Amalek
Archon Amalek
As Archon of Eythgos, Amalek leads the province in a period of frenzied development and preparation. She's a focused leader who watches her words carefully, more at home in front of an army than on a throne. Still, Uzhul chose her to replace her predecessor, and her armor still bears the blood of that transition.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Childhood
6821-6833 Like countless children born to The Iron Empire, Amalek was abandoned at a young age by both parents. One succumbed to blood rage and became a mere weapon, sent to the front lines of an invasion. The other discard their children to pursue their ambitions in the military. This left Amalek and her seven siblings as wards of the state. Barely tended to and kept in rundown shacks, she learned to survive thanks to her sharp understanding of social structures and ability to form connections. When stronger and bigger children threatened her, a gang of orphans swarmed around her to beat them senseless. It wasn't long before Htorem, a devil commander in Eythgo's military noticed Amalek and her orphan army. She stopped on her procession through the province to subject the orphans to a series of tests, helping stronger and older children organize against Amalek. The girl refused to give in, even when beaten and bloodied, and organized a brutal retaliation. The fiend watched and, impressed, revealed her presence to the child. It changed Amalek's life forever to glimpse that power and beauty, and from that day she left her friends behind to chase that Infernal vision.Education & Training
6833-6841 Htorem took Amalek away from her childhood home to place her as page to Rephidim, a paladin sworn to the Destroyer's service. Rephidim was a harsh master with little patience for the girl, demanding perfection and punishing her for any failure or slight fault. As much as Amalek craved Rephidim's approval, she grew resentful of the violence and cruelty of serving this mere mortal, as compared to Htorem. But in time she excelled, and Rephidim taught her to wield weapons and wear armor, not merely tend to them. As Amalek learned the brutal art of battle, her old talent for leadership grew as well. Wherever she went she found allies, binding other pages and squires to her by dividing them against their own masters and building camaraderie. Her slow rise to power did not come without enemies -- Qaraq, an apprentice sorcerer several years older than her, took poorly to her growing popularity, and the two groups clashed however they could while under the brutal discipline of the Eythgan military. However, in the middle of these conflicts, Amalek discovered Qaraq's sibling, Marlista, an armorer learning the arts of enchantment and artifice. The more Amalek's contempt for Qaraq grew, so did her passion for Marlista, seeing in the muscular smith the power and beauty she first beheld in Htorem. But Marlista was indifferent to her interest and advances. Every time she tried to draw Marlista's attention, and failed, Amalek fumed and redoubled her sabotage of her rival's progress through the ranks.Knighthood
6841--6844 It was only the beginning of a new campaign of conquest that saved Amalek from almost destroying her ascension in the ranks. Qaraq placed a curse on one of Amalek's favorite supporters, the page of Rephidim's rival, and Amalek responded violently. Rephidim punished Amalek severely for acting like a weapon instead of a warrior, and threatened to send her to the dreg legions. But Archon Sisera summoned Rephidim to lead a Spear Legion in an action against the Khummus tribes raiding near Masru. Rephidim made Amalek's life hell on the march, chastising her first for acting in rage, and when she explained herself, for allowing Qaraq to provoke her. As punishment, he made her perform tasks seen as below her station and unbefitting of a warrior. But as always, Amalek made the most of the situation, spending time among the laborers and animal handlers of the baggage train. In the process she formed an understanding with Banu, a horse minder in Rephidim's train who Amalek identified as a rival spy. The two of them would be useful to each other long afterwards. The campaign lasted years, and Amalek proved not only an able combatant, but a sharp tactician. She used what she learned from the horse handlers to counter the Khummus raiding tactics, leading to the slaughter of several large families and dispersing the raids for years to come. Upon returning to Eythgos, word reached Tribune Htorem and Archon Sisera. Amalek's rise through the ranks seemed inevitable.Exile
6844--6848 All that changed when Uzhul's favor departed Archon Sisera. By failing to answer the threat of the Khummus and ceding the military operation to Rephidim, she proved unworthy of the role. Sisera was summarily executed and Rephidim appointed to the role. Rather than withdraw from the field, he accepted the title and continued the attack. But he immediately realized he had a problem on his hands with Amalek--the Archon's own squire was more popular and well respected than himself. As such, Rephidim rid himself of Amalek to cut her career short and sent her into exile. Amalek did not have a chance to return and bask in the triumph of her conquests. She killed Rephidim's assassins and escaped into the swamps of Glukmoore with Banu's help. For the next three years, she communicated with supporters and potential backers throughout Eythgos. The legend of her tactical victories grew, to Rephidim's continued frustration. Perhaps that threat to his authority drove Rephidim to pull Eythgos' legions away from Masru and send them south, launching the most ambitious military assault in decades. To cement his legacy and assert his dominance over all challengers, Archon Rephidim executed his lifelong dream--a full scale invasion of Brontha. Spear, Shield and Dreg legions carved a path through Bothotlo lands, established a supply route and fortified outposts along the way, and besieged the walls of the Solar Empire. The attack was masterfully planned, the siege engines perfectly positioned, the formations flawless. It seemed that Rephidim would bring the Priest Kingdom to its knees. Perhaps he shouldn't have attacked Zeilar's city on Zeilar's day. In an event that would henceforth be known as The Second Miracle, the light of the Phoenix descended upon Rephidim's armies, blasting them from the battlefield. As the remnants of the legions fled across the desert, Htorem appeared in Amalek's steadfast, bearing news of the titan's wrath and Rephidim's overthrow. Decades after she'd first beheld the fiend, Amalek's destiny was finally at hand.Archon
6848--6863 When Rephidim and the scraps of his legions returned to the capital, they found Amalek already waiting for him, on the throne. He knew his time was up. Amalek strangled Rephidim, spilled his blood across the floor, and with Htorem as Uzhul's witness, she ascended to become Archon. She immediately set about rebuilding Eythgos' legions and recovering from the catastrophic losses on Brontha's walls. Instead of grand invasions, she ordered provincial legions to launch constant raids and assaults on soft targets. Under her rule Eythgos' armies gained combat experience across the province, at all levels and in all areas. Training attacks on Hillfolk were particularly successful, destroying entire settlements and driving orphans into the fairy woods of Lasair. Even as her soldiers were destroying families and their homes, Amalek reunited and had a child with Marlista. The entire matter was kept quiet and private--the title of Archon is not hereditary, and Amalek considered it important to keep her personal affairs out of business.Gender Identity
Female, She/her
Morality & Philosophy
Amalek believes in power first and foremost. Seizing it, holding it, and denying it to others. This is what Uzhul truly teaches. Every prayer, every parade, every tenet of honor and upheld tradition is in service to the advancement of power.
Current Status
Engaged in a war of conquest
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Age
42
Date of Birth
4th of Ranna, 6821
Children
Pronouns
She/Her
Gender
Female
Eyes
Blood Red
Hair
Shorter, brown, tight.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Beige
Belief/Deity
Uzhulite
Aligned Organization
Comments