Reides Laverath

Reides Aurelian Yon-Zinthos Kien-Khavas Laverath, better known as Reides, 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 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. While Reides wears a few pieces of shell armor, they're mostly for cosmetic reasons rather than serving any protective function. After all, that's what Mage Armor's for!

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 does have 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 was born in Aquos, a city located in the undersea kingdom of Laverathia, on the 16th day of Firstlight in the year 569. Reides kept his past as a fiercely guarded secret for a time, but gradually 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 considers himself ill-suited to his status, viewing 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 has two brothers and one sister. Though the two seem to care about each other, he has a strained relationship with his older brother, Viglis. He is very close to his younger sister, Lotlyn.

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 the tritons' breadth of knowledge about the surface and possibly even reduce the highly isolationistic nature of the kingdom. Unfortunately for Reides, his father did not take kindly to this - accusing Reides of treason and locking him away in a room for weeks upon weeks.

Reides does not know any of the specifics surrounding his liberation. All he knows is that Lotlyn managed to open the locked doors one night and encouraged him to go to the surface world. During his time on the run, he 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. His time away from Laverathia also gave him a new, less irresponsible perspective on his duties as a triton. Reides truly loves the world - both its surface and its seas - and wants to play a role in protecting it.

Goals
To see all of the wonderful things that the world has to offer, to attain the freedom to be his own person without neglecting all that he must do, and to learn.

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 3, 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
 * Constitution Score

Spells

 * Cantrips
 * Chill Touch
 * Mage Hand
 * Minor Illusion
 * Ray of Frost
 * 1st-Level
 * Find Familiar
 * Ice Knife
 * Identify
 * Mage Armor
 * Magic Missile
 * Shield
 * Sleep
 * Thunderwave
 * Feather Fall
 * 2nd-Level
 * Acid Arrow
 * Arcane Lock
 * Invisibility
 * Misty Step
 * Shatter
 * Mind Whip
 * Locate Object
 * 3rd-Level
 * Lightning Bolt
 * Sending
 * Counterspell
 * Tidal Wave
 * Water Breathing

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 in particular and was relieved when the cleric responded in an understanding manner. He 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. Reides feels very safe when Kilwin is around, and that isn't a feeling that he will ever take for granted.

Reides and Jorah
Reides is very curious about Jorah, particularly in regards to his extensive knowledge about the world as well as his heated remarks about magic. Jorah's skills with his crossbow inspired Reides to try his hand at a lighter form of the weapon. This resulted in a little aiming contest that Reides actually ended up winning. He enjoys poking fun at Jorah whenever possible but admires his ability to take control in tense situations, even if Reides may not agree with some of the actions that the ranger takes. Reides also views him as an excellent drinking partner, as Jorah is very funny whenever he gets drunk. Overall, Reides is very grateful to be friends with Jorah, as he is a highly capable and trustworthy companion. He's thankful for the help that Jorah promised in aiding Aquos, too, and is very reassured knowing that the ranger will be around for the challenges that they will face.

Reides and Ashara
Reides thinks that Ashara is wonderful. Due to her situation, she occasionally reminds him of how he behaved when he first arrived on the surface. This has already put him immensely at ease around her, as 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. Furthermore, he deeply appreciates Ashara's interest in the tritons and, by extension, Laverathia. He hopes that they will be able to learn more about her people, as well.

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 return to their master, Reides began to wonder if maintaining those boundaries was a mistake. He cares for and respects Slumberjack immensely and is determined to meet them again someday.

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 the Surfacer
A surfacer with seafaring experience. He aided Reides during his escape from Laverathia and took him to Port Valor. Due to the secretive nature of the situation, the two did not exchange names during their time together, but they still struck up a strong friendship. In fact, Reides considers this surfacer as his very first friend. Upon the fall of Port Valor, Reides was very concerned about him. He was able to ensure that the surfacer was safe by casting Sending. In this message, Reides also properly introduced himself to him. However, the surfacer did not know about Sending's word limit, and their correspondence was cut off before he could share his own name.

Reides and Lotlyn
Reides' younger sister. The two are very close and Reides misses her terribly. She helped him escape from Laverathia.

Reides and Viglis
Reides' older brother and the current heir to the Laverathian throne. Reides has described him as "the ideal prince" and has frequently 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 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 Tyrian Vordt
Along with his adventuring party, Reides thwarted Tyrian's plans to take down Count Corvus and assume power in Port Valor. Oddly enough, however, Tyrian became a revenant after he was slain. As the one who dealt the final blow upon Tyrian during their conflict, Reides was directly pursued by Tyrian in his revenant form. Fortunately, the party was eventually able to confront and contain Tyrian in a bag of holding, sealed under an Arcane Lock spell casted by Reides. The circumstances around how Tyrian was able to become a revenant are still unknown. Being pursued by Tyrian had a rough impact on Reides' mental state. However, in getting through the whole ordeal, he learnt to trust and rely on his party. Generally speaking, Reides thinks of Tyrian as an obnoxious asshole. Upon the party's confrontation with Thorak Fireaxe, Tyrian Vordt made his return - much to Reides' anger.

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."
 * "I've been through way too much to submit to anyone now!"
 * (To Blighthorn) "You can be as pretty as you want, but it won’t help if you have a bad personality."
 * (When questioned by a surfacer about how he's never seen a cow before) "Have you ever seen a hippocampus before?...That's how."
 * (To Torshul) "You shouldn't follow a leader who doesn't care about you... Who views your lives as something he can just throw away. Because, when it comes down to it, I may not know much about how your clan works, but I do know that life is something that should be cherished. Always. Above all, life should always be cherished."
 * (Repeatedly, upon consuming 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."
 * (Sending a message to his surfacer friend) "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."

Trivia

 * Reides is lactose intolerant.
 * Reides frequently takes notes about various encounters in his journal.
 * Reides has very little experience with cooking on the surface and is therefore rather unskilled at it. However, he is adequate at underwater food preparation.
 * Reides is willing to eat many different things despite their presentation, as was shown when he attempted to eat moss and when he tasted the stew on an orc's axe.
 * Reides doesn't know how to ride horses and was very bad at riding hippocampi during his time in Laverathia.