Derian the Exile

> "*Kenad? He took my fucking arms!*"
> ― Prince Derian the Exile
>
>

**Prince Derian Theiar**, also known as **Derian the Exile** and **Derian the Slayer**, was an Elvish prince from the Saverian island of Astorna who lived in self-imposed exile in Roulonne during the Time of Troubles. He became renowned for his numerous exploits slaying demons, mutants and witches, and gained particular fame for killing the murderous mutant warlord Kenad Skulltaker - though the Black Elves tend to remember Derian as the slayer of the Black Elf witch, Elbia the Heresiarch.

## Exile

Exactly why Derian was cast out from the Theiar dynasty remains unclear to historians, as the contemporary sources give different causes - though all the sources do seem to imply that this exile was largely self-imposed and voluntary, since if Derian were formally exiled from Astorna then there would surely be evidence of it in Astornian records, when there is not. What most modern historians believe to be the most likely cause is that Derian had some severe falling-out with his family, and desired to escape the increasingly hostile political situation in Astorna and across Saveria as a whole.

Many historians consider it very plausible that the main cause of the self-imposed exile may have been Derian's older brother Pelias, who gained a reputation for his cruel, domineering and somewhat sadistic personality, as well as the alarming rate at which his opponents suffered tragic fatal accidents. Some historians have even suggested that Derian may have been sexually abused by his brother, given that Pelias was accused of rape by both women and men several times throughout his life - though nothing ever came of these accusations, as the accusers all either mysteriously disappeared or suddenly found excuses why they had to move abroad.

Derian moved to Roulonne when he was aged sixteen, purchasing a townhouse in Louignon. His move was clearly planned well in advance, as he had been moving money into assets in Loquienne for several months, enabling him to live in relative comfort off his investments, with enough spare to employ some servants. Derian rapidly found himself growing bored, however, so he spent his time learning a wide variety of hobbies, especially martial arts and the use of magic.

## Hunting the Skulltaker

Derian's crusade against Kenad Skulltaker began when Kenad and his mutant warband raided and slaughtered a merchant convoy which Derian was accompanying. Kenad flattened the ribcage of Derian's bodyguard and tore off both of Derian's arms, leaving him to bleed to death. As Derian was later keen to point out to the mutant, this one act was Kenad's greatest error; assuming that Derian would die from his wounds and not finishing the job was a mistake that would later prove fatal.

Barely kept alive by his own healing magic, the now-armless and slightly delirious Derian shambled towards the nearest settlement, carrying his purse of coins in his teeth. In a turn of good fortune, the modest town of Sougallen which Derian stumbled into had an Elvish magical doctor who was able to bring Derian back to health. The next morning, the furious Derian vowed to Acras - the Elvetan god of war, who himself has a prosthetic arm - that he would slay the mutant who took his arms and present the beast's head as a sacrifice.

Derian returned to his home in Louignon and resolved to acquire magical prosthetics - killing Kenad would be impossible if he had no arms, so he had to acquire artificial ones. However, procuring custom-built arms from the Librarians of Feronar proved to be prohibitively expensive, and contacting Feronar was becoming more difficult as quarantine regulations became stricter through the Time of Troubles. Derian was able to source a third-hand pair of arms in Roulonne, which mostly fit his body, though he was forced to sell almost all of his possessions and assets to be able to afford them.

Derian made a living as a bounty hunter and mercenary, soon gaining a reputation for the skill with which he slew demons, mutants and witches. His greatest success in his early years was the killing of Elbia the Heresiarch, a Black Elf witch preaching a foul demonic cult. Though the bounty on her head was very small, Derian pursued her for months solely because Elbia had also replaced her arms with magical prosthetics, and her prosthetics were far superior to his; the low payout from delivering her corpse to the authorities was irrelevant compared to the massive reward that was her exquisitely crafted arms. Derian and Elbia had very similar builds, so the arms also fit Derian better as well as being of a higher quality.

Derian then dedicated himself to finding information about the mutant who took his arms, learning that he was a powerful warlord named Kenad Skulltaker, who led the greatest mutant host ever seen. Derian worked with monster hunters across Roulonne to strike blows against Kenad's warhost, before - after many years - Kenad was caught by Derian and his fellow hunters with only his honour guard to defend him. Derian demanded to face Kenad in a duel, and after a lengthy struggle in which both fighters took grievous wounds, Derian tore out Kenad's heart and cut off his head.

As promised, Derian delivered Kenad's head to a temple of Acras, and he received a massive reward from the Roulonnais authorities for killing the most dangerous mutant to ever live, enabling him to continue his old life of relative luxury. However, Derian once again found himself growing incredibly bored, and he soon heeded the call of adventure and returned to a life of hunting monsters until his age forced him to retire.