Kalach-Cha

" Know this name our enemies have draped upon you - this Kalach-Cha - its sound travels far, even reaching the ears of my people."

- Zhjaeve to the Kalach-Cha

The Kalach-Cha, also known as the Knight-Captain, was an adventurer who, among other major feats, battled the King of Shadows. The name Kalach-Cha, which is a nome de guerre, was coined by the Kalach-Cha's githyanki enemies, in whose language the words kalach cha mean "shard bearer," referring to the close connection between the hero and the Silver Sword of Gith.

Biography
The Kalach-Cha was born in the village of West Harbor in the Mere of Dead Men shortly before or during the village's destruction. Their mother, Esmerelle, was killed during the battle, while protecting them from the blast resulting from the destruction of the Sword of Gith in the battle and both were impaled by a shard of the Sword. Although the Kalach-Cha was badly wounded, the injury healed rather quickly and miraculously, sealing the shard behind it. Suspecting that the shard was the cause of this recovery, no one dared remove it.

Unfortunately, Esmerelle was not so fortunate and she died from her wounds. Before she did, she entrusted her child with a close friend and former adventuring companion named Shayla. However, Shayla also died from wounds inflicted in the battle, leaving the care of the child to her husband, a half-elf named Daeghun Farlong. Daeghun was deeply affected by the loss of his wife, and rarely showed emotion towards the child throughout its upbringing.

Early Life
The early life of the Kalach-Cha would not be easy, the Mere of Dead Men having a perilous reputation well-deserved. However, in spite of the troubles, the Kalach-Cha would rise to become a strong individual capable of making their own decisions, in part thanks to the care of Daeghun, though due to other factors as well. Unbeknownst to themselves or those around them, the Kalach-Cha was aided by the shard within their chest, which empowered them, granting them an edge over others in similar tasks. Additionally, the druids of the Circle of the Mere secretly watched and aided the Kalach-Cha, curious as to the effects of the shard. In particular, the wood elf Elanee would keep a close eye on the child, subtly steering them away from peril.

The Kalach-Cha would rarely step far from their home in the Mere and as a result the village of West Harbor would become an inseparable part of their childhood. The Kalach-Cha would form several strong relationships with other Harbormen, some for good and others for ill. In particular, the Kalach-Cha formed a strong bond with Amie Fern, a wizard’s apprentice, and Bevil Starling, a member of the local militia, with whom they participated in several activities, such as the annual Harvest Festival. They would, however, also make enemies with the Mossfield brothers.

Departure from West Harbor
Roughly a generation after the near destruction of West Harbor, peril returned to it again on the night after the year’s Harvest Festival. After participating in the contests of the Festival the Kalach-Cha awoke to find West Harbor under attack by a band of duergar and bladelings under the command of the githyanki Zeearie. Although the Kalach-Cha and the village militia were able to eventually push back the invaders they were unable to do so quickly enough to prevent the village’s devastation and the deaths of many of its number, including the Kalach-Cha’s friend Amie.

Immediately after, as the Harbormen tried to uncover the reasons for the sudden and inexplicable attack by extraplanar forces, Daeghun would call his foster child to him. Suspecting that the attackers had been intent on claiming the shards from the earlier battle, Daeghun confessed to the Kalach-Cha the existence of a silver shard that he had hidden within Illefarn ruins near the village, although he did not tell the future hero of the shard within their own chest. Believing this to be what the githyanki were after, Daeghun asked his foster child and their friend Bevil to recover the shard. Though Bevil was reluctant, the Kalach-Cha agreed and together they reclaimed the shard from a group of lizardfolk who had taken up residence within the ruins.

When the Kalach-Cha returned, Daeghun dismissed Bevil and told his child about the battle and how he suspected that shard held great, unlocked power. He commanded the Kalach-Cha to leave West Harbor with the shard, fearing that the seemingly insignificant piece of metal would draw more githyanki to the village. He told the Kalach-Cha to bring the shard to his half-brother Duncan, who the Kalach-Cha had previously never heard of and who resided in Neverwinter, who might be able to get help in uncovering the nature of the shard and its history. He also recommended that the Kalach-Cha not take Bevil with him, a request that Bevil honored, believing himself unready for adventure. With little choice left to them the Kalach-Cha departed West Harbor, the place of their childhood.

In order to buy his child some time, Daeghun deliberately misled the inhabitants of West Harbor about the path of the Kalach-Cha. However, this would ultimately fail and the githyanki would soon be on the trail of the hero once again.

The Path to Neverwinter
The Kalach-Cha would head along the High Road, heading towards Highcliff in order to charter a ship by sea to Neverwinter. Along the way the hero picked up three companions. The first of these was Khelgar Ironfist, a shield dwarf intent on becoming a monk whom the Kalach-Cha met outside the Weeping Willow, about to get into a brawl with several of the inn’s patrons. After aiding the dwarf, either inadvertently or purposefully, the hero attracted the respect of Khelgar, who proposed that, since they were both headed towards Neverwinter, that they travel together. Before the Kalach-Cha could answer they discovered that they had not evaded their enemies after all, a band of githyanki sword stalkers bursting into the inn and hissing the words “kalach cha!” During the ensuing fight, Khelgar and the Kalach-Cha would cement their bond, travelling together soon thereafter.

Shortly after the fight at the Weeping Willow the Kalach-Cha and Khelgar would approach Fort Locke, an outpost of Neverwinter’s Greycloaks. Shortly before entering they would come across a tiefling girl named Neeshka and prevent her from being lynched by a group of corrupt Greycloaks and Neeshka would quickly become the Kalach-Cha’s second companion. This encounter may have led to the Kalach-Cha’s intervention in the troubles of the fort, whose commander had disappeared, to be replaced with the corrupt Lieutenant Vallis and whose patrols had come under attack by increasingly bold bandits.

Regardless of whether they intervened in the affairs of Fort Locke or not the group would soon head further north along the High Road, where they were ambushed once again by sword stalkers. This time, however, they were assisted by the sudden appearance of Elanee, who had been tracking the Kalach-Cha since their departure from the village. Although suspicious of the druid’s motives, the Kalach-Cha was grateful for Elanee’s help and agreed to her offer to guide the group through the Maiden’s Glade, away from the eyes of the githyanki. However, they would discover this path fraught with danger as well and the Kalach-Cha may have ended up fighting the transformed Kaleil, gone made by some dark magic infesting the Mere. The path would, however, provide them solace from the githyanki, who they would not soon again encounter.

After travelling through the Glade the heroes would at last arrive at Highcliff. There, the Kalach-Cha would discover that it was impossible to obtain a ship due to constant sabotage and attacks by enraged lizardfolk, who had begun encroaching on Highcliff’s land. Forced to deal with this crisis before proceeding the Kalach-Cha would find a way to deal with the lizardfolk, possibly by peaceful means or possibly through assassination of their chieftain. Whatever the means, these efforts put the Kalach-Cha in contact with shadow priests in the service of a dark being known as the King of Shadows, whom the hero was forced to fight.

Eventually, the crisis in Highcliff was solved and the Kalach-Cha obtained the ship they required, using it to sail along the Sword Coast North to Neverwinter.

Troubles in Neverwinter
Although the Kalach-Cha managed to at last reach their destination it became quickly clear that all was not well in the Jewel of the North. Duncan was unable to help his wayward kin, telling the Kalach-Cha that he knew no more about the shard then Daeghun did. He was able to give the hero another shard and enlist the help of Sand, a local wizard, but the moon elf also proved ineffective, finding the shards resistant to his attempts at scrying them. The only alternative that seemed to be left was to enlist the help of the aged wizard Aldanon, who lived in the Blacklake District, recently closed off by the Neverwintan Watch due to the murder of Dalren by an unknown and magically empowered assailant.

Determined to find the answers they desired the Kalach-Cha began searching for methods to enter the Blacklake and took up residence in their uncle Duncan’s inn, the Sunken Flagon. Fortunately, the city’s troubles proved a boon in this case as the Docks District had become the battleground in a covert war fought between the Watch and a gang under the leadership of a shadow thief named Moire. Helping either side would provide the means for the Kalach-Cha to enter Blacklake, either legitimately or by stealth.

The Kalach-Cha’s aid would prove instrumental to either side, swinging control of the Docks neatly over to either the gangs or the Watch. In the process the Kalach-Cha would be dispatched to Old Owl Well to deal with the disappearance of an ambassador from Waterdeep, an event harmful to both the Shadow Thieves and the Watch. There the Kalach-Cha would meet and enlist the aid of the paladin Casavir, a hero devoted to fighting the orcs who’d taken hold in the Sword Mountains there, as well as the eccentric rock gnome bard Grobnar Gnomehands.

The Rescue of Shandra Jerro
After helping the Watch or the Thieves gain control over the Docks, the Kalach-Cha obtained entrance to Blacklake, enabling them to meet Aldanon. The wizard proved helpful, though he did not have all the answers the hero sought. He was able to determine, however, that the shards were fragments of a githyanki silver sword and that the hero’s possession of them was likely the cause of their attacks. He also gave the Kalach-Cha a shard of his own, which he believed to be from the same sword and recommended that they seek out information on the deceased wizard Ammon Jerro, who had once possessed such a sword.

The Kalach-Cha agreed and sought out such information in the Neverwinter Archives. However, as it turned out, the githyanki were one step ahead of the hero, raiding the Archives for the information themselves. Ultimately, the Kalach-Cha would uncover the information he needed, about a secret haven of the wizard as well as the existence of one sole descendant, a farmgirl named Shandra who the hero had encountered while in Highcliff. Realizing that the githyanki were likely headed towards the village to try and kill her, the heroes left at once and managed to arrive just before the sword stalkers, although not in time to prevent the destruction of Shandra’s farm.

With Shandra rescued, the Kalach-Cha and their companions returned to the Flagon. There they began to ask Shandra about her grandfather Ammon’s haven and what she knew about the shards. As it turned out, she knew almost nothing and proved mostly unhelpful, as well as angry at the Kalach-Cha, who she blamed for her home’s destruction. Ultimately unsuccessful, the group rested for the night, only for Shandra to be kidnapped right under their noses by the githyanki, who laid assault to the Flagon. Although the heroes prevented the Flagon’s destruction they were unable to prevent Shandra’s capture.

Knowing that the githyanki probably intended to interrogate and kill her, the Kalach-Cha departed north in pursuit, taking with him at Duncan’s insistence a ranger named Bishop, whose knowledge of the lands around Luskan would prove useful. With Bishop’s help the Kalach-Cha proceeded quickly and upset a githyanki ambush at the village of Ember, before reaching the githyanki base within some Illefarn ruins near Luskan. There, the Kalach-Cha would confront and kill the sword stalkers’ leader Zeearie and rescue Shandra, though not before discovering the truth about the shards and the existence of the one in their chest, which Zeearie revealed would kill the hero if it was ever removed.

With Shandra now comfortably in their care, the Kalach-Cha and their companions returned to the Flagon and uncovered from Duncan the truth about the events surrounding their birth. Additionally, Shandra begged the hero to stay close to her and protect her, while training her in the use of a weapon. The hero agreed, and Shandra would spend much time beside the Kalach-Cha, learning to become a fighter.

Accusation and Trial
Shortly after their return from the north, the Kalach-Cha would be charged with the slaughter of the entire village of Ember by agents of Luskan, whose sovereignty extended over the village. Demanding justice the ambassador Torio Claven asked for Neverwinter to honor its treaty with the City of Sails ending the Luskan War and allow the extradition of the Kalach-Cha. This was irrefutable according to Neverwinter law, which required that inhabitants of common origin, subject to “Low Law,” comply with this request.

However, with the help of either Nevalle, leader of the Neverwinter Nine or Axel, Moire’s second-in-command, the Kalach-Cha would acquire protection from this clause by becoming the squire of Edmund, a knight in Neverwinter’s service. This officially made the hero a member of the nobility, putting them under “High Law” and therefore exempt from extradition. Realizing this, the Luskans secretly dispatched a band of assassins from the Circle of Blades to kill the Kalach-Cha during their ritual of solace, though this attempt at usurping justice would prove unsuccessful and the Kalach-Cha would survive, becoming a squire of Sir Edmund.

This would not spare the Kalach-Cha, however, as they still would have to face trial in Neverwinter. In order to prove their innocence, the aid of Sand was enlisted once again, this time as an investigator and attorney. Together, Sand and the Kalach-Cha would depart north to search for clues in Ember and the nearby town of Port Llast, which sat uncomfortably along the Luskan-Neverwinter border. After recovering this evidence and perhaps aiding the locals in some troubles within the Duskwood, the hero returned to Neverwinter for their trial.

During the trial, several witnesses were called forth and evidence provided by the defense under Sand’s direction. Torio, the prosecutor as well as Luskan’s ambassador, proved adept at twisting words and turning the Kalach-Cha’s arguments against them, though who ultimately won the trial is unsure as well as unimportant. The losing side inevitably invoked the right of Trial by Combat, which allowed the defense to challenge the prosecutor to combat, where it was believed Tyr would allow the virtuous to prevail. For this Torio would call to her side Bevil Starling’s long lost brother Lorne as her champion. The Kalach-Cha may have fought themselves or had either the sorceress Qara or Khelgar fight for them.

Ultimately, the defense would prove victorious and Lorne would be killed. As a reward, Lord Nasher would not only exonerate the Kalach-Cha of guilt but promise them a title and land of their own, though this would not be awarded until much later.

The Kidnapping of Aldanon and Assault on Crossroad Keep
After the Trial by Combat, Aldanon would send a message to the Kalach-Cha, telling them that he had uncovered more information about the shards which he desired to share. When the Kalach-Cha left to meet with the wizard, however, they discovered that his home had come under attack by agents of Garius and that Cormick a childhood hero of the Kalach-Cha and a fellow Harborman, had been taken hostage. Ultimately, the Kalach-Cha was able to break in but not before Aldanon was successfully whisked away to Garius’ base at the ruins of Crossroad Keep.

However, the Kalach-Cha did rescue Aldanon’s assistant, who was able to reveal to the hero what Aldanon had intended on telling them – namely that the victims of the recent murders in Neverwinter were all individuals who possessed a shard. As such, it became apparent that the next such victim would likely be Tavorick, a noble in Blacklake who possessed such a shard. Knowing that they had to stop whoever was organizing the attacks from obtaining another shard, the Kalach-Cha rushed to Tavorick’s defense and successfully slew the fiends that attacked the noble’s home. However, he learned to late that the Nine had taken the shard and hidden it with one of their number, a woman named Melia, and that their enemy had discovered this.

The Kalach-Cha rushed to the Moonstone Mask to prevent Melia’s death but came too late, just early enough to witness Ammon Jerro, whose identity was unknown to any present, take the shard from Melia’s corpse and teleport away. Defeated and with seemingly no option left but to accept their failure, the Kalach-Cha was surprised when Torio, Garius’ agent, turned against her master who had rebuked her following her failure with the Trial and offered information as to Garius’ location. Revealing his base to be within the ruins of the abandoned Crossroad Keep, Torio gave the Kalach-Cha and the Many-Starred Cloaks a chance to rescue Aldanon and perhaps defeat their enemy.

Together the group laid their assault on the Crossroad Keep, overcoming the defenses raised by Garius’ wizards through an underground passage and interrupting a ritual in the midst of its casting by Garius and his minions. As a result, the miscast ritual killed Garius and the others preparing it, giving victory to the Kalach-Cha and allowing them to rescue both Aldanon and another prisoner, a githzerai named Zhjaeve. Although still no closer to obtaining more shards or defeating the King of Shadows, the mission proved a boon as Zhjaeve was able to provide many answers upon swearing herself to the service of the Kalach-Cha, including the origin of the name the githyanki had given them.

The Search for Answers
The capture of Crossroad resulted in the promise of Nasher to the Kalach-Cha becoming fulfilled. As a reward, Nasher bestowed the keep to the Kalach-Cha and gave them the rank of captain within the Graycloaks, giving them the task of rebuilding the Keep and fortifying it for the coming war against the King of Shadows. The Kalach-Cha would carry out this task to a reasonable degree of success, whilst also hunting for further clues.

In time, the Kalach-Cha’s search would bring to Arvahn. There, the Kalach-Cha would uncover the truth of the King of Shadows’ origins as a construct of Illefarn as well as a way to defeat him, through the power of the Ritual of Purification. However, they required five statues to complete the ritual and only found four, the fifth hidden behind a song portal leading to West Harbor. Going through the portal, the Kalach-Cha discovered their home destroyed utterly, its inhabitants slaughtered to a man, and no sign of the attackers. Realizing the King of Shadows was likely on their trail, the Kalach-Cha departed for the Illefarn ruins near the village and arrived just in time to see Ammon Jerro complete the final fifth of the ritual before mighty shadow reavers, agents of the King of Shadows destroyed it. The Kalach-Cha defeated the shadow reavers, though only temporarily, and fled.

It was after this that the Kalach-Cha realize there was only one avenue left to them in their search for a method by which to destroy the King of Shadows and that was to seek out Ammon Jerro’s Haven, with the intent of reforging the sword he had once wielded. Shandra was reluctant to assist but agreed and the group departed for the Haven. Upon entering after completely several trials Shandra was teleported away. Proceeding through the Haven in the hopes of finding her, the Kalach-Cha met several demons and devils within the Haven, who may have helped in several ways or merely proved a hindrance.

Eventually, the Kalach-Cha reached the laboratory of Ammon Jerro, whom they confronted, believing them wrongly to be the King of Shadows. They were nearly killed in the attempt, in spite of apparent success at first, only to be saved by Shandra, who sacrificed her own blood to break the bonds holding the power of the Haven’s inhabitants to Ammon. Enraged, Ammon killed the weakened Shandra only to discover he r true identity as she died. Guilt-ridden at killing his last surviving kin, Ammon turned himself over to the Kalach-Cha who spared him either out of mercy or a sense of utility before the warlock teleported them back to Crossroad.

Preparations for War
Shortly after the Kalach-Cha’s return from Ammon Jerro’s Haven the hero was summoned to Neverwinter by Nasher to defend the castle against a suspected attack by the King of Shadows’ minions. The suspicions turned out to be true when, in the midst of Nasher’s speech a group of assailants burst into Castle Never, trying to kill the inhabitants. With the help of the Nine and the Kalach-Cha, who flanked the shadow reavers by using a secret passage, the attacks were repelled, however, and, in gratitude, the Kalach-Cha was knighted by Nasher and offered a place in the Neverwinter Nine, which the hero may or may not have accepted.

Regardless, the Kalach-Cha, now a Knight-Captain, was ordered to strengthen the fortifications of Crossroad, who Nasher believed would become an invaluable asset in the Shadow War. For some time afterwards, the Kalach-Cha would do precisely this, building up the fortifications of the keep while also recruiting agents to enhance both Crossroad’s military strength as well as its mercantile capacities. For this purpose they might have recruited such individuals as his old friend Bevil, the farmer Orlen from West Harbor, Jalboun of the Two Blades, the deva mercenary Light of Heavens, or many others.

During this time the Kalach-Cha would also seek out allies for Neverwinter amongst its neighbors. Such an alliance might have been formed with Clan Ironfist, had they regained control of their ancestral home. Another possibility was the lizardfolk of the Mere, if the Kalach-Cha was able to dissuade them from once again attacking Highcliff and holding its villagers hostage. The Kalach-Cha may have also followed through on Grobnar’s unusual recommendation to seek out the help of the invisible Wendersnaven, though this would not have proven as useful as the other possible alliances. The Kalach-Cha may also have attempted to form an alliance with the remnants of the Circle of the Mere, though as it turned out the Circle had become corrupted by the King of Shadows with the exception of their leader Naevan, whom they had trapped in the form of a tree. The Kalach-Cha was forced to slay them and was unable to receive the aid of Naevan, who took to mending the dying Mere.

Eventually, the Kalach-Cha would be approached by Khralver Irlingstar, an agent of Luskan’s new ambassador, a woman named Sydney Natale. Sydney would offer the Tome of Iltkazar to the Kalach-Cha, which contained the true names of the shadow reavers, required for the reavers to be killed permanently. However, in return she asked that the Kalach-Cha come only with Zhjaeve and Qara as companions. Though they suspected a trap, the Kalach-Cha and their companions could not refuse the offer and so accepted. Although it did indeed prove a trap, Sydney had come with the Tome as promised and the Kalach-Cha was able to defeat both her and the animus elemental she had summoned to kill Qara.

With the Tome of Iltkazar the Kalach-Cha had a new purpose – obtain a few final shards of the Silver Sword of Gith and use them to reforge the blade. To do this they lured a shadow reaver into attacking them, though they quickly proved that with the true names to aid them the shadow reavers proved no more a threat than the King of Shadows’ other minions. Having obtained this one final shard, Zhjaeve determine that although they did not have all the shards it would be enough to reforge the blade. To do so, the group returned to West Harbor where it was shattered, where they were once again ambushed by shadow reavers. However, with the power of the Blade the Kalach-Cha proved more than a match, slaying their assailants and returning to Crossroad triumphant.

The Battles of Highcliff and Crossroad Keep
Soon after the Kalach-Cha reforged the Sword of Gith the forces of the King of Shadow organized themselves and prepared for an all-out attack. Suspecting their first target to be Highcliff, Nasher and the Neverwinter Nine, with the possible exception of the Kalach-Cha if they were a member, departed for the village to defend it against the forces of the King. However, the horde of undead serving the King proved victorious and at least one of the Nine, the bold dwarf Callum, was slain and Nasher himself gravely injured.

Realizing the Crossroad Keep would be the next target and possible turning point of the war, the Kalach-Cha prepared for the inevitable siege. The bridges leading to the Keep were deliberately destroyed, which it was hoped would slow the advance of the army, which was travelling by night. Shortly before the battle, Ammon would depart for the ruins of Shandra’s farm, where he would lament over her death and be confronted with the pit fiend Koraboros who he had enslaved and who now sought vengeance. The Kalach-Cha would aid Ammon, banishing the devil from the Prime Material Plane and possibly convincing Ammon Jerro of the error of his ways. The two would return to Crossroad, ready to face the King’s army and await assistance from Neverwinter’s allies among the Lords’ Alliance.

However, the battle came more quickly than any had anticipated, the army being pushed to march under the harsh sunlight of day in spite of the damage it dealt, in order to give Crossroad as little time to prepare as possible. Early in the morning, as the Kalach-Cha slept, possibly beside a loved one, the army arrived and laid siege to the keep. Rushing to its defenses the Greycloaks and Neverwinter’s allies defended the fortress boldly, destroying many of the siege towers.

In spite of their courageous defense, the Kalach-Cha’s forces were betrayed by Bishop who, having formed a deal with the enemy, sabotaged the gates of Crossroad, allowing the army to enter. There, Garius, revealed to now be a shadow reaver in the service of the King of Shadows, summoned an aspect of the King, which attacked the group. With the power of the Silver Sword of Gith the Kalach-Cha defeated the aspect. Their morale broken and sunlight now beaming down hard on them, the army of the King retreated, as did Garius.

Assault on the Vale of the Mere
After the defeat of the King of Shadows at Crossroad the Kalach-Cha proceeded with the next task, taking the fight to the enemy. Through triangulation and scrying Aldanon, with Ammon and Sand’s help, was able to discern the location of the King of Shadows’ main fortress, deep within the Vale of the Mere. Although the Mere was filled with necrotic energy along its borders and lethal to most, Aldanon revealed that by some strange process the center of the Mere was almost devoid of this magic and that, with some effort, the group should be able to teleport directly into the King of Shadows’ fortress. The Kalach-Cha agreed and together they all of their companions were transported into the Vale.

Upon arriving, they discovered that Garius had prepared for them. Within a minute of their arrival, Neeshka was snatched out of mid-air and the group was assaulted by undead. However, through perseverance and teamwork the group proceeded further into the fortress, towards its bottom layer. Eventually, they came upon the inner sanctum, where they found Garius and Bishop, as well as Neeshka, whom Garius had tortured and exposed to foul magics in order to gain control over her. As the Kalach-Cha confronted Garius, the mage tried to turn their companions against them, playing on the bitter enmity between Sand and Qara, Bishop’s theft of the overrides for the Kalach-Cha’s construct, Ammon Jerro’s regrets, and the magic he had performed on Neeshka. Ultimately, Garius would be unable to win over Ammon but might have been successful in obtaining the loyalty of the others and certainly caused either Sand or Qara to betray the hero. However, the Kalach-Cha might have done the reverse in turn, causing Bishop to abandon Garius and run for his life.

Regardless of how successful Garius was in his attempt at inciting mutiny, the mage was defeated by the combined group following the Kalach-Cha and slain permanently. However, this came too late to prevent the King of Shadows from being summoned, who appeared shortly thereafter. With cold, certain purpose the King of Shadows attacked the Kalach-Cha, who he saw as an enemy of the long-gone empire of Illefarn. With the help of Ammon’s portion of the Ritual of Purification and the Silver Sword of Gith the Kalach-Cha slew the King of Shadows once and for all, ending its threat to Neverwinter.

Kidnapping by Nefris and Lienna
The death of the King of Shadows would, unfortunately, not be the end of the Kalach-Cha’s troubles. The magic unleashed by the King’s death caused the walls around them to tremble and collapse, causing the entire fortress to crumble to pieces. The Kalach-Cha and their companions tried to escape the ruins, some successfully, others not. In the chaos, two gargoyles took advantage of the turmoil, appearing from out of nowhere and snatching the Kalach-Cha from the ruins and knocking them unconscious before bring them through a portal which led into the Plane of Shadow. Although the chaos resultant from the battle did not give many of the Kalach-Cha’s companions a chance to witness this, Ammon Jerro did and quickly took pursuit.

The warlock would follow the Kalach-Cha through the portal and into an abandoned replica of the Rashemi city Mulsantir on the Plane of Shadow. There, Ammon was ambushed by two Red Wizards of Thay, who had sent the gargoyles to retrieve the Kalach-Cha for their own purposes. One, Nefris, was all too familiar with Ammon and knew his power, and determined to strike quickly and without mercy so the warlock would not have the chance to upset her plans. Once unconscious, Ammon was taken to the Academy of Shapers and Binders for his soul to extracted whilst Nefris and the other wizard, a woman named Lienna, prepared another ritual for the unconscious Kalach-Cha.

While the Kalach-Cha slept, drifting in and out of consciousness, the wizards operated on the hero, withdrawing from their chest the shard that had preserved them since birth. Knowing that this would kill the Kalach-Cha they quickly transported the unconscious hero to a cave near Mulsantir in the Prime, placing them deep within its lowest layer, near a series of rune-inscribed pillars. Then, they left the hero without further action. Lienna returned to Mulsantir to await the hero while Nefris headed to Thay and dispatched her daughter Safiya to fetch the hero, revive them, and bring them before Lienna, treating them as a dear and precious friend.

Escape from the Bear God’s Barrow
When Safiya arrived, the Kalach-Cha was already beginning to awake. However, they found themselves unable to move, as if all their animating energy had been drained from them. And beneath that feeling of limp lethargy the hero also felt a deep and unfathomable hunger, caused by the magic infused into the walls around them, which Nefris and Lienna had counted on to preserve the hero’s life and imbue him with the Betrayer’s Curse. With Safiya’s arrival and help, the Kalach-Cha was able to stand, although they found themselves deprived of all but their most basic equipment, including the Sword of Gith, which Nefris had taken.

With no clue as to where they were or how they had gotten there, the Kalach-Cha had little choice but to follow Safiya, in spite of the tattoos and robes that clearly marked her as one of the infamous Red Wizards of Thay. Safiya proved trustworthy, however, helping the Kalach-Cha escape the caverns below Rashemen, evading for a brief time the telthors who made their home there and who claimed the hero was a danger to them and all other life. Ultimately, however, both Safiya and the Kalach-Cha were forced to fight the telthors in self-defense and in the process, uncovered the first major symptom of the Kalach-Cha’s condition aside from the gnawing hunger – the ability to consume the souls of nature spirits as the Kalach-Cha instinctually reached out and devoured the wolf telthor Nakata’s spirit.

During their attempts to evade the telthors the Kalach-Cha and Safiya may have delved below to journey through the hidden passageways of ancient Imaskari ruins. There they might have acquired a magical rod of ancient Imaskar as well as a golem. They may also have forged a deal with the ice spirit Orglash, to enlist his aid in defeating Okku. In either case, they were forced to deal with a blocked passageway, perhaps by blasting it open with the Imaskari rod or by appeasing the telthors within to let them past with ritual offerings.

Once past this barrier the Kalach-Cha and Safiya were confronted with Okku the Bear God, who had, after an ageless sleep, been awoken by the Kalach-Cha’s arrival. Sensing the Betrayer’s Curse upon the Kalach-Cha, the telthor condemned the hero as a spirit eater, in spite of Safiya’s protests. Faced with no alternative but to let Okku kill them or fight for their lives, the two managed to subdue the still waking Okku and escape from the barrow alive. From there, it was a short journey to Mulsantir, one of Rashemen’s most prominent cities, where Lienna waited for the two at the Veil Theater.

Arrival in Mulsantir
When the Kalach-Cha and Safiya, under disguise so as to avoid arousing suspicion amongst her people’s enemies the Rashemi, arrived in Mulsantir they wasted little time in heading towards the Veil. However, as they entered the door they were immediately confronted with another Red Wizard as well as four gnolls under his command, who were busy attacking the actors and audience and who proved no friend of Safiya’s, intent on slaying her and the Kalach-Cha both. Together the two were able to, either through force or intimidation, ward off the wizard. After this, Magda, a dwarven actor and director at the Veil, urged them to head into the back and depart through a portal into the Plane of Shadow, where she believed Lienna had fled only to be followed by more enemies.

Acknowledging this, the Kalach-Cha headed through the portal. There, the Kalach-Cha began to regain some blurry memories of the events that had transpired in the Plane of Shadow, remembering two women hovering over and pulling the shard out of their chest. However, the Kalach-Cha pushed these memories away for the task at hand and pursued the last Red Wizard, Khai Khmun, who taunted Safiya, telling her that her mother was dead. Together the Kalach-Cha and Safiya were able to defeat Khai, though only too late to save Lienna. With no answers left to them, the two were confused as to their next action and left through the door of the Veil.

Upon departing the theater the two were confronted almost immediately by three hathrans: the witches Sheva Whitefeather, Kazimika Vadoi, and Katya. The three revealed that Okku had gathered a spirit army and laid it around Mulsantir, proclaiming that he would not leave until the Kalach-Cha faced him, who he called out as a bane upon life itself. Although some of the witches, namely Kazimika, were suspicious of the Kalach-Cha or outright eager to hand them over to Okku, Sheva was willing to let the Kalach-Cha face the bear on their own terms, so long as they did so. With little choice, the Kalach-Cha agreed, knowing that they would have to fight Okku anyhow if they tried to leave the city by any land route.

In order to help them in the coming battle, the witches recommended that the Kalach-Cha seek out aid amongst others. Though they claimed few would be willing to help a spirit eater, they felt that the Kalach-Cha might have some luck with a few other outlanders dwelling within the city, such as the group of half-celestial doomguides known collectively as the Menagerie, or the prisons of the city. The Kalach-Cha did check the latter, finding within the prison block an unusually handsome hagspawn shaman named Gannayev or Gann for short. Offering the prisoner his freedom, the Kalach-Cha was able to recruit Gann to their side through engaging with the hagspawn briefly in wordplay.

The Kalach-Cha may well have also sought out the Menagerie’s missing member, a woman named Kaelyn the Dove. Having turned on her siblings’ faith, Kaelyn had converted to the worship of Ilmater, who she felt a more worthy god filled with compassion for life. As such, her disappearance was one of conscious choice, as she sought a way to open the Betrayer’s Gate in the Dead God’s Vault within the shadow twin of Mulsantir. However, the Kalach-Cha was able to dissuade her from this for the time being, since she was unable to discover a method by which to unlock the Gate. With Kaelyn found the hero might have been able to convince the rest of the Menagerie to aid them, although Kaelyn would not have approved of this, feeling concern for her siblings.

With supporters to back them up, the Kalach-Cha exited Mulsantir at last, confronting Okku. The bear god once again called out the Kalach-Cha as a spirit eater, although the hero did not yet know what this name meant. Demanding blood, Okku and his army attacked, although they were, in an upset, repelled by the few numbers led by the Kalach-Cha. With Okku at their mercy, the Kalach-Cha may have spared the telthor, who may then have joined the Kalach-Cha in an attempt to uncover the origins of their curse. Otherwise, the Kalach-Cha may have given into the increasingly strong hunger, devouring Okku’s soul and perhaps offering what little remained of the “bear god” to the creature known as One of Many that dwelled within the Dead God’s Vault, recruiting the undead abomination to their side.

Whatever the case, the Kalach-Cha now stood victorious, though at a cost. The truth of the curse plaguing their body was now revealed to the people of Mulsantir, who quickly went from cultural xenophobia to outright fear and loathing of the Kalach-Cha, who they began to call exclusively “Spirit Eater.”

Behind the Scenes
Like Gorion's Ward or the Hero of Neverwinter, the Kalach-Cha is a fully customizable character within their original appearance in Neverwinter Nights 2. There has not yet, as in the case of Gorion's Ward (Abdel Adrian), been an official identity assigned to the character.

However, a few things can be determined. The campaign of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, for instance, determines that the Kalach-Cha opposed the King of Shadows rather than joining him and was therefore likely good or neutral, rather than evil, though not necessarily as the King of Shadows has been opposed in the past by evil characters, such as Ammon Jerro. It does not determine either whether the hero was lawful or chaotic or whether they sided with Neverwinter or the Shadow Thieves in the city's gang wars. A few other things can be determined more through inference than anything else. It is clear, for instance, that while the game allows a player character of the elven or similarly long-lived races, these do not fit with the game's backstory. Although no clear date is ever set for the first destruction of West Harbor, the age of several characters who participated, such as Dalren or Daeghun Farlong, allows for it to be inferred that the battle took place sometime within roughly twenty or thirty years. This makes any race with a substantially longer lifespan than humans, such as elves or dwarves to be ruled out as a race for the Kalach-Cha, who was born during or shortly before the battle.

The PC in Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mask of the Betrayer is, in both cases, canonically the Kalach-Cha. However, none of the PCs in Storm of Zehir are and the story takes place concurrently with Mask of the Betrayer. Nor is the Kalach-Cha in the original Neverwinter Nights nor any of its expansions.

Appearances

 * Neverwinter Nights 2
 * Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer