Lord Vorendal, the Queen of the Dead's right hand, is a man shrouded in mystery.
Rumors abound in the Court of the Dead about Lord Stevas Vorendal, the Dreadheart. He has been “alive” since the Age of Strife, serving the Legion in one way or another. Some say he’s the embodiment of the Legion’s goals, one who has defeated death; others see in him a threat, one of the Fallen, daring to command the living. All this speculation is answered by Vorendal with a sinister grin.
About the Seeker
History
Goals
Legacy
Known for his dangerous charm, words sharp as knives, and by his skill and ruthlessness on the battlefield, Vorendal's presence is difficult to ignore. Alluring even, in the most dangerous way. Rumors about him are many, and he makes sure not to confirm or deny any. Let the fools play their guessing game: mystery nurtures fear.
Lord Stevas Vorendal achieved the renown he now enjoys two hundred years ago, during the infamous Luminous Crusade. Tension rose when the Order initiated a religious purge, marching on the Sovereign City-States of the continent, trying to force them to ban any faith that contradicted the Word of Valcaris. When they laid siege to the trade city of Veloma, the Legion refused to vacate. They stood their ground on the principle of it all, but also to garner trust with the free powers.
Few thought victory could be achieved, but Vorendal was above the myopic beliefs of the fold. Presenting himself directly to the Queen of the Dead, he promised to end the battle with infallible haste, for he needed naught but the royal endorsement. The Queen shivered at the proclamation; not for fear of the man himself, but rather, of what his words and demeanor implied. She had always known what terrible price would have to be paid to defeat the armies of the enemy, the atrocities that would have to be comitted, and before her stood one that would pay that price with a smile. Her blessing was given, and Vorendal was set loose upon the world.
Using the Legacy that resides within his chest, the Heartlock, he raised an army from the corpses of Order loyalists, commonfolk, and soldiers alike. With each kill, his army grew, for the risen dead welcomed their kindred with no prejudice. Soon, he broke the siege at the city-state of Veloma, a wave of death tearing through the Order's forces in such heartless fashion that few remained of the attackers to be given rites by the valcarist priests. By the end of a single day, the Order was forced to retreat, never again overreaching in the same manner.
This exceptional achievement made Vorendal the right hand of the Queen, but the Dreadheart won’t accept being second best. While in court, he plotted patiently for the day he would be finally crowned as the King of the Dead, only to be scorned by the Amatrix and the spirit of Ptan-Ravalum. Vorendal's rage could not be measured, but he refused to accept defeat. In the Malediction, he seeks the power to bend the Amatrix to his will, for if the Vestige won't accept him freely, then it will be conquered.
Stevas Vorendal sees himself as the only worthy leader for the Legion, the only one capable of leading it to true victory, for his mind is unclouded by useless emotions, such as mercy or love. He is fallen, beyond the reach of death and decay, but still possessed of his own mind and free will. His long centuries have made him a great warrior, but one who sees the value in using fear as a weapon, one just as sharp as his sword. The terror he inflicts is not a whim, but a tool he uses to great effect. He has conquered death, and the world is to follow.
Lord Vorendal’s striking presence is partly due to the Legacy in his chest, the Dreadheart, emanating the dark energy that sustains both the Fallen Knight and the corpses he raises. However, long before he was the dreadful presence by the Queen’s side, during the Age of Strife, Vorendal was already a feared and powerful warlord, with a different name, now lost in time. Feeling the weight of the years creeping up on him, he searched Selejia for a way of overcoming death. He had much yet to achieve to let his mortal body get in his way.
His search led him to a nomadic clan of Erisyr. These mages had witnessed the Fall and sworn to prevent dangerous magical knowledge and powerful artifacts of old from falling into the wrong hands. These Keepers protected even a number of Legacies, tainted by darkness, and whose names and deeds should be erased from history. Lacking the power to destroy them, the Keepers keep watch over the Legacies. Among these people, Vorendal met Akriphista, a young Erisyr with a talent for combining different magical traditions. With a young soul and unlimited curiosity, she fell for his charms. Without even realizing her error, her knowledge fell into his hands, and Vorendal learned the secret of the Heartlock, a legacy that could extend one’s life.
A ritual was performed and Vorendal cast away his heart of flesh for one of cold stone and metal. It consumed what was left of his humanity, becoming a malignant source of power. Crafted from a soul who once paved the path to victory with blood and pain, the Heartlock had found the perfect host in the warlord. As long as Vorendal walks forward, leaving a path of death and destruction behind him, the Heartlock will keep his body away from the rotted destiny settled for every mortal being. The legacy’s energy allows Vorendal to deny death not only for himself, but for those pawns who can help him carve the path for his own glory.
Short Storys
Story
Legion of the Fallen
In the southernmost reaches of Selejia, one can find a nation dominated by the living masters of death. Most might come to expect such a place to be hell on earth, but those who visit the lands of the Legion of the Fallen will find themselves amidst a unique culture, where the dead walk again […]
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The Everlasting and the Relics
In an age long since past, the Everlasting, divine beings of unfathomable power, descended to the world of Agnar from their celestial realm. First, they created great tools with which to shape reality and anchor the chaotic primordial state of the world into one of their liking. These were the Everlasting Relics. To ensure that their grand vision for the world would come to pass, even in their absence, these gods decided to imbue mortal beings with part of their power and knowledge.
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east
Story
The Fall and the Malediction
In the last years of the Age of Relics, a great alliance arose against the Astarians between all the remaining kingdoms of the world. Osterath was besieged, and the combined might of their enemies, and the betrayal of the Erisyr and Oerikan people, who had joined the empire, proved too much for the great city. […]
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east
