Azenthius Esthras
From Valwiki
"Boy, stick with me and you will see gods and demons, heaven and hell, stars and realms beyond this one, and things you see every day that you never knew existed. You will see the greatest of good and the most vile of evils, and you will realize that there isn't much difference between the two. You will also likely end up dead."
Name: Azenthius Esthras
Alias: Wind - for most of his life, he used this instead of his real name.
Age: He was born some 80 or so years ago, but has only actually aged to about 50 physically.
Race: Caller (Humanoid, Outsider).
Occupation: Formerly Soldier, Dragoon, King, lich.
Personality
Azenthius is needlessly polite, giving special care to honor those of different races. He tries to be as eloquent as possible, and will even treat his enemies kindly, unless greatly angered. With a long history of war, he wishes to be free of conflict and to live in peace in a paradise, but at the same time he cannot resist helping people and trying to aid the lands of Kharlia when it is needed.
Skills and Weapons
Azenthius is of the Caller people; as such, he has a constant connection to the Astral Plane and can open portals to it at will, calling forth various beasts to aid him in battle. His skills have grown to the point where he can send people through these portals as well, though it is not something he would do unless under dire circumstances.
He is also fluent in several languages, including Common, Caller, Elven, and Draconian. His continued contact with other races has granted him varying degrees of proficiency in Drowish, Orcish, Abyssal, and Demonic as well. As a Dragoon and a Caller, he also has an empathic relationship to animals that allows him to sometimes communicate in a primitive manner with them.
As a Dragoon, Azenthius utilizes a unique fighting style modeled after the grace of a flying Dragon, developed through years of fighting alongside warriors much more suited to combat than he was. He frequently uses unorthodox movements and weapons in order to keep his opponents off-balance. His Dragoon powers allow him to jump almost thirty feet in the air, and run long distances at amazing speeds. Nature empathy allows him to read signs from the ground, trees, and any other natural structures, tracking life signs and reading the terrain ahead.
Azenthius is schooled in the use of several weapons. The weapons he tends to carry are two chakrams or claws, a weighted chain, and at times his spear. The claws and spear are of Dragoonian make and share his black and gold color scheme, with ornate decorations. The chain and the chakrams, however, are much more simplistic.
Spending much of his time in nature, Azenthius always carries supplies such as herbs, leather bandages, and dried meat or fat from animal kills.
Chimera
As a Lich, it is commonly assumed that Azenthius creates zombies. This, however, is not true; He has only ever raised one human. Rather, he creates Chimeras, splicing together various undead creatures. His crowning achievement, yet unnamed, has the base of a dire spider, the upright body and head of a dire wolf, and the arms of a dire bear. The rarity of the beasts limits their numbers, but they alone are fearsome enough to defeat a few men. After he outgrew his quarters and laboratory in Cahfei's keep, he build a new one, where he conducts various experiments. His Chimera are contained in a large cave underground.
Until recently, however, they needed to be controlled completely; he could not replicate the instincts of an animal. A chance meeting with the forgewrought Bromium led to the creation of a spell by which he could instill animal instincts into his creations. They have no spoken-of presence in his current plans, so one can only wonder what their destinies are.
Now, however, that he is no longer a lich, he is not sure what to do with them. He cannot decide whether it would be right to kill them, but he has no intention of using them, either.
Special Items
Shadow Axe - A weapon given to Azenthius by Cahfei, when he was raised. It can be summoned and dismissed from the ethereal plane at will, but is mostly a figurehead of sorts; encouragement for any who might wish to oppose him to change their minds.
Gnomish Ring - This ring, given to him long ago, can transport one to wherever was one the last time they donned the ring. It only works to a certain distance, and it has not been tried since magic returned, so one can only guess whether it would work.
Dragon Pendant - The jewel in the center of this pendant once contained all the power given to Azenthius by Tarus. He keeps it as a token of rememberance; its dark power is all gone, now.
History
Humble Beginnings
Wind was raised on a farm, in Taron. He had a generally normal upbringing, until his parents told him they were the last of the Callers, an ancient race of people who could summon creatures from another plane. They began to teach him this art, but contracted sicknesses. Too far from Taron to make the journey, they told Azenthius to go to Valikorlia, to seek a job and some success. At the age of 14, he set off.
(Wind's first robes were very simple, but served him well until his induction into the Dragoons)
One of the first things he saw in Valikorlia was a fight between two men. He befriended the victor, Malak Giegue, but was caught up in one of his enemies' plots and, as a result of what followed, became disillusioned with the city and its people. He lived, for a few months, in the forest near the Magic School, which he began to attend. Though he had to practice his summoning on his own, he used what he learned there to become more worldly, eventually rejoining society by way of the Athedian Army, that had no age restrictions. He left just before the Athedian and Lahanian war, narrowly avoiding one of Kharlia's bloodiest times.
Childhood's End; Abyssal War
He had various adventures as he entered his fifteenth year, most notably his meeting Lazurus Sarturos, the gold Dragoon. When he tired of Kharlia and decided to leave, he took Wind as his squire. They went to Frost, where Wind trained in the bitter cold and snow, until Lazurus told him he could return, and be initiated into the Brotherhood. When Wind finally set foot in Dragoonia, though, it was in burning ruin; it had been destroyed but an hour before he had gotten there. A demon, working under Rashidi, melted his sword and shield, and mocked him; it left him alive, to add further insult. He was one of the only Dragoons who had survived the beginnings of the Abyssal War.
He soon met the disembodied Exar, whose body had been posessed by Eurogynes. With Jargo in captivity and Esca, another squire, missing, Wind went from being a squire to sole Dragoon, and recieved the burden of fighting in the Abyssal War. He soon met Atna al' Faea, who would be his longtime friend and, on countless occasions, his savior. Wind took refuge in Dragoonia Fields. Demons hounded him, but he managed to somehow survive the attacks. During this time, the Field became his, and in the future it would react to his presence, dying if he was away and growing when he inhabited it. He soon inherited a third burden; a nameless Archangel came to him and gave him a set of dragon eggs, to take care of, all Dragoonia's dragons having been killed. Several of the eggs were stolen, but he managed to recover them.
He continued to hone his skills, and though young, he joined Atna in his final assault on Eurogynes. Though initially too scared even to move, he mustered his courage and made the first attack on the powerful demon. He was defeated in one mighty blow, and lay watching the ensuing battle, lending his remaining strength to his allies through a summon spell. After Eurogynes was defeated, he was taken back to Dragoonia to heal. He, Exar, and Jargo continued to look over the eggs until finally they hatched; however, one of the Dragons was corrupt, and impaled Wind on his sharp tail. Jargo immediately killed it, but it was too late; Wind was dead.
(Wind's Dragoon armor, passed to him by Lazurus. In its original form it was much too large for the young boy. Some of it has been lost, the rest was refitted to him for his funeral, later reforged to fit him again in Valikorlia when Wind became King.)
The Two Who Were One; The Fall Into Darkness
Fate, however, was not done with Wind. Through his connection to the Astral Plane, an ancient spirit of Wrath made him its target. For unknown reasons, Wind's spirit was able to fight off the anger, but not without consequences. Wind was split apart, though this would not be known until later. In the living world, some time later, the elven mage Aeglos was recruited to perfom the forbidden revival spell; to bring back the dead. When Wind was brought back, however, he was only eight years old.
Exar managed to catch sight of the child, and realizing he was Wind, took him back to Dragoonia. However, soon a second Wind appeared: he was older, the age Wind had been upon his death. This Wind, however, was not the timid, polite boy he had been; this Wind was bitter and malicious. The Dragoons were more than a little confused, but did not have time to deal with it because of a rift forming in the Order itself, which had been restored, at least in number. However, they soon saw that there were not actually two Winds at all; the younger one turned into the older one, at random. The two Winds were fighting for control, and it was not long before the older one took complete control.
The older Wind hated the Dragoons; he felt he had been forced to take on too much, and died for the Dragons to be born; he sought the path opposite that of the Dragoons, that of the Dark Dragon Knight, Tarus. Hoping to manipulate him, he volunteered his services. Tarus gave him an immense amount of power, more than that of the Dark Dragoon Helm itself; this drew scorn from his other followers, particularly his daughter, Lilithia, and Arken. Exar and Lazurus, who returned as the Dragon Knight, could not bear to fight their ally. At the same time, Wind found that he had too -much- power. He had been given too much, too fast, and his body could not control it. Eventually, it became too much, and between that and his increasing emotional instability, he ended his own life.
Astral Form; Enter Zaneth
Once again, however, he was not left alone. A man had acquired the ancient tomes of the Callers, and had used certain rituals to become a Summoner without being of the race. He turned Wind's spirit into a summon itself, as a test of power, and he was sent to the Beast Realm, in the Astral Plane. He had to fight to survive, while at the same time being under service to the Summoner. Eventually, he was killed, and Wind freed. He began to hold his own in the Beast Realm, and managed to invoke a portal back to this realm in Frost. Once again, he made the Dragoons his enemies, but soon rejoined the Order, shedding his newly found feral ways.
During a particularly intense battle, he was attacked by his most powerful summon; a large black dragon he had harnessed the power of during the Abyssal War. For a second time, a young Wind, aged thirteen, with no memories of his identity found the Dragoons, and trained with them. He called himself Zaneth. The older Wind also lost his memory, and was soon being manipulated by Zaneth, who proved to be quite maniacal. When the plague struck, he stole Celestria Xanthica and made himself King. Soon, however, he made a complete turnaround; it was too late, however, as Trent Harbinger killed him. The original Wind regained his memories, and it was soon discovered Zaneth was living on inside his mind. He was not alone, however.
Wrath Moves; Identity Crisis
After years of quiet manipulation, Wrath finally began to enact its plans. It began to posess Wind, and forced Celestria to marry Azenthius, as he now went by, and took over Valikorlia. Azenthius found an unlikely ally in Zaneth, who had been driving him slowly insane but now worked against Wrath and restored Azenthius to himself. As the other Sins began to move, Wind attempted to stop them, but disappeared. Efforts were made to find him, but all that was found were journal entries detailing some horrible revalation given to him by the Oracle, a blind man in white.
Azenthius was told that Zaneth had been created to be good, to grow into the Dragoon Wind should have been and to slay the older one, posessed by Wrath. However, Wrath proved too strong, and won the battle for mind and body. When the two were physically separated, Wrath was weakened, but had just enough influence on Zaneth to make him do his bidding. In the end, Zaneth had shed the influence, but it was, of course, too late. This meant that Azenthius was, in a manner of speaking, evil, or at least meant to be Wrath's puppet. This sent him on an identity quest that led him all over the continent; he returned to Valikorlia right before the flood.
Discovery; A Lich Is Born
When the world reset, he and Celestria, with whom he had a very strange relationship, travelled the world. During this time, Wind found the ruins of the Caller village. Returning to his roots, he learned a great deal about his people. Tragedy would taint this journey however, as a Gatecrasher, an inter-planar agent, attacked the two. Wind was techincally a resident of the Astral Plane, and had tampered with planar balances. The Gatecrasher tortured Celestria, and disabled all of Wind's powers, so he could do nothing but watch as she was killed. He was saved, ironically, by Wrath, whom Zaneth managed to expel from Azenthius. It fought with the Gatecrasher, and both seemed to be killed, or at least sent away from this realm.
He returned to Kharlia a wiser man. He became embroiled in a war between Valikorlia and a newer Barbarian nation. He attmpted to make peace between the two nations, not knowing that he was being targeted himself. He was given the Sword of Light by a mysterious stranger, and was soon being attacked for it. Though he was older, he managed to defend himself quite well. However, one could only fight off so many men for so long, and was soon asassinated. It was never determined exactly who was behind it. In normal fashion, however, this did not last, as Cahfei Shadespeak found the corpse...
Azenthius awoke once more to find the gray mists of undeath filling his vision. He was made into a windshade, able to phase in and out of the material plane at will. Having been a mage in life, however, Cahfei saw opportunity, and taught Azenthius necromancy. Before long, he was a lich. He did not, however, make human undead; rather, he began to gather rare and dangerous animals and splice them together, building an army of chimaera.
End of the World; Seeker of Paradise
Some months later, Cendamos, now Cenraka, began to speak of the end of the world, and of a new, better world. To power the portal, however, the sacrifice of an Ancient was needed. Cendamos informed Azenthius that the Callers were the closest descendants of the Ancients, and thus it fell to him to lead humanity into the new world, though only a hundred or so would actually make it. He accepted his grim fate, but an orcish shaman named Lokthar appeared and guided humanity on a different course. Azenthius was troubled; he began to wonder how long the planet could survive, being brought back from the brink of death. He walked the cavens beneath the ground by himself, and contemplated...
He eventually came to the decision that he would trap the spirits of the Sins, in order to create a Judgement, cleansing the land and making Paradise. Using the rituals of both the Ancients and Callers, he began to move. He had only sealed one Sin, however, before Aahmosel, a constable, and Bromium beat and decapitated him. His disembodied head traveled with Aahmosel, awaiting his holy destruction. However, the process was interrupted by the search for Cahfei's body, so that the lich could repent, and finally be free of this plane with the help of people like the hero Kender; Tindertot Rastleknot, a strange constable from Alberea, and a carpenter from Celdin. Becoming an unlikely ally of the two that disabled him, he was given the ultimate gift by Cahfei; his life back. He was now a living person, again.
A New Life; Seven Sins Redux
Azenthius had no time to rest, though. After a brief meeting with the Oracle Ve'ho'e, he realized that he had disrupted the planar balance far more than he had known (or rather, the balance was already off and he had made it worse). Fearing the Sins re-entering into the realm, he set out to lock away the points at which this world and the Astral crossed.
First, though, there was the matter of what he had created, as a lich. He still, he realized after some time, posessed the skills he had learned from Cahfei. However, having seen how warped and corrupted Cahfei had become, he vowed to let them rest. He headed to his lab, to deal with his Chimera and study the rituals with which he could prevent the Sins from entering the world. If he was too late, however, and they walked this realm, he had nothing.
It was not long before the Sins began moving. Wind struggled to find a way to defeat them, but was unable to come up with anything. Luckily for him, the Sins moved slowly, and were mostly toying with Kharlia. He and a number of others managed to wound Envy's summon, and by extension her, but Azenthius knew it was only temporary. In a last-ditch effort, he called the Gatecrashers. He convinced them to set up blocks so that the Sins would lose much of their power, by offering them a deal.
Azenthius is conspicuously silent on what this deal was. It did buy him time, but not as much as he'd wished. Unbeknownst to him, the Gatecrashers removed their blocks. They would not be swayed by someone like Azenthius, and even they would not stand against the Sins for too long. Meanwhile, Azenthius began to once again meditate, attempting to reconnect himself with the Dragon Spirit. With this came inspiration, and a decision.
The New Order; The Enemy Returns
Azenthius decided that he had been given life once again for a reason. He began to make plans to revive the Dragoon Order. His Order, however, would be different; He was going to use his race's connection with nature to bring him and the other Dragoons closer to nature. No longer would they live in grand cities, away from the peoples of Kharlia. They would make their home in the wilds, protecting both the land and the peace of those that dwelled in it. He decided to hold a large test, to find some new Sqiures. Little did he know that he would soon need to move more quickly.
Two dark-clad archaeologists came to town, gathering together a group of adventurers to rescue Cendamos from a temple the Dark Dragoons had trapped him in. Azenthius joined, but when they got to the temple, it resembled the one the Dark Dragon Helm used to be kept in. Azenthius at first would not go near it, but he was told he was the only one that could open it. He warned everyone that danger waited inside, and not to be tempted by any power they might encounter.
He tried to use his Summoning power to open the magic lock the Archeologists had found on the doors. Nothing seemed to work, however, when someone suggested pulling the jaw of the dragon skull above the door. Azenthius was struck by memory; in his waryness of the temple he'd forgotten how to open it. They went inside, and the group saw that the the temple was a shrine to Tarus Rubeus, the Dark Dragon Knight. Azenthius immediately knew something was off, but it was too late; He had unlocked the chamber, and Tarus was revived.
Several heroes attempted to fight him, but he had not yet become completely corporeal. Azenthius realized Tarus had planned this all along; the "archeologists" didn't want him because he was a Summoner who could open portals, but because a Dragoon was needed to open the temple. After everyone was gone, Tarus talked to Wind, offering him a chance to serve him once more. Azenthius refused, telling Tarus he would not be content with simply sealing him away this time. He told Tarus a New Order was being born, and that they would rid him of this realm once and for all.
Back outside, Azenthius announced he was holding the test in a few days. He did not have much time to appoint new Squires, and even then he knew it would not be enough.
