recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Sceledrus Kane

*"There exists an exchange of trust between the ruler and the ruled. Abuse that from either direction and all mutual agreements are nullified."*

-Sceledrus Kane

## History

The soldier Sceledrus Kane was a compatriot of the other two preeminent warriors of Stormhold, Sid Blackwood and Duvark Greysteel. While Blackwood became a general on the kingdom's frontier, and Greysteel became bodyguard and chief military adviser to King Rainer, Kane commanded troops in the capital. He was held in high regard and respected by his men, so when he launched a military coup against the ailing King Rainer, he surprised his friends and attracted a large number of soldiers to his banner. Though Kane's ostensibly rebelled in order to overthrow a self-evidently incapable monarch and restore order to the kingdom, his soldiers ran wild and sacked the capital before being driven into the wilderness. As they retreated and regrouped, Kane resorted to recruiting bandits and common criminals, stealing from civilians, and sacking villages for supplies. Many of these new recruits operated semi-independently from Kane, were loyal to their own thuggish commanders, and used the chaos as an opportunity to indiscriminately loot and pillage. Allying himself with the duergar, he conquered a mine near Harkenhill and enslaved some locals, forcing them to excavate ore for some mysterious purpose.

Kane eventually reached out to his old friend Sid Blackwood, now the Mayor of Harkenhill, urging him to join forces, and if not, threatening him with war if he did not give over supplies. Blackwood was angry and upset to see the drastic change in Kane's personality, and he was not alone in suspecting foul play - perhaps some of the cultists had laid a curse on him? Kane was discovered to be under some kind of enchantment, but he had seemingly sunken into evil ways of his own accord, and openly acknowledged the existence of a new, unknown master. At the orders of Lord Varron, he set up a mining operation in Stormhold, building a fortress to serve as a launching point for a future invasion. He was killed at the bottom of the mine by the Steel Jackals, magically compelled to fight to the death. Even surrounded and outnumbered, he fought five foes at once to a near-standstill.

## Personality

*"He deserved better."*

-Sid Blackwood

Sceledrus Kane was widely respected, and those who knew him in the past pointed to him as an exemplar of soldierly virtues. Those who knew him more recently reported that he had grown more aggressive in more years, but knew of no unusual or mysterious behavior, friends, or possessions. By the time his rebellion was in full swing, Sceledrus Kane was little better than a brigand; it was testament to old reputation that many reasonable individuals still thought he might be a better alternative to King Rainer.

Sceledrus Kane preferred to fight with a bow, or with a sword in one hand, without a shield. Even after his fall, he was even-tempered, reasonably open, and forthright, but always on his guard.
Santiago Highdark

### Relatives

Felicia Highdark (wife), Katerina Highdark (daughter), Amelia Highdark (daughter), Anna Highdark (daughter)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Grey

*"My dear countrymen, you remind me how little our culture has advanced. The world is cruel, it doesn't have to be ugly."*

-Santiago Highdark

## History

Highdark was the most powerful man of his era, when Padishah Shaul was removed from the minutiae of rule, and the Grand Vizier was working in Al Dijar. He was a Warlock, who had made a pact with Orcus, who gave Highdark the power to rule Al Basazar, if only he would turn it into a city of undead. Highdark was given the Wand of Orcus, but he tried to destroy it, and refused to carry out the pact. The attempt created an arcane storm, animating all the dead in his house, who tormented him as ghosts. Shortly afterward, Highdark was deposed by the other Guild Masters, who forced him into retirement. He died of old age shortly thereafter. His mansion fell into disuse, and became a refuge for the darkness of Al Basazar. It was he who turned Al Basazar into a city of light and color.

Highdark was responsible for building the Highdark Children’s Library, the Highdark Medical Center, the Highdark Charitable Foundation, and the Highdark Orphanage.

Highdark was the son of a travelling merchant and a prostitute. He has three daughters, the eldest, Katerina, and twins, Amelia and Anna. Katerina killed herself after her father poisoned Isaac, a prospective husband he did not approve of.

## Personality

*"But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings. Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid."*

-Santiago Highdark

Tyrannical Grand Guildmaster of Al Basazar and builder of Highdark Hall. Wealthiest man in Aglazdere, beloved for his negotiating skills, fervent nationalism, and philanthropy. Also a philanderer, demon worshipper, and pathological liar. Consolidated all power by forcing the other Guildmasters and merchant leaders of Al Basazar to live in his mansion. Lusted after Rose, one of the few women to ever refuse him. Had a rivalry with Grand Vizier Mazhar.
Nox of Oddrentyn

*"I'll let you in on a little secret. Do you know what keeps my weapons sharp? The bones of my enemies."*

-Nox of Oddrentyn

## History

The son of a high-ranking priest in Oddrentyn, Nox was believed to be descended from the dragon that originally killed the city's human inhabitants. He rose through the ranks of the priesthood and nobility, eventually claiming the title of king for himself. Many opposed him, but his followers were numerous enough to secure his power. At his orders, propaganda was disseminated proclaiming him a sort of living saint among the Kobolds, a prophet sanctioned to rule them until the dragons returned.

## Personality

King Nox was cautious and paranoid, trusting no one and using others as tools. He believed that only power would keep him safe, and instituted regular purges amongst the nobility and priesthood to keep them in a state of fear. Towards the end of his life, the cynical and power-hungry Kobold began to truly believe his delusions of grandeur, and only then did his instincts begin to slip.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

King Nox sat out the War of the Philosopher-Kings, turning away emissaries from Nadezhda and dismissing them as inconsequential.

## After the War

Many ambitious Kobolds were chafing under what they saw as the stifling rule of the increasingly aged and reclusive king, but it would not be by the hands of his underlings that King Nox fell. Emerging from his crumbling palace for the first time in years, Nox instituted one of the most vicious purges yet, killing real and perceives enemies, and even some of his most loyal followers out of sheer spite. With the city cowed and reeling, a small cabal of expatriate Nadezhdans, still resentful over King Nox's refusal to aid them in the War of the Philosopher-Kings, provided the Ratfolk followers of Cendehl Rahk with the weapons and supplies needed to conquer Oddrentyn. As his city fell, King Nox hid in his palace, until he was dragged out and sacrificed on an altar to the god of the Ratfolk.
The Windwalker

*"I prey upon minds in sleep. It finds the savage hunger within my host. I incubate in that red space. The craving curse. The greed virus. Transmitted down the generations. Every morning, my victim wakes up hungrier, more covetous. Those they hate, they want to devour out of spite. Those they love, they want to devour out of lust — to become a locket containing a gory cameo. After all, someone in your belly can never leave you. The first mouthful of fellow flesh transforms the soul-sick wretch forever. More sickness than species, their accursed metabolism is a torture: however much they consume, they can never be sated. The black hole can only widen. It is a cycle of feast, famine, and fury. The cycle stretches my unnaturally long lifespan..."*

-The Windwalker

## History

The son of an unholy union between the gods Iborighu and Auril, the Windwalker was an abomination created to usher in an age of eternal winter. He was defeated and imprisoned in a an alliance between Jotunheim, the Reich Nördlich, and Nadezhda.

## Personality

A young deity, the Windwalker had not yet formed a coherent sense of self. It was the child of hate, a primal, eldritch force given life by a profane union. It sought only to bury the world in ice, and waged war with mindless fury.

## Legacy

Though he was imprisoned in a monument known as the Tomb of the Windwalker, the fearsome god lived on in the plague known as Wendigo Psychosis. The plague was largely eradicated by the time of the War of the Philosopher-Kings, but sprung up with a vengeance amongst the degenerate Leng Folk who lived near the Northern Dome, spawning a Windwalker Wendigo, a shard of the god who preyed upon them. Only when the Leng Folk fled south did the creature eventually starve to death, but found new life when the Hexenjäger Corps from the Northern Administrative Zone Outpost turned to cannibalism. The Hexenjägers themselves transformed into Wendigos, while Gauleiter Traugott Jans, who held out for the longest, transformed into the Windwalker Wendigo again.

## The Great Awakening

The Windwalker would burst free from his prison in the Tomb of the Windwalker, and afflict Nadezhda with a deadly outbreak of Wendigo Psychosis.
The Herman Brothers

*"This is just a game. Everything in this city is one giant contest for power, one that we will win.”*

-The Herman Brothers

## History

Former adventurers, the Herman Brothers are a story in courage, duplicity, and the careful manipulation of institutional frameworks. Peter and Andreas Herman were rare changeling identical twins who shared an unusually close bond; they were said to share the same soul. The brothers learned to make and use guns from their human uncle, who wished them to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of their hag mother. The brothers were cautious, and did not challenge the hag directly. They adventured through the city of Dragonsmouth, making allies and enemies along the way and getting their hands on magic, technology, and knowledge aplenty. When they challenged their mother at last, they did so from the shadows, determined and prepared. It did not bring them the triumph and solace they thought, for though they had avenged their father, those who knew them reviled them as matricides. Offended, Peter and Andreas retreated somewhat from society, founding a bank with the money they had amassed as adventurers. Each of them took turns serving as the public face of the bank, while the other would live out other lives in disguise. This they continued to do until their district or Korvosa was plunged into war when the Grey Maidens challenged the Dragonsmouth Army for control of the Waygate. The Herman Brothers arrived on the scene and defended the Korvosans from both sides, first by throwing their financial might behind the war effort, and then on the front lines with guns in hand. For this they became heroes overnight, and when the dust settled, they were quick to profit from the chaos, investing heavily in the rebuilding of ruined institutions. Their wealth ballooned, and soon everyone in their sliver of former Korvosa owed them respect and favors. Peter and Andreas were active in the struggle for control in the district, but they differed from their rivals in a few key respects. They did not seek to bite off more then they could chew, and they were more interested in creating lasting systems then in exerting force. Within a short time, the South Merchant District, as it came to be called, was indisputably theirs. Their newfound subjects appreciated the brothers’ focus on peace and prosperity, as well as their aversion of risky expansionism. Indeed, many merchants seeking to start a new life moved to the South Merchant District to get a loan from the brothers’ bank. It helped that behind their peaceful facade, the brothers were willing to get their hands dirty, discreetly, making use of their guns and disguises to keep their hand-won peace.

## Personality

In the modern day, the Herman Brothers are the wealthiest family in all Dragonsmouth, and dedicated to preserving the city’s exchange rate. They are among those warlords with an interest in the status quo, and they must walk a fine line between keeping their debtors in line without making enemies, a line they walk by making sure that any enmity is annihilated, one way or another.
Mera-hba-sahu of Akkhe

## History

Mera-hba-sahu was an older cousin of Pharaoh Akhenaten III, to whom he served as Grand Vizier, and a powerful sorcerer in his own right. At some point, he secretly had himself embalmed in order to attain undeath, a fact he hid from the priests.

## Personality

Mera-hba-sahu craved power and scorned the gods; because he scorned the gods he feared death and would do anything to stave it off. Unlike his cousin who sought the Philosopher's Stone, Mera-hba-sahu put no stock in foreign legends and embraced undeath. Mera-hba-sahu only cares about the royal dynasty in the sense that he takes great pride in being a part of it, and sees Akkhe as his personal dominion, of which he is both a king and a living god.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

Mera-hba-sahu served his cousin loyally during the war, administering the capital while the Pharaoh commanded troops in battle in defense of the Great River. When Ashkethis fell under siege at the hands of the troops from the Final Empire, Mera-hba-sahu raised many undead and took to the battlefield, proving himself a sorcerer to be feared. After the wholesale destruction of Akkhe's civil infrastructure, Akhenaten had himself prematurely mummified and interred out of shame for his defeat. Mera-hba-sahu himself felt no shame, and as the most prominent living member of the royal dynasty, took the crown for himself.

## After the War

Mera-hba-sahu fought many battles to secure his reign, and killed numerous rival members of the royal dynasty. He is loathed by many within the various priesthoods, but has total mastery over his largely undead subjects. He is content to dismiss the conquest of Aglazdere by Shangare as a spat between equally hated foreigners; he despises Aglazdere for abandoning Akkhe during the War of the Philosopher-Kings, but he knows that Kuldeep of Shangare is nothing more than a vile demon.
Ilar Goronwy

*"Parasites seldom altogether abandon a monarch so long as the crown still glitters on his head."*

-Ilar Goronwy

## History

Once considered the most powerful Guildmaster, Ilar Goronwy lost a vast portion of his fortune when Guildhall burnt down, particularly through insurance claims. Nonetheless, he has been an important part of the rebuilding process, and his connections and contingencies have been enough to keep him in a place of power and influence.

## Personality

A cautious and measured man, Ilar Goronwy was careful not to make any enemies, and to honor his word in business and political commitments. He was considered a compromise candidate for the crown, being seen as inoffensive to the other Guildmasters, and a steady hand at rulership.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

Ilar Goronwy would survive the attack by Atlantean forces with his business holdings largely intact. Upon Queen Mercy's capture, he would be chosen by his fellow surviving Guildmasters as the new King of Guilddon. As the new ruler of Guilddon, he would peruse a policy of resistance to Atlantis, refusing to accept any terms for hostage negotiation. This would earn him some criticism, from those who thought he was willing to discard Queen Mercy so that he could himself hold on to power. Upon learning of Orval Royce's rebellion against Franz Forrawyn, he would repudiate Orval Royce's actions. This move would pay off, for Guilddon would retain its alliance with Reise Forrawyn, in her capacity as Kaiserin of the Reich. In Guilddon's time of great vulnerability, the new King could not afford to alienate its neighbors.

## After the War

With Mercy having abandoned Guilddon, the Reich gave Guilddon a set number of years before declaring Ilar Goronwy's government illegitimate. The Reich conquered Guilddon swiftly, and Ilar Goronwy negotiated a peace settlement wherein he was allowed to abdicate and grant his business holdings to his eldest son.
Mexik

*"This is the forest primeval. Never forget: we walk on hell, gazing at flowers."*

-Mexik

## History

A great druid and one of the five champions, Mexik founded the Azure Grove, a society of druids in the dark pass southeast of Stormhold. After becoming undead, Mexik would enter hibernation, and the Azure Grove would wither away.

During the dragon war, Mexik would initiate Skree and Zold Nobleroar into the Azure Grove, and send them around the continent to awaken dying groves.

## Personality

In undeath, Mexik was detached and somewhat cold. His aim was the protection of nature as a whole, and he had shed his humanity long ago. His favored form was that of a gargantuan undead bear.
O'Rangus

*“Surely if man knew what bitterness fate held in store, they would shrink back in fear and let the cup of life pass them by untasted.”*

 -O'Rangus

## History

O'Rangus lived in his own mysterious plane of existence, where he plotted for years to build the Pillars which would bear his name, so that he might achieve dominion over fate itself. O'Rangus could steal the essences of living beings and control them directly, setting up a network of unwitting pawns. Much of his plan was engineered towards the invasion of Prime Material Plane, and the creation of a host body. To this end, he possessed the demon lord Xiloxi Drutreu, initiated the Demon Wars, and engineered the fall of the Empire of Arendur. He almost achieved victory, but lowered his guard to personally negotiate with Tolumvire of Arendur after Drutreu's death. He was attacked by Bolgar of Ragnarok, who killed him before he could react, escape, or mount of a defense. He became the first Awakened One to die.

## Personality

The Great Old One of fate, domination, and the perversion of order and good. O'Rangus hid his vulnerable physical body in his own plane of existence, operating through host bodies. His true form was that of a shadowy, tendrilled humanoid. Calm and reasonable in demeanor, he was amoral and solipsistic, employing ingenuity, cruelty, and conquest in his destructive quest. He wished to become the Hand of Fate so that he might treat life with fairness rather than indifference, but had no qualms regarding the amount of suffering he had to inflict on way there. For all his power, he was noted to have a vulnerable physical form, such that he would be slain with one blow from the Black Blade of Disaster.

## Legacy

Ever since the death of O'Rangus, the title of Messenger of the Outer Gods has been held by a mortal.
Nelgeroth

*"Dogma is like tough meat. It is best well-chewed. Faith, hate, vengeance and truth; these are our tenets. Embrace them."*

-Nelgeroth

## History

The depraved wizard Nelgeroth was unfamous even before his fall to undeath, as the Kingdom of Stormhold had a bounty picture of him as a human, and summoned adventurers from around the land to hunt him and him down. Nelgeroth led a cult known as the Burning Head, which worshipped the evil deities of the human pantheon and venerated the undead specifically. Nelgeroth's human followers were imbued with the power to self-immolate both at command and upon the moment of their death; in addition, the wizard was served by numerous undead, goblinoids, trolls, and lesser spellcasters, particularly evil priests.

Nelgeroth served a mysterious master named Lord Vanis, who communicated with him by letter. His final task involved in some manner bringing a demon into the world.

By the time he was finally cornered, the undead and monstrous Nelgeroth no longer resembled his human self. Though he was surrounded by undead minions, he nearly single-handedly killed the entire Stormhold Adventurer's Guild, but was finally cornered and slain by the paladin Raynald. When he died, his body turned to dust.

## Follower of the Tenebrous Legion

After the death of the dragon Nethrazi, Johannes Forrawyn would offer her blood at Nelgeroth's altar in order to unwittingly revive him. It came to light that Nelgeroth was a servant of the Dark Lady, the head of the Tenebrous Legion, a society of enslaved demon worshippers determined to scour the world of life. He had pretended to serve the dragons, and was found out by Nethrazi, who ordered his killing.

Forrawyn and Nelgeroth would join forces and travel to Bloodfall Labyrinth to free the Dark Lady, putting them in opposition to every faction in Löthur. Nonetheless, the two despised one another.

## Personality

Whatever Nelgeroth's original human motivations were, they were long ago subsumed into the cruel, calculating wickedness of an undead mage. He was dispassionate and contemptuous, and likely had little free will by the time of his demise.

The resurrected Nelgeroth was detached and fatalistic, but possessed a slight sense of irony. His comments to Johannes Forrawyn suggested that he thought mortal humanoids were simultaneously quick to violence but lacking in true resolve.
Parsifal Garver

*“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. Diplomacy is the velvet glove that cloaks the fist of power.”*

 -Parsifal Garver

## History

A bright young man born to the nobility, Parsifal Garver was fast tracked to success. He attended the Hauptstadt Academy for the Sciences, where he excelled, and was subsequently appointed to the diplomatic corps. He first served in the embassy in Ragnarok, a post that was considered easy and inconsequential, before being promoted to Ambassador to Ragnarok. When a vacancy opened up at the embassy to World's End, he lobbied hard for the job, despite its difficult, importance, and his own relative lack of qualifications. His connections and charm were enough to earn him the post, and he served well. From there, he was appointed to become the youngest Minister of Foreign Affairs in the history of the Reich. And yet he is ambitious still, and has set his sight on the highest office in the land - Kaiser of the Reich. Whether he must marry Reise Forrawyn, or succeed her after her death, matters not to him.

## Personality

Witty and urbane, Parsifal Garver is a polyglot well-versed in the art of negotiation. He is an eager student of other cultures, considering himself a citizen of the world. If he has a fault, it is his distance from his country of birth, and he polite but ill-disguised contempt for the Hexenjägers. Though he knows the history of the War of the Philosopher-Kings, he does not take the warnings of the past seriously. From his respective, the Hexenjägers are an embarrassing subject matter that he must often explain away when dealing with his counterparts in other nations.

## The Great Awakening

Parisfal Garver would remain as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Alexander Braband, and receive the additional title of First Minister. After the fall of the Reich Nördlich at the hands of Nadezhda, he would negotiate a peace settlement in which the Reich Nördlich would become a province of Nadezhda. He himself would join the Nadezhdan Council of Ministers, as the representative of the new province.
Lanzo Voll

*"Sorcery, that is the heart of the problem. Magic obviates the need for invention, beyond certain basic requirements, of course. And so we remain eternally stifled."*

-Lanzo Voll

## History

A career military office, Lanzo Voll left the army upon attaining the rank of Colonel, perused an advantageous marriage, and rose up in the ranks of the Reich's civil service. He was eventually appointed Minister of Commerce, a role with little practical value in a nation as poor and closed off as the Reich.

## Personality

Ambitious, careerist, and talented, Lanzo Voll was perpetually frustrated by what he saw as the Reich's backwardness. He was held in disdain by the Hexenjägers, who saw him as a useless pen pusher amidst warrior-aristocrats.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

At the opening of the War, Lanzo Voll was dispatched to Guilddon, where he negotiated the marriage pact between Franz Forrawyn and Queen Mercy. He was charged with setting up a logistical partnership with the guilds to ensure a smooth exchange of goods and supplies between the two nations during the war. Though Voll relished the opportunity to deploy his talents, he was held in scorn by the Guildmasters, who saw him much as he saw his own compatriots - hidebound, backwards, and autocratic. After the war, Voll welcomed the ascent of Reise Forrawyn, seeing a fulfilling future for himself in the new empire.

## After the War

Though not a Hexenjäger, Lanzo Voll was appointed as the first Gauleiter of Guilddon, where his knowledge of commerce and trade was invaluable. For the purposes of continuity, he was given the rank of Special Agent General in the Hexenjägers, which rankled many of the old guard. He served successfully in this post till his death.
Merbol

### Aliases

His Imperial Majesty the Twin-Emperor of the Final Empire, Son of Heaven, Autocrat of All under Heaven, and Lord of Ten Thousand Years

### Relatives

Monopoly (brother), Jang (daughter), Sharra (daughter), Tolumvire (son-in-law), Ramander (grandson)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Brown

*“We are all interludes in history, a drawn breath to make pause in the rush, and when we are gone, those breaths join the chorus of the wind. But who listens to the wind?”*

-Merbol

## History

Merbol and his brother Monopoly were the twin sons of heirs of the Dragon Emperor, who entrusted the Final Empire to both of them. Before long, the warmongering Monopoly came to the conclusion that the nation would be better if he ruled alone. Allying himself with a collection of heroes, Monopoly overthrew and killed his brother, before seizing the Thunderdome for himself. Before he died, Merbol's daughters Sharra and Jang were spirited to safety to the town that would become Arendur.

Merbol was brought back from the dead by Tolumvire, who saw his overthrow and murder as a historic wrong. He and his the Final Empire's historic nobility, the Cards, were housed in the terrestrial city of Oranor, while Tolumvire and the Illuminated remained in the floating city of Arendur. Merbol was sidelined by the ruling class of Arendur, and Tolumvire himself came to feel great contempt for the Emperor's stubbornness and passivity, just as his arch-nemesis Monopoly had before him. Nonetheless Tolumvire dreamed of a greater nation, which he called Rainis, with Merbol as a constitutional monarch. This plan would be dashed by the Arendur-Ragnarok War.

After the fall of Arendur, and the relocation of Arendur's population to Oranor, Emperor Merbol's house of cards collapsed. Frustrated with the loss of authority, Merbol approached Doctor Curtin to request a dangerous magitech/alchemical surgery to empower him as an individual. Merbol was convalescent and comatose when Tolumvire returned from his exile, and Tolumvire seized the opportunity, marrying his heiress Jang, forcing her to sign his abdication papers, and secretly ordering Curtin not to wake him up.

Merbol perished during the fall of Oranor during the Demon Wars, a wretched death for a once great monarch.

## Personality

Merbol was reckoned as the gentler of the two sons of the Dragon Emperor, but the hagiography that sprung up after his death, portraying him as a wise and just ruler, was overblown. Merbol was a dignified and decorous man, but slow to action, stubborn, disconnected, and preoccupied with holding rather than using his power.
Varro Eder

*"Never unsheathe without reason. Never sheathe without honor. When I raise this hammer, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life."*

-Varro Eder

## History

Master-at-arms at the Black Rose Convent, renowned as one of the greatest living paladins in Löthur. Eder could no longer abide by the heresies and atrocities of Drynn Ancar, and rallied like-minded members of the Convent to overthrow him and bring him to justice.

## Personality

An embodiment of chivalric virtue, Varro Eder pursued justice even when doing so conflicted with his oaths of loyalty. He was not afraid to take up arms against his brethren if he felt that they had stayed from the path of righteousness. He gave all foes quarter, and wished to capture Drynn Ancar alive rather than kill him without trial. He sought the guidance of the divine, and did not hate the elves with the same fanaticism as the rest of his order.

In battle, Varro Eder was accompanied by a coterie of priests who blessed him, including raising his stature to giant-like proportions and sharing the burden of his injuries.
Thief Guilds

## Famous Members

* Blackjack - Guildmaster of the Final Empire and later Guildmaster of Arendur, backer of the Arendurian Great Crusade
* Kiefer "Blackjack" Caron - Guildmaster of New Arendur, leader of the Widowmaker gang
* Stannis Mako - Guildmaster of World's End, protector of the human refugees
* Kaa Kar - Guildmaster of World's End, protector of the human refugees and leader of the Kaar
* Thane Sackville - Guildmaster of Guilddon, adviser to Queen Mercy
* Welvog Tare - Guildmaster of Rhomduil and later Archon of Mydra Tura, ended up on the Holy Council
Warmaster

## Use in Darguzze

Warmaster is a title given bestowed by orcish shamans upon the orcish warlord who they percieve as carrying out the will of the gods.

* Mudagog, Warmaster of the Ghost Fangs
* Vitgurat, Warmaster of the Bitter Void

## Use in Arendur

The post of Warmaster was conceived by Tolumvire of Arendur to be similar to that of a wartime dictator, bestowed on an individual during time of war. For the duration of the conflict, the Warmaster would be able to harness all the resources of the state. The choice of title reflected the fact that its inaugural holder, Curtin, was himself an orc.

* Curtin, Warmaster of the Great Crusade
* Arazon, Warmaster of the Frostfell Unification
* Helga Answith, Warmaster of the Shadow War
* Isaac Icarus, Warmaster of the Long War

## Use in World's End

The title of Warmaster was claimed by Count Cosimo Abbascia, who defeated the orc warlord (and Warmaster) Mudagog during the War of the Philosopher-Kings. Aldebrandi was aware of the title's Arendurian use, and thought to appropriate it in a similar (but permanent) fashion.

* Cosimo Abbascia, Warmaster of the Army at the End of the World
Serghei Bran

### Aliases

The Cannibal Headhunter, the Bone Knight, the Pain Taster, the Fourth Most Dangerous

## Physical description

### Eye color

White

*“What do you despise? By this are you truly known. Try looking into that place where you dare not look! You'll find me there, staring out at you!”*

-Serghei Bran

## History

Serghei Bran was born in a distant, now-extinct tribe that practiced the consumption of foes slain in personal combat. A mighty warrior, Serghei Bran yearned to hunt down the perfect opponent and devour them. During the Akkho-Nameryan War, he was recruited to become one of the first Techno-Barbarians. He resisted, killing countless Nameryan soldiers before being eventually captured and tortured so badly he became crippled. He was then locked away in Whisperwind Asylum as an example to others. After the war, he was released, but realizing that he would die a cripple, his dream unfulfilled, he willingly sought undeath, becoming a vampire. Faelan sought him out to join his X Most Dangerous, a position Serghei Bran refused to take unless Faelan would defeat him in a swordfight. Faelan won, and Serghei Bran acknowledged his superiority. When Faelan died, Serghei Bran believed he should take his place, and seethed when the title was granted to Shaarabahn. His hate only grew when Shaarabahn refused to duel him. During the Unification Wars, he fought for Roy Steinn, who being a mage and ranked higher then him among the Most Dangerous, he saw as a worthy commander. After Roy Steinn’s death, he fought on, and was hunted down by Shaarabahn. After loosing the duel he had hungered for, Shaarabahn spared him - not out of respect, but to imprison him once more in Whisperwind Asylum. In Shaarabahn’s eyes, Serghei Bran had always been a monster, for whom freedom had been an unworthy gift.

## Personality

*“What good can be said of Serghei Bran? Whisperwind Asylum robbed him of every noble quality that could be found in a man. His tale is not even as much as a tragedy. Serghei Bran was just a waste.”*

-Shaarabahn, on Serghei Bran

Serghei Bran expected others others to adhere to their own traditions as much as he adhered to his own, though he enjoyed the discomfort that his beliefs causes in others. He was determined to consume all those who crossed him and add their strength to his own all in preparation for the perfect opponent to overcome, so that he might grow to his full potential. He focused on hunting powerful foes to the exclusion of other concerns.

## The Great Awakening

*"No one commands me! There is a monster in all of us... in darkness I am truly alive."*

-Serghei Bran

Serghei Bran is freed by Annakiya and eventually becomes a member of Humanity's Seven. During the fight against Shub-Niggurath, he betrays the other members and leads to their deaths. He hunted down and slain by Karekin Baghdassarian, who takes up Blackrazor for himself. At the time of his final death he was the last remaining member of the X Most Dangerous.
Nethrazi

*"Humans have reason to hate us dragons. If one dragon turns against humankind, she is a great and terrible foe."*

-Nethrazi

## History

The great wyrm red dragon Nethrazi lived for many years disguised as Adyra Alderstar, advisor to King Rainer of Stormhold. She used her position to poison the king's mind, ruling the kingdom through him. Under her watch, rebellions took root, money and other resources were drained and sent to her brother, the cult mastermind Nexxvanis, while adventurers were went unpaid after being sent on death missions. Eventually Nethrazi was confronted, after which she took her true form, killing the general Sid Blackwood, razing Stormhold, and retreating to nearby caverns.

Since her retreat, Nethrazi has taken a more direct approach, leading her spawn on an assault on the Kingdom of Stormhold, laying waste to several towns.

Nethrazi was slain by Johannes Forrawyn during the Battle of Quartz Mouth.

## Personality

Manipulative, arrogant, wantonly destructive. In her last fight, silent and determined.
Nadezhdan Armed Forces

## Combat Doctrine

Surprise assault, sabotage, infiltration, insurgency and counter-insurgency warfare, multi-vector attack, international pursuit and decimation campaigns, and deep-range raiding operations.

## History

At their heyday, following the reforms of Dolom Tkerekin and the integration of the slave mages, the Nadezhdan Armed Forces had a fearsome reputation. They were considered to be professional, no-nonsense soldiers with a ruthless streak.

## Deep Operation

*"Deep battle encompasses manoeuvre by multiple Nadezhdan Armed Forces front-size formations simultaneously. It is not meant to deliver a victory in a single operation; instead, multiple operations, which might be conducted in parallel or successively, will induce a catastrophic failure in the enemy's defensive system. Each operation serves to divert enemy attention and keep the defender guessing about where the main effort, and main objective, lies. In doing so, it prevents the enemy from dispatching powerful mobile reserves to this area. The Army can then overrun vast regions before the defender can recover. The diversion operations also frustrate an opponent trying to conduct an elastic defense. The supporting operations have significant strategic objectives themselves and supporting units are to continue their offensive actions until they are unable to progress any further. However, they are still subordinated to the main/decisive strategic objective determined by high command. Each of the operations along the front will have secondary strategic goals, and one of those operations will usually be aimed towards the primary objective. The strategic objective, or mission, is to secure the primary strategic target. The primary target usually consists of a geographical objective and the destruction of a proportion of the enemy armed forces. Usually the strategic missions of each operation are carried out by a Nadezhdan front. The front itself usually has several shock armies attached to it, which are to converge on the target and encircle or assault it. The means of securing it is the job of the division and its tactical components, which Nadezhdan deep battle terms the tactical mission."*

-Dolom Tkerekin, address to the Nadezhdan Armed Forces on the eve of the War of the Philosopher-Kings

## After the War

Though Nadezhda still maintains an armed forces, it is capped at a certain number. The army has atrophied and become an institution that provides jobs for dissolute youth, and a social ladder for the rich. The loss of the slave mages has functionally crippled the army's effectiveness.
Trial of the Illuminated

## Prosecution

* Presiding officer
	+ Governor-General Wolfram Panzer
* Counsel
	+ Shorden Hiem
* Witnesses
	+ Addison Marsh
	+ Antonin Sauvage
	+ Mary Starkweather

## Defendants

* Counsel
* The accused
	+ Curtin (**in absentia)**
	+ Tan Blackhand
	+ Grundelthum Sunder
	+ Voidwatcher
	+ Jon the Ageless
	+ Alpha
	+ Isaac Icarus
	+ Euphrosyne Luciana Arcanus
	+ Francis Forester
* Witnesses

## Outcome

The three captured Masters in the Illuminated, Tan Blackhand, Grundelthum Sunder, and Voidwatcher are executed, as is Jon the Ageless.
Nexxvanis

*“Plots within plots, but all roads lead down the dragon’s gullet.”*

-Nexxvanis

## History

No one has ever heard of or met Lord Vanis, the mysterious mastermind behind Nelgeroth's cult and Sceledrus Kane's rebellion. He and his underlings communicate his wishes by letter. By piecing together his letters, it is clear that Vanis has a large number of enthralled followers amongst the humans and the elves. He seems aligned with and presumably lives amongst the monsters that were driven to Ziril Zimkel, and is trying to secretly assemble a great army in Stormhold under the noses of the human leaders. So far, he has been pushed back by Sid Blackwood and his knights, operating out of Harkenhill, and therefore resorted to guile and subterfuge.

Lord Vanis is the alias of Nexxvanis, a great wyrm red dragon and sister of Nethrazi. He lives in a fortress in Ziril Zimkel, operating a laboratory in which dragons are dismembered and their parts grafted together, or to humanoids.

## Personality

*"Time is a strange thing to those who spend it as currency."*

-Lord Vanis

Secretive, domineering, unforgiving. He did not feel the need to share why he wanted to slaughter and dominate the humanoid races. Unlike his sister - whose death he did not mourn - he preferred to fight in human form, only taking his true shape when he felt genuinely threatened. His malevolence extended to all life. Even other dragons - including his kin - were chopped up, their limbs grafted to humanoids as part of his twisted research.

Nexxvanis' breath weapon was composed of a black flame which lingered to burn his victims after the initial cone. When he was slain by the Steel Jackals, a storm of black flame engulfed the skies above Ziril Zimkel.

## Plots

Through Nelgeroth, Vanis wanted the cultists to summon a demon into Stormhold, but had grown angry with Nelgeroth's repeated failures. Nelgeroth also carried out research involving the crafting of draconic body parts onto humanoids.

Through Sceledrus Kane, Vanis wanted to build a fortress to house an army he was smuggling into Stormhold.

Through Lady Alderstar, Vanis is siphoning money and goods from Stormhold to give to the goblinoid races.

## Siege of Khrokadrel

During the war against the dwarves, Nexxvanis remained in his lair in Ziril Zimkel, where he operated a foul laboratory, stitching together humanoids and dragons. He built an abomination of cobbled together draconic parts, which venerated him as its father, as well as a draconic humanoid mage, and a draconic humanoid warrior.

Nexxvanis was killed by the Steel Jackals. He fought them first in human form, wielding a fiery sword, then again in his true draconic form. Though all of the Steel Jackals survived, all of their companion creatures were slain either by Nexxvanis or his followers, prompting both Johannes Forrawyn and Skree to sever their ties with the human kingdoms, out of grief.
Proto

*“A dog can’t think that much about what he’s doing, he just does what feels right. Dogs were once wolves.”*

-Proto

## History

Born as a dog, reincarnated as an Anumus, Proto began his life in a mercenary company, where he befriended the half-giant Ymir. He would be among those who aided Abi Eodauga's takeover of Nadezhda, after which he would accompany Ymir north to Jotunheim. After Ymir united the Frost Giants under his rule, he would appoint Proto as the overall commander of the humanoid clans in his kingdom. Proto would fight in the Winter War, winning accolades as a general.

## Personality

Honorable and courageous, Proto embodied the best traits of his former life as a dog, that of loyalty, generosity, and ferocity towards his foes. He was somewhat single-minded, and could be generously described as not being much of a thinker.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

Proto fought under the command of King Ymir, serving once more as the General of Jotunheim. He would die alongside the frost giants during the Burning of Utgard.
Nagas Jehralvath

*“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.”*

-Nagas Jehralvath

## History

Nagas Jehralvath is the high priest of Deep Sashelas, and a powerful and revered figure in Atlantis. Raine despises him and dreams or replacing the Church of the Deep with the cult of Olhydra, but Jehralvath is cautious and well-protected. Jehralvath is one of the few powerful figures who dares to say that Raine is not the true heir to the Throne of Atlantis. This, along with the fact that the Holy Council considers him a permanent representative of Atlantis, enrages Raine to no end. For the time being, the King has reached a truce with the High Priest, recognizing that even if Jehralvath despises him, he still serves the interests of Atlantis as a nation.

Jehralvath was part of a cult of the Great Old Ones during his youth, seeking true wisdom from them, but he experienced a religious epiphany that prompted him to flee and join the Church of the Deep.

## Personality

Jehralvath is a cautious and contemplative figure who inspires great respect, and keeps his cards close to his chest. He is a believer in the notion that often taking no action is the best course of action, and that time is on the side of the prudent side. This is not to say that he is utterly passive, but when he does chose to act, he is as discreetly and as precisely as possible. Jehralvath despises King Raine, but puts up with him for the sake of unity. He acts as a balance to whichever Captain of the Raine Knights represents Atlantis alongside him at the Holy Council, such that the Captain is considered to be a representative of King Raine, while he is considered a representative of Atlantis as a whole.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

Nagas Jehralvath would do little during the war, other then ensure stability and order in the kingdom. His thoughts were not on the war itself, but what would happen afterwards. To this end, he had begun a search for the true heir to the Throne of Atlantis. He would be instrumental in the events of the Lorelei Uprising, for it was he who would find the slain Philoktia, and resurrect her in an attempt to marry her to King Raine. The plan would be successful, granting the Throne to Raine, but backfire when Philoktia betrayed and killed the king, destroying the Throne and rousing the Deep Ones from their slumber. Nagas would survive the chaos and attempt to rally the survivors from the capital. He would perish not long afterwards at the hands of monsters from the depths.
Rurik of Nadezhda

*"I excuse a great deal because I recognize the trauma and the loss our nation has suffered. But my patience isn't limitless... unlike my authority."*

-Rurik of Nadezhda

## History

Once a soldier from the northern mage wars, Rurik was an early experiment in the creation of sentient constructs. After the collapse of his kindgom, Rurik would gather together a band of soldiers, becoming the army of a charismatic warlord named Slava Vasilev. With the help of ancient, barely-understood artifice, Vasilev and Rurik would create slave collars that could be placed upon the north's surviving mages, and activated by him to kill their wearers upon his whim. Thus would the nation of Nadezhda - hope - be founded, with Slava Vasilev as the First Minister and Rurik as the Marshal. After Vasilev's death, Rurik would seize the master collar and the position of First Minister, becoming the unquestioned ruler of Nadezhda. In merging the positions thus, he would unknowingly set the precedent for Abi Eodauga to do the same thing fifty years later.

Rurik would be overthrown after half a century in power by the mage Abi Eodauga. He would not live long enough to see Eodauga become the first mage to rule a northern kingdom since the catastrophic wars over a century ago.

## Personality

Arrogant, warlike, self-obsessed. Rurik believed that that mastery over the mages proved the might of the Nadezhdans, and that himself, a warforged, was a god among men. In truth, Rurik, a creation of magic, feared and misunderstood the arcane. His desire to bend mages to his will was a sort of validation, and a misguided one at that.

During his life, Rurik liked to speak of himself as transhuman, justifying his absolute rule over Nadezhda on the basis of that. And yet, in rare moments of self-reflection, he would let slip the idea that a perfect world had no place for something like him. He kept the mages of Nadezhda alive because to kill them, as Franz Forrawyn did in the Reich Nördlich, would be an admission that he too should be destroyed. It did not help that Forrawyn was known to have privately let slip that if he had his way, Rurik and the other Warforged would be killed. Rurik was much as a slave as his own collared mages, and he wore the master collar as a reminder of that. He was the eternal, immortal ruler of Nadezhda, bound to guide and protect his people whether he liked it or not. The one thing he truly wanted, to be human, was beyond his grasp. All he could settle for was to crush and enslave the mages, to prove his superiority - a superiority that in his his metallic heart of hearts, he knew to be false.
Project World's End

## Overview

A plan conceived of by Ramander of Oranor, the eponymous empire was named after his idea. Also known as the False Dream of Man, the project is predicated upon a theory that mankind may escape the influence of the old ones by transforming into undead. This is not far from the goal Hastur has for the world. The question becomes who can create more undead first - the Mythos Undead and the non-Mythos Undead. Once the undead have fought it out for the fate of the world, the survivors - whichever side had more to begin with - will inhabit a broken world. The Dream of the Old Ones will come to its inevitable end, but it matters not to mindless undead, who cannot go mad.