Myrthanil Narésiel

*"There's more to it than simply being the top dog. Look at Vect and the Black Heart. He's got power, he's got control, he's the supreme ruler of Commorragh. However, behind every corner is a hidden dagger; everyone is gunning for the spot. Manipulation is real power. Influence without responsibility or attention."*

-Myrthanil Narésiel, Archon of the Kabal of the Envenomed Chalice.
Myrthanil Narésiel is the Archon of the Kabal of the Envenomed Chalice, an up-and-coming Kabal in the Dark City of Commorragh.

Born naturally, though of very low birth, Myrthanil fought for everything he has gained. He was always a natural leader, rallying other low-born Drukhari whenever their territory was endangered by the many predators of the Dark City.

His curiosity of the wider universe, as well as his pursuits of hedonism, was what led to his rise to power. He was never afraid to fight, but he found very early that force of arms was not always the best way forward, becoming an expert infiltrator and politician from a young age.

## History

*"If someone hits you, hit them back twice as hard. If someone wrongs you, make them beg you for forgiveness. Never let others push you around and make an example of anyone who tries."*

-Archon Myrthanil Narésiel
### Low-born Dregs

Not all Drukhari Trueborn are elevated to the heights of society and afforded all the luxuries of Commorragh. Myrthanil Narésiel was born naturally, though his parents were vat-born and of very low status, dregs of Commorragh society. His mother, a young Kaballite, was killed when he was young as part of a realspace raid, while his father didn't fair much better dying soon after in a small skirmish in their territory. Nobody cared whether these people lived or died and Myrthanil was no different, despite his status as a Trueborn.

Developing his skills at fighting early, Myrthanil took no prisoners. He was ruthless in how he carried himself in the slums of Commorragh and rallied other low-borns to him. Pretty soon, Myrthanil had a new family of sorts, a gang of low-born dregs who decided to take what they wanted, gaining a small foothold in the slums.

Their rule over the tiny area was challenged multiple times, but every time an attack happened, it was repelled and the attackers were brutally tortured and put on display for other would-be attackers to see. Myrthanil believed that fear was a good deterrent, so he treated any surviving attackers as horrifically as his mind could conjure.

### Ultimatum

The rather rapid expansion of this gang caught the attention of bigger fish. A rising Kabal named the Kabal of the Envenomed Chalice was headquartered nearby and saw the rising gang as a threat. The Kabal sent a Dracon by the name of Lilanyth Athellyria with a force of Kaballites to deliver an ultimatum to the upstart gang; either the gang accepts Kaballite rule, or they are crushed under foot.

Myrthanil wasn't stupid. He hated the idea of bending the knee to anyone, but he hated the idea of losing even more. He knew that Dracon Athellyria and her forces had his gang vastly outnumbered and woefully outgunned. It wouldn't be a battle, but a slaughter. Reluctantly, Myrthanil agreed to allow Kaballite rule, though within the darkest corners of his mind he began to plot his own take over.

### Building Bridges

Myrthanil knew his time was limited. He knew the Kabal would use him and his gang for the worst, most dangerous jobs. He knew that they were totally expendable and a lot of the Kaballite leadership still didn't consider the gang to truly be a part of the Kabal. Myrthanil lacked the pull or the military might to overthrow the Kabal's leadership, so he needed help.

Fortunately, he had always been a fan of the arenas. After all, his gang was situated in the arena district of Commorragh and he and his gang had been long time patrons of the arenas. Most notably, Myrthanil had become a fan of a particular Wych, to the point where he was infatuated with her. He admired the art she created in dealing pain and death to her victims and was taken by her beauty. The Wych was a young Hekatrix called Arinella Eranwyn, part of the Cult of the Crimson Dance.

As it turned out, she had also seen his meteoric rise to power and had similar feelings. Their first meeting involved very little talk of business as they indulged in their carnal desires, which spread into their subsequent meetings and formed into as close to a relationship as could be expected in Drukhari society. However, through this relationship, an alliance was built between Myrthanil and his gang, and Arinella and her Wyches, all beneath the noses of their respective superiors.

### Coup

Wasting no time, Myrthanil and Arinella made their move. Myrthanil and those loyal to him infiltrated the Kabal headquarters, while Arinella and her Wyches hit external assets to draw forces away. Myrthanil made a gesture to deploy the majority of his forces in a fake response to these attacks from the Wyches while Myrthanil's elites went with him, along with a number of blades for hire, Incubi, Mandrakes and Scourges.

With the forces divided, Myrthanil's infiltration force managed to strike hard from the inside. As he did, his blades for hire stormed the building, diverting more of the security forces away from the Archon. Surrounded by only his court and a small band of Trueborn, Myrthanil was able to cut his way through the bodyguard and eventually the Archon himself, removing his head as proof of his deed.

As a fan of irony, as Myrthanil was consolidating his gains and purging any potential dissidents, he gave Dracon Lilanyth Athellyria an ultimatum. Either she kept her position and served him, or she joined the ranks of Myrthanil's personal slaves and served him in a different way. It wasn't even a choice, and Dracon Athellyria agreed to continue to serve in her current position.

### Fatherhood

His relationship with Arinella, while their visits became less frequent due to his new leadership and her prominence in the Cult, eventually appeared to give him a pair of daughters. He discovered the two girls, Thalinia Narésiel and Lireia Narésiel, through his regular visits to the Cult of the Crimson Dance's arena. He enjoyed watching the spectacles they put on and acted as a patron for the Cult, but couldn't bear but notice the striking resemblance of the two up and comers. He deployed his agents to find out if they really were his and they were confirmed to be his Trueborn daughters.

He approached Arinella directly, rather than going to the Cult's Succubus, and requested that she released the two girls to him and his Kabal. Whether she wanted to or not, it would have been political suicide to deny the request, so she accepted, releasing the two girls to their father.

Myrthanil was fond of his two daughters, but he distanced himself and didn't show any such affections, since he knew this would be seen as a potential weakness and means to exploit him. While they were treated well, due to being Trueborn, they were not afforded any additional privileges, though it turned out they did not need them. Anyone who dared to seek to exploit them to get at Myrthanil was often found dead in a gutterm since both girls were incredibly competent fighters, having grown up in the arenas of the Cult of the Crimson Dance.

However, he was appalled to find that they did not return from a realspace raid, under the command of Dracon Caeth Malathis. He tasked another of his Dracons, Lilanyth Athellyria, to investigate this to see if there was any foul play. In truth, it was a test for her, as he knew there was foul play involved and wanted to see if the betrayal had spread further afield, and Dracon Athellyria was a prime suspect were that to be the case. Lilanyth returned with information that the transport carrying the Trueborn girls had been intentionally overextended and left for dead in a skirmish with Craftworld Ithyl-Loc, confirming what Myrthanil already knew.

He made an example of this. For her loyalty, Lilanyth was made Myrthanil's second in command and the two became lovers. On the other side, for his treachery, Dracon Malathis was taken prisoner and tortured by Myrthanil personally, before his mutilated corpse was put on display for all to see.

### New Alliances

Curiosity and hedonism were the two things that drove Myrthanil's ambitions, so when Myrthanil heard of a new young prodigy in Commorragh's Haemonculus Covens, he sought to investigate. His curiosity was further piqued when he learned that the prodigy in question was a beautiful young artist named Aluwyn Velnoriel from Craftworld Ithyl-Loc, the Craftworld that had ambushed and killed his daughters. He visited The Dark Bloom, the Coven that this young artist had taken control of.

Initially, Aluwyn was wary of the Archon's charms. He wasn't the first who had approached the Coven or tried to seduce and manipulate her, and she suspected he was just another looking to take advantage of her, thinking she was some naive little girl. However, it rapidly became apparent that he was not looking to necessarily take advantage her. He seemed genuinely curious about her experiences outside of Commorragh as well as Craftworld life. He appreciated her art and eventually Myrthanil offered an alliance between his Kabal and her Coven. The allegience of a Kabal protected her Coven from outside influence, and she didn't see herself getting a better offer in the future, while her Coven gave Myrthanil access to their resources for his raids. As with all things, eventually his pursuits of hedonism led to the two becoming lovers too.

### A Surprise Visit

Myrthanil knew now knew that his daughters had survived. Aluwyn had informed him of his two daughters aboard Craftworld Ithyl-Loc, with Thalinia shaking up the Craftworld and taking a position of leadership that led to prosperity. He found this amusing, learning that a pair of Drukhari had been the two to save a Craftworld from its slow demise brought him a measure of joy.

However, he was not expecting to hear about his granddaughter, since it was his belief that Craftworlds suppressed such behaviours. Moreover, he was not expecting to learn that his granddaughter was in Commorragh, a new Corsair Princess named Lyanna Narésiel. He wanted to see her for himself, so he hired a band of Scourges to snatch her from the streets and bring her to him. The Scourges did exactly as he asked, though when she arrived he could taste her fear through her admirable efforts to hide it. He knew Scourges liked to have some fun with their victims, dropping them and catching them just before they hit the ground, and suspected they had done so with her.

Regardless, he took her to Arinella, Succubus of the Cult of the Crimson Dance and Lyanna Narésiel's grandmother, and gave her as a gift for her Cult's continued support. Arinella wanted to see if her blood did indeed flow through the young Corsair's veins and threw her into the arena in a fight to the death.

### Hallax I

Myrthanil learned of the conflict on Hallax I, but was not that concerned with it. From what he had heard, there was a Tyranid hive fleet descending upon the Imperium world, and while he considered a quick raid, he had ultimately decided against it, as the risk of being caught out by the Tyranids was too great to justify the potential slave bounty.

His decision changed when he learned that his daughter, Autarch Thalinia Narésiel was leading a small warhost of Asuryani on the world for some reason he was unable to learn. His curiosity was what drove him to reverse the decision and quickly put together a raid for Hallax I. Perhaps some level of paternal guardianship influenced his decision, though he put such thoughts away, exiling them to the deepest recesses of his mind. The same could have been said for Arinella as when called upon for the raiding force, she quickly rallied a raiding party of Wyches and Bloodbrides upon hearing the details.

When they arrived, they found Thalinia Narésiel and her forces surrounded, fending off Tyranids heroically, but ultimately their lines were collapsing. Furthermore, they caught a glimpse of Lyanna Narésiel and her Stardancer Corsairs also in attendance, dropping behind the Tyranid lines near the Drukhari forces to lend aid. Myrthanil directed his forces along one flank, while Arinella and her Wyches assaulted the other, pincering the Tyranid beasts between their forces, as well as the Asuryani and Corsairs from all sides, making short work of the Tyranid creatures, but not before the Drukhari managed to secure a number of them alive for Arinella's arena.

Shortly after the battle, Myrthanil and Arinella observed the Asuryani and Corsairs as they gathered their forces back up and planned their next moves. Again, it was parental curiosity that drove them to watch, though neither would admit it and forced the thoughts down into the recesses of their mind as they went their separate ways, bringing their captive Tyranid beasts back to Commorragh and leaving the Asuryani and Corsair forces to their own campaigns.

## Wargear

* Huskblade - Perhaps the most lethal weapon used by Drukhari archons, Husk Blades evaporate the moisture from everything they touch leaving only dust-like figures if used against living beings. Even the toughest foes have been struck down by these blades.
* Blast Pistol - A Blast Pistol is a smaller, lightweight pistol version of a Dark Lance, which includes a semi-liquid stabilizer like that found in the Drukhari Splinter Cannon.
* Shadowfield - A Shadowfield is a rare defensive item used only by the most experienced Drukhari. It surrounds any person in a dark miasma of energy. The field requires a great deal of concentration to activate, and a massive amount of self-confidence to maintain.