The Winter King

> "*If a God rules this world, it is time they are overthrown."*
>
>

The Winter King was the Drow head of the Winter Kingdom and the creator of the species known as Orcs. An advanced Technomancer, and a Soul Magic expert, he created many of the Terrors of the North as war beasts during the Long Night Era.

## Personality

Unyielding, yet kind to his subjects, the Winter King commanded authority through the respect he earned on the battlefield and politically.

Always curious, even as a child, he studied the way things worked. Despite being victimized by the oppression of the Drow by the other Elves, he managed to learn a great deal of spellcraft purely through observational skill.

His strong moral code as a youth soon gave way to an urge for vengeance, as a way to bring justice upon those who persecuted his people.

## Biography

### Childhood

The Winter King was born as Sendrias Maul to slave parents in the Era of the Elves. A drow, he was considered an outcast by society and learned that his parents had been forced ot sell themselves into slavery in exchange for the safe birth of their child. After his father was worked to death, his mother began to resent him until she herself died.

The young Sendrias did not blame either parent for their actions, though, instead blaming the cruel world that they had been born to, a world where Drow were treated with fear, suspicion and hatred. The lord of the house soon took a twisted, perverse interest in Sendrias, which Sendrias exploited in order to gain access to the house and it's library, teaching himself to read, write, and cast spells in secret. He had no goal for this knowledge other than to prove to himself that Drow were not as worthless as others claimed.

In passing, he overheard dignitaries talking about hunting down the Drow "packs" that had fled north, to the cold ice fields where no life could be seen. That night, he made up his resolve. When the lord took him to the bedchambers, Sendrias took a knife with him and drove it through the man's skull. The man's guards, however, heard the disturbance and Sendrias was labelled a murderer without ever being allowed to speak on his own behalf- for Drow were not allowed into official court buildings for any purpose, let alone to defend themselves or their actions.

### Prisoner of Fate

Locked in a cell by the family, sentenced to death by starvation, he was kept barely alive by his will alone. Finally, skeletally thin, and on the verge of giving up, a small piece of stone fell from the wall of the cell, and in flew a bluebird. It perched on his hand and let out a gentle song. Sendrias whisteld along with it, and the song became magic that unlocked his shackles, and the door to his cell.

He was barely able to move, yet somehow dragged himself to his feet and out of the door. When his captors charged him his song became more violent, and as if spears had been driven through their hearts they fell dead. He fled, more guards in pursuit with crossbows and longbows, arrows hitting the ground around him but never more than grazing his body.

### To Become a God

In hiding, he began to head north. He grew stronger, fighting beasts as he kept away from the main roads and travelled through the wilderness, and considered the hatred that now burned within him. Of the world, the gods, even the people who had no crime of their own, for they were all equally to blame for living softly from the suffering of his kin.

On his travels, he met with Hamnius, the Cleric, a follower of the Righteous Flame. Hamnius taught him of the flame's acts in burning their god, for which they had been branded heretics, and their reasons for doing so. Sendrias took this as inspiration- If even gods could die as mortals, surely mortals could live as gods? When they parted ways Sendrias had a new conviction- the Drow would create a god of their own, who demanded not sacrifice as their gods of old had, but gave peace. He secluded himself in many monasteries and cathedrals, using magics to bewitch the guards and clerics, and read the most holy and ancient texts, even those that were supposed to be hidden from the eyes of the public.

Finally, he began to practice Soul Magic in earnest. If the souls of their followers strengthened Gods as he had read, then mastery over souls should create a God.

### The Winter King

Travelling north, he found his way to the icy lands where he had long ago heard of Drow eeking out an existence. He found them- huddled, starving, and free. As he approached they initially withdrew in fear, before he spoke.

> *"We are the forgotten kindred of no god that cares. We have naught but our pain, and for this we are punished."*
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He spoke at length to these tribes, and one at a time, convinced them to follow him. Soon he had a force a hundred strong. When the next raiding party attacked he met them with his poorly-trained militia. In the Battle of Caerum's Pass he slew a hunting-party a few hundred armed men strong with his much smaller and barely armed force.

He was hailed as a King by his followers, and word spread among the Drow and Elves alike. The Drow unified stronger and faster, and he taught the ways of magic and blade to those he could, who then taught those they could, until the army was able to fight better than any others who had accomplished.

He soon gained the name of the Winter King, the one who would rule through even the darkest of times.

### The Cold City

Feeling a need for a true home and beacon for his people, he began a policy to enslave those who he held had profitted from slavery, forcing them to labour in the cold of The Northlands until they had created the palace and the homes for his followers, a sprawling metropolis. Many of the slaves froze to death due to the poor conditions, and the King used his Necromantic powers to create the Shells, corpses powered by enslaved souls with no other purpose than to endlessly labour on the war machines of the Winter Kingdom.

He began researching and gathering more souls to himself, and planned the creation of a siphon that would feed the souls from the heart of the world itself into him, to elevate himself to godhood. Each time he would siphon souls, he grew more powerful. He knew that this would be the path to Godhood, and his people worshipped him ever more, devoting their own souls to his when they died.

With the requirement ever higher, the Winter King began marching armies forth into the northern Elven cities. He fought on the front lines, siphoning the souls of all those who died in the battles into himself. Soon he was powerful enough to block out the sun itself, allowing his nocturnal armies free movement at all times.

### The Long Night

With the sun falling came a unification of the Elven Societies. Fearing the man with such power, the species of the Southern Continents created a great barrier to keep him out, while the northern people began to unite into an army. Seeing this, the Winter King began to use the goblins and prisoners he captured to create hybrid species through advanced soul magics, creating the Orcs as a warforce of great power to serve as footsoldiers.

The Long Night was a period of endless war, with the armies of the Winter Kingdom destroying and desecrating the souls of all who opposed their march. They would slaughter all residents of the cities they overtook- seeing no need for slaves that could think freely, and used their essence to create more Shells.

The metallic dragons of good Gods would soon oppose the King's forces, and so he sought out the Chromatic and Gem dragons. the Chromatic allied with him, but the Gem refused. In a rage at their insolence, the King personally slew every last Gem dragon, driving their pure bloodlines to extinction.

### The Undead Lord

The Winter King soon turned his talents to further death and chaos, creating the Rotstigma, a disease that would spread through blood and bile and create undead to serve his armies. The armies of the Winter King bathed their blades in the blood of Rotstigma before every attack, so those they slew would rise up to kill their former comrades.

The hellish army of death and the undead marched ever onwards, crushing and killing all who they found, whether they surrendered or fought.

### Who even Gods fear...

Finally, the Gods of good, fearing the incredible power that the Winter King had amassed, made a deal with the gods of Evil, who had also begun to fear this new God born from mortals- they would each send an army from their host to rally the broken forces that still opposed the Winter King and give them some hope of victory.

### Corruption and Betrayal

After the warmachine of the Winter Kingdom was drawn to a halt by the attacks of this newly created army, the Winter King requested audience with the Archdemon Zaterrath, who had been captured during a battle. Zaterrath agreed and was soon swayed by the Winter King's promises. He would betray the Dawn Wardens for the King and leave to become the lord of the Heavenly Host of the Winter King once he rose to godhood.

Materrath's betrayal led to the deaths of all the combined heavenly and hellish forces save for one Angel, Sairiel, who continued the fight.

### Fall

Sairiel rallied the forces for one last push against the King, and at what would be called the Battle of Dawnbreak, the fate of all life would be decided.

In this battle, the King would fall, his armies would falter and break, and his great kingdom would collapse into itself, retreating further and further into the icy north once again.

As he drew his last breath, the sun rose once more in the sky.