Kessessek

Kessessek was a lizardfolk cleric of the forgotten god Essylliss who became the chieftain of the Sharptooth tribe in the Vast Swamp of Cormyr in 1374 DR.

Abilities
Kessessek wielded the divine magic of a cleric, commanding the Animal and Scalykind domains. He was strong at turning undead with strength of faith, and was very self-sufficient.

History
In the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR, the Sharptooths were attacked by a new tribe—the Shadowscales, shadow-shrouded undead lizardfolk allied with the church of Shar. The Sharptooths could not resist them; many were slain, and more were captured and carried off to a ruined keep called the Lost Refuge. Worse, those who were captured eventually came back as Shadowscales themselves, attacking their own kin.

In one raid before autumn, the Shadowscales captured a number of Sharptooth lizardfolk, including Kessessek's mate Ashala and even the Sharptooths' old chieftain, Gathan. They were missing and thought dead. However, the lowly Kessessek proved himself by turning away some of the Shadowscales, and the leaderless Sharptooths elected him as the new chieftain, rather than risking the old tradition of having the strongest battle for dominance.

Uncomfortable and inexperienced as a chief, Kessessek adopted an aggressive but canny strategy against the mightier Shadowscales. He made an alliance between the Sharptooths and the Blackscales and Poison Dusks—other tribes attacked by the Shadowscales—and so they survived against further raids. Then, in early Eleint, he led a war party of Sharptooths, Blackscales, and Poison Dusks into Shadowscale territory around the Skull Staff. Kessessek hoped to slay some of their Shadowscale foes or their Shar-worshiping allies, or else capture some of the "dream walkers"—the mind-controlled petitioners of a false Temple of Mystra—that regularly passed that way to the Lost Refuge. Kessessek recognized that these dream walkers were innocents under a spell and compelled to journey to the enemy, and hoped to capture them, free their minds, and deny this resource to their shared enemy.

In fact, the next group to pass that way were actually adventurers in service to Mystra investigating the false temple and the Sharrans' activities. Kessessek eventually resolved this unfortunate misunderstanding in parlay at the Sharptooth encampment over snail-and-eel soup. Kessessek tested, treated, and spoke with them, realizing they shared a common foe and could be key to the fight against the Shadowscales. Telling what he knew of events in the Vast Swamp and about the Lost Refuge, he sought the adventurers' aid in freeing Ashala, Gathan, and the others, promising all his treasure and magic in payment. However, he would not risk more lizardfolk lives, believing the forces inside the keep were too great. Then the camp was attacked by seven Shadowscales and a grell, who sought to slay the new Sharptooth chieftain. Kessessek was paralyzed and the Sharptooths fled, but the adventurers prevailed, for which the Sharptooths were grateful.

When the adventurers rescued the captives, Kessessek would give them his magic as promised. He then had his Sharptooths take over and guard the ruins.

Later, when the adventurers eventually returned from the Plane of Shadow, having ended the Shadowscale and Sharran threats, they found the Sharptooths had taken over the Lost Refuge. The Sharptooths celebrated with a feast of wild boar roasted over fire, wreathes of swamp flowers placed over the heroes' necks, and wild dances.

In the following weeks, after War Wizards investigated the Lost Refuge, the kingdom of Cormyr made an alliance with the Sharptooth tribe under Kessessek. Limited trade even began between lizardfolk and human, and the Vast Swamp lost a little of its mystery and dread in Cormyrean eyes.

Relationships
Kessessek was the mate of Ashala. He was once low-placed in his tribe before becoming chief.

Description
When speaking the human tongue of Common, Kessessek constantly bobbed his head, apparently need to do so to form the unfamiliar sounds. He was much weaker than a typical lizardfolk.

Personality
Kessessek was unsure and inexperience in his sudden position as chief of his tribe, but was intelligent, wise, and charismatic among his kin.

Possessions
Fighting with a club, Kessessek wore bracers of armor +1 and a ring of protection +1, and he carried potions of barkskin and hide from undead, as well as a wand of cure light wounds. However, he would give all this away to adventurers if they would free his kin and mate.