Gekydo

"*You have turned, Prince. They will call you what you are: anger, hate, rage...they will call you **Gekydo***"
—The Elf King to Bismak before the Prince beheads him[src]
**Gekydo** *("Defiler")*, once known as **Bismak of Aradin**, was the first Dark Lord and the oldest, most powerful and leader of the Sah'Adowgard, and the first to fall to the Blight curse. He is known as **The Tainted Prince** by those who refuse to call him by his title, and as the **Dark Lord** by more primitive folk.

Bismak Aradin was the youngest of five children of Bismak, First of His Name and the head of House Aradin, one of the six houses of the First Regency Tribunal. From a young age, Bismak demonstrated formidable talent with a blade and took up the dishonourable position as an executioner's apprentice at the behest of his family, who blamed him for their mother's death. Bismak was eventually forced to join the Order of the Pale Men and swore an oath to never reveal his face to another living being. Breaking his oath in anger of his lover Elsa Daegarin's execution, Bismak developed a hatred of all elven-kind and swore to wipe them from the face of Terros.

After killing his father, he inherited the title of **Lord of the White Plains** and head of House Aradin. He assembled an army of ninety-nine of the finest soldiers and marched them north to commit mass genocide against the last remaining elves on the continent, the Aen Krew. Unbeknownst to Bismak and his soldiers, the elves had forged a curse known as the Blight that took hold of the 100 warriors upon the death of the Elf King, transforming the First 100 into a race of tainted creatures known as the Sah'Adowgard. Now known as Gekydo, the Tainted Prince led his new army south in an invasion known as the First Night. Although his army was driven north to the Death Plains, Gekydo waits in the permanent winter to march south once again.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

"*I heard it...the forests of the Reach whispering the name **Bismak**. Second of his Name,*"
—Bismak Aradin on the naming of his son[src]
Bismak, Second of his Name was born of House Aradin, one of the six houses of the First Regency Tribunal, in 476 AC. He was the son of Bismak, First of his Name and the patriarch of the House of Aradin, and an unnamed mother who died giving birth to him. He was the youngest of five children, all of whom treated him with disdain due to their shared belief that he was responsible for their mother's death. As a member of House Aradin, Bismak is a direct descendent of Derek O'Neal, one of the first heroes of Terros.

### The House of Ice

#### Season 1

From a young age, Bismak demonstrated a talent with a blade and was enlisted as an executioner's apprentice, even carrying out some executions himself. He eventually became squire for a famed gladiator, before becoming a knight himself. He earned fame during the Collapse of the First Tribunal, wielding a sword forged from the blade of a Mechanical Menace and infused with a black ice core. His many feats earned him much fame, glory and riches, the jealousy of fellow men and the adoration of women.

As a knight, Bismak participated in many conquests on Terros, slowly developing the common hatred of elves; in Bismak's eyes, an elf that did not accept subjugation did not have the right of life. Bismak held a particular hatred of the Aen Krew of the north, viewing their use of blood magic as unnatural. In the 520s, Bismak assembled an army of ninty-nine of the finest warriors, bowmen and Forever Fire-adhering magic-users which, including himself, became The 100. Bismak marched his army north to wipe out the Aen Krew at their final stronghold, Eirldin. Braving the harsh wintery plains, Bismak and his soldiers wiped out the last of the Aen Krew, their enhanced blades able to easily destroy their magical defences. Breaching the heart of the stronghold, Bismak removed the head of their king himself.

Unbeknownst to Bismak and his army, the Aen Krew had predicted their arrival and had used the last of their resources to forge a curse, the Blight, that quickly spread to the 100 upon the deaths of the elves. This Tainted-derived curse twisted the 100's thirst for conquest and ambition, turning them into pride and cruelty. Now tainted, Bismak claimed the stronghold, and the north, for his army, who became known as the First 100. As the Taint within them grew stronger, it spread to the environment around them: decaying plants in seconds, cracking rocks that had stood for centuries, and even affected the weather. Bismak became the Tainted Prince, leading his army in subjugating the people of the North. As the winter spread to the whole continent, thus began the Longest Night, which lasted for a near-century. The Tainted Prince earned a new name: Gekydo, the King of Darkness, Lord of Nightmares and the Baron of Bones. As the Blight spread, a new race was born under Gekydo's rule: the Sah'Adowgard. Their conquest was only stopped by the Night Wardens, who forced the Sah'Adowgard into the Dead Plains of the Far North, where they gather strength to invade the south once more.

## Overview

### Physical Appearance

Bismak of House Aradin was known as a handsome man with strong features and black hair described as "the colour of midnight".

After being tainted, Bismak's handsome features were twisted into a beast of pure malice by the Blight curse that ravaged his very DNA, turning his skin the colour of winter ice and tightening it so close to his bones that it gives him the appearance of a living skeleton. His striking black hair was turned pure white, and his eyes pure blue,

Gekydo wears a striking set of armour that has proved impenetrable to most blades, including his grey cloak that he wore as a Prince.

## Powers, Equipment and Abilities

### Equipment

* **Allgarwrath**: Gekydo wields the tainted blade known as Allgarwrath, a corrupted form of the Tainted Prince's mythical blade forged from the arm of a Mechanical Menace.

## Trivia

* The title **Gekydo** is derived from the Japanese word **Gekido**, which means wrath, rage or fury.