Hymc'zine Voeg

Hymc'zine Voeg is by far one of if not the most important and influential Pact Devils in recorded history. From being the last Premier Admiral to being a vital organ in the defense of Aristanis against Kinil'grodt Czesser, his exploits are quite numerous and impressive.

## Early Life

Hymc'zine Voeg began his life as a commoner in the Old Valgothian Empire, he, from an early age, was fascinated by the sea and sailing when his parent would take him out on the Northern Sea on their skipper, and possessed rather little interest in combat. He would be thrust into service however during the First Northern Sea War against the Kuo-Toa Empire. His parents would also be conscripted into the defense of the coastline against the Kuo-Toa.

At the time the Valgothian navy consisted of mainly skippers, with 14 heggs (a precursor to the tarvik), whereas the Kuo-Toa had an immense armada that could obliterate their Valgothian counterparts in an instant. Knil'grodt Czesser was also thrust into service unwillingly. Czesser had little desire for leading the Navy, but as First Officer, he must take the place of the Captain who died in an assassination. The assassination was carried out by the Kuo-Toa in an attempt to dissolve any chance of naval interference, but instead they placed Czesser at the head of the fleet. After the assassination, Czesser was fueled with rage that manifested in a new nationalistic zeal, and he set out to destroy every Kuo-Toa he possibly could. Voeg was aboard Czesser's flagship, and quickly rose up to First Officer after a relatively bad scrape with a lone Kuo-Toa galley resulted in his predecessor's death. Being so close to Czesser, Voeg began to learn naval tactics, and even managed to become an intelligent strategist in his own right.

## Naval Service

The two got their first taste of a real struggle when their small fleet encountered a large battle group of Kuo-Toa ships. The Valgothian navy was faster than the Kuo-Toa, and Czesser had Voeg take two heggs and 32 skippers, while the rest of the fleet went with him to set a trap near the mouth of a cave. Voeg had told Czesser that the Kuo-Toa seem to know their advantage and believed their arrogance could be exploited as a very useful weakness. After a little bit of experimentation, Czesser decided to put Voeg's theory to the test. Voeg lured the Kuo-Toa easily, he now just needed to keep them hooked long enough to reach the cave. The cave Czesser had chose was only a few meters deep into a cliff face with a narrow entrance, only big enough for heggs to go through single file.

Voeg successfully slipped through the narrow pass with his portion of the fleet, and the Kuo-Toa fleet chased ever onwards. Once everyone was inside the cave, Voeg turned around and ran towards the Kuo-Toa fleet. The nimble Valgothian ships slipped right between the Kuo-Toa holks, and flooded out the pass into the open ocean. The Kuo-Toa were in disarray, trying to get a bearing on the enemy and pursue them, but their ships' lengths hindered their ability to turn around. Once Voeg was clear, Czesser's fleet came out from hiding and gave the order for the mages to collapse the cave, destroying everyone inside. 121 Kuo-Toa ships had just been annihilated, and the Valgothian fleet had only lost 3 skippers. When reports were confirmed that the fleet was lost the Kuo-Toa Empire immediately began working to hunt down Czesser and Voeg, but the dynamic duo would not be easily caught. They replicated this tactic a couple more times along with a string of other tactical victories. Eventually the Kuo-Toa Empire was forced to halt several offensives due to Voeg and Czesser.

Their actions landed them medal after medal, promotion after promotion. It also landed the Kuo-Toa with defeat after defeat, setback after setback. The war effort was in shambles as the Kuo-Toa fleet was scrapped bit by bit. Eventually, their leadership was forced to sue for peace. The Valgothian Emperor found the idea to bring Czesser and Voeg to the peace talks as "Council Advisors", rather entertaining. The Kuo-Toa were displeased that they couldn't carve out some kind of an edge for future wars. Still, the talks went on, and the two empires were at peace. After the war, Czesser and Voeg were officially brought into the Valgothian Council and given a blank check to make sure the Valgothian Navy would be ready for next time.

## Work with Czesser

Czesser designed nearly every ship in the new fleet, dubbed the Valgothian Armada. Voeg worked along side Czesser, mainly for budgeting, organizing patrol patterns, and creating several field manuals for drill instructors. However he did also design a few small ships in the Armada. Every now and then, Czesser would approach Voeg with a few intriguing questions and a note pad, asking about possible strategies regarding the Kuo-Toa. Second opinions, ideas, possible targets of both sides, and Voeg thought nothing of it. Nevertheless, Czesser would credit Voeg in his clandestine work. Voeg was kept in the dark about a few things, mainly the *Vansiktha Documents* and the Qhu'mithiks. Voeg would then be brought into the fold, being told out of the blue of these secret projects Czesser had been working on. Little by little, Voeg's trust in Czesser was eroded. Voeg entered the Qhu'mithiks with caution while Czesser gave him the grand tour, even taking him on a joy ride across the Northern Sea.

Despite the slow degradation of Voeg's trust in Czesser, they still considered each other brothers for the majority of their lives.