Taryn Arkor

Taryn Arkor, later known as the Theocrat, was a descendant of the legendary Arkor who slew the God of the Land with the Godslayer. By taking advantage of Corwenth's desperate state during the First Rebellion, Taryn claimed his ancestors blade from the Reliquary where it rested and subjected the Heretic Kingdoms to 300 years of tyranny.

## History

### Rise to Power

*Some three centuries hence, the people of Corwenth rose up in rebellion against the Garulian Empire, which had reigned over the Heretic Kingdoms for many years with an unyielding grip.*

*The warlords of Corwenth rose up in insurrection, clashing with the might of the Imperial Legions, and their brutish Sura mercenary allies. Corwenth held its ground thanks to the fortress of Kyallisar, which held the only pass in the Sundered Shield mountains.*

*But the Warlord of Kyallisar let his greed overpower his judgement, and opened the gates to the Imperial horde. His betrayal was his own demise, as the God Empress of Garulia despised traitors and would not suffer them to live. The survivors of the rebellion took refuge in the city of Arken, and the Imperial Legions laid siege. The Garulians burned the wheat fields and dammed the river, drying up the wells of the city. The arrival of winter would mean the end of their supplies, and inexorable doom.*

*At the darkest hour, when all seemed lost, a weak and feeble man calling himself Taryn Arkor offered hope. If the Warlords would help him acquire the Godslayer, the mythic sword of Taryn’s ancestor, Corwenth could be freed. Under the circumstances, the surviving Warlords could not refuse his request.*

*Taking the finest heroes of Corwenth, Taryn went to the Reliquary, the repository of all the relics of power and fear accumulated in the reign of the God Emperors and Empresses. But Taryn had no intention of honoring his pact. Once within the Reliquary’s walls, he orchestrated the deaths of those who had accompanied him and took the sword for himself.*

*That was how Taryn, the inbred progeny of the sons and daughters of Arkor, declared himself Theocrat, and made requisite his worship. Armed with the Godslayer sword, the tyrannous wretch ruled over the Heretic Kingdoms with more brutality and casual revulsion than ever had existed under the reign of the Garulian God Emperors. Such is the irresistible potency of the Godslayer.*

Mara Valkarin was the only survivor of the Theocrat’s betrayal during the Reliquary Crusade. Having seen his lust for power, she dedicated herself to his destruction – and to the end of all religion. To this end, she formed the Order of the Veil, a secret society headed by five powerful figures, called the Penta Nera. Each of these figures had a public life, often apparently supporting the Theocrat’s regime. Behind Taryn’s back, they plotted his downfall.

### Death

Nearly three hundred years later, Tary's lust for power and destruction had waned. Quova approached his old friend Kjellin Malfagon and, with the aid of the latter's son Morgan and the notorious brigand Jasker, the second rebellion began.

Quickly amassing an army (possibly with unseen aid from the Order of the Veil  who, while openly hostile to Quova, desired the death of the Theocrat above all) and easy defeated the theocrat's army. At the last moment Taryn was betrayed by and slain by his own chancellor, ending the Theocrat's reign.

## Read More

* The Reliquary Crusade
* The First Corwenth Rebellion - Volume I
* The First Corwenth Rebellion - Volume II
* The First Corwenth Rebellion - Volume III
* The Fall of the Theocrat - Volume I
* The Fall of the Theocrat - Volume II