Zerxus Ilerez

 is a human paladin and the First Knight of Avalir. He is played by Luis Carazo.

Appearance
Zerxus is a six foot tall, muscular, broad-shouldered man. He has tan, brown skin; dark and wavy hair; and he wears a beard. He has amber-colored eyes described as "troubled".

Personality
Zerxus is a serious and dutiful person who largely keeps to himself. He is uncomfortable with crowds, and is still grieving the loss of his husband, Evandrin Alterra. He is emotionally withdrawn and, to Cerrit Agrupnin, the thought that Zerxus would easily openly share something that is bothering him is laughable, even if to his friends; any openness is forced by deep, unmanageable distress.

Sam Riegel, who plays another character in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, believed that Zerxus is the party's moral center.

Background
Zerxus is originally from near Cathmoíra and was previously married to Evandrin Alterra, who he met shortly after Evandrin's arrival in Cathmoíra. Together, they were raising Elias, Evandrin's son whom Zerxus knew from infancy and considered his own son as well. Evandrin became sick with a mysterious illness that made him seem to slowly vanish into nothingness. Zerxus was unable to cure him, and Evandrin eventually died.

At some point, Zerxus became First Knight of Avalir, possibly succeeding Evandrin in the role. He also gained magic at some unknown time as a paladin through an oath to the people of Avalir instead of to a deity. Evandrin's death, which weighed heavily on Zerxus, and the isolated life of the First Knight changed Zerxus into a stoic and serious person.

As of, Zerxus last saw Elias seven years prior to the events of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, when Elias was about to turn seven.

Zerxus had a vivid dream in which he was badly injured in the streets of Avalir, his mouth full of blood. He saw a massive, horned red figure fall in front of him, begging for help, and a sun-like figure standing over it. He also saw Elias fishing in a pool of stars. and shortly before Zerxus woke up, the huge red figure, whom he had saved, asked him “if you look down and see the stars, what will you see if you look up?” Zerxus then woke up alone in his quarters in the Tower of the First Knight. He wrote down this dream, having had similar ones before.

Later, Zerxus attended the party at the Palazzo Por'co and told his friends about his dream. He realized the bow Cerrit had brought had powerful divine energy from a solar, and tried to help Purvan Suul, after other leaders declined to listen.

Zerxus tried to follow Nydas, but only caught up with him after Laerryn's successful use of the Astral Leywright. While there, he noticed Laerryn had a locket that once belonged to Evandrin. He returned back to the Palazzo Por'co to convene with the rest of the Ring of Brass where he expressed some concerns about the plans to transport Avalir to other planes. However, as the group discussed the many worrying coincidences of the night, he inspired them with a passionate speech. He was also able to determine that the unidentified cleric of a Betrayer God was a k'nauth, a person who had been so devoted to the gods that he performed their will without the need for them to dominate, and that he had been given an unfathomable amount of power from the gods within the past two weeks.

Zerxus went with Nydas to the Hall of Oracles to learn why it had been shut down. He comforted Sofyra, who admitted she was the only oracle left after madness had struck the rest. He went to look at Karwen, the first oracle to have gone mad, but while there he detected something fiendish and found the same horned red being from his dream, now gravely wounded, in a mirror. Zerxus went through the mirror and healed Asmodeus, then spoke with him at length. He was moved by the grief and anger Asmodeus seemed to express and related it to his own feelings about Evandrin's death, and began to cast Ceremony but Asmodeus interrupted him and instead cast Protection from Good and Evil on him.

Relationships
Zerxus has a son, Elias, whom he has not seen in some time. Elias lives with Nydas's brother's family, and their letter to Nydas indicated that Elias was upset with his father. Nydas is a longtime friend of Zerxus.

Notable items

 * Plate armor
 * Belt of Storm Giant Strength

Feats

 * Inspiring Leader

Paladin abilities

 * Divine Sense
 * Lay on Hands
 * Spellcasting
 * Divine Smite
 * Fighting Style
 * Divine Health
 * Sacred Oath (Oath of Redemption)
 * Oath Spells
 * Channel Divinity: Emissary of Peace, Rebuke the Violent
 * Aura of the Guardian
 * Extra Attack
 * Aura of Protection
 * Aura of Courage
 * Improved Divine Smite
 * Cleansing Touch

Spells
As a level 14 paladin with a +5 Charisma modifier, Zerxus can prepare twelve spells a day; these spells must be of a level for which he has paladin spell slots, from 1st and 4th level. Oath spells, granted by his subclass, do not count against this number.

Appearances and mentions

 * Exandria Unlimited: Calamity

Trivia

 * Brennan Lee Mulligan, Dungeon Master for Calamity, said that if Zerxus was a cheese he would be pepperjack.