Varren

**Lord Varren** was a primary antagonists of campaign two. He was attempting to use the Devoured to gain the power to halt the chaos of the world, bringing everyone into compliance with his own standards.

## Description

Varren was the family name of a royal family in Oceanside that was eliminated by the crown for treason. Commander Connor McTavitt took up the name when he began his attempt to take over the world. He had a helmet that grants him knowledge, though all who had used this helmet in the past have been overcome by a lust for power that ultimately got them killed by forces of balance, usually in the form of adventurers.

## Biography

### History

McTavitt was formerly the commander for Graum, Dyana, and Igni. He was an aloof "in charge" sort, and believed in the commander keeping a clear strategic picture while leaving tactical decisions to his subordinates.

In a previous situation, McTavitt, Graum, Dyana and Igni, their previous Rogue, along with a contingent of guards, were involved in a conflict protecting a settlement from constant orc attacks. They were baited into an ambush, and found themselves surrounded. Graum was supporting the rear flank, Dyana had the right, Igni the left, and McTavitt had the front. He ordered Graum to help Igni, but Graum disobeyed- he believed (probably correctly) that the rear flank would suffer extensive casualties if he left to support Igni, as much as he wanted to.

Igni's relationship with McTavitt was strained, and Igni was constantly complaining to Graum that McTavitt underestimated their abilities. So Graum believed that Igni could probably handle it, or at least for a bit longer while Graum secured his own tactical position.

But Igni fell, and the flank collapsed. The group recovered, but they were forced out of the field and retreated. When they eventually won, they were unable to locate enough of Igni's body to even consider resurrecting them. McTavitt blames Graum for not following orders, Graum feels guilty but also blames McTavitt for putting them in that situation to begin with. It's been a few years and they've mostly cooled down about it, but it's still a sore spot, especially for Graum.

Later, he would call upon Graum and Dyana for one last Noble quest, to clear the Tomb of Malfeasance of whatever evil still remained. Along with them were Sumit Om, a local druid who acted as their guide, and Orri, a starstruck fan of McTavitt, Dyana, and Graum. There, McTavitt turned against them, resulting in the death of Sumit at the hands of a succubus that worked for him; Graum, who was consumed when Squire Veggrek was killed near him; and the possession of Dyana by an entity who would later be identified as Anguish.

### Campaign Two

The party would encounter Varren in Kulah where had temporarily set up a base of operations. It was here that he explained that he intended to use the Devoured as a power source so he could bring the world into order. He was temporarily defeated at the first ritual site nearby.

They would again encounter him in Bromwich, where the second ritual site was located. He was once again defeated, though only because Kiono was able to get in before him and destroy the location. He nearly defeated the party, but Kitano appeared from Kiono's shadow and was able to hold him off long enough for them to escape.

Their final encounter with him was at Omurem's lair, the location of the third ritual site. The party had arrived moments before Varren, and have watched Omurem depart in that time. They used Sending to tell Omurem about invaders in his home, and the dragon returned and fought with Varren and his strike squad. While Varren ultimately came out as the victor, the party attacked him in his weakened state and were ultimately able to kill him.

After his death, the party opted to burn his body, not wanting to risk him being revived by some misguided follower. As his body burned, the succubus Orphesia appeared and made a deal with Teer, trading a magical helmet for Varren's skull. Varren had apparently made a deal with Orphesia, receiving demonic aid in his endeavors in exchange for helping her in hers. Having just fought several powerful enemies back to back, Teer agreed to the deal.

## Subordinates

### Alain

Main article: Alain
Alain the Bird Caller was a mage who worked for Varren in an attempt to obtain access to a magical item called the Wingbright Pendant. He was able to contact a thunderbird living in the area around Oceanside to assist him in combat, both offensively in battle and to help him escape the Black Citadel after his arrest.

### Elaina

Main article: Elaina
Elaina was a mage who was working for Varren in an attempt to obtain his helmet. She was mute, using a magical suit of mithril armor to allow her to cast without using verbal components. She was Killed by the party at the first ritual site, though her Pendant of Renewed Breath restored her to life. She agreed to work with the party as a spy in order to take down Varren. In exchange, she was to receive his helmet.

### Ghrime

Ghrime was a troll who worked for Varren. He was killed by the party during their battle at the third ritual site.

### G'zerdin

A demon working with Varren for Anguish. He was defeated several times by the party, once in Auguste and again at Omurem's hoard.