Unwilling to abandon his quest and wishing to repay his companions for their help, Reides leapt up at the opportunity to become the Laverathian ambassador. Even though this was a dream that he had prior to the start of his adventure, Reides realized that all of his experiences on his journey strengthened his resolve and equipped him for the task far better than his fantasies ever did. No longer wishing to go to the surface as a means of escaping from his responsibilities, Reides finally understood what it meant to serve as a Guardian of the Depths.

Currently, the Storm Prince wants to change the world for the better. He is determined to be an excellent ambassador for Laverathia and has every intention of using all he learns to help Alethustria as a whole.

Triton Traits

 * Amphibious
 * Reides can breathe air and water.
 * Control Air and Water
 * [1st] Reides can cast fog cloud once per long rest.
 * [3rd] Reides can cast gust of wind once per long rest.
 * [5th] Reides can cast wall of water once per long rest.
 * Darkvision
 * Reides can see in darkness (shades of gray) up to 60 ft.
 * Emissary of the Sea
 * Reides can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water.
 * Guardians of the Depths
 * Reides has resistance to cold damage.

Wizard Features

 * Additional Wizard Spells
 * Reides has additional spells available to him, as designated in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
 * Proficiencies
 * History
 * Medicine
 * Spellcasting
 * Reides can cast prepared wizard spells using his Intelligence as his spellcasting modifier, and wizard spells in his spellbook as rituals if they have the ritual tag. He uses a shell from Aquos as an arcane focus.
 * Arcane Recovery
 * Once per day when Reides finishes a short rest, he can choose expended spell slots to recover - up to a combined level of 5, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.
 * Arcane Tradition
 * School of Evocation
 * Evocation Savant
 * The gold and time that Reides must spend to copy an evocation spell into his spellbook is halved.
 * Sculpt Spells
 * Reides can control his evocation spells so as to not injure those in the spells' respective paths.
 * Cantrip Formulas
 * Reides has scribed a set of arcane formulas in his spellbook that he can use to formulate a cantrip in his mind. Whenever he finishes a long rest and consults those formulas in his spellbook, he can replace one wizard cantrip he knows with another cantrip from the wizard spell list.
 * Ability Score Improvement
 * Intelligence Score
 * Charisma Score


 * Potent Cantrip
 * When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against Reides' cantrip, the creature takes half the cantrip’s damage (if any) but suffers no additional effect from the cantrip.

Spells

 * Cantrips
 * Chill Touch
 * Mage Hand
 * Shocking Grasp
 * Ray of Frost
 * Presto Chango
 * 1st-Level
 * Find Familiar
 * Ice Knife
 * Identify
 * Mage Armor
 * Magic Missile
 * Shield
 * Sleep
 * Thunderwave
 * Feather Fall
 * Detect Magic
 * 2nd-Level
 * Acid Arrow
 * Arcane Lock
 * Invisibility
 * Misty Step
 * Shatter
 * Mind Whip
 * Locate Object
 * Mirror Image
 * Knock
 * Gentle Repose
 * 3rd-Level
 * Lightning Bolt
 * Sending
 * Counterspell
 * Tidal Wave
 * Water Breathing
 * Fly
 * Fireball
 * 4th-Level
 * Ice Storm
 * Phantasmal Killer
 * Dimension Door
 * 5th-Level
 * Dream
 * Bigby's Hand
 * Wall of Force

Extras

 * Researcher Background: When Reides attempts to learn or recall a piece of lore, if he does not know that information, he often knows where and from whom he can obtain it.
 * Familiar: An owl named Pepega.
 * Weapon(s): A crossbow that he calls Harpoon, a quarterstaff and a dagger.

Reides and Kilwin
Reides met Kilwin one month prior to the party's first quest together. Reides formed a close bond with him very quickly, as he was soothed by Kilwin's kind heart and gentle nature. He admires all of the things that Kilwin knows about the surface world and is always grateful for Kilwin's help in explaining terms or customs that he doesn't quite grasp. Kilwin is definitely a very grounding influence on Reides, too, as he keeps many of Reides' whimsical tendencies relatively in-check (such as stopping Reides when he wanted to eat moss). Given their close friendship, Reides felt very guilty about hiding his past from Kilwin and was relieved when the cleric responded in an understanding manner. After Kilwin helped Reides with saving Aquos, Reides found himself feeling indebted to him. In particular, Reides was grateful that Kilwin offered his healing abilities to the Aquosian forces despite the tritons' beliefs about outsiders. This act of generosity ended up saving many lives, including that of guard captain Dharsus - a cherished figure in Reides' past. Reides hopes that the two of them will continue to make good memories together as their adventure continues, despite how challenging the road ahead may be. He feels very safe when Kilwin is around, and that isn't a feeling that he will ever take for granted. In fact, Reides intends to keep Kilwin just as safe.

Reides and Jorah
Despite the ranger’s occasional grumblings about magic, Reides deeply trusts Jorah and admires his extensive knowledge about the surface world. He enjoys hearing his stories and often tries to pry them out of him, especially whenever alcohol is involved. Reides often compares Jorah to his older brother, Viglis, whenever Jorah fusses over something that Reides is doing. It can therefore be assumed that Reides views Jorah as an older brother figure… Despite the fact that Jorah is younger than him. Jorah's skills with his crossbow inspired Reides to try his hand at a lighter form of the weapon - and, hilariously enough, he has won two crossbow-aiming contests versus Jorah. While Reides enjoys poking fun at him, he appreciates Jorah's ability to take control in tense situations. He was greatly reassured when Jorah promised to aid Aquos and is grateful that the ranger stuck to his word in an unwavering manner - going as far as dealing the final blow on both of the beasts that threatened Reides' home. Overall, Reides is very happy to be friends with Jorah and is extremely loyal to him. He hopes that he can show Jorah his gratitude as they continue their journey together.

Reides and Ashara
Due to Ashara's situation, she occasionally reminds Reides of how he behaved when he first arrived on the surface. This put him at ease around her upon their very first meeting, and he came to trust Ashara very quickly. Even now, he believes that they will be able to learn more about the world alongside each other. He knows how it feels to be regarded as a strange person in a strange land - how the experience is as exciting as it is incredibly lonely - and so he wants to be there for her as best as he can. He's also very excited to have a friend who is interested in research, as he is a dedicated scholar, himself. While some of Ashara's comments in Laverathia during the planning phase of the Siege of Coralpeak Citadel rubbed him the wrong way, he appreciated her apology after-the-fact and was quick to forgive her, as he understood that the pressures of the situation likely reminded her of traumatic past experiences. He was grateful for the role that Ashara played in helping him save his home and genuinely hopes that he can return the favour to her in some way.

Reides and Slumberjack
During their time together, Reides knew Slumberjack by their alias ("Rilineth"). Due to their mysterious mannerisms and brutal combat style, Reides thought they were rather peculiar and, at times, terrifying. However, over the course of their travels together, Reides became very interested in their unique view of the world and even came to enjoy their aggressive streak. They grew closer as time went on, with Reides agreeing to teach them how to swim someday. He knew that his friend maintained many secrets and, in that sense, empathized with them, deciding not to pry them for details that they were not comfortable with sharing. However, upon Slumberjack's departure alongside the Burning Knight, Reides began to wonder if maintaining those boundaries was a mistake. He cares for and respects Slumberjack and is determined to meet them again someday.

Reides and Torble
Due to his eccentric mannerisms (including his ability to seemingly manifest bread from the depths of his beard) and impressive sense of style, Reides immediately liked Torble. He thinks that the gnome is extremely interesting and admires the sway that he maintains within Magmaslag Rock despite being a prisoner himself. However, he was also confused as to why someone as talented as Torble was content with staying locked away in that terrible place and thought he deserved to be free. During their time in the prison, Reides repeatedly attempted to cajole Torble into joining the Champions in the Underbelly Bout so as to assist him in gaining freedom. When Torble became receptive to this idea and decided to join them, Reides was extremely pleased. After the Champions emerged victorious from the Bout, Reides became very curious as to the gnome's past, as well as the path which Torble will now take.

Reides and Erak
Reides thought Erak was incredibly charming and considered him a great deal of fun to be around. Erak's frank, direct way of approaching challenges was always refreshing - and his skills in combat (as well as with meat preparation) were fascinating, too. During Erak's fight with Slumberjack, Reides learnt quite a lot about what his companion had been through over the course of his life. While he did not reveal too much about himself, Reides was also able to confide in Erak at a time when he didn't think he would ever confide in anyone else. While Reides knows that Erak is now on his own quest and wishes him all the best, he misses him quite a lot. Should his friend ever need his help, Reides would definitely be willing to go to his aid. Reides always thought of Erak as an excellent storyteller, and he hopes that, should they never cross paths again, he will at least hear a wonderful tale about what his friend has been up to.

Reides and Briar
Reides is fascinated by Briar, as he knows that the druid possesses very unique skills and has quite the past. He enjoys Briar’s whimsical energy and loves to get up to mischief with him. He also really likes being able to interact with a lot of interesting animals thanks to Briar’s wild shape capabilities. He supports the relationship between Briar and Erak and is happy that Erak was able to meet such a wonderful person. In addition to all of this, Briar was able to comfort Reides when he was very stressed about going back to Aquos, reminding him that he is no longer alone. His positive reaction to Reides’ status as the Storm Prince also reassured Reides quite a lot, as Briar said that storms preside growth and that stability isn’t always a good thing. These wise words truly struck a chord with Reides and aided him a lot with viewing his title as something to be proud of. Reides was extremely grateful for Briar's assistance in saving his home city, as he kept Reides' spirits high and made a huge difference with his impressive spellcasting. Upon hearing that Briar would need to part from the Pog Champions for a bit as he investigated his own lead pertaining to his quest, Reides grew quite sad, as he wanted to help Briar out just as much as Briar helped him - but he knew that Briar had his own responsibilities. Still, should the druid ever call for Reides, Reides would certainly go running towards him.

Reides and Miré
Reides was delighted by Miré from the very moment he met her. He thinks that the hexblood's magic is utterly incredible and cherishes the flower that he druidcrafted for Reides during their first encounter. Frankly, he would spend weeks studying it, if his adventuring schedule allowed for that! He also admires Miré's sense of fashion, as Reides is a big fan of surface fungi and flora. During their time together, Reides relied on Miré's expertise within the Deytrwood as the Pog Champions traversed its depths and was thrilled to get all of the hot forest gossip thanks to their ability to speak with plants. He was also impressed by Miré's skill in combat, though he was a bit jealous that she got to ride a cow when he was denied the opportunity in the past. Regardless, witnessing her manage to do so successfully despite the odds solidified Reides' resolve to try it in the future... No matter what the rest of his adventuring party might think. Furthermore, Miré identified popmoss - a type of edible moss - for Reides, thus fulfilling his long-standing desire to eat surface moss. Miré's devotion to his forest home is a huge source of inspiration to Reides, as some aspects of her duties towards the Deytrwood remind him of his own duties towards Aquos. Fully aware of the dangers of the journey ahead, Reides keeps Miré's steadfast resolve in his heart and hopes to be as helpful to his home as she is to hers.

Reides and Aske
Reides is immensely grateful to Aske, as the half-elf fisher aided him in his escape to the surface world. However, since Reides feared incriminating Aske, the two did not exchange names during the initial time that they spent together. They were still able to strike up a strong bond and Reides often refers to him as his very first friend. Upon the fall of Port Valor, Reides was able to ensure that Aske was safe by Sending a message to him. In this message, Reides also properly introduced himself. However, Aske did not know about Sending's word limit, and their correspondence was cut off before he could share his own name.

During the Pog Champions' time in the Exeter, Reides - while under the influence of deepcoral wine - begrudgingly revealed that he maintained a slight romantic inclination towards Aske. He didn't expect those feelings to lead to anything significant as he believed it was unlikely that they would ever meet again, though Kilwin encouraged him to seek out a reunion. Upon learning that Aske would be in Atemcester around the same time as the Pog Champions, the party continued to supported this reunion, and Reides began keeping in touch with Aske via more Sending messages. A storm in the Eadrenan Sea delayed Aske's fishing vessel, allowing Aske and Reides enough time to reunite after a year of being apart. It was during this reunion that Reides finally learnt his name. After spending some time with the Pog Champions, Aske offered to show Reides around Atemcester, and the two enjoyed their time together.

While spending time with Aske, Reides realized that his feelings for him were far stronger than he previously thought. Despite his anxieties regarding how Aske would react, the strength of these feelings motivated Reides, as he didn't want their time spent together to be a one-off fling. However, in order to commit to a long-term relationship, Reides knew that he needed to be less secretive about the more serious aspects of his life. This resulted in Reides revealing his status as a triton prince to Aske. He also told him that the quest that he is on with his companions is a highly important one which seeks to save the world as a whole. To Reides' relief, Aske responded favorably to these revelations, and also wished to enter a relationship with Reides. The two became romantic partners.

Shortly after Reides revealed his origins to Aske, Reides also brought up the Pog Champions' need to visit Aquos in order to prevent it from a fate akin to that of Port Valor. Aske aided him and his companions in finding a ship with a captain brave enough to face a storm - namely, the fishing vessel that he works on, the Desperado. Reides had mixed feelings about involving Aske in their quest, as it was a perilous one, but still couldn't help but feel appreciative and in awe of Aske's capabilities. Upon successfully traversing the storm and arriving in Laverathian waters, Reides confessed that he loved Aske, and his feelings were returned, as Aske said that he loved Reides, too. The two made plans to reunite soon, potentially in Aske's home city, Davenport.

Reides loves Aske and adores spending time with him. He appreciates the half-elf's sharp wit and thinks that it's fun to catch him unawares with teasing or so-called 'eccentric' behaviors. He's fascinated by how he can never quite tell what Aske is going to do next and feels like Aske can genuinely keep up with his impulsive approach to life.

Reides and Viglis
For a long time, Reides had a complicated relationship with his older brother. As children, they were very close; Reides has many wonderful memories of Viglis reading to him and playing with him. Viglis also tried to teach Reides how to fight with a sword, hoping that he would share Viglis' goal of becoming a paladin. Reides never took to it, which, admittedly, disappointed him for a time - but he still liked spending time with his older brother. Unfortunately, as the years passed, a divide began to grow between the two of them. More and more, Viglis seemed to possess the traits of an ideal triton prince. Meanwhile, Reides struggled under the weight of his crown. Reides felt like everyone was always comparing the two of them, and that Viglis' strengths served to put a great deal of emphasis on Reides' flaws. In addition to this, Viglis began pressuring Reides to abandon his personal interests in favor of those deemed acceptable by noble triton society. He lectured him very often about his behaviors - deemed by many as unfitting for a prince. In particular, he tried to temper Reides' fixation on going to the surface. Despite his overbearing nature, Reides knew that his older brother was often the first person to come to his defense on numerous occasions.

Due to the pressures that Viglis placed on him, Reides often referred to him as "an asshole" to the party. However, when Reides learnt that Aquos was potentially in danger, Viglis was the first person he thought about and the reason why he wanted to learn the Sending spell. In their correspondence, Viglis demanded that Reides come home, confirming that Aquos was safer than the surface, but was cut off due to Sending's word limit. Reides knew this demand was made out of concern for him and was shocked that Viglis didn't just yell at him. Reides pressed on with the Pog Champions' quest, determined to keep Aquos safe in his own way. Contrary to what Viglis claimed, however, when Reides contacted Viglis again a few weeks later to inform him that he was coming home to help deal with the threats against their people, he learnt that Aquos fell to some sort of beast. Viglis no longer urged Reides to come home and instead told him to stay away. Given Viglis' disapproval of the surface world, this demand shook Reides to his core. Through Viglis, Reides also learnt that their sister, Lotlyn, was kidnapped by this beast. Viglis said that he couldn't bear it if Reides were to get taken, too, but Reides dismissed this concern as he had no intention of letting this evil claim their home. Even with the volatile history that existed between them, Reides cared about Viglis deeply and wanted his older brother to be safe.

Upon reuniting in the triton refugee camp outside of Aquos, Reides and Viglis were quick to butt heads. Viglis reprimanded Reides for never listening, and Reides, feeling backed into a corner, blamed Viglis for Aquos' state, as he tried to warn him of this. Despite hurting each other, they were able to put their differences aside very quickly, and, through their combined wish to save Aquos, began to click with each other again. As he spent time with Viglis, Reides remembered that there was a time when the two of them genuinely got along. He apologized for his comments, which were just meant to hurt Viglis rather than being based in anything true, and worried for his brother's safety whenever they were apart. In particular, Reides tended to fret over Viglis over-working himself and repeatedly demanded that his older brother got some rest. Despite this, Reides was deeply impressed by Viglis' skill in spearheading the relief efforts, and the two were able to retake their home city with the help of their companions.

It was during this time that Reides learnt that Viglis didn't support their father's decision to lock Reides away for his request to go to the surface. While they were apart from each other, Reides always assumed that Viglis supported it; he was surprised when Viglis stated that he didn't know why Khavas went so far and was even more shocked when Viglis determinedly stated that such a thing would never happen to Reides again. His surprised only heightened when Lotlyn later revealed that Viglis was the person who orchestrated the tactics of Reides' escape, providing her with the key to his prison cell and likely redirecting the Kingsguard elsewhere. Though he was rather annoyed that Viglis didn't tell him as such, Reides expressed his gratitude to his older brother and finally told him just how much he admired him. He said that, someday, Viglis would be the greatest emperor that Laverathia had ever seen.

Reides is very happy to be on good terms with Viglis once more, as he actually missed his older brother very much. Inspired by Viglis' sense of duty, Reides wants to work together with him in order to keep Laverathia safe and prosperous.

Reides and Dhudus
Prior to the start of his adventure, Reides wasn't very close to his younger brother. Due to his love of fighting, food, and drink, Reides described Dhudus to the party as a bit of a meathead. Reides tried to connect with him when they were young, but Dhudus was largely uninterested in books and studying, and he downright didn't care about the surface world. Since Reides was an abysmal swordsman, he couldn't really spend time with Dhudus, either, as Dhudus enjoyed training most of all. Over time, Dhudus gravitated towards more like-minded warriors and became quite popular amongst them for his fighting skills, so Reides rarely even spoke with him. Still, Reides cared for his younger brother and was worried for his safety upon finding out that Aquos had fallen.

When Reides reunited with Dhudus on the eve of the Siege of Coralpeak Citadel, he was comfortable with hugging and teasing his younger brother and readily told Dhudus about their plan to retake Aquos. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Reides, Dhudus was under the control of Ryl'dhagt of the Abyss during this time; the aboleth exploited Reides' trust in Dhudus and leaked their battle plans to its kraken companion. Upon learning of this from the beast later on, Reides went into a fury and showed it no modicum of mercy during the ensuing battle against it. He hated the aboleth moreso than any foe he had ever faced up to that moment and was terrified for his younger brother.

Following the Aquosian forces' victory in the Siege, Reides was deeply relieved when he found out that Dhudus seemed to be freed from the aboleth's control. He was quick to visit his younger brother with his companions. At the time, Dhudus had placed himself under house arrest out of fear of losing control of himself once more. Disregarding everyone's warnings to keep his distance from his brother, Reides immediately ran to Dhudus and wrapped him up in a big hug. He apologized for being so distant in the past and vowed to be there for him more. Above all, he insisted that Dhudus didn't blame himself for what happened and promised to defend him from anyone who would say otherwise. As the two brothers talked, Reides realized that they had quite a bit in common - particularly in the form of their experiences against the Laverathian court. They bonded over their dislike of uptight nobles and stuffy Laverathian traditions, and Reides promised to someday facilitate a friendly sparring match between him and Jorah.

Reides has every intention of being a better older brother to Dhudus and is absolutely going to dote on him far more from here on out. He promised that he would research aboleths, as he wants to put Dhudus' mind at ease in how they approach what happened to him during the events of Aquos' fall.

Reides and Lotlyn
Reides was always very, very close to his younger sister. He felt like Lotlyn understood him best out of everyone in the Coralpeak Citadel, and the two of them bonded over their love of stories and their shared curiosity towards the surface world. Reides did all he could to teach Lotlyn everything that he knew about it, and Lotlyn went as far as asking to accompany him on his trips to the shipwrecks on the outskirts of the city. Reides promised she could when she was older; until then, he would often give her surfacer items that he found in the wrecks. Lotlyn always accepted Reides' interests and adored his quirks. In many ways, she was the reason why Reides was able to keep his cheerful personality, even in the face of the Laverathian court's harsh criticisms. When Reides was locked away by his father for his request to go to the surface world, Lotlyn was the one who freed him by opening the cell door. She encouraged Reides to go to the surface world and told him that he better learn all sorts of things. Reides took these words to heart and endeavored to be the best scholar he could upon the start of his journey. However, despite his love for Lotlyn, Reides often worried that he was a bad influence on his sister, as he had a tendency to encourage her mischievous side.

Reides missed Lotlyn a great deal during the course of his journey on the surface. He often wondered if she was okay and would frequently pray to Persana for her safey. When he learnt that his sister was taken hostage during an attack on Aquos during the Stormbringing Festival, he immediately fell into a panic and resolved himself to saving her, no matter the cost. He couldn't even bring himself to Send to her for a few days, as he feared not being able to function anymore if he didn't hear back from her. When he finally steeled himself enough to check in on her via the spell - telling her to be strong, and that it was his turn to save her - he almost wept with relief upon getting a response from her.

At the triton refugee camp, Reides was saddened to hear that Lotlyn was captured following her escape from her guard detail, as it reminded him of something he would have done when he was her age and, once again, caused him to worry that he was a bad influence on his sister. He didn't blame himself for long, however, as he remembered that Lotlyn was simply trying to have fun during the festival, and that their true enemies were the beasts that sought to keep her trapped. He also learnt that Lotlyn missed him a lot during his time on the surface, which made him all the more determined to reunite with her.

Following the battles against Ryl'dhagt and Kal'dazzum, Reides found Lotlyn locked away in the same tower that he was once locked away in. Though he was deeply distressed to find it locked, Reides was able to break the door down with the help of his companions. He hugged Lotlyn very tightly upon reuniting with her, weeping with joy to find her safe. As they both busied themselves with the recovery efforts, they promised each other that they would rest - but then were very quick to break this promise to each other, as they both continued to do things around the Citadel. When the two talked later on, they shared what the aboleth did to them. Reides learnt that the beast tried to manipulate Lotlyn into becoming its thrall by promising that it would being Reides home permanently. Lotlyn was able to resist this manipulation, though this confirmed that she truly missed Reides a great deal. To his relief, Lotlyn understood that Reides had more things to do on the surface. Reides also told Lotlyn that the aboleth tried to turn him against Aquos. Lotlyn was saddened to hear this and assured Reides that he always had a home in Aquos. This greatly comforted Reides, as he realized that she was right. Furthermore, when Reides asked Lotlyn about the details surrounding his escape, Lotlyn revealed that it was Viglis' idea, and that she had worked together with their older brother in order to grant Reides his freedom. She encouraged Reides to thank Viglis for his role in all of that and therefore played a huge role in the brothers making peace with each other. Before leaving once more for the surface in order to continue his quest and guarentee the safety of their home, Reides promised to keep in touch with his little sister. He also gave her all of his scavenged treasures from the surface and encouraged her to turn the tower that they were imprisoned in into something nicer.

Reides absolutely adores his younger sister. He knows that Lotlyn possesses a rare strength and a deeply caring heart, and will continue to do all he can to keep her safe.

Reides and Arlyn
Reides has always greatly admired his mother. He spent a lot of time with her as a child; the two of them were very close. Reides loved hearing all of her stories, most of them being about her time working as a scout for Laverathia. In fact, Reides thinks that he began being interested in the lands beyond the Citadel due to her tales. When he was young, Reides thought that his mother was essentially flawless, and believed that everyone in the empire loved her as wholeheartedly as he did - but he soon learnt through his experiences with the Laverathian court that she faced her share of troubles in the past. He also learnt that his mother had quite a cunning side hidden behind her warm smile, but this only made Reides respect her even more. Arlyn taught Reides a great many things and Reides loved how she never dissuaded him from speaking his mind. However, as the years passed, Reides grew more and more distant from his mother. While he never quite figured out why, he eventually realized that this was at least partially self-imposed, as he didn't want her reputation to suffer due to his choices. He knew that Arlyn still loved him, as she never spoke ill of him and would smile whenever she caught him trying to sneak out of the Citadel. However, he also knew that she loved his father with her entire heart. This occasionally puzzled him, as the way she treated him was so different from the way Khavas did.

During his time on the surface, Reides thought of his mother every time he saw shells. He collected the shells that would eventually become his earrings because they reminded him of Arlyn. He missed her a lot, though he was unsure as to where they stood with each other for a very long time. Upon Aquos' fall, Reides was very worried for his mother's safety and was extremely happy to be reunited with her at the refugee camp. Though he was nervous as to how she would react upon seeing him, Reides was relieved when she welcomed him back with open arms, calling him "Little Storm" and maintaining complete faith in his abilities. Reides knew that Arlyn was the only person keeping Khavas' temper in check - without her influence, the Pog Champions may have very well been ousted from Laverathia. Oftentimes, Arlyn practically translated Khavas' behaviors so that Reides understood them. She stopped Reides whenever he began to ask Khavas too many questions and insisted that Khavas loved Reides in his own way. In this sense, Arlyn was the one who kept Reides and Khavas' relationship from falling apart entirely.

After they retook Aquos, Reides learnt that his mother convinced Khavas to grant Reides the title of ambassador, thus fulfilling his lifelong dream. He was very happy about this, as he knew that it meant Arlyn held Reides' abilities in high esteem. Additionally, Reides trusted his mother enough to tell her about his romantic involvement with Aske. Even though her reaction to this revelation embarrassed him a whole lot, Reides appreciated her support for their relationship and genuinely hopes that she can meet Aske someday.

Reides loves his mother very much and is determined to make her proud. His respect for her hasn't wavered in the slightest, and he sincerely hopes that he can be even a fraction as clever as she is.

Reides and Khavas
Reides has a very tumultuous relationship with his father. He learnt that Khavas was a very busy person from a very young age and tried to stay out of his way. As any child would, he occasionally fussed about rarely getting to see his father, but Reides enjoyed their moments together. Khavas would tell him stories about Laverathia and how great its people were. He would also gift Reides many books pertaining to Laverathian history, which Reides readily studied and enjoyed. He thought that Khavas' tales of battle were very interesting, if not a little scary. However, as Reides grew older, his interests began to encompass places beyond Laverathia. This caused no issue until Reides started wondering about the lands of Alethustria; lands which he knew his father despised. Hungry for knowledge, Reides began sneaking out of the Coralpeak Citadel very often with the goal of exploring the shipwrecks at the outskirts of Aquos. Khavas never left the Citadel with the intent of dragging Reides back himself, but Reides knew that his father did not approve of his adventures, as the Laverathian Kingsguard were clearly ordered to prevent him from exploring the wrecks.

For a time, Reides simply never talked about his interest in the surface world with his father. In a general sense, the two rarely talked at all. Reides would only see his father during formal ceremonies and began to only know him as an Aquosian citizen would. The distance between them resulted in Reides growing somewhat cocky, as he believed he could do whatever he wanted, as his father didn't particularly care about him. One day, Reides requested an audience with him and presented his idea of going to the surface to act as Laverathia's ambassador. Unlike what Reides expected, Khavas flew into a rage unlike anything he had ever seen. Accusing Reides of treason, Khavas ordered his imprisonment. This would serve to cause a massive fissure in their relationship.

Reides' time spent locked away in the tower left him mentally scarred. He believed that he was rejected by his entire family; rejected by his entire homeland. After being freed by Lotlyn and running away to the surface world, Reides was haunted by nightmares surrounding the situation. He was angry at Khavas for weeks and clung to this anger desperately, trying to convince himself that he didn't need Aquos and that he didn't harbour any affection for his family at all. With time, this anger gave way to sadness, which soon gave way to pure hurt. Reides missed his family a lot; even his father, though he had no idea why.

Once he heard that Aquos had fallen, Reides knew that his father would stop at nothing to reclaim it. Despite fearing Khavas, Reides was willing to go back - though he definitely wanted to keep his interactions with his father at a minimum and feared being imprisoned again. Their reunion was immediately a rocky one, as Reides brought the Pog Champions into the cabin that Khavas was sheltering in, thus throwing him into a rage. Arlyn was able to quell his anger, but Reides was forced to leave the cabin with his friends. Reides busied himself with helping the Aquosian forces and stayed well away from his father until he realized that he needed to find out information about Aquos' crest. Though he hid behind Viglis a bit, Reides gathered his courage and faced his father again. Unfortunately, when he brought up the surface world's role in the conflict, Khavas became enraged once more - and Arlyn had to forcibly move Reides out of the cabin to avoid making Khavas' mood even worse. Still, Reides worried for Khavas, as he had taken a passive role in retaking the city and seemed to have relinquished control of the situation to Viglis. Upon learning that Ryl'dhagt had forced Khavas out of a leadership position by threatening to harm Lotlyn if he led the Aquosian forces, Reides felt far more sympathetic to his father - though he still didn't forgive him. Arlyn insisted that Khavas was glad to see Reides, however. While Reides didn't believe her, he certainly wanted to.

After the Siege of Coralpeak Citadel, Reides was quick to go back to the royal cabin at the refugee camp with the goal of telling his parents that they retook Aquos and saved Lotlyn. Khavas was asleep when Reides arrived; getting the best rest he had since the fall of the city. Knowing that his father was doing better was a huge relief to Reides, which left him feeling torn once more. He tried not to think about it and instead tried to ready himself for defending Dhudus against his father, as he worried that Khavas would lock Dhudus away as punishment. This fear was a waste of time, though, as Reides soon learnt that Dhudus was under self-imposed house arrest, and that Khavas did not blame his son for falling for the beast's manipulation at all.

Furthermore, when Reides and his companions wanted an audience with Khavas the day after the battle, Khavas immediately accomodated this meeting. He allowed Reides to skip ahead of the massive list of appointments and was very quick to thank him for the instrumental role he played in reclaiming Aquos. He noted that Reides' time on the run wasn't a complete waste despite what his spies reported during Reides' time in Port Valor. Reides was shocked to hear that Khavas knew where he had run off to; he had no idea that spies were keeping tabs on him, as they made no effort to drag him back to Laverathia. Khavas said that the surfacers would take advantage of Reides' blessings without gratitude or remorse, and offered his son the chance to simply stay in Aquos once more. Then, he presented another option - one which Arlyn had discussed with him at length. He said that Reides could keep on travelling the surface as Laverathia's ambassador, speaking on Khavas' behalf if the need were to arise. This shocked Reides, as it was what he wanted all along. However, he admitted that he could see why Khavas reacted so strongly to his request the first time around, as he didn't think his father knew just how much he loved Laverathia. For a time, Reides, himself, didn't realize how important it was to him. He knew that his initial reasons for wanting to leave the empire in the past were largely selfish and based in a desire to run away from his title. He stated that his reasons for wanting to be an ambassador were no longer as naive; that, no matter what anyone thought, he would never betray Laverathia. He then said it would be an honor to serve as ambassador. Khavas readily accepted this, saying that he knew he couldn't keep Reides in Aquos after all. Still, Reides was grateful that he was welcomed back in his home city. He said that he loved his entire family - Khavas included - and that he would do everything he could to keep them all safe. Khavas said that they had that in common.

During this meeting, Khavas also entrusted Reides with Aquos' crest - the Wreath of Persana - and subtly let Reides know about Aquos' secret teleportation circle. Reides was honored that his father placed so much trust in him - to the point of being a bit shaken over it all. He thanked Khavas for the audience and said that, while he knew he might not be enthusiastic about placing so much faith in him, Reides would not let him down. Khavas responded favorably towards this.

While Reides still maintains some conflicting feelings about his father, he is approaching his newly granted title with the utmost degree of seriousness. He is set on being a great ambassador for Laverathia and will do all he can to meet his father's expectations. He also hopes that his relationship with his father will continue to improve, as he has begun to understand Khavas' actions moreso than he ever had in the past.

Reides and Wyrran
Reides met Wyrran during the Malino're Arc of the campaign. The two attended the Bloomshower Fest together. Reides was charmed by the elf's soft-spoken demeanor, and he enjoyed playfully teasing him as well as having heart-to-hearts with him. During their time together, Wyrran gave Reides a small glass bow, which he also had blessed at the festival. Additionally, upon leaving Malino're, Reides gave Wyrran a turquoise and made Wyrran promise to remember that he is cool and strong and needs to laugh more every time he sees it. He truly hopes that Wyrran will begin to have more faith in himself, as Reides has a whole lot of faith in him.

Reides and Needlepoint
Reides refers to Needlepoint as "Needle," as he was close to the dragonborn during his time in Port Valor. The two struck up a friendship based on how much they stood out amongst the general Port Valor populace. Reides' piercings are all Needle's handiwork, and he admired them for their sense of style as well as the passion which they directed to their craft. Reides was very sad to find their body after the fall of Port Valor, but was also expecting it, as he knew Needle was not the type to abandon their shop. He hopes that the Champions can find a way to help them - along with the rest of the victims. However, if they are unable to bring Needlepoint back, Reides intends to look into dragonborn funeral rituals and send them off respectfully.

Quotes
Pepega: "Hoot hoot."
 * Reides: "This is Pepega."
 * (To Tyrian) "Fuck your kingdom."
 * "That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about tomatoes or bananas to dispute it."
 * (When questioned by a surfacer about how he's never seen a cow before) "Have you ever seen a hippocampus before?...That's how."
 * (Repeatedly, upon consuming cow's milk) "My stomach feels all fuzzy!"
 * "I love this world. With my whole heart, I love it - with its shitty, mean people and all. I cannot turn my back on it. I will not. And that means that I cannot turn my back on my past. I must accept that I have a duty. Not as a prince, not as a triton, but as… a person."
 * (To Aske, via Sending) "Hi. I’m the blue person you helped. In the net. Name is Reides. Sorry for telling you like this. Are you okay? World is scary."
 * "Sometimes you meet someone who's kind and funny and handsome and you never find out his name or see him again and that's perfectly normal! That's life!"
 * "They call me the Storm Prince. [...] While Viglis is this stabilizing force for the empire… I’m the one that sends everything into a big mess. Sometimes I really do wonder if it’s some kind of curse."
 * (To Aske) "Meeting you changed my life, and reuniting with you changed it all over again."
 * (To Aske) "By the way, what does it mean to be 'down bad'? Briar said that I’m 'down bad' for you!"
 * (To Viglis) "Ten splinters isn't that many!"
 * (To Ryl'dhagt) "My freedom is something I'll take with my own two fucking hands!"
 * (To Khavas) "No matter where I am, or what my title is, or what you think... I will never betray Laverathia. It would be my honor to serve as its ambassador."

Trivia

 * Reides worships the triton creator-god, Persana.
 * Reides frequently takes notes about various encounters in his journal.
 * Reides is lactose intolerant; however, he was once able to eat cheesecake made out of goat cheese without suffering any side effects. It is unknown if this was pure luck or if Reides' lactose intolerance is somehow only limited to cow's milk.
 * Reides has very little experience with cooking on the surface and is therefore rather unskilled at it. However, he has experience with underwater meal preparation and is excellent at preparing fish.
 * Reides associates his favorite candy (salt water taffy) and his favorite beverage (firewhiskey) with Aske, as Aske was the one who gave them to him for the first time. He associates his favorite food (oysters) with his mother, as she taught him how to shuck them when he was a child.
 * Reides is willing to eat many different things despite their presentation. This was shown when he attempted to eat moss, when he tasted the stew on an orc's axe, when he ate candy that was scattered on the ground, and when he investigated and consumed mysterious meat while in prison.
 * Reides doesn't know how to ride horses and was very bad at riding hippocampi during his time in Laverathia.
 * During his time at the Paragon's Rest in the Exeter, Reides mixed forge whiskey with coffee. As per the innkeep's request, he named the resulting concoction 'Pog Coffee,' as 'pog' was the only dwarvish word that he knew.