Tarquin

Not since the days of Ergereth has a mortal grasped for the eldritch power of Dark-sainthood. The last living memeber of an ancient and noble Imperial family, the man known as Tarquin pursues power on a scale no other people in Cival Barreth can comprehend. As the absolute ruler of the Factum, Tarquin commands immense armies of fantatic soldiers, recruited from the splintered baronies of Saxor. On his throne in Gamelore, Tarquin schemes to upend the balance of good and evil in this world...permanently.

## Appearance

Despite his specilization in magic, both arcane and divine, Tarquin keeps his body in perfect physical condition. He keeps his curly blonde hair short. His sharp features contribute to a look of cruely and authority that Tarquin has perfected projecting. At this point, Tarquin is functionally immortal, and he does not look at day over 30, though he is over 7 decades old.

Early in his reign, Tarquin always wore traditional Imperial robes from the time of Saint Crowne. Recently, however, Tarquin and his armies have updated their apparal, now dressing in sharp black or grey uniforms designed by the Elementalist himself.

## History

Tarquin was born in 991 IE; his mother and father both passed away within a few weeks. Little is known of Tarquin's childhood, which was spent in seclusion on his family's near empty estate just north of Ockham. It is believed he was raised by the family's chief tutor, though who this man was is a closley guarded secret. However, Tarquin was already an accomplished mage when be began attending the Grand University at Tollbar. Within a year, however, Tarquin began attending the School of Divinities, the main seminary in Ockham. Using his wealth, he constructed private teleportation circles between the two cities.

Upon graduation, Tarquin vanished for two years. In his absence, he had made a pact with Szauster, and managed to obtain the Jade Fist, a relic of unimaginable power that had been sealed in a vault in hell. Unable to use it himself, and unwilling to entrust any of his minions with it, Asmodeus tested Tarquin, who claimed the relic after incredible trials.

In 1014, he returned to Tollbar. He quietly organized a underground gathering, where he adressed many of the rich and powerful in the city. He explained to the shocked crowd his goals of conquest before ending the meeting abruptly. Following the meeting, many of Tollbar's wizards vanished from the city, only to reappear years later his Factum battlemages. At some point during this time, he had a falling out with Szauster. He sought out new allies, freeing the Court of All Flesh, eldritch enemies of the gods, from their tomb in Whiteshadow flats.

In 1030, Tarquin began to appear in southern Saxor with a band of mages and soldiers. He conquered a number of key baronies with dizzying speed, and soon, many baronies began to willingly join his growing nation. The Codex Factum, Tarquin's statement of absolute truth, was written in 1041, when Gamelore fell to his armies. All within the Factum were to pray only to Tarquin; they would not be required to serve in his army, but the monetary benefits and status of doing so attracted thousands.

At some point, Tarquin made contact with the Elementalist, who began to advise him. In this time, the Cabal trickled into the world, aiding Tarquin and organizing alliences with beings like the Ironmongers and the mind flayers of Kanth. In 1064, his scheme to destory Prael failed. In this moment of frustration, the Cabal offered him immense aid if he would use his unique powers to bring the true form of Acererak into the world. He did so, and commanded the help, if not the loyalty, of some of the multiverse's most powerful wizards.

## Powers

Tarquin is an acomplished wizard and cleric, and is able to cast both arcane and divine spells at the highest level. In addition, the worship of hundreds of thousands of people grants him access to more raw energy that any other spellcaster in the world can draw upon.

Tarquin also is in peak physical condition. It is said that he has been able to plank for over eight hours without tiring, shattering the previously known record of six hours.

Using Jade Fist, Tarquin can warp fate itself, which allowed him to acomplish impossible feats such as seizing the Star Forge from the god Moradin Vulconian. The Fist also gives him command of magic around him, nullifying any other artifacts that would compete with it for supremacy.