Nerys Kathon

Nerys Kathon was a cleric of Kelemvor and a member of the adventuring troupe known as the Heroes of Baldur's Gate in the late 15 century DR.

"My friends and my faith sustain me."

- Nerys' personal mantra.

Description
Nerys was a muscular woman with pale skin and black hair. She had purple eyes, accentuated with eyeshadow made from arrowroot.

Personality
Courageous and headstrong, Nerys was a very devout and proud follower of Kelemvor. Due to her belief in the concept of final death, she had a strong dislike of undead. Her vocation meant she often dealt with the dying and dead, staying coolly detached even as she healed others, or helped them to overcome their suffering.

Possessions
In combat, Nerys wore a metal breastplate and wielded a greatsword blessed by Kelemvor. She carried with her a holy symbol of Kelemvor, and often wore an elaborate wolfskin cloak she received in the city of Fireshear.

Relationships
She was close with Alby, her superior priest at the Temple of Kelemvor in Baldur's Gate. Alby served as a mentor to Nerys, teaching her about the Kelevorite faith from a young age.

While Nerys considered all of her adventuring companions her friends, she grew particularly close with Minsc, the brave but somewhat naïve Rashemaar berserker with true heart.

First Adventure
Some time after the, Nerys served Kelemvor at his temple in Baldur's Gate, serving as protector of the Kelemvorite relics that were safeguarded within. When the growing number of disturbances at the church, Father Alby enlisted a group of adventurers to help investigate, a fact to which Nerys took umbrage. When a pair of werewolves and the priest Sangin assailed the church, they stole its relics and abducted Nerys to their hideout. The heroic adventures tracked down Nerys' abductors and fought them off until gray mist transported everyone to Barovia, one of the Domains of Dread in the Shadowfell.

Filled with anger, Nerys accompanied the adventurers across the dark realm, visiting camp of vistani wanderers, saving the young Adrian Martikov from a pack of ghouls, and even managing a night's rest at the Wizard of Wines vineyard. Even in that unholy land, Nerys attempted communion with Kelemvor for guidance. The following day Nerys and her companions made their way to the village of Vallaki, where they met up with the newly-turned vampire Sangin and the werewolves. A fight broke out, with Nerys suffering a vicious bite from one of the lycanthropes, but finally ended with the appearance of Count Strahd von Zarovich. The group struck out against the great vampire, but were no match for his unrivaled power. They were saved by the same relic that transported them to Barovia, which when hit by one of Delina's wild surges returned them to Faerûn, albeit hundreds of miles away from Baldur's Gate io the frigid north.

Stranded in the Frozenfar
Badly wounded during the last fight, Nerys was carried by Minsc across the snowy landscape as the group found shelter so she could recover. When a band of ogres threatened their safety, Nerys's new allies defended her in battle with the aid of the dragonborn ranger Saarvin. They managed to arrive at Fireshear, where group could rest and Nerys receive healing. When the town healer showed concern about her wound, Nerys refused further investigation and put the trouble from her mind.

Nerys reunited with her friends for a brief moment of joy, before they were were forced to defend the town from Gryttmort and his band of frost giants. After turning away the giants and freeing their captive white dragon Nilanthe, they retained one of the giant raiders as a captive and interrogated him to learn Gryttmort's schemes. They learned of his plot to recover an orb of dragonkind from the dragon's lair in mountain Cold Crag, rallied their allies in town, and ventured out across the ice and snow. The heroes allied themselves with Nilanthe and helped fight out the approaching giants, until Gryttmort seized the orb and turned Nilanthe to his side in the battle and caved in the lair upon the heroes.

After regrouping at Fireshear and praying to Kelemvor, Nerys joined her companions in sneaking onto a frost giant longboat, into their glacial fortress. Their infiltration ended abruptly as Minsc inadvertently attracted the attention of all the frost giants. The heroes fought valiantly against the overwhelming giant warriors. When the intrepid Shandie managed to nullify the orb of dragonkind's powers and the hamster Boo grew to even more tremendous proportions, the battle turned in their favor. When they returned to Fireshear victorious, most of the heroes celebrated with the townsfolk. Nerys however marked the occasion alone, haunted by the growing realization that she had been inflicted with the werewolf's curse.

Return to the Sword Coast
As the heroes returned to Baldur's Gate they each went their own way for a while, Nerys returning to see Father Alby at Kelemvor's temple. She tried meeting Minsc and then the others for a night at the Gibbering Gizzard tavern, but was distracted and wholly preoccupied with her new affliction. When Krydle inadvertently drew the ire of a half-orc, and Nerys took a dagger slash across the face, the young Kelemvorite cleric made her transformation in her werewolf fore, and had to be subdued by her friends for the safety of all.

The adventurers took Nerys to see Father Alby at the temple. Fearful they may have waited too long to remove the curse, Alby prepared a ritual that would hopefully restore Nerys to her fully-human state before she was bitten. He coaxed Nerys into transformation, and while her friends restrained her physical form, guided her psyche as it confronted some deep fears that manifested in her curse. In the end Nerys overcame her self-doubt and stayed true to what she held dear, banishing the curse and celebrating the victory with her companions.

Some time later, Nerys and the group gathered together to help Aubree Lucent, a Hellrider from Elturel whom Minsc and Delina had saved from a fiendish hell knight. They helped her investigate the mysterious infernal puzzle box she had recovered at Fremin Greer's shop, leading them to visit Great Reader Sylvira Savikas in the library-fortress of Candlekeep. When they took Aubree to meet with Sylvira, one of Delina's wild surges triggered something within the puzzle box, transporting the group to Elturel, just as it was being pulled down to the Nine Hells.

Trapped on Avernus
As the holy capital of Elturgard descended into the Hells, the heroes were beset on all sides by horrific devils. Nerys followed Minsc and he rushed off to defeat Haruman, the same hell knight that harried Aubree days earlier, and was pulled into a lengthy battle with the servant of Zariel. Just as Haruman was about to kill Minsc, Nerys plunger her blade through the corrupted knight's chest. In an act of defiant vengeance, Haruman leveled the precipice upon which they were standing, causing them to fall from Elturel's streets a great distance onto a pile of bones on Avernus' scorched battlegrounds.

Standing atop the actual top layer of the Nine Hells, Nerys and Minsc witnessed the true horror that was the eternal Blood War. They ran away from rampaging demons, were briefly captured aboard the infernal war machine of the Bloodrovers, and thrown into the waters of River Styx, nearly stripping them of their memories and humanity. Just as she overcame the trauma of lycanthropy, Nerys faith in her god and her freinds helped endure the horrific effects of the Styx; Minsc however was not so resilient. Seeing that Minsc had been stripped of his memories and warrior instinct, Nerys took charge until she and Minsc could be reunited with their friends. Facing down Archdevil Zariel herself, the group managed to survive together long enough to see Elturel returned to its rightful place in the Western Heartlands.

Back Home Again
Back in Faerûn, the Heroes of Baldur's Gate stayed in restored Elturel for some weeks. Nerys found some peaceful time with her friend Minsc, listening to him re-learn the memories of his great adventures, as explained by his pet hamster.

Appearances

 * Comics
 * Shadows of the Vampire • Frost Giant's Fury • Evil at Baldur's Gate • Infernal Tides
 * Video Games
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms