Xarnel Thricebound
Rotbound Archivist; Rune-Bearer of Pact and Page; Curator of the Forgotten Concords Xarnel Thricebound
A skeletal scholar whose bones are etched with runes. Keeper of forbidden texts, they advise on historical continuity, magical law, and ancient pacts.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Xarnel Thricebound appears as a tall, desiccated skeleton cloaked in layers of parchment, desiccated vellum, and fungal-threaded robes. His bones are etched head to toe with binding runes, pact sigils, and historical excerpts, forming a living manuscript of death-bound lore. The glow of pale green runelight pulses from between his ribs, and his voice creaks like pages turning in an ancient tomb.
His skull is marked with three interlocked runes representing Oath, Oblivion, and Order—a mark that earned him the moniker Thricebound. Tiny bone quills hover about him, scribing constantly in air and inkless glyphs, recording every meeting and decree of the Hollow Council as it happens.
Special abilities
- Runebone Recall: Can instantly recall any clause, spell, or event encoded on his bones, projecting it as ghost-script in the air.
- Seal of the Last Word: Can nullify spells, curses, or contracts with a spoken counter-sigil—a power feared even among liches.
- Ossuary Ward: Creates skeletal wards and sentient bone constructs to guard sacred knowledge.
- Chronoglyphic Sight: Sees the layers of history bound to objects or places, allowing him to discern lies from truth and truth from myth.
Personality Characteristics
Representation & Legacy
Xarnel is dry—literally and figuratively. He speaks with exacting precision, despising vagueness and sentimentality. To him, memory is power, and ignorance is the first death. He holds all Council members to their words and is known to quote past conversations verbatim, centuries after they occurred.
He reveres Blackthorn not just as a king, but as the cornerstone of a necrohistorical epoch, and believes it is his duty to ensure the legacy of the Dominion outlasts even gods. Some say he was once mortal—perhaps even a betrayer or oathbreaker who bound himself to undeath in penance—but no one dares to ask.
Despite his rigid demeanor, he is one of the few Council members who converses with the Dominion’s scholars and apprentices, offering guidance—so long as they never ask to borrow a book.
Reign
Xarnel is the Dominion’s memory, its legal mind, and its guardian against historical amnesia. As Rotbound Archivist, he serves three primary functions:
- Preserver of Continuity: He tracks lineage, pacts, and precedents dating back before Blackthorn's rise.
- Magical Jurist: He oversees the legality of necromantic rites, soul-binding contracts, and arcane laws to ensure consistency with Dominion law and ancient accords.
- Forbidden Librarian: He curates the Charnel Codex Vault, an ossuary-library grown from bone and bark, where living books whisper secrets and scream when opened.
No decision made in Blackthorn Keep is sealed without his approval, lest it awaken ancient curses or violate long-standing pacts with forgotten powers.
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