Arcanist Niraj Ashtikar
Description
The son of Tivra Ashtikar, the head of Anomalous Affairs in Unknown, and fiancé of Yu Huang.
Niraj is a powerful mage — a wizard by trade, who wields Delirium's Blessing. He is dry and dangerously pragmatic, this demeanor broken only by a great interest in his own work, a fascination with the odd, unknown, and unexplained.
As one with Delirium's Blessing, Niraj wields sorcerous magic alongside his learned arcana. He has also been granted draconic features in the form of hard cobalt scales and reptilian eyes. He is able to manifest claws, wings, and a thick draconic tail at will.
Within the Campaign
Niraj was recovered from an excavation site by Liutubang. Distracted by his work, he had failed to respond to the sendings cast at him or provide any of his own. He did not notice the disappearances of those who were meant to be working with him.
When he met the party, Niraj explained some of what he was studying: aberrant materials, and writings in deep speech. He seemed fascinated and delighted by the concept of the writer becoming less and less coherent in their messages.
He displayed a crass interest in Fakir ChaeYasda as a Jihui shikarist, explaining the role of the Jihui at The End of the World. He also revealed that he would be meeting the family of his new fiancé: Yu Huang.
Niraj has since moved to Límíng City, and his engagement with Huang has been made official.
Death's Door
Niraj played a role in Huang's infiltration of Death's Door. He was not only aware of the operation, but according to Abokya was actively providing guidance to Huang. The party learned his role through use of the commune spell attached to Scopophobia.
The Picket Auction
Niraj and Huang contacted Liutubang to hire them for a job. After Yu Qiang came into possession of Scopophobia, he and Huang devised a plan for "damage control" with intentions of intercepting the instrument's strings. Niraj played a supporting role to Huang, and is stated to have originally sought out Scopophobia to determine the source of repeated scry spells targeting Huang.
History
Niraj was raised in his mother's footsteps to study the arcane. He would be brought into the Department of Anomalous Affairs by his own merit, earning the station of both Tivra Ashtikar's second-born son and a prodigious arcanist. This station would catch the interest of the Yu Clan, who solicited him for a marriage contract with their young master.