Kossuth, Champion of Pelor

Kossuth is the flamelord champion of Pelor, and his domain is fire. Servants of Kossuth often view the flames as pure and its touch as cleansing.

### **Ascendancy**

Legends tell of how the mortal who would become Kossuth attained such ascendancy. The mortal, Evendûr, was a paladin of Pelor. He traveled the world alongside his two companions, and it was in these journeys his fate for ascendancy was sealed.

Having traveled many weeks into a wild and dark forest, they came upon a grove, where a single willow tree stood at the center. His companion, Faerian of the Barrows, saw a man clad in ragged garbs, raven haired, who knelt at the base of this tree. As the three closed, the man turned and softly whispered a warning: "She is here, you cannot survive.". Anders, battle brother of Evendûr, inquired who 'she' was, but the man faded to dusk. And the lone willow burst into flames, yet the flames did not hurt the willow. A warning or a welcome, a sign it was regardless. It burned an entire night, and come dawn, the flames died down.

They continued into the dark forest, and was beset by a pack of dire wolves, and a shagged wolf-man, and only through the blessing of Pelor was the wolf-man staved off as they fought and survived the dire wolves' onslaught. The wolf-man retreated back to a ruined fortress, and giving chase, the three followed. Inside this fortress they met half-dragons, their skin glistening red. Another battle took place, yet again Evendûr and his friends prevailed.

The half-dragons defeated, Anders discovered a chiseled passage underneath the fortress, and with Faerian's tracking skills, they navigated the ancient maze, to come into a massive underground cavern. A army of half-dragons, all red-scaled, were hiding in this cavern and were preparing for war. And in the middle of this cavern was a giant ziggurat. Faerian stealthed his way through the buzzing army, and climbed to the top of the ziggurat. The ziggurat's top lay open, a large section of the roof built to allow access in and out. And in it was an enormous red dragon, atop its treasure pile. The dragon spoke with its mages, and their plan was to lay waste to the cities nearby.

Faerian returned to Evendûr and Anders, and they knew that if they did not warn the kingdom of this threat, it would be pillaged. And as such, Faerian began a ritual of transportation, to open a portal back to the nearest city. Yet during the channeling of this spell they were discovered and the half-dragons, lead by the wolf-man lead a bloodied battle. And during this battle, the wolf-man called to his master. The dragon stirred, fire licking out of the ziggurat.

As it rose, Evendür and Anders held off the half-dragons, flinging them off the edges of the dark chasms, as Faerian channeled his spell, and fired arrows. And with one such arrow, they managed to blind one of the dragon's eyes, buying them precious seconds. But even as the spell completed, the dragon was upon them. The portal to safety opening, the dragon's mouth breathing in and heat building up, it was thanks to Evendûr that Anders and Faerian survived. For he sought strength from Pelor, and found enough power to hold of the dragon's molten breath long enough for his friends to escape. And as they jumped through the portal, they saw Evendûr melting away.

Yet as they mourned the loss of their friend, they warned the kingdom of the secret army. And in the coming war, the kingdom was prepared. For such a sacrifice, Pelor saved Evendûr. His soul ascended as one with the flames which brought him his final test. And as such, he became known as Kossuth, the Lord of Flames.