Pingu Raavan

Void Archbishop Pingu Raavan

**Pingu Raavan** was the **Lord of Kraznir,** **Void Archbishop of Darkfall,** head of **House Raavan** and a former vassal to the Osmeus Dynasty, the previous Emperors of **Narda**, before he betrayed them.

Pingu, a loyal vassal to **Osmeus II** in his youth, became a member of the elusive **Cult of Darkfall** before being caught and executed. He was revived as a Undead thrall to the Emperor and eventually slew him on 5/04/2023, usurping the Empire of Narda and reforming it into the Empire of Darkfall, with him at its head.

Pingu was slain for the second and final time on the 6th of May 2023, at the Duel in Khorinis

Pingu, as an Undead and with no remaining family, was the last member of House Raavan. With his death, House Raavan became extinct.

## Appearance and Character

Pingu was an Avian noted to resemble a Penguin. He was covered in black and white feathers, with large, orange-coloured legs and a pink beak.

As part of his Noble attire, he wore white robes decorated with a jewel-encrusted, golden necklace and a similar looking belt. Both of his eyes were black and beady-looking, giving off a harmless appearance.

After his death and subsequent revival, Pingu looks deformed. The right side of his body is broken, with exposed ribs straining to keep in his insides and half his beak showing bone. Much of his body is covered in a green rot that oozes blood and puss when he walks. His back reveals a large, fleshy scar where his feathers refuse to regrow, and the majority of his jewellery is ruined and dangling on its side. Most striking, though, is his right eye; the sclera is black and his pupil is a vivid, glowing red.

After he became the Void Archbishop, Pingu disguises his appearance under a large, black robe with a golden trim. His pupils glow a bright red from the darkness veiling his face

In his youth, Pingu was a content and optimistic, with a care for his subjects and a lively lord. He was rather peaceful, and openly critical of many of **Lord Varas's** aggressive suggestions when a member of the council. He spent much of his early reign being loyal to Osmeus I, and then Osmeus II, but grew bitter at the Emperor's vengeful personality and unwillingness to provide aid to Kraznir.

By the time he secretly joined the Darkfall Cult, Pingu was cynical to Nardan regime and Cult, simply using them for power. His courtiers noted him to be less enthusiastic and highly prone to outbursts of rage at the smallest of things.

After his revival, Pingu was ~~highly traumatised by his death, his fractured mind growing a devotion to the Voidist faith to cope~~ enlightened after meeting **The Null** and secretly devoted himself to the Voidist way. He was a zealous ~~and bitter~~ individual, consciously unwavering in his devotion to the Voidist faith, ~~unconsciously angry at the world for his suffering and lashing out through conquest~~. His paranoia and stress was exarcebated, and became explosive after the death of **Varas II** and the disappearance of the **Lady of Everhall**

## History

### Early Years

Pingu of House Raavan was born during the reign of Osmeus I. The third son of his family, he was far from the line of succession and equally as far from his parents' attention. However, Pingu would become of utmost importance in the following years, where the plague, known as Dark Emperor's Disease, ravaged Kraznir, killing Lord and Lady Raavan and all of Pingu's elder siblings.

Too young to run the land, the new Lord of Kraznir was educated on how to govern whilst the castellan of his House's Castle acted as Regent.

When he finally became of age, Pingu made many reforms to the island, most notably crushing the illegal slave trade that was tacitly endorsed under his Regent. Despite this, de facto slavery continued to exist within Kraznir.

Raavan participated in the Azlerian war as a part of a task force, along with Varas I, that invaded Azleria via nether portal. His role in the war earned him the trust of Osmeus II, and he became a member of the Council, along with Varas. While focused more on the affairs of Kraznir and his own life, Pingu nonetheless was a third leader of Narda. Osmeus II described Pingu as the most moderate of the Higher Council, and he typically acted as a voice against wanton aggression.

### Darkfall Cult

While Raavan had strong relations with Osmeus, they began to deteriorate over Kraznir's position within Narda. Pingu desired more internal power for Kraznir whilst Augustus refused to make the land an outlier in his plans to centralise the Nardan State. Gradually, Raavan became more reclusive within the capital before - eventually moving back to his court. It was around this time that he was approached by the Cult of Darkfall; a plot was made to usurp control of the Empire from the Osmeus Dynasty.

While Osmeus led several war campaigns - such as the Kralon war - Pingu remained in Kraznir, corresponding with other disgruntled officials; most important among them was Varas I, Pingu's fellow councilmember and secret Void Archbishop. Osmeus, however, grew suspicious and assigned spies to track Pingu's activity. Eventually, the communication was routed near the north edge of Khorinis and Pingu was taken into custody.

Pingu was tortured on a rack to ensure he revealed as much information as possible, however Varas oversaw the interrogation to ensure his involvement would not be discovered. He urged Osmeus to quickly make an example of Pingu and the traitors he confessed; ironically this may have prevented the Cult being completely destroyed.

On the 15th March 2023, Pingu Raavan was found guilty of several crimes, including treason, slander and killing turtles (a protected animal of the Emperor) and was sentenced to death. He was given a public execution, albeit with the crowd a distance away to prevent collateral, and Pingu was killed via gunboat. Kraznir was sacked for more information on the Raavan Plot and potential traitors; out of fear of being accused of conspiring with Pingu, few people objected.

### Revival and Enslavement

The remains of Pingu's body was retrieved and Osmeus began the process of necromantic revival. When the process was complete, Pingu was an Undead thrall linked to Augustus. The Emperor assigned him to govern Kraznir under the assumption that he was unable to refuse Osmeus's will and would therefore be a loyal vassal.

For a time this was true; Pingu governed the island with an iron fist, destroying dissent to the Empire. When he wasn't exerting control over the region, he joined Osmeus in social events; the Emperor flaunted him as a reminder of what would happen to dissenters.

Despite this, Pingu found an unlikely relationship in a fellow Avian called PenguinonPVP. While details on their relationship is unclear, it is likely it was romantic in nature. Unfortunately, PenguinonPVP died in a naval battle during the Great Acquisition. The grief from this event may have began the weakening of the thrall curse. Reportedly, Pingu's fervour drastically increased as the war progressed, with him slowly beginning to resist the orders of Osmeus - who was none the wiser.

Pingu participated in the Riddenheim Revolution on the side of Narda, albeit Kraznir's involvement in the attack was delayed - possibly due to Pingu actively resisting the thrall curse, though it was more likely was due weather. Pingu also participated in the siege of Soulaan and its afterparty, reportedly thanking Soulaan for 'being so shit'.

### The Coup

While Pingu's lucidity before Osmeus's death is unknown, he most likely broke the curse after the Great War but continued to pretend he was under its control. By this time, the Darkfall Cult's power had grown exponentially and began to fully usurp control of the state. Augustus was oblivious until the disappearance of Varas I. There are several reason for why it happened: some speculate Pingu may have assassinated the councillor to attain complete control of the cult, however some Voidists claim the Archbishop had been meditating extensively during this period and eventually teleported to The Void. Regardless, Pingu assumed de-facto control of the Cult alongside Varas II - son of Varas I.

The disappearance of Varas worried Osmeus II, and on the 5th April 2023 he announced his intent to flee to the outer colonies until he could be sure of his safety. This was a trap. Varas II launched an attack on Osmeus's imperial guard, and Pingu himself shot the Emperor to death. That same day, the Cult assumed control of the Nardan Archipelago and the Dark Sea, proclaiming the Empire of Darkfall.