Believe me, darling—a well-played part can open doors that a thousand swords couldn't.
Sorennar Cata'zaro is a dark-elven diplomat bard and member of Naznar Zarathrin's party. A skilled bard with a silver-tongue, he uses his charm to infiltrate other parties and gather secrets for his master.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary
Sorennar presents himself as the quintessential bard—charming, flowery, and full of easy laughter. Disarmingly friendly and always polite, he speaks in a refined, almost noble manner, and with an air of innocence that tends to put others at ease. With a bright smile and a well-worn lute, he’s a familiar sight in the taverns of Fortune’s Rest, happily entertaining, listening, and subtly coaxing even the most jaded divers into letting down their defenses.
However, this merry bard persona is little more than a mask. Beneath the cheerful act lies a darkly ambitious dark elf, molded by a society where cunning is as vital as brute strength. Sorennar knows how many secrets an “innocent” bard can extract from strangers softened by ale and song, and uses this to his advantage.
His true loyalty is to his master Naznar, a noble dark elf with a grand design to seize control of the city through Sunhallow’s secrets. Naznar has orchestrated a coalition of diving parties, manipulating them to gather artifacts he needs to secure his influence. Sorennar has been tasked with infiltrating various diving parties—to gather intelligence, stir division among rivals, and entrap those who might resist into supporting his master’s plans.
Despite his pragmatism and ambitions, Sorennar is finding it more and more difficult to deny his growing longing for the surface world’s warmth, light, and freedom. While he’s determined to climb the ranks back home on dark elven terms, he’s finding himself drawn to the simple pleasures of music and revelry in ways he rarely admits, even to himself.
Playing music and making merry, even as part of a disguise, gives him a fleeting taste of the life he might have chosen. In quiet moments, he finds he genuinely enjoys the bardic role he’s adopted—an indulgence he knows he can never allow to compromise his mission but which, in some rare moments, has begun to feel like a part of him.
Game Information
Species | Dark elf |
|---|---|
Class | Bard |
Role | Diplomat |
Background | Charlatan |
Feats | Inspiring Leader |
Biographical Information
Birthplace | |
|---|---|
Age | 82 (28 in tallfolk years) |
Birthday | |
District | |
Loved Gifts |
LIKES | DISLIKES |
Fine Clothing | Vermin |
Butterflies | Routine |
Instruments | Drab Colors |
Appearance
Sorennar Cata’zaro is a dark elf standing at 160 cm (5'3"), with a lean, wiry frame that reflects a life of hard work rather than rigorous combat training.
He has dark violet skin typical to the dark elves—a saturated shade that marks him as lower caste in the rigid dark elven society. His hair, curly and cut short, is another sign of his status, as the nobility typically wear their hair long. He has luminescent white eyes that glow faintly in darkness.
While his eyes, hair, and build are characteristic of his race, Sorennar’s bright, playful smile and flamboyant clothing are anything but typical for the pragmatic dark elves. He favors cloaks in shades of pink and orange, adorned with whimsical designs of butterflies, flowers, and other delicate motifs. Beneath his bright, embroidered coats, he often wears frilled bardic clothing.
In contrast to his vibrant appearance, Sorennar's body bears the scars of his society’s militaristic harshness, including a distinctive, winding lichtenberg scar that climbs his shoulder and spans the right half of his face. Between his shoulders, he bears the brand of House Zarathrin's sigil.
Despite these marks, he maintains a meticulously clean, well-kept appearance, carrying himself with practiced poise. Almost inseparable from him is his lute—a battered, cracked instrument that seems oddly out of place against his otherwise polished demeanor.
Personality
Sorennar presents himself as a charismatic bard, full of charm, wit, and a disarming warmth that makes others drop their guard. With a bright smile and a talent for listening, he easily gathers secrets while pretending to be harmless and whimsical. His love for music and performance feels genuine—and to some extent, it is.
Beneath the cheerful facade, Sorennar is calculating and ambitious, shaped by a harsh upbringing and bound to his master, Naznar. He is pragmatic and unburdened by honor, willing to manipulate and deceive to achieve his goals. Though he plays the part of the carefree bard, traces of his true self occasionally slip through—to reveal a quiet longing for freedom and light he rarely admits, even to himself.
Synopsis
First Dive
After the party's first dive into Sunhallow, Sorennar can be first encountered at the Old Piano Teahouse. He is there on business on behalf of his master, though he hides his intent well behind a friendly manner and cheerful tune. He will approach the party and invite the party to tell him about their latest dive over a drink or two. At this point, Sorennar's interactions with the party are lighthearted and almost flirtatious, while he subtly gathers information on their strengths, weaknesses, and motives.
Second Layer
Once the party has breached the second layer, Sorennar begins taking a keen interest in their ventures, occasionally appearing in taverns, market stalls, or quieter alleyways of Fortune's Rest to bump into them—"what a happy coincidence!" His true motives remain masked, and he continues presenting himself as an innocent bard. However, he will take any opportunity to showcase his value as a diplomat and bard, offering to join the party on a dive or two as an extra hand—or, at least, some entertainment. In reality, Sorennar is under Naznar's orders to monitor any and all promising parties closely, to gather information about artifact locations or to blackmail the party into working for his master.
Diving with Sorennar
During dives with the party in Sunhallow's depths, Sorennar may begin to reveal small, vulnerable aspects of himself. He speaks briefly about his experiences as a lower-caste member of Zar'kalyth, the dark elven capital; and may even hint at his longing for the sunlight he once knew only from stories. If the party shows kindness or understanding toward him, he becomes less guarded, and begins to show more reluctance to follow Naznar's orders to mislead or betray them. Alternatively, if the party exhibits the distrust, prejudice, or disdain toward dark elves that is common in the world, Sorennar keeps up his lighthearted facade, enduring any slights or insults with unwavering poise—all in service to his master’s goals.
If Sorennar begins to display visible reservations towards harming the party, Naznar himself eventually locates and confronts the party in their establishment or homebase—furious and suspicious, demanding to know what they did to "his bard". Depending on the party's response, he warns the party against interfering with Sorennar's "commitments" with thinly veiled threats.
True Colors
After the party is confronted by Naznar, Sorennar becomes unreachable. After a few days, the party discovers that sensitive information they shared with Sorennar has been leaked to rival divers and the ruthless factions within Fortune’s Rest. This betrayal becomes apparent through encounters where they find their plans and weaknesses exploited, or ambushed on routes only they knew about.
When they next see Sorennar, he’s back at his usual haunts—cheerful but noticeably distant, treating the party with polite detachment as if they were little more than passing acquaintances. Should the party have established any kind of camaraderie with him, Sorennar pleads with them not to pursue conflict with his master, with a terrified resignation to the role he believes he must play.
Endings
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