Onaxx of Dao

"*Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead. Everybody's going to be dead one day, just give them time. We are but dust and shadow."*

-Onaxx of Dao

## History

*“To know and to understand that we must all die is not to worship death. To know and to understand is itself magic, for it made us stand tall.”*

-Onaxx of Dao

Onaxx's early history is largely unknown, other than the fact that at some point he sold his soul to the devil Moloch in return for arcane knowledge. By the time he emerged on the scene of world history, he was already a very old and frail man. Many marveled at his adventuring career, given his fragility, but Onaxx - an accomplished golem crafter - had built a coterie of constructs to protect him. Onaxx was part of an adventuring party that explored the Tomb of Solomon, where the founder of the Kingdom of Dao had been buried. Renowned for its dangerous traps and puzzles, Onaxx was the only man amongst his companions to make it to the end, slay Solomon - now a demilich - and make out with the king's loot.

Onaxx was recruited by the allies of Gnosti Kryt, the deposed true heir of Dao and Apocryphon of Arshea, who wished to marry the powerful mage to their figurehead and overthrow the psionist Ovathi Gondji, the King of Dao and his children, Prince Zaid and Princesses Ha and Thuen. Onaxx himself, already reflecting on what he believed to be his impending death, was indifferent but willing to go along with the plan. Presenting his case before Dao's government, Onaxx frightened them to his core and won much support. Along with his allies, he traveled to the Vault of Night, an ancient portal to the First World, fought off the plane-conquering organization known as Trident, and used the portal to give Dao access to the water from which they had been cut off for generations. In doing so, he claimed the throne of Dao, with Gnosti Kryt - true name Auradine - as his queen.

## Personality

*“Extraordinary, how single lives just fold into the whole mess, over and over again, all caught up in the greater swirl. Spinning round and round, and ever downward, it seems. Ever downward. Fools, all of us, to think we can swim clear of that current.”*

-Onaxx of Dao

Onaxx was frail and frequently underestimated, and fond of ruminating on his own impending mortality and the mortality of others. He was fond of declaring his intention to see the world's end, but had no intention of hastening the apocalypse. Onaxx feared nothing but typically acted with caution. At times he seemed motivated by inertia, simply doing what he always did but not quite seeing any purpose in his life. When roused to action, Onaxx could display a frightening side and cow onlookers into submission.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

King Onaxx was not personally interested in fighting the War of the Philosopher-Kings, but was amused by the scale of devastation that he knew would come. Most of the decision-making apparatus of the Kingdom of Dao took place at the level of the Council of Insight, but their maneuverings were supported by the king's stance that the Vault of Night belonged to him and him alone. Onaxx did intervene to refuse an offer from Emperor Niles Andarme to forge a mutual defense agreement, deeming that Lothur was undefendable. He did, however, accept an offer of protection by the Conglomerate of Ledge, which feared the militarization of planar travel. The Council of Insight had secretly reached out to them in advance, thinking that Onaxx did not know. In fact, the king knew full well, but cared little. If his subjects wished for protection, he would not stand in the way of them seeking it.

Onaxx did not accompany his forces to Ledge or Numorea, but during the battle for the Vault of Night, he emerged at the very end, baiting the First World Expeditionary Force to try and turn the tide by killing him. Protected by his constructs, Onaxx slaughtered all the Arendurians, but left Voidwatcher alive to slink back to New Arendur with tales of their failure.

## After the War

As the Hexenjäger Corps descended on the surviving nations, the Republic of New Arendur desperately begged their former enemies for aid. Onaxx of Dao refused, and ordered the Vault of Night sealed. He would pass away of old age shortly afterwards. He would be succeeded by his wife, Auradine, who maintained his last command.

## The Great Awakening

Though King Onaxx had long ago passed away, his two mightiest followers, Auradine and Lloyd Hamaad, would come to the aid of humanity during the Long War. On one occasion, Lloyd Hamaad quipped to the Godhunter that King Onaxx would have welcomed the great old ones and the end of the universe, and that the world was lucky that he was dead.

## Leadership Style

Onaxx was uninterested in leadership but lacked the effort to stop others from manipulating him into serving their own ends. Nominally a figurehead, he was still feared for his power and respected for his wisdom and craft. When absolutely necessary, Onaxx could be fearfully persuasive, frightening friend and foe alike into seeing no alternative to his will.

## Feats of Magic

Onaxx was principally a craftsman of golems and other constructs, with the unusual talent to imbue them with the ability to perform magic. He was a surprisingly fearsome combatant despite his advanced age, for his creations were able to protect him and wreak devastation among his foes. Onaxx could, of course, craft tools for peacetime, though such was not his preference.

* He claimed the skull of the Demilich Solomon as his familiar, utilizing its soul gems as a an unescapable weapon.
* He claimed the sword of Solomon, which can in his hands cut through any substance.

## Legacy (Death is Nothing to Us)

King Onaxx was one of several lesser known Philosopher-Kings, as the battles he fought took place across the planes of existence. Though rarely remembered by commoners, he was a figure of importance to those in power, who were divided between those who coveted his Vault of Night and those who were grateful that it was he and not a less warlike Philosopher-King who held it. Over time, historians would overwhelmingly take the later view, praising the king for keeping the Vault out of the hands of those who would use it to militarize planar travel. Surprisingly, some of Onaxx's greatest supporters were the Hexenjägers, who thought of him as a mage who used his powers to restrain other mages from great evil (unlike Abi Eodauga, who used his powers to coerce other mages into committing great evil). A minority of observers take a more critical view, castigating King Onaxx as a morbid and apathetic figure who, despite holding great power, did nothing with it. King Onaxx is interred in the Tomb of Solomon, where he originally seized his mantle to rule. The Tomb's traps have been reset to prevent his rest from being disturbed, and rumors abound that like his legendary predecessor, he too has become a demilich.