Helmed Oblivion

The Helmed Oblivion is a violent, enigmatic, horrific humanoid figure of unknown origin or intention. He brings the void in his wake, twisting reality itself. What little evidence of his existence as a normal mortal the Bastion Council has collected states he was an Imperial soldier of rank during the fall of the Teluna Empire, rebelling against central authority following the death of Verinas IV.

## Appearance and Character

The Helmed Oblivion is a giant of a man in dark armor, adorned with a black crowned helmet and wielding a spear and shield of imperial design. There is nothing beneath the helm, but beneath the armor is a corpse with varying degrees of rot held together by mutation. Occasional flickers of ethereal tendrils may lick out from beneath the edges of plate, or a drip of mutant ichor fades into the dirt beneath his boots. The air around him seems to flicker and fade, or burst in vibrant colors that cause the eyes to ache. The sense of being watched exudes from his being in all directions, beyond the sensation of mortals.

He is a figure of dread for those surviving within the Stolen Lands, as where he passes death or enslavement follow. A long history of violence lies within the wake of his step, as his enigmatic designs are wrought upon the world. Mutants, horrific beasts of the beyond, and mind-drained thralls march within the confines of his demesne. He does not entreat or council, he will not listen to words, he has never allied or followed - The Helmed Oblivion takes what he wants, down to the very will of those who defy him.

## History

The Helmed Oblivion's activities are difficult to record or recover. The earliest examples of his effect upon the world are within the Hypocrite's Maw, where his stronghold is located. A black spike of twisting towers and alien architecture sits along the inner edge of the Maw on the southern bank of the Charlatan Strait, channeling the powers of the rupture in reality through constant strikes of lightning or ethereal energy. During the Infernal Invasion of Vireth, a strike of power erupted from the fortress, striking Cania's Keep and wiping it from reality.

At the height of the Siege of New Tempest in the year 1405, a force of voidspawn erupted from the waters off the coast of the city, breaking through both sides of the siege line and dragging their victims off into the jungle of the inner isle. As a black dragon bleeding purple energy passed over the city, witnesses wrote of an explosion deeper within the jungles along the mountainside. The purpose of this attack is unknown to this day.

Witnesses fleeing along the Marcline Deeproad write of the Marchart's resettlement, with lights deep within the fortress' halls. The gates have closed to all comers, blocking the Deeproad access and redirecting traffic through the Deep Folk Road. Voidspawn walk the halls of the Marcline Deeproad, slaughtering whatever dares walk within.

Occasionally, new information will arrive from the Stolen Lands of a black dragon bleeding purple light, marching voidspawn, or a humanoid figure dragging unreality through its wake. These witnesses are often deranged or psychotic, a loose hold on reality all that keeps their fragile minds from dribbling through their mouths. When authorities finally reach the cited locations, they find nothing but the scars of shattered truth.