Dura son of Sell

"Dura son of Sell, he who bathed in the light of the desecration, he who walks in the shadow of the before time, enemy of the daystar, master of the tooth blade, slayer of metal beasts, father of one hundred bastards, bearer of many trophies, overlord of the pit, sultan of the blood, water giver, death denier, king of kings, alpha of the pack, primus dominus!" ~ Dura's herald

   Sell the mystic, the dark wanderer, first of his clan, father of Dura was a travelling sage, an explorer of the wastelands who would travel from the many different techno-barbarian settlements, bringing rare materials and forgotten knowledge, and trading then for seemingly useless items and favors.

Sell, in truth, was originally a follower of Mendul, holding one of the highest positions within the circles, until in following his unending ambition, betrayed Mendul in a failed uprising. Quickly noticing that the attempt of his cabal to breach the Sanctum, he fled the pyramid with all the stolen technology he could carry, and not before activating the pre-fall security system and sealing the pyramid behind him.

But it is not so easy to escape Mendul’s wrath, and Sell would soon find that many of his cybernetics began to shut off, and most of the stolen items would refuse to activate. However, the dark secrets that he learned were still with him, and a plan was formulated. He would raise a son, a being of his own flesh and blood, and in him he would pour all of the enhancements he could, and when he was mature, he would transfer his consciousness onto him. So he followed the plan, years wandering the wastes, trading with savages that barely understood the relics that they held, wearing a façade of benefactor, just so that he would be free, and would have his revenge. And still, even after all that time, the curse of Mandul was too strong. He failed to overpower his son, and Dura slayed his father.

Meanwhile, trapped beneath a pyramid that once was his salvation, Mandul whispered. Whispered to explorers, to lead shells, to marauders and cultists. He whispered through the air, through the ground and water, and even through the minds, of any who would pass by the pyramid. Promises of power and eternity, for a simple price : Freedom, and vengeance.

Dura would go on to slay the Alpha of a now forgotten tribe and led them in a raid of ancient ruins occupied by teriads. The slain teriads were stripped, their mechnical hides roughly welded into metal-hide-armor for his warriors.

   When Dura returned to his people with his teriad-armored warriors they found their tribe obliterated. The lands they once called home were scorched and lifeless. In the distance a glistening winged beast could be seen flying towards the horizon. Dura's men would swear a blood oath to avenge their people. They rode their bug mounts for days without sleep. When the beast finally landed and they drew close they saw the beast clearly for the first time. It had the form of the great flying serpents of the north and east but it moved like the teriads and gleamed with the same metal skin. Dura's finest warrior knew the beast as Sievert the desecration. The beast was laired in the glass deserts, the air was filled with dust that made them cough blood and the heat softened parts of their relics. Half of his men died of exposure before they reached the beasts lair. Within the melted structure ancient chains hung like cobwebs. The creature sat atop a massive dais, connected by ropes of metal to great humming pillars of dust coated stone and glass. The beast did not stir while they approached so Dura ordered his men to cut the ancient chains with burning water. When the chains were finally cut free Dura's men surrounded the beast and prepared to entangle the desecrator to prevent its escape and hobble it. When the first chain landed across the metal behemoth, it exploded into action. Three men died with a single lash of its tail, cut in half in its wake. Four more died impaling the beast with their sun spears pinning the creature to the dais. As the creature began to panic Dura's men felt confident in the last moment of their lives. Brilliant light burst from the creatures mouth and all but one of Dura's comrades were turned into greasy ash. Overcome with rage and grief Dura charged up the now toppled stone and glass pillar next to the beast and lept from it to sever the metal serpent's neck
Even as Dura delivered an impossibly might blow he was engulfed in the beasts light. Kork, Dura's last raider, dragged the mortally wounded Dura from the glass desert and prayed to the ancestors to spare his friend. They would travel for days to reach the nearest tribe and exchange a relic for their healer to aid Dura. The healer would not accept payment as Dura would surely die no matter what he did. Kork wept for his friend and prepared a funeral pyre. As he went to collect his friend to place him upon the pyre he found him standing and rearming himself, burned still and badly disfigured but alive. Dura gave him little time to rejoice as they set about conscripting the tribe into aiding them claim the great beasts remains and recover their fallen.