Nisalt

Nisalt and the ancient Scalekin of the Catha Desert are the wild masters of its shifting sands, their kind having thrived in this savage land since near the dawn time, a land as bloodthirsty as the Scalekin who roam it. This land is filled with hazards from the terrible sun to the terrifying Eternagons and mighty Fire Serpents who prey on anything that smells like the stinking sweat of life. The Scalekin tribes of the desert must therefore pass down ancient knowledge for their survival from generation to generation of alchemists. These are great masters of magic and mystery that control their tribes from the shadows, seeking power wherever they can. Nisalt is one such alchemist, laid in a brood under a blood moon that filled the golden Scalekin eggs with blood magic, hatching on a night as still as death to devour the unhatched eggs of his siblings. The moon of a Scalekin's hatching determines its future, be it as a raider, assassin, or alchemist. These Scalekin dedicate their lives to providing their tribes with magic and potions, for which they are rewarded handsomely. The unusually intelligent Nisalt had been told as a young Scalekin under the desert stars of a golden age and the works of the great alchemist Almazir, whose potions were so powerful he nearly conquered death, the eternal goal of every alchemist. Yet many Scalekin tribes grew worried about the potential power of Almazir and seized his arcane knowledge recorded on scrolls, with Almazir disappearing forever. The knowledge was recorded in the ancient and now indecipherable Scalekin script, hidden in a magical vault beneath the Great Shrine that lay hidden for centuries. That is, until Nisalt found its location. Raiding is essential for survival in the barren Catha Desert, with trade routes that come too close to the Scalekin raided for treasures for their great temples. Nisalt's role in these is to brew potions and poisons to slaughter any who stray too close to their sacred lands. During one raid on a research expedition investigating the nearby Eternagons, Nisalt used a truth potion on captured mages to ask them whether they knew where the lost scrolls of the Scalekin were kept. They revealed they were locked away in the vaults of the Great Shrine and guarded by the mighty Eternal Guard Nazeem, where there was also a strange imprisoned ancient Scalekin. And so Nisalt set the prisoners ablaze with a potion made from the venom of a Fire Serpent and swore he would take this knowledge to become the greatest alchemist to have lived. Over the decades, Nisalt has experimented with innumerable noxious potions, having become obsessed with alchemy and the idea that he shall become the greatest alchemist, constantly drinking his own potent potions to try to recreate Almazir's ancient magic, eyes glowing as he dreams of power and knowledge. Seeing himself as a messiah for his people, the Scalekin should be wary for Nisalt does not care about anything other than his own mastery of alchemy, drifting firmly into madness. Scheming how to steal the scrolls of his people below the stars of the Catha Desert night, Nisalt brews foul-smelling potions and hisses softly to himself that his golden age shall soon come.