"Knowledge is power."
Xaniv the Whisperer, formerly known as Xaniv Tao, was an Illithilich pirate who founded the The Pirate Court as the Pirate Lord of Pride. He did this to 'close' the Abyssgate, when in reality he was the one who had created it. Formerly a follower of Varkanus, he instead aimed to usurp his status as the God of Magic through the help of Gunian. The Book of Vile Darkness is attributed to him.
Xaniv was also the founder and mayor of the Anchorage of Whispers, a secret pirate port town hidden away within the Jasivian Sea.
Xaniv was the primary BBEG of the Curse of the Blood Sea campaign, and was defeated for good at the very end of it in 3E452.
Biography
Early Life
Xaniv Tao was a human from the Kuan Dynasty. He became a pirate aboard a spelljammer ship called the Star's Whisper. A young, handsome man with a beard and a shaved head, he had a partner- His first mate and lover Xie Min. He worshiped Attenos, he became notorious across Voidspace as he took advantage of the war-torn chaos of the Omniborn Crisis. He was wanted by both sides of the war, and evaded capture for years.
One day, his ship was fired upon and is ripped apart by a mind flayer Nautiloid. In the ensuing chaos, he received a near-mortal wound from an explosion that ended up sending his lover out into the cold void of space. As she was frozen, Varkanus seemingly forced her last remaining lifeforce into Xaniv to sustain him.
He was infected by the illithids, and underwent ceremorphosis becoming a mind flayer. Much later on, his original personality overtook the illithid parasite, and he used arcane magic to escape, getting wounded in the process of fighting his way out. In the Astral Sea, the wounded Mind Flayer dragged himself towards a group of Githyanki who were ready to kill him. He used some arcane sparks and offered them the location of the mind flayer colony. They let him live, and he returned to a life of piracy within the stars.
"The notorious pirate starship 'The Star's Whisper' has been proven to have been destroyed somewhere in voidspace. Captain Xaniv Tao has been presumed dead along with his wife, Xie Min. The human pirates have been wanted for their crimes for many years now, and many see this as a good event. However, there are ill rumors that they were not destroyed by Temporal Lawkeepers, but by a Nautiloid of the Mind Flayers. The [Untranslated Name and Rank] of the Star Fleet has put down these rumors, and continues to deny the presence of illithids in the star system." - An ancient Omniborn news report, preserved and found in a ruin.
Varkanus slowly fed into his mind, whispering grandeur. He set his sight on his homeworld of Abmarah, and took a fleet of cultists to the planet. When he reached, his ships were attacked by a fleet of Omniborn ships, black as night and blending in with space. As his ships were blown to smithereens, he looked out the window and saw a comet crashing down towards Abmarah. He had clung onto life so much, and wasn't giving up just yet. He saw the comet as a blessing from Varkanus, and brought his damaged vessels near the comet, using the comet's heat to mask re-entry into the atmosphere as they escaped from the Omniborn ships. He crashed into the newly formed supercrater, and was boiling alive from the heat of the impact. A colossal tidal wave of water was quickly rushing in to fill the impact crater, creating the Cometfall Sea.
He called on Varkanus to help him, but heard no response. He'd survived every challenge, every would-be-death. He would not end here. As an ocean's worth of water closed in on him, he started performing the ritual of lichdom, and the intense hatred of Xaniv and his sheer will to survive caused a rift to the Abyss to open alongside his scream. As his soul was trapped into his phylactery- a gold coin with a hole in the middle- his original, melting body was ripped apart by the force of the water crashing in on him. His soul became the anchor of the Abyssgate.
Pirate Lord
Over the next five hundred years, Xaniv built up his cult and created a secret pirate city called the Anchorage of Whispers where no crime may be committed. If anyone committed a crime within the foggy city, their brain would be eaten by Xaniv. He also located his phylactery, and hid it away inside a dead corpse of a god within the Astral Sea.
The Illithilich became a legendary figure, his tales whispered across the land. He came to be known as an information dealer, and many people traveled to his Bathhouse in search of knowledge. He also slowly built his ship, the The Soft Whisper. For the first five hundred years, he kept up the appearance of being an alive Mind Flayer. He maintained a charade of 'worshiping' Varkanus to keep the god fooled, but started to look into ways of stealing his divinity. His followers believed that he worshiped Gunian instead, as Xaniv traded knowledge with the god. It's said that he smelled of rot and death, but the intense perfumes of his bathhouse kept the smell covered.
In 2E571, the Abyssgate opened for good and the demon prince Demogorgon attacked the Blood Sea. Xaniv convened the greatest pirates of the land at the island that would become Shipwreck City. He neglected to mention to the other pirates that he was the true reason for the Abyssgate's existence. He and these 6 other pirates fought back the demons and defeated Demogorgon, pushing him back into the Abyss and sealing the Abyssgate with their pieces of seven. Xaniv's Piece of Pride was his only remembrance of his wife, an earring. During this fight, he pretended to 'become a Lich for the greater good' and dropped his 'alive' disguise. Xaniv became the founding and only Pirate Lord of Pride. He also helped four mind flayers to became alhoons under his leadership- Xephak, Xassem, Xrosk, and Xesk.
Curse of the Blood Sea
To Sif: "Is it out of guilt or charity that you donate to that orphanage?"
To Elise: "Ah, what a trail of broken hearts you've left across the shattered land."
To Yoruu: "Bit the hand that fed you, I see."
To Anlee: "Abandoned by the ship, now captaining your own? What resentment flows in you, I wonder."
To Laoch: "So many years spying, you wonder if it amounted to anything? Is that why you've returned to our waters?"
- Xaniv reading the minds and histories of the Phoenix Nebula upon their first meeting.
In 3E450, the Abyssgate was slowly beginning to open again. Xaniv helped Dr. Genso and Captain Roonan create the abyssal plague in their search of the Black Scroll of Varkun, which he secretly desired. He was neutral during the conflict these two had with the crew of the Phoenix Nebula, helping out both parties initially. After the Black Scroll was returned to the storm giant Amohr, Xaniv secretly traveled to her hideout and killed her, taking the scroll for himself.
"The truth is, I AM the Abyssgate." - Xaniv revealing his true nature.
He revealed his true nature to the crew in 3E452 when they came to him for information about the Abyssgate. The party vowed to kill him and reconvene the pirate court. He called on Varkanus to help, sending down some hunting horrors that ended up killing Anlee. His underling Alhoons fought the party at multiple occasions as they tried to slowly but surely locate Xaniv's phylactery. They ended up destroying it just before the Abyssgate opened, giving Xaniv to time to make a replacement before the final battle. Xaniv was also very suspicous of fellow pirate lord Xiphalia, as he could not read her mind. Unbenownst to him, it was being protected by the amethyst dragon Golzoorhah who hated Xaniv.
"Do you wonder, why pirates? Why not the esteemed knights and heroes, why not the nations? Because five hundred years ago, this part of the world was ruled by chaos. And pirates used to be the masters of that chaos. And now, as we are hunted and exterminated, we shall save them regardless. Because this is our sea." - Xaniv giving a speech to the recovened Pirate Court.
After the Phoenix Nebula defeated the Demogorgon, Xaniv took over and used the Black Scroll of Varkun to summon and chain Varkanus as he started to drain his divinity. This turned the oceans to blood and the skies green worldwide. The party managed to defeat him and his remaining alhoon followers in a climactic battle, at the end of which Xaniv fell into the Abyss as he died for good.
"THE TIME HAS COME, ATTENDANT, FOR YOU TO DIE AS YOUR MASTER DID- FOR THERE TO BE A NEW GOD OF MAGIC AND LIFE! NOT A GOD OF BLOOD AND INSANITY, BUT OF PRIDE AND WHISPERS!" - Xaniv starting to absorb Varkanus' Divinity.
"Ah... Fine... Thank you." - Xaniv's dying words as he fell into the Abyss.
Legacy
Xaniv the Whisperer and his true story was popularized worldwide by the writings of Elise Pearlwynd, and the Phoenix Nebula were praised as world-saving heroes for defeating him and closing the Abyssgate. Laoch Redfield took over as the mayor of the Anchorage of Whispers after his death.
His book of Vile Darkness was found by demon waterlord Ozran after his death, and was hidden away on an unmarked isle near Torishu. The Darklight Crusaders found it in 3E498 after getting its location from Ozran's corpse, but buried it again after only learning a few spells from it.
Timeline
1E944 - Xaniv Tao was born in Xijing.
1E972 - Xaniv Tao and Xie Min's starship, the Star's Whisper, is destroyed by Illithids somewhere in Voidspace. He was turned into a Mind Flayer, but escaped the control of the hive and became a pirate again.
1E977 - Xaniv and his cult used the Cometfall to mask their escape from the Omniborn fleet, and he crashed into the impact crater. He became a lich, his hatred creating the Abyssgate.
2E163 - Xaniv becomes the founder of the Anchorage of Whispers.
2E571 - The Abyssgate opened, letting out Demogorgon. Xaniv created the The Pirate Court and became the Pirate Lord of Pride, defeating Demogorgon and sealing the Abyssgate for at least another five hundred years.
3E450 - Xaniv helps Roonan and Dr. Genso get the information they need to create the Abyssal Plague and find the Black Scroll of Varkun, and he helps the Phoenix Nebula find Genso. He later kills Amohr and takes the scroll for himself.
3E452 - Xaniv reveals his true nature to the Phoenix Nebula, and tries to steal Varkanus' divinity above the re-opened Abyssgate. His phylactery destroyed earlier, he is defeated and killed for good by the crew of the Nebula.
Gallery
Xaniv during CotBS Acts 1 & 2 (Credit: Aaron)
Xaniv Fullbody (Credit: Daibik)
Xaniv's Jolly-Roger Flag (Credit: Aaron)
